So I made the decision to raw feed our new puppy. Having never owned a dog as an adult I did what any responsible soon-to-be puppy owner in the 21st century would do and googled dog feeding. For the couple of weeks before she arrived I just read as much as I could find.... vet recommendations, commercial claims, the BARF fad and true raw feeding. Going raw just made more sense and resonated with me as the best choice. This site from an out-spoken Australian woman is one of my favorites on the topic: http://www.rawlearning.com/
So far she's doing AWESOME on it. I couldn't be happier with how she looks, her body weight is ideal (and she's growing like a weed!) and her energy level speaks to how great she feels. The claims about the stool..... less of it, less smell and the fact that it dries and turns chalky within a couple of days if left are all true. We have no yucky dog breath etc. Her vet tells me how wonderful she looks and to keep up what we're doing.... so I'm getting ever more comfortable with our choice.
But while I've gotten over my squeamishness at tossing her a whole fish to devour or a quarter chicken carcass to gnaw on, I'm not sure how to broach the subject with our puppy sitter. I feed Aero a pre-made "whole animal" raw patty for breakfast that I purchase from a local specialty pet food store and in the evenings I feed her a variety throughout the days: turkey wings, pork hocks, whole fish, chicken (did you know that the only dangerous chicken bones are cooked ones? cooking makes them sharp and prone to splinter.... raw ones are soft enough and perfect for eating - who knew?). And while she could just survive on these patties for both meals, that's a much more expensive option for us than feeding the way we are. I'm pretty sure no one would have a problem with the patties - they really don't look much different than canned dog food..... I just wonder if she'll be totally grossed out or look at me like I have a second head if I pre-package raw meat meals for her too....
Would you be grossed out?
Happy Thanksgiving
4 weeks ago
2 comments:
Not grossed out in the slightest . . . but wondering about the cost benefits . . .
Is it the same price as feeding your dog the crappy food from the bag in the grocery store?
Going the whole "pre-packaged patty" route would definately cost more - probably double? Not sure, I have no idea what kibble costs? But the patties are like $2/meal - so she'd cost me $4/day to feed just to not gross out the dog sitter. Going with meat from local butchers and farmers (and fishermen - thanks Oz!) is way cheaper though... those meals work out to $1/meal or even less.
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