Do you feed raw? Looking for advice/opinions

Hello everyone! New user here!

So we have a 7 year old large breed guy in good health, still runs around like a puppy. Aside from a couple of lipomas which we've had checked we don't really have any concerns with him.

I've recently thought more about raw feeding but had a few questions I was hoping some folks with experience could give me some thoughts on.

Where do you source your meats? We live in Ontario and meats are pretty expensive. We do hunt and use pretty much all of the animal for our own dinners. Just would like to get a ballpark of what you feed/how much it costs you per pound because we do have a big boy.

How much do you feed? A percentage of body weight? Wondering how much I'd be looking at stocking and feeding.

Where do you feed your pet? I'm pregnant and we're soon to have a little one crawling the floors and getting into everything and I am a bit of a clean freak so the idea of bacteria everywhere with a wee vulnerable human wigs me out. I was considering feeding outside which would work in the winter months but during the spring/summer/fall we tend to have a lot of issues with bears wandering in the city. We can't even leave garbage out overnight so I'm worried about attracting them to the yard.

Any thoughts or opinions are welcome, as well as additional points I might not have thought about. Thanks so much!

Added: We currently feed Acana Singles Yorkshire Pork which costs about $75 for a 25 lb bag and lasts us around a month. We used to alternate between Orijen and Acana's Regional Red and Ranchlands as they were available but shortages of the supply were often leaving us shorthanded and scrambling to find an appropriate switch.

I raw feed, and am on the 8th generation of raw fed dogs, I have generations 5,6 and 7 here and one of my friends recently bred a litter off one of my boys, making generation 8.
The difference is astounding, very solid big boned healthy dogs. My puppy contract states the puppy must continue to be raw fed and they have to commit to it. The majority of my owners have young families and there is no problem at all with bacteria etc. As long as you keep everywhere as clean as you normally would anyway I think you are getting worked up about nothing on that front.
If you hunt then just feed your dog whole prey. I know lots of people who do, and the dogs adore it and do well on it.
Rule of thumb is 2% of an adult dogs weight, puppies it is 10% of expected adult weight. Adjust the quantities by eye, if too fat, cut down, if too thin, increase. Poo's should be firm and small, if they go white and like concrete then you are feeding too much bone. In the UK we have lots of companies that supply raw food to the door,not sure about where you are, but worth perhaps putting Raw Dog Food Suppliers in your search engine. There is a Raw Feeding Guide on here that will answer a lot of your questions.

I don't feed anything to my raw. I eat cooked and so does my dog. You can give your pet dog food which are sold in the market as they make it available for various types of dogs. It is safe to feed your dog raw, however, it is just a preference your dog gives to the type of food.

Hi! Great to know you want to give boy what nature intended! There's a website which gives you guideline about quantities: rawfeddogs.org, and also someone on this site has posted a fantastic detailed account of exactly what they give their dogs. Unfortunately l no longer have the information, but lm sure someone on this site does! If they read this, please can you inform this lovely lady?! Good luck with the feeding, and of course, the new baby!

I've found the posting! It's by Tarimoor and headed "Rough BARF diet" posted on 17/3/17. You'll get everything and more from this fantastic article. Thanks again Tarimoor!

Sorry! It was posted on 12/3/2017. Use the search feature ( enter raw feeding) and hopefully you'll find it.
Best of luck.

Hi. I have been a vet for a long time and for many years I recommended feeding kibble to pets to "keep their teeth clean." Now, I know that this was a myth and that I was wrong to give this advice. I now completely recommend feeding a balanced diet fed raw. The whole purpose of this movement is the awareness that the further away that we move from their ancestral diet, the more harm that we do to them.

Some people want to tell you that dogs are no longer wolves. Genetically speaking, regarding the GI function, they are exactly the same as wolves. They are carnivores and they need high-protein, no starch diets in order to thrive. Feeding heat-processed kibble has been proven to be a primary link to all chronic diseases in pets. You can Google the abundant information that goes into detail why. Most dogs do well on raw diets, but I do have a very few that need to have the food cooked. The more that you cook a nutrient, the more the nutritional value drops. This is why the pet food industry has to fortify their diets with chemically processed vitamins and minerals, along with adding the preservative.

If you are not a vegetarian then you are used to handling raw meat. Obviously, you clean up after handling by washing your hands, cleaning the counter and utensils. The same protocols for feeding the dog. The only additional step is to clean their bowls after they eat.

Most people think they need to fix their dog's raw diet at each meal. We have fed raw for many years (two adult Labs now) and they thrive on raw diets. Our last one lasted 16.5 years and died of old age. I fix the dog's food every Sunday and put the pot in the fridge. Each morning I dish out their food and repeat it every evening. Takes five minutes. Cost is about the same as feeding a premium dry kibble. Just need to shop as you would for your meat.

One other thing to consider. If you have a dog that seems to get easily over-heated, then you want to feed a cooling diet. If you have a dog that seems to be chilly all the time, stays close to the fire, etc., you want to feed a warming diet. Cooling meats are turkey, pork, fish and rabbit. Warming meats are beef, chicken, lamb and venison. Also, make the switch to raw slowly, especially in older dogs. If you go to fast you will likely cause GI upset. Feed a small amount of the fresh raw food separately for a week or so watching closely. If no GI problems then switch both feeding to the fresh. Good luck, your dogs will love you for it.