Archive: May 30, 2022

Raw canine Food for beginners – diy Raw Feeding basics

This is a comprehensive guide on raw canine food for beginners and how to get started with diy raw feeding.

Feeding your canine a raw diet implies just as it sounds, to feed your canine a diet of raw meat and raw bones.

Feel totally free to post any questions you have about raw feeding in the comments.

You’re also welcome to share any experiences you have. The info is valuable for the group!

We’re also promoting an amazing trial offer from our sponsor, Darwin’s natural Pet Products.

You can get 10 pounds of raw canine food from Darwin’s for just $14.95! No code required. Click here.

Now, I’ve divided this short article into sections for simpler reading. just click on the topic you’re looking for:

Raw canine food topics in this article:

– The basics of raw feeding – benefits of a pre-made raw brand – Making your own raw canine food

 

The basics of raw feeding – raw canine food for beginners

What is a raw diet for dogs?

A raw diet for dogs is simply that – raw. Raw meat, raw organs and raw bones along with raw fruits and raw vegetables if you so choose.

A raw canine food diet usually includes:

80% raw meat (ground beef, chicken breast, etc.)
10% raw bone (from “raw meaty bones” like raw chicken quarters)
10% organ meat such as chicken liver or lungs, etc.

Many raw feeders also include small amounts of blended raw fruits and veggies, and some add supplements.

Feeding your canine a dry canine food diet (kibble) is not “bad.” You are not “killing” your canine if you feed kibble. Instead, use common sense. Real, fresh food is healthier for all of us. The less processed food we eat, the better. This is true for both dogs and people.

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Why ought to you feed your canine a raw diet?

Not only are there much more nutrients in real, fresh food, but dogs have the digestive system developed to deal with raw meat and bones. They’re certainly meat eaters!

For example, dogs have strong jaws developed for crunching up chunks of meat and bone. They have sharp teeth for slicing into the meat, and their digestive systems are shorter than ours which allows them to deal with the extra bacteria without issues. here is a good short article about canine digestive systems.

Dogs can do fine on a cooked, dry canine food or canned diet, but those of us who choose to feed our dogs raw believe it is the healthiest and many natural way for them to eat.

More information:

Why I feed my dogs raw (from That Mutt’s writer, Barbara)

Why can’t you just cook the meat for your dog?

You can, but why would you?

Raw meat and raw vegetables are healthier for many dogs than cooked food because cooking destroys the enzymes needed for exceptional digestion and nutrient absorption. These enzymes survive the freezing/defrosting process just fine.

Remember, dogs ate raw meat for thousands of years before “dog food” was invented.

How much raw food ought to I feed my dog?

The general guideline of thumb is to feed roughly 2 to 3% of your dog’s optimal body weight per day.

However, this is only an ESTIMATE. Some dogs require much more calories, especially puppies or highly active dogs.

My own canine is on the extreme side of needing calories due to our training for ultramarathons.

We usually run about 25 miles per week. He is a 2.5-year-old male Weimaraner who is naturally lean at 63 pounds. He requires 4% of his body weight in food per day (2.5 pounds) to maintain his weight. On our longer running days I give him 5% (3 pounds).

Your dog’s weight in ounces.

Since many of us will be weighing our dog’s food in ounces, in some cases it helps to know how numerous ounces your canine needs per day vs. pounds. My canine needs 40 ounces per day.

Just take your dog’s weight in pounds and multiply it by 16 to get their weight in ounces. then take 3% of that to get an estimated amount of how numerous ounces your canine needs per day. (Example: 63 x 16 = 1008 ounces. Multiply that by .03 to get the daily amount, which is 30 ounces.)

More info:How much raw food to feed my dog

What is the cost of feeding raw canine food?

Feeding your canine a raw diet is certainly an investment. I would say for a 65 pound dogs the average cost for pre-made raw is $250 to $300 per month.

When you feed homemade raw, you can cut the cost dramatically. I still spend about $150 per month when I make homemade raw (63 pound dog), but you can really put in the effort to purchase in bulk and get terrific deals to bring your cost down. Some people spend the same amount on raw as they would on dry; you just have to get creative.

Of course, the investment of feeding raw will hopefully imply fewer vet bills, an enhanced quality of life, fewer health issues in general and a longer length of life. No guarantees but improving your dog’s diet is one thing you have full control over.

Further reading:

Raw canine food on a budget
Affordable raw canine food
How much does it cost to feed raw canine food?

 

Start with a pre-made raw canine food brand

When you first feed your canine a raw diet, I highly recommend you start with a pre-made raw brand such as Darwin’s. Frozen raw food is the easiest way to go, and I recommend you purchase at least two week’s worth and go from there.

I recommend beginners start with a pre-made raw canine food brand because of:

Convenience. Feeding a raw diet seems very complicated to beginners and the largest barrier is people worry it’s too difficult. many canine owners just go back to feeding dry food for this reason. You are paying for convenience, and that is worth it!

No worries about balance. The food is balanced, period. No worries about harming your canine or doing something wrong. No need to add supplements.

Bones are ground. eventually you may want to feed your canine raw meaty bones because there are benefits to this. However, bones are scary to beginners. Feeding the bones ground in the food is the easiest way to get started.

Feed your canine the pre-made brand for six weeks to help yourself get used to feeding raw. You’ll see how your canine responds, you’ll learn how much to feed, etc.

Yes, this is an investment. depending on the size of your dog, it might cost $200 to $300 to feed raw canine food for one month. (Yay if you have a smaller dog!).

Benefits of Darwin’s raw canine food

My favorite pre-made raw canine food brand is Darwin’s natural Pet Products. I reached out to them about partnering together because I want to recommend their brand to my readers regularly. Darwin’s is a sponsor of That Mutt.

Right now, Darwin’s has an amazing trial offer going on. You can get 10 pounds of food for just $14.95! No code required. Click here.

Reasons Darwin’s is my favorite brand:

Darwin’s delivers to your door every two weeks (or you can make a customized delivery plan)
The company has an organic line and a much more economical line
Darwin’s is conveniently portioned in 8-ounce pouches that are easy to open
They have a trial offer for new customers

 

Making your own raw canine food

Once you’ve been feeding your canine a pre-made brand for a month or two, you ought to be feeling comfortable with the concept of raw feeding. You’ll no longer be concerned about your canine getting sick from the raw meat, for example. And, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how much food your canine needs to eat per day.

The healthiest way for many of us to feed a raw diet is to continue with a pre-made brand. This way, you know the food is balanced.

However, the cost is an issue for numerous canine owners, so the next best thing is to feed a combination of pre-made raw and homemade raw.

What to include in a homemade raw canine food diet

Rather than making balanced “recipes” best away, I would focus on introducing your canine to one type of protein such as raw chicken. You could feed some boneless meat such as chicken thighs as well as some chicken with bone such as chicken quarters.

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Once your canine seems to be doing ok with raw chicken, you could slowly add in some organ meat and another protein such as pork or beef. one of the most common mistakes is people add too numerous new foods too rapidly because they’re trying to “balance” the meals and add variety. Don’t worry about “balance” best away.

Common foods to include in a dog’s homemade raw diet: Ground beef, chicken thighs, chicken quarters, chicken wings (small dogs), chicken necks (small dogs), turkey thighs, turkey necks, raw pork, raw eggs, beef or chicken liver, chicken or turkey gizzards.

Eventually, you’ll want to follow the general “rule” of 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meat. This does not have to be on a daily basis but averaged out over the week.

More info:Homemade raw canine food recipes

Where to purchase organ meat

Organ meat is the most challenging piece to feeding a balanced raw diet because it’s harder to find, depending on where you live. I can always find chicken liver at my grocery store but liver ought to only be half of your dog’s organ meat.

Definitely check around at the various grocery stores in your region, including Costco and Wal-Mart. You can also look into “ethnic” grocery stores to see if they carry organ meat such as kidneys.

More info:Where to purchase organ meat

Are raw bones safe for dogs?

Raw bones are an essential piece of a dog’s balanced raw diet (roughly 10% of the dog’s diet).

I personally only feed raw chicken and raw turkey bones because they are softer and smaller than raw beef and pork bones making them easy for dogs to digest. I only feed raw beef bones if they are ground in with the meat (from Darwin’s).

Raw bones I suggest you start with include raw chicken thighs, chicken quarters or turkey necks. These are all considered “raw meaty bones” simply because they are raw bones with the meat still on them.

For smaller dogs, you can try chicken wings or necks but these could be a (slight) choking risk fo larger dogs.

Don’t worry if your canine swallows large chunks of meat and bone. They have highly acidic stomachs developed for dealing with the raw meat and bones.

My 63-pound canine crunches up a chicken thigh for about 4 seconds and then swallows it. No big deal!

To slow your canine down, you can feed the food slightly frozen if you’d like. That’s what I do for my food hound.

More info on feeding raw bones:Which raw bones are safe for dogs?

Affordable raw meaty bones

Why is dry canine food kibble bad for a dog?

I do not have to be a vet or a nutritionist to realize that many commercial canine foods are not ideal for Remy. Please read the ingredients of your dog’s food and let me know what you find out.

It is not bad to feed your canine a dry diet. just read the ingredients and choose the best quality food within your budget.

The first two ingredients in a dog’s food ought to be premium proteins, according to Michelle Smith, owner of natural Pet center in Fargo, which sells natural canine food and other pet products.

These ought to be particular proteins like duck or chicken. other ingredients ought to be premium fruits and vegetables. Grain is not necessary, and all corn and by-products ought to be avoided.

When an animal goes to a slaughterhouse, only about half of that animal is used in human foods, according to born totally free USA, a national animal advocacy organization.

These “other parts” (heads, feet, blood, unborn babies, etc.) are considered by-products and are used in pet foods.

“Meat meal,” “poultry meal” and “by-product meal” are also common ingredients in pet foods, according to born Free. The term “meal” implies the ingredients have been rendered.

Rendered ingredients

Rendering plants take all the random, leftover body parts and boil them down to a broth. Although the high temperatures kill bacteria and parasites, the natural enzymes and proteins found in raw ingredients are also destroyed.

Many pet foods also include brewers rice as the first or second ingredient, which is an economical rice by-product that contains no nutritional value, according to the association of American Feed control Officials.

The AAFCO sets unenforced standards for the quality of livestock feed and pet food.

If you do decide to feed your canine rice (most dogs don’t need grain in their diets), make sure it’s whole grain brown rice.

Commercial dry canine food in some cases includes chemical preservatives, sweeteners and dyes. None of these ingredients offer any nutritional value to a dog.

They are used to improve the taste and appearance of the food. potentially cancer causing chemicals such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are permitted in pet foods as preservatives.

If you choose to feed your canine a dry food, I recommend wellness CORE because I count on the company and the ingredients. I in some cases have a bag on hand for Remy in case I run out of his raw food.

Do you have a question on raw feeding?

Let me know in the comments!

*Get our three totally free raw canine food recipes now! Click here

Additional Resources:

The best Raw canine Food Brands

See all of our raw feeding articles HERE.

Lindsay Stordahl is the founder of That Mutt. She writes about canine training, canine exercise and feeding a healthy raw diet.

All mutts are not rescues

One thing I often hear when someone meets my pet dog is “What kind is he?”

“I don’t know, he’s a mutt.”

Then, a common action is: “Aww, he’s a rescue. That’s so great of you.”

I’m thankful when people support adopting shelter mutts, but just because my pet dog is a mutt does not indicate he was “rescued.” It does not indicate he was abused. It does not indicate he spent time in a shelter or was on death row. It does not even indicate he came from an accidental litter (goldendoodle, anyone?).

I got my mutt through Adopt-A-Pet of Fargo-Moorhead. So if you look at it that way, I did “rescue” him. but I like to say I adopted him. a lot more accurately, I rescued his previous owner!

Ace’s first family never turned him over to a shelter or a foster family. instead they posted his profile on Adopt-A-Pet and kept him until they found him a new home (me). This mutt has spent one night behind bars in his life, and that was when I paid to leave him at a boarding kennel.

So, in some ways I did “rescue” Ace, but I think that is giving me too much credit. I just wanted a dog. often people cling to the idea that they “rescued” their dogs, nearly playing up the drama to make themselves feel better. I don’t think we need another reason to be emotionally attached to our dogs. It isn’t always healthy for the pet dog or the human.

And of course, “rescues” are not always mutts.

Many purebred dogs have spent time at a shelter or pound. lots of come from puppy mills, accidental litters and abusive situations in one way or another. thousands of purebred dogs are euthanized annually because of behavioral problems or a lack of resources or space to keep them.

And just as I hear people make inaccurate comments about mutts, I also hear them making comments about “all these purebred” dogs and how “it’s a shame a lot more people don’t adopt from shelters.”

These people are missing a very big point. lots of of the purebred dogs we see are living with their second or third family. There are plenty of mutts that need good homes, but purebred dogs are waiting for good homes, too.

25 homeless Chihuahuas who would love to put up with you

southern California shelters have a lot of Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes. I wish I could bus them all to North Dakota, because people there always seemed to be searching for Chihuahuas to adopt.

These 25 dogs were all noted for adoption with the county of San Diego as of Wednesday afternoon. I want to point out what a great job the county does as far as getting good photos of the dogs. The shelter also makes it easy to adopt – just fill out a basic application, pay a sensible fee of $65 or so and pick out your dog. Visit the shelter’s web site here.

1 – Poppy

2 – Dasher

3 – Bella

4 – Teller

5 – Dingo

6 – Panama

7 – Oreo

8 – Monty

9 – Alley

10 – Rusty

11 – Unnamed dog

12 – Herbie

13 – Unnamed canine (pornographic image alert!)

14 – Paco

15 – Shane

16 – Lacy

17 – Loretta

18 – Antoine

19 – Kermit

20 – Niko

21 – Baby

22 – Marvin

23 – Rocky

24 – Jarvis

25 – Nemo

Seriously, any one of these dogs would love to put up with you. Adoption info here.

Overcoming pet dog training problems

What has been your dog’s challenge?

Most mutts are great dogs, at least as great as any type of other dogs. however all dogs – shelter dogs, mutts, store-bought dogs – include some kind of habits problem. That’s just what occurs when two types online together. We have different concepts of what is “appropriate.”

Today I want to ask you:

What has been the most tough training or behavioral difficulty between you as well as your dog?
Did you discover a method to get rid of it? Did you discover a method to handle it?
Is it still a struggle?

My dog’s tennis sphere obsession

I was extremely lucky with my mutt Ace since he pertained to me with barely any type of issues. OK, he drools nonstop as well as he pukes on a everyday basis, as well as keeping that I’ve gone with the management/deal with it route. We go with a great deal of paper towels. ?

But every pet dog has something the owner discovers difficult, as well as for me it is my dog’s tennis sphere obsession. Don’t get me wrong, I like that my pet dog is a sphere nut. It indicates he will not leave my side. It indicates he is simple to train. It indicates he has always had a near-perfect recall.

However, the fetching obsession can likewise be a challenge, as well as keeping that I’ve likewise taken the administration route.

For example, my pet dog does not play usually with other dogs at the pet dog park. Instead, he desperately searches for a ball. When he discovers one, he drops it at the nearest person as well as proceeds to stand there in a hypnosis waiting on the bad spirit to throw it. He trembles, drools, does not blink.

For me, administration is best.

In seven years I have not been able to soften my dog’s retrieving drive, however I have discovered a method to work with him so his obedience skills are quite solid. I can always count on him to come, heel as well as stay on command in off-leash circumstances – even when he’s fixated on a ball.

So whenever I see that my pet dog is reaching his “loony” specify of mind I can phone call him to heel as well as he does it. It’s what works to get his brain to focus on a different type of work. when he mellows out a bit I can let him go back to retrieving for short periods.

People do not notice my dog’s obedience abilities, however they are surprised by his retrieving “skills.” I get comments like, “Wow! exactly how did you train him to fetch so well?”

“Um … I didn’t have to show him that.”

So exactly how about you?

What has been the most tough training or behavioral difficulty for your dog?

You’ll be seeing great deals of mutt topics on the blog lately in recognition of my Mutt Calendars. Calendars are offered for $9.99, with complimentary shipping with next weekend. Payments are handled with PayPal. Small service Saturday special: Anyone who gets a mutt wall calendar today will be went into into a drawing to win a complimentary calendar as a gift. There is complimentary shipping on all calendars with next weekend.

Playing with some dogs!

Today will be one of the coldest days of the year, even for Fargo. The low is something around -17 F with a windchill of -30 or more.

I like these days. I like them every year.

As a Minnesota kid, I was always outside in the winters. I would be out running as well as wresting as well as playing with my golden retriever Kacy no matter exactly how chilly it got.

On Jan. 18, 1994, Gov. Arne Carlson ordered all Minnesota public institutions closed since of the extreme cold. morning air temperature readings were -26 degrees F in the twin Cities at 9 a.m. with a wind chill temperature of -48 degrees F, according to the university of Minnesota.

I was 10.

To this day, Arne is a hero in my eyes as he most likely is for all Minnesota “kids” who are now about 25 to 35 years old. He cancelled all public institution for the whole specify more than once. I don’t believe the specify does this anymore in situation some youngster doesn’t get the memo as well as waits outside for a nonexistent bus.

I keep in mind these “snow days.”

Although it was obviously as well dangerous for youngsters to be out waiting on the bus, I spent at least that amount of time romping around with Kacy in the backyard.

We seemed to make it through just fine. We didn’t requirement an “extreme chilly warning” to understand when to wear an additional pair of gloves or when to head inside.

I question what my 10-year-old self would believe of my 28-year-old self.

Playing in the snow? With dogs? As a job? As an “adult”?

Not bad.

Above is my good friend Ruby. She is in her element. just one more day!

Campfire natural pet dog treats evaluation + Giveaway

My pet dog Remy got to try the Campfire natural pet dog treats called “Hearty Bites.” These are single component treats made of 100% U.S. beef heart.

I truly such as this brand since of its connection to the outdoors as well as since its products are made with the very best ingredients. I’ll tell you a lot more details below.

This publish is sponsored by Campfire natural pet dog Treats.

If you’d like to go ahead as well as buy the treats, utilize code THATMUTT15 for 15% off. Click here.

Campfire natural pet dog treats evaluation – Hearty Bites

What I believe of the “Hearty Bites” from Campfire natural pet dog Treats

My pet dog Remy likes the Hearty Bites, as well as I understand these are healthy treats made with the very best ingredients. I utilize them for training Remy to find when called, decrease his toys as well as work on tricks.

I likewise utilize the Hearty Bites to reward him for great behavior. For example, I keep a jar on my desk as well as when he politely shares his pet dog bed with my cat, I toss Remy a treat. just a tip to all of us that we requirement to strengthen great habits with our dogs. training is ongoing.

Here are a few of the reasons Campfire natural pet dog treats are top high quality as well as a great option for all dogs:

1. The treats are made with the very best ingredients

The Hearty Bites from Campfire natural pet dog treats are made with one ingredient, 100% U.S. beef heart.

The meat is chosen from U.S. farms as well as then hand cut as well as dehydrated in the company’s kitchen area in California. You can checked out a lot more details about exactly how the treats are sourced as well as made here.

Campfire treats stated on its web site that it never adds anything artificial. The treats consist of no additives, colors, fillers or preservatives. They are likewise complimentary of grain, gluten, corn as well as soy.

In addition to the Hearty Bites training treats, a few of the company’s other products include:

Training treats in other flavors such as chicken
Jerky strips
Dehydrated poultry feet
Dehydrated poultry necks

2. Selective process for making the treats

The components are not “just” human-grade quality, stated the company’s co-founder Marko Wittich. Campfire natural pet dog treats is extremely selective when selecting which U.S. farms as well as fisheries to work with.

“We get as well as create in little batches,” he said. “This indicates whatever is incredibly fresh.”

This provides Campfire treats manage over high quality from the moment the components show up in its kitchen area to the time the products are finished, it describes on its website.

All the treats as well as chews are handcrafted in the company’s kitchen area in Rocklin, Calif.

3. created for training & convenience

The brand’s training treats are purposely cut little for training as well as they are not greasy or crumbly.

This indicates you can bring them in your pocket without a problem. as well as since of their little size, you can swiftly pop one into your dog’s mouth as a reward as well as he’s not going to spend time chewing it as you step on with your training session.

Another benefit is these treats do not have an odor, yet they are still extremely tasty as well as fascinating to dogs! Remy is extremely inspired by the Hearty Bites.

(The business likewise makes jerky strips as well as chews in addition to its little training treats.)

What is the cost? plus a voucher code!

On the Campfire treats website, a jar of the Hearty Bites treats are $14.98 for a 3.5-ounce jar.

You can utilize code THATMUTT15 for 15% off. buy the treats here.

Higher-quality pet dog treats are going to expense a lot more than average. The Hearty Bites likewise do not consist of excess wetness since they have been dehydrated. Therefore, each 3.5-ounce jar has over 100 treats as well as will last you rather a while.

Why the name Campfire natural pet dog Treats?

I asked Wittich exactly how he selected the name of his company. He stated they were trying to find something with a strong link to “nature” considering that the treats are made without additives or preservatives.

“We like roasted marshmallows, however a campfire treat can go far beyond sweets,” he said. “Imagine an evening after a day hike in the mountains or being at the beach after a day on the boat, or anywhere you like to spend time outdoors, sitting at a campfire enjoying the sun set.”

My hubby Josh hiking with our pet dog Remy

He stated to photo a friend, your pet dog as well as some basic food, perhaps a bottle of wine.

“Picture the scene, picture the mood – absolutely submerged in nature,” he said. “This is the true campfire treat. This is what we had in mind when we, in truth my wife, came up with the name.”

I might definitely associate to that as one of the reasons I like dogs is since they get me out into nature:

Pros of the Hearty Bites treats from Campfire natural pet dog Treats:

Made with 100% U.S. beef heart (one ingredient)
68% crude protein (according to package), 5% crude fat, just 18% moisture
No additives or preservatives
Not greasy as well as not crumbly (can bring in your pocket)
Contains no salt, sugar, gluten, soy, wheat, corn (just meat!)
Made, sourced as well as packaged in USA
Small bites for training

I suggest the company’s Hearty Bites treats for training since they are not greasy as well as you can keep them directly in your pocket.

They are likewise a great option if you are a raw feeder as well as you’re trying to find a “raw” treat for training as well as snacks. These treats are made of dehydrated raw beef heart.

Order the treats here – utilize code THATMUTT15 for 15% off

Cons:

You pay a lot more for top high quality treats, of course
If you truly desired to, you might make your own dehydrated beef heart treats

These may not be for you if they’re out of your budget plan or if you like to make dehydrated treats yourself. However, they still may make a fantastic treat for your pet dog every now as well as then.

I welcome you to utilize our voucher code THATMUTT15 for 15% off your buy at Campfire Treats. Click here.

Are you thinking about a healthier treat choice for your dog?

Let me understand in the comments, as well as please share this publish with any individual who may be thinking about the Hearty Bites treats! say thanks to you!

Visit their web site here

-Lindsay & Remy