Raw Meal Photos

[Maxx&Emma]

Some people feed the prey model and photos can appear to be used for a sensationalized effect. Prey model feed the whole animal including feathers etc


Look at all the previous photos from Berna, Halycon and me, we all feed according to the BARF model - Many of us would like more people to feed home cooked and raw food to our dogs and so want to show how easy it can be. I started this thread with that mission in mind....the food can look good, healthy and easy to manage without too much preparation or butchering skills etc etc. I remember the previous thread from the old forum when I was researching Raw food and was also slightly discouraged from starting raw because of the photos...it just seemed so unmanageable and time consuming with a need to have very large knives and freezer space for carcasses.


So don't be discouraged, feeding home cooked and raw food doesn't have to involve feeding a raw rooster head or butchering whole animal carcasses. It can be easy, quick, and involve ALL and ONLY foods bought from your local supermarket.

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all of that! I have been looking at raw feeding Maxx and Emma and I think I will be ok with most of it and can get past that which makes me a bit squeamish. I do know it is not something I will regret and my dogs will be healthier. I just recently purchased a small chest freezer for storage and will begin filling it shortly. It was the guinea pigs that threw me for a loop and the rooster heads, with feathers. There would be no kisses for a while here, lol!

[emma_Dad]

I have no problem chopping up an entire bird or a small animal and seeing another animal eat it. I would love to feed Emma raw but the GF would never allow it. She can't even see me break apart a chicken or a fish.

Taylor: Just curious why guinea pigs? and where do you get them?

[Taylor]

I have no problem chopping up an entire bird or a small animal and seeing another animal eat it. I would love to feed Emma raw but the GF would never allow it. She can't even see me break apart a chicken or a fish.

Taylor: Just curious why guinea pigs? and where do you get them?

Somebody actually gave me the guinea pig because I picked up a TON of fish a few weeks ago that was more than my freezer would handle so I have her 75+ lbs of it (The Rooster Heads also came from her and are from a raw food distributor). Rabbit I feed regularly, but not guinea pig - too fatty. I have fed guinea pigs in the past as I have several large snakes that can take down guinea pigs - but again, I don't feed them to even the snakes often because they're so fatty. I've gotten frozen guinea pigs from my local Exotic Pet Store (New England Reptile distributors).

The guinea pig that I got today was from Hare Today, Gone Tommorow which is a common raw food distributor online.

I used to feed barf model, until I got a huge chest freezer. My local distributor sells things in bulk (Pawfectly Raw New England) and it's just easier for me to do a mix of prey model and barf/raw - not strictly one or the other. I like doing whole prey, because he eats EVERYTHING and I know none of the animal was wasted. I still get things from the grocery store occasionally, but I have a lot of great local farms around here that I've worked things out with. Brady eats 1.25-1.5 lbs a day, and After doing all the math out today I'm actually paying less than 80 cents a day to feed him.

[Taylor]

Taking pictures of meals now

Green Tripe (Beef, Ground), Salmon, Beef Liver, and a Rabbit Back.

[POPTOP]

Very interesting. Seems a little complicated to get the right balance and one would need to do their homework to feed proper nutrition.

Several of the meals seemed to have something sprinkled on top. What would that be?

I picked up some Instinct trial packs and was amazed at how little had to be fed to be considered a full meal. Actually got them to be a topper, a nice change from the fruit and green beans.

[Berna]

Several of the meals seemed to have something sprinkled on top. What would that be?

Mine:
-flax
-sesame
-sunflower
-cinnamon
-coconut
-pumpkin seeds

[Berna]

Today's meal:



- turkey neck
- egg
- goat's whey
- beef liver (cooked with veggies)
- broccoli, carrot, tomato, parsley
- macaroni

[MikeLynn]

Thought it might be good to start a thread showing some of the raw and home-cooked meals we feed our dogs.


Here is a mix of kangaroo meat, beef liver, lamb kidney, vegetables and small amount of cooked rice. I feed according to the BARF model.Attachment 348This will give me 3 days supply, or if I give raw meaty bones for the breakfast meal, then it will last 5 days.

Knowing that this thread is basically about BARF, I was a bit hesitant to post, but as Georgie mentioned even home-cooked in the initial post, I've decided to share my cooking and feeding experience. Just yesterday I spent the "whole day" cooking for Mel and here are some documentary pics:

Pasta and boiled beef cooling off on the balcony:


This is what it looks like in the sink: beef chopped, finely shredded carrots from the juicer included, everything carefully mixed:


This is what it looks like bagged and ready to put in the freezer:


And speaking of the freezer... (the two slices of pork in the bottom drawer on the left are mine):






I said it took the whole day, not really - the beef must be boiled, three batches in a pressure cooker (30 minutes each), then it takes some time for the pasta (special for canines and doesn't soak up so much water, so the volume doesn't increase dramatically after it's cooked) and the meat to cool off, so I can proceed with chopping, mixing and bagging. The speed really depends on the outside temp - love freezing winter weather
What exactly is in there: beef / carrots / pasta in 5:3:3 ratio (there's 10 kgs / 22 lbs of beef) Is that it? Nope.

Mel gets one of those baggies in the morning after our long walk and it has some supplements added (vitamins, minerals... link containing more details follows: https://www.aptuspet.com/products_cop...=2/id=10404566 ) and a raw egg.

In the afternoon she gets another baggie, this time plain.

In the evening there's some desert, typically: half a pig ear (local, not greasy), chewable dental hygiene consisting of pressed powdered bones and/or of dried/not fatty cracklings (not colored or flavored - I'm positive, tasted it myself )

Don't know if anyone finds this post useful, interesting and/or inspirational, but it works for Mel and it worked for Lynn - never fed kibble to my Labs. Making it is not as time-consuming and difficult as some people think and all you have to do is have two baggies ready in the fridge for every day, so they'd thaw a bit and then take them out and let them warm up to room temperature (18C / 65F) Cooked on 6/21 and we're safe and comfy until 8/10) Not such a bad deal and I know exactly what's in their food - touched the meat, the carrots, the egg and the pasta. The only mystery could be the supplements, but even those look good to me and my vet, whom I trust, gave me his approval.

ETA: And the pasta is cooked in the beef stock.

[Taylor]

Horrible picture, sorry it was dark.

Meaty chicken carcass, Chicken Neck, Chicken liver, and Lamb tripe.

[Berna]

- chicken back with neck
- chicken gizzards
- beef knuckle bone with marrow
- vegetable mix
- plain yogurt