Thinking Of Going Back To RAW

[Ron]

We are thinking of switching the guy to RAW. Tie has been on RAW before but Newman has only had a few meals here and there.

My concern is Tie. He's teeth are pretty worn down now and im worried the bones will be to hard for him...over time.

Is it possible to buy ground bone?

[Spyglass Sally]

That's what we do. Buddy eats all raw, but it's a 80/10/10 blend of muscle, organ and bone ground to hamburg consistency. Of course he still need things to chew on for his teeth and gums, but you can tailor that to Tie's abilities.

We buy it in 5# frozen bags and just thaw it as needed.

[Ron]

where do you buy ground bone? butcher?

[Spyglass Sally]

Originally Posted by Ron

where do you buy ground bone? butcher?

Our butcher won't grind bone - say's it'll break his blades. But there's a person on the east side of Michigan, SimplePetFood, who does it. There are others around too, but she will actually deliver to where we live (west side of Michigan) and combine delivery costs if there are others in the area ordering.

As you can see her prices are very reasonable. Last October we ordered what's below and are probably about half way through it. (I have to use _ for spacing - no tables allowed )

Quantity ___ 80/10/10 Ground Mix___ Price/lb ___Total
100_________ Beef_______________ 1.75________175.00
50____________Turkey____________ 1.50_________75.00
100____________ Chicken__________ 1.50________150.00
50____________Lamb______________ 2.50_______125.00

Sub-total 525.00
-10% off orders >$100 = (-52.50)
Total $472.50

Not sure if you're close enough to Detroit (she's near there) that it's worth driving to pick up some or if there's someone else in your neck of the woods, but that's what we do. You can request it frozen, btw, so if you do pick it up, you don't need a refrigerator truck.

I think it costs about $100/month for us to feed raw, which I hate. But I know quality kibble isn't cheap either, although we could probably save money by going that way. Tempting sometimes. But I do believe raw is better so we have fed him that since he was very very young.

EDIT: I just did some thinking and realized that if we're about half way through, then this lasts us about 6 months, which is more like $78/month. Still not cheap, but Buddy eats a good bit. We allocate him 2 - 21/2 pounds of raw a day. If he's still hungry, he eats kibble.

[Ron]

ok we'll look around and see if any butchers grind.

[Ron]

According to Google, we're only 2:45 from Detroit...

[Spyglass Sally]

Originally Posted by Ron

According to Google, we're only 2:45 from Detroit...

That's about how far we are too. We've driven there before, but this last time she had some deliveries on our side of the state so it worked out to get it delivered to our home. I'm not sure if you could get a couple others to place orders as well and then ask her about delivery charges? Or maybe she could meet you at the border.

I'm not sure if crossing the border would be a problem for her, since technically she'd be selling "food". Those laws have all gotten more complicated. Probably would be easiest if you just came to Michigan.

[Ruby Red]

I found this for you - based in Canada, I think they do everything that you need not sure how they compare pricewise though

Products - Totally Raw Natural Dog Food

[Ron]

That company looks great but their in Atlantic Canada....bit of hike from Ontario

[AussieGirl]

Originally Posted by Ron

My concern is Tie. He's teeth are pretty worn down now and im worried the bones will be to hard for him...over time.

Is it possible to buy ground bone?

You could try chicken frames/backs for his bone portion - they seem pretty soft compared to other bones and offer lots of other variety in his organ and muscle portions. You could also add bone meal to ground meat.