# Homecooked vs raw vs dehydrated



## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

I am going to transition our girls from kibble to a homecooked diet and possibly raw. There have been a few threads regarding raw, but I'm curious to see who does just homecooking and how. Does anyone used canned meats, such as canned chicken or salmon? One obstacle to feeding like this will be when we start rafting and camping, we will be camping nearly every weekend for about 3 months. Cooking in camp is something I try to minimize as it is, so canned might be a good option. 

I'm also curious about how dehydrated, is it just dehydrated raw or dehydrated cooked meat? If we do raw, that would be a good option for longer river trips where keeping fresh meat can be a challenge for 7 days.

I got the book "raw and natural for dogs" and that will be my foundation, but there is soooo much to learn! For now, I'm dabbling with the inspiration from Tiny, of cooking thin sliced steak. I don't think that is economical long term, but they sure like it for now!

I'm really hoping Lila's coat improves with a new diet.


----------



## KeaColorado (Jan 2, 2013)

Is that the Lew Olson book? Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals by Lew Olson | 9781556439032 | Paperback | Barnes & Noble

I have that book and found it very practical for doing what works best for your situation.

I have used dehydrated foods for camping and backpacking. Kea has never had any problems switching cold turkey from raw to dehydrated when we travel. I have noticed larger stool volumes on those when compared to raw. For short camping trips (car camping, not backpacking), you can take a 5 lb block of frozen ground meat in a cooler. As the edges thaw, feed that and the middle stays cool for a few days. 

We ordered a side of beef from Ron Beck this year, so DH, myself and Kea will be eating a lot of beef starting in March.  I'm looking into ordering a large quantity of elk from another local rancher too. My basement has officially been taken over by dog grooming equipment and raw food storage.


----------



## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

KeaColorado said:


> Is that the Lew Olson book? Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals by Lew Olson | 9781556439032 | Paperback | Barnes & Noble
> 
> I have that book and found it very practical for doing what works best for your situation.
> 
> ...


Oh my gosh, Lila, and since passed Hazel, were from Ron and Marsha! Too bad about their divorce, marriage certainly can be a challenge. But we love our girls from them and have stayed in touch with them both.

Yes, that is the book, I took note of it when someone (maybe you?) here mentioned it, and put it on my christmas list.


----------



## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

I've seen some comments about not using commercial ground meat. Is that truly a concern and it should be cooked? I can't imagine grinding my own, it seems like an extra step (including cleaning) vs just cutting it up. But I don't have a big grinder.


----------



## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

I use store bought chicken and hamburger, but I found a place for ground chicken and bone for a price similar yo my chicken price. I'll switch. Going to continue using Grandma Lucy's as my base. Freeze dried and not dehydrated. Great for camping!


----------



## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

Tayla's Mom said:


> I use store bought chicken and hamburger, but I found a place for ground chicken and bone for a price similar yo my chicken price. I'll switch. Going to continue using Grandma Lucy's as my base. Freeze dried and not dehydrated. Great for camping!


You're talking raw, not cooked, correct?


----------



## KeaColorado (Jan 2, 2013)

lhowemt said:


> Oh my gosh, Lila, and since passed Hazel, were from Ron and Marsha! Too bad about their divorce, marriage certainly can be a challenge. But we love our girls from them and have stayed in touch with them both.
> 
> Yes, that is the book, I took note of it when someone (maybe you?) here mentioned it, and put it on my christmas list.


Yep, probably me. I know I've mentioned it a few times on here. It is a small world! A friend of mine has a female from Ron and Marsha too, she's a really nice girl. Ron has been a long-time friend of Kea's breeder, who got me started on raw feeding. 

I do feed ground beef, bison and elk, but I am careful about the source. I don't trust meat from our large mainline grocery store chains, and instead purchase the ground meat from a local facility that processes small batches. We make our own fruit and veggie mix with whatever's on sale. 

It's also important (IMO) to give a good probiotic to keep the gut healthy. Because I feed mostly boneless meat, I do give a calcium supplement. Occasionally I give a large meaty knuckle bone for the teeth cleaning benefits.


----------



## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

lhowemt said:


> You're talking raw, not cooked, correct?


Yes, everything is raw. Grandma Lucy's is a freeze dried raw.


----------



## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

So far so good with home cooked. Transitioning slowly and doing 1/2 dinner home cooked and adding just an egg each to breakfast. DH does breakfast so I've got to keep it simple . He insists on continuing to feed one meal so after a while I'll start having him add some cottage cheese or yogurt, still simple. 

For my first shot I got some burger and used that. Vegis were mostly cabbage. This time I got some pork at Costco for $1.60 a lb, woo hoo! Ground it in the food processor. Vegis are a mix old semi old stuff, some zucchini I had frozen along with broccoli stems, and softening carrots and celery. The girls are going to become our own pigs helping keep the fridge clean . Add ground egg shells for calcium and blueberries. Yogurt and split an egg and sometimes something else.

I also got chicken thighs at Costco. The bone in ones are super cheap but this is enough work already. I also stopped at the local butcher and they are going to save me livers and kidneys next week. It sure is hard to fine organ meat. 

I sure am going to have to keep my eye on meat sales as this is not going to be cheap. I hope to be able to find an old sheep or two a year for next to nothing and get it butchered.

Any other ideas for meat sources? We have finalized on switching our kibble to Merrick, I like the 5 stars at petfoodadvisor, it is made in their own plant, and that the carb is sweet potato. I almost went with Fromm but don't think tapioca provides much nutritionally.

The girls sure love dinner lately!

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Something I did the other day that was informative and intetesting was look over the reviews of pre made raw on dogfoodadvisor. I was happy to see the foods I feed line up with the 5 star brands. Reading about the nutritional info (specificall anti cancer veges) was very interesting. As for cheaper meat, where are you located? Finding a meat distributor is key. I buy in bulk for cheap and get the odds and ends like organs, tripe, tongue, heart, bones. I joined the yahoo and fb raw feeding group to find distributors. I also met a hunter who gives mr his leftover deer meat for free which is awesome. Are there local farms around you?

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

KeaColorado said:


> Is that the Lew Olson book? Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals by Lew Olson | 9781556439032 | Paperback | Barnes & Noble
> 
> I have that book and found it very practical for doing what works best for your situation.
> 
> ...


I just downloaded the book you mentioned. I've previously read Dr. Karen Becker's book, Real Foods for Healthy Dogs and Cats. It's how I started on raw. I'm always looking for info. Can't wait to read this one.


----------



## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

Yes lots of local farms, that's how I'm hoping to get a sheep or two or more for nothing or cheap. I'm in Montana. Local butcher/slaughter is going to save me some organs next week. Liver is $1/lb and who knows about kidney. I don't really want to process tongue or anything else. Ewwww. I could do heart so maybe I should ask for that too. Well, I've cooked pig heart and maybe a cow heart will be icky big! I have friends that do pigs but no butcher until next Nov. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------

