Partial raw feeders?

Fran101

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#1
Any of you out there?
I was going to go 100% raw with future pup..but have come to the conclusion that partial is probably the best option. For freezer space as well as training (kibble is so much easier to work with)..

So what is your partial routine?
and what would you suggest for a puppy?

I am hoping to do kibble with plenty of RMBs
 

cliffdog

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#2
I'm only a partial raw feeder because I live with my parents. I take care of both my dog and my father's dog. They both eat a raw meal in the mornings and a kibble meal in the evenings, usually. Sometimes they get two kibble meals or two raw meals, or mixed meals (gasp!).

My dad thinks that dogs need kibble to survive, and so he won't let me feed his dog all-raw, although he agrees with the benefits and loves the partial raw diet... and so rather than feed my dog a 100% raw diet and his a mixed diet, I just feed them both a mixed diet. I'll switch Bonnie to all raw when I move out, and I assume he'll keep feeding Abbey partial raw. But the mixed diet is working really well for them so I'm not dying to switch over.

For a puppy, you might send a message to youtube user mmorlino. I've never raw fed a puppy (Bonnie was a year old when we started) but she weans all of her doxie puppies directly onto prey model raw. She is quite a helpful person, I'm sure she'd give you answers to any questions you might have.

Here's a video of a litter of her puppies eating their first raw meal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Hx0ae-w30
 

PlottMom

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#3
I feed a mix because my freezer just melted down permanently... I don't really have much of a routine though. I feed a variety of raw food & then when I'm lazy/nothing's defrosted or I'm out of raw, I throw a few cups of EVO at them instead....



ETA: last time I raised a pup was autumn - I started her on EVO Turkey & Chicken, and started adding raw meaty bones in at 12 weeks or so... never looked back, and I'm pretty sure my ex keeps her on 100% raw.
 

Laurelin

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#5
I alternate meals with whatever I feel like that day. Premade raw, dehydrated raw, canned, kibble, real raw. Just whatever I have. No real system.
 
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#6
My dogs get half kibble, half canned in the morning (along with supplements), and half kibble, half ground raw in the evening. They also get RMBs/recreational bones once a week or so, but that's in addition to their meal.

I rotate between a ton of different kibbles, cans, and premade raw brands - they're always getting something different.

I think you should figure out what works for you and the puppy. If it's easier for you to be spontaneous and just feed whatever comes to mind, do that. If it's easier for you to have a set schedule, then figure out what you want to do for each meal, write it out, and stick it on the fridge so you know when you're supposed to be thawing meat lol. I think the biggest thing to keep in mind for a puppy is get as much variety in the diet as possible!
 
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SaraB

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#7
I feed all raw for meals, but use kitty kibble for training. If I could find dog kibble that tiny, I'd use dog kibble.
 

FG167

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#8
We feed partial raw. We're lazy though, we do it when we are for sure at home and are not going to be training (then we use kibble). Or whatever is on sale. We went through a period where we were getting chickens for really cheap so the whole pack ate that. Then Fromm came to a store near us super discounted and they all got that. Now we're training pretty frequently so they get premade and Cal Nat because the kibs are large.
 
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#10
I feed mixed for several reason. One- no reliable affordable source of raw. Certain times of year I can get more raw, but during the summer I can hardly find anything. Freezer died so no extra storage.

I give kibble base with either can/homecooked on top or add things like eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, canned mackeral several times a week.

Then when I find it on sale at grocery store or when my butcher gets a good load of animals in- I feed beef heart, liver, spleen and kidney, big raw meaty knuckle bones, pork necks and ribs. I get chicken quarters from a local place and I buy whole turkeys when they go on sale for Thanksgiving. Also get chicken hearts/gizzards/liver from Publix. Dogs think the chicken hearts are treats! And also feed venison when I can get it during hunting season.
 

SpringerLover

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#12
I feed partial raw. Buzz has a kibble he can eat so I don't stress about making sure his raw is thawed, etc on busy days/weeks. Bailey eats partial kibble for convenience. She stays with my mom a lot and my mom refuses to touch raw (even dehydrated) so she eats at least some kibble here.

The majority of the dogs I watch also get some raw because... it's awesome! I fed our golden guest a pork tail and once she figured out it was edible she was delighted!
 

Taqroy

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#14
Not smaller than Halo cat kibble!
I don't know how small Halo is but the Darford kibble is super small. Just throwing that out there. (It's also super expensive and once I run out of my free bag I probably won't buy anymore.)

I feed raw but still use kibble for training - I don't think it's any worse than the other treats I use (mainly hot dogs and home made stuff).
 
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#15
I've mixed them, I've fed them separately. For my dogs it doesn't make a difference. I would just pick whatever is easiest for you to do, and if it causes any problems try it the other way.
 

Dizzy

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#16
Hmmm,never thought of mixing. This could be a good option for me, as food is so expensive here.
 

monkeys23

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#17
I mixed for Scout for a while, but she didn't do so hot on it. It was kinda a $hit show. Literally. Scout's "special" though.

Since freezer space is a concern you mention, I'd like to say that I feed two big dogs, myself, and my two roomies out of the normal sized above the fridge freezer. Scout is like 70lbs now I guesstimate (she was 63.something last time I weighed her in April and she's gained since then) and Lily is always between 47 and 51lbs. I eat a freaking ton of meat myself. I can fit a whole case of 5lb green tripe rolls in there with our regular stuff. ;)

The number one reason I put off feeding raw so long was telling myself I didn't have freezer space. Omg how I've kicked myself over that since finally having been forced to change due to Lily suddenly having bad issues on commercial food.
 

seashells

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#18
This is something I've been interested in doing as well. I already feed my cats partial raw, so I'm not sure why I've been so wary about doing it with my pom.

I'm sorry if this is a super old overdone question...but I see a lot of people in this thread feeding kibble with raw. Is this totally fine? I'd never known whether that being dangerous was a myth or had any fact to it and never bothered to research it further since the cats get no kibble.
 

Barbara!

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#20
I don't know if this would be considered partial, but my dogs get turkey necks twice a week and organs whenever I buy them.
 

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