new to forum need advice?

Hi. I'm not new to raw..have been feeding for about 8 years..but I could use some advice? And i'm always loing for anyone else who feeds raw and loves their fuzzy babies. I have one dog..we thnk German Hunt terrier but not sure five cats with more coming..a separate post for my preg. mom cat and a chihuahua puppy coming in about 2 months..I'm also on the chi forum where I learned about this forum. I have fed premade, either Nature's variety Bravo pretty much any of the brands but I'm not totally satisfied. Yes they're better than dry..smetimes I use grainfree canned when my kids have picky days...but premade's expensive. I'd love to learn how to make my own. Trie it once before and i don't think y balances were right..I had all sorts of issues. I either had constipation or the opposite problem and i'm on the fence about veggies and fruit. Leaning toward not using them but i've been told I Have to. Most of my kids won't do whole foods..they prefer ground. I'm supplement ing with extra taurine..Thaks Kelly...and trying whole foods slowly. I live near Ithaca ny. i am also visually impaired and have difficulty with printed boks so miss out on alot of the great raw food info out there. sorry for such a long intro. My vet is anti-raw yet can't complain..my previous dog never had his first teeth clean till age nine..after he started losing teeeth due to genetics. Overall I'd say my experience with it has been pretty ositive. Thanks in advance for an advice.

Welcome! Glad you figured out how to post!

I hope you can continue to learn and grow, as the rest of us, and have fun here. We're a pretty easy going bunch, and I personally go by the "any raw is better than none" at this point for new members.

Eight years?! Wow! All that time on premade?! You must have spent a fortune! LOL

We need pictures!

Welcome!

Yes, premade will put you in the hole for sure. It's very expensive AND species inappropriate. Neither dogs or cats need fruits and vegetables.

Most animals would prefer to have effortless food but they really need to start transitioning to small chunks and worked up to larger pieces for not only mental stimulation but to help clean those teeth! Raw ground food will cause tooth rot just like canned and kibble.

The only recipe you need to know is feed alot of meat, some edible bone and some organ. It should come out to 70-80% meat, 10-20% bone (this will depend on how the poops look- I tend to feed on the higher side) and about 10% organ with half of that amount being liver.

Is your dog eating ground also? You can actually transition him faster to whole foods (and by this I mean chicken legs or leg quarters, turkey breast, pork necks, etc) than cats because a healthy dog will not starve himself. When a dog is picky it's usually because their owners have unknowingly taught them to be picky. Go slow with the cats for sure though.

Glad to have you here and can't wait to see pics!

Hi..yes I can post now. Until it decides to be a goofball agan and give me issues. They are on ground now with oe cat Trying some small cunks. She'll play with them and chew on them but ten again Baby Athena plays pingpong with just about any thing she can..dry food...housem.ates...ugh...i hate i but there's not hin gI can do...she is also pregnant I posted about her separat e so this thread wouldn't become a book.lol. The dog won't starve will though then go for the junk and I don't ever want him to get hungry and prefer junk I'm stuck help/ No way to searate it either. The other can't be fasted or Any reasn..he fsts himself and if he does it too long will drop weight..majormedicall..and he's a picky cat. I mean he likes certain types of ground raw..acts afraid of whole foods i thre is such a thing he'll test tehm out then Run away like he's intmidated..bi plates of food get the same reaction from this meowy and I dn't know why. It happened after I got him fixed at a year and a half ol he's never been right since. Thanks and glad to be here. .

It can take cats a long time to transition to raw chunks, so just be patient and stubborn.

Sometimes, it helps to hide tiny chunks (like, pea sized) in wet food, so maybe this would be a good way to get your picky boy to eat them? I've heard parmasean cheese and tuna juice can help too.