I feed my German Shepard a lot of chicken. Raw. Frozen. He loves it. He also gets some organ meat everyday, and beef marrow bones a few times a week. Occasional fish, beef, and table scraps. I used to feed him expensive grain free kibble, but when my other dog got lymphoma and died, I decided I needed to change my feeding strategy. It was painless for my GHD. He was always a food gobbler, so freezing portions slows him down a bit. He is 12 years old and in excellent health. Re Portions: It is surprising how little dogs need to maintain weight when you feed them the right stuff. You will have to experiment to get it right. I have found for a 75 lb GHD, one thigh/leg portion, and a few ounces of organ meat keeps his weight steady.

This is sort of a lazy, but this is what I feed my dog. I am too lazy to make the BARF method food myself (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food). See this link for more info on that

I have "only" cats whom I feed a whole prey/raw meat diet but I grew up with dogs who were always raw fed. But since that is long ago and probably wasn't an all over scientifically approved diet (we just fed what was good and cheap at the butcher's, they all lived long happy lives though) I can't give you specific advice but I do know: 1. Dogs are carnivores like the wolf and have very limited use for any plant food. The fermented plant stuff they would ingest in the wild is in the green tripe and green stinky tripe is very essential for them. Cats for example cannot convert any plant matter, it runs untouched through their system, they are obligate carnivores. 2. There are quite a few yahoo groups on raw feeding out there, maybe you could join a few and see if you like it and you should get some great advice there. 3. I have two websites bookmarked where I get some raw rabbits for my cats, and both companies actually focus on dogs: https://www.hare-today.com/ http://www.mypetcarnivore.com/ There are more sources on the West Coast, I'm on the East Coast and so focus on these. And also my cats get the little whole prey goodies from rodentpro and others, but you won't need that. Raw is important, green tripe is the number one food, then any raw meaty bones he can't choke on and you have easy access to, plus organs, and if you feel like it (and of course your dog) some larger whole prey like teenage or adult chickens, or adult rabbits.

Search online for groups and websites and you will be bombarded with info, often contradictory, so joining a group and seeing what others feed their canines might be a great help! Good luck and Kudos for also feeding your dog real food, it's actually my cats who brought me to reconsider a species appropriate diet for myself!

I try not to over think what we feed our dogs. I love them but can not afford to feed them as well as my human family. We are lucky to get grass-fed beef bones and a pet mix that includes raw organ and trim from our source of grass-fed local beef. They also occasionally get the same eggs we source local if possible from free range chickens with a natural diet and even some raw milk, also local and grass fed. The majority of their diet is CAFO chicken from the grocery store though. They get it most mornings and evenings but we fast them usually 1 day a week and 1-2 half days depending on how active they are.

They have beautiful skin and teeth. They do not have bad breath and are not like those dogs that as soon as you pet them you need to go wash the smell off your hands, really no doggie smell. Their poop does not smell and is not as much or nasty as dogs eating commercial food. The poop dries and powders up becoming indiscernible in a very short amount of time.

This has actually been an easy way to feed them for us. They have no problem eating the raw chicken and bones (1 is a small dog and the other medium-large). I have not been able to get them to eat just raw liver or kidneys just the trim mix which is fine since I have a great source. I do sometimes squirt salmon oil when funds have allowed that supplement.

HTH

I feed my pup Taste of the Wild; it's about $43 for a 30 lb bag, which lasts about a month for him (He's ~80 lbs). It's grain free and I did a lot of research before I decided on that brand.

I supplement with meat leftovers, assuming I haven't put any spices on the food that will bother him. I also add meat drippings to his water bowl and he laps that up and begs for more! He thinks carrots are treats, so he gets the "butts" I cut off the ends of my carrots. He shares my blueberries with me as well.

He loves bones, but I am nervous about giving him cooked bones (and I like making bone broth, so they're all cooked), so his bones come from the pet store.

For treats, I don't remember the brand, but he gets duck jerky and chicken jerky treats with little to no additives.

My dog is just short of 2 years old and is still mostly puppy. He's full of energy, has great teeth/hair, and only goes to the vet for routine shots and grooming. He does occasionally have bad breath that disappears after he gets water, so it's not a chronic thing but I'm not sure what causes it (I want to blame it on excessive licking/toy chewing, but I'm not sure).

I feed my Boston Terrier a raw food diet and gets raw cow bones occasionally. I buy him the raw food from the pet store, Primal Balance. He is super healthy, has a beautiful shiny coat, the vet is impressed. He does not have the skin and allergy issues Boston's can develop. I have also fed him Call of the Wild dry food. I think it is one of the best dry foods on the market. The raw diet can be a bit costly, if that is difficult for you, perhaps you can do half raw food and half higher quality dry food and give your dog raw cow bones once a week.

For me raw is not an option but I do feed a home cooked diet, often with a pre-mix such as Honest Kitchen. This is a great start for those who want to do fresh but don't have the time or option to do a completely home prepared diet.

Always look for grain free varieties though.

Good luck, Dawn

A raw food diet for cats and dogs is akin to Paleo for you. One of the best places to start is with Pat McKay. Read "Reigning Cats and Dogs" and follow her recommendations. I don't know where you live, but in LA there is a great butcher shop called Harmony Farms which makes pet food mixes from organic people food. You can find other places around the country too from looking on raw feeding blogs, or just get friendly with your local butcher.
http://essentials4all.org/

I recommend a book called Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy for You and Your Dog. It's by Carina Beth Macdonald, and is available at the usual book-shopping websites. Great starting point.

Making friends with local hunters is a very good idea. We get all sorts deer parts that the hunters don't want (organs, bones, etc) and this is a source of great joy and nutrition for our dog. The hunters think we're doing them a favour by taking away messy bits they don't want; we think they're doing us a favour by filling our freezer with free dog food.

I feed my little dog a raw chicken neck every morning. I keep them in the freezer frozen and defrost in the fridge day before. By all accounts raw chicken necks and chicken wings are encouraged in our part of the world (Australia).

I don't understand this raw food attitude when it comes to "paleo" dogs. Didn't dogs evolve alongside our ancestors eating the scraps from our cooked meats? I don't think the dogs would have been allowed anywhere near the food until we were done with it.