there is so much to tell, yet so little!
All i can say is that, after doing it for over two years now and knowing plenty of other folks who do, too - man, is it ever eeeeaaaasyyyy. all that hoopla about bacteria and veggie mush and storage and mess? it's just that: hoopla!
i started out with the BARF model and not only was it time-consuming, it gave my boy the runs: it was too complicated. He unfortunately was one of the 5% or so of dogs who just does not like raw food, so he's been on kibble for 6 months now and you know what? his coat is crappy, his teeth are yellow, and when the summer rush is over he is going back on raw whether he likes it or not.
So, i have now adopted (loosely!) the prey-model diet, my 7-mth old girl loves it and in fact i cannot get her to eat a fruit or a veggie no matter what i do to it, LOL! she just looks at me like but moooom, i'm a carnivore!
Storage: a little chest-freezer, and a plastic bin in the fridge for the defrosted stuff. i clean it every couple od days when i think about it. no big deal, no human food touches it.
Buying meats: i found a couple of butchers who have good prices on staples like beef heart, organ meats, ground beef, & goat. Green tripe i buy from holistic petstore. I check the weekly sales flyers for good deals on turkey, chicken and pork. Eggs are always cheap and i stock up on canned fish at the dollar store. My dogs rarely like raw fish, so i've stopped buying it. I also add plain yogurt, cottage cheese, olive oil, canned dog food, etc to the diet. And because i believe variety is the key to a healthy diet, my girl often gets a frozen whole-wheat bagel or slice of bread to snack on, sometimes with peanut-butter or cream cheese. Both dogs looove this
oh and a couple times per week they get plate leftovers like pasta, soup, meat bits, cheese etc mixed in their dinners.
some dogs like their meats lightly seared, or room temp, or semi-frozen, or completely frozen. The warmer the weather, the colder they like their food. really up to you to experiment in what your dog likes, it's really fun too.
And for those who think all this is time-consuming... Once per month, it takes me 30 mins for a round-trip to the butcher's, and another 2 minutes to dump everything in the freezer. About 4 times/ week, before going to bed, i pull out stuff and let defrost in a big bowl on the counter overnight. Breakfast = select a piece of meat/ meaty bone, drop in dog's bowl, put bowl down, store the rest in the plastic bin in the fridge, wash hands.
OK i'm sure you have questions, i don't have time right now to write a book, LOL - ask away!
