Raw Food Diet, Day 465- True Prey Model Feasting

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Big Pupi breaks it down: Heya fellow feasters. Every so often we get all science-y and medical-ish on this blog, and this particular post is going to (sort of) be one of those times.

As all of you know, my brother and I are fed a prey model diet. What this means (in a really teeny tiny nutshell) is that all of our feasts are constructed from fresh, raw foods and follow percentages based on the physical make up of prey animals. There is a fairly strict calcium to phosphorous ratio that must be followed, and those amounts are based on the ratio of muscle (phosphorous) to bone (calcium) in animals on which we'd like to hunt and feast. We also include organs (kidney and liver) at about 10% of the overall diet to ensure we are getting proper nutrients. Finally, some raw feeders - like my parents - give blended fruits and veggies each day to mimic the stomach contents of a kill. When a wild canine takes down prey, the stomach and liver are always the most coveted parts of the animal, and I know why... they are SO TASTY! While adding fruits and veggies is debated amongst the raw community, my folks like to think that this pureed plant matter adds fiber and additional vitamins to our diet.

Most of the time we need to feast on a variation of the raw diet. Since it is just not possible to toss Stanislaw and me a whole rabbit, my people have to manufacture ways to ensure that the proper ratios are met and we are provided with a proper and varied nutrient profile. In the past, we have always eaten 2 meals per day: one RMB meal (Raw Meaty Bones that are about 50% meat and 50% bone), and one meat and organ meal. That's a pretty common method for raw feeders, especially those with small dogs. However, large dogs may get a whole chicken or rabbit as a day's meal - organs and all - and that would prove to be a balanced feast.

Another major aspect of raw feeding is the idea of balance over time. We believe the practice of feeding a 100% "complete and balanced" meal twice a day every single day at the expense of variety is a huge a mistake. Our parents don't eat the same exact, "100% balanced" meal for every meal every day... they don't even feed their CHILDREN 100% balanced meals every single time they feast! Proper nutrition in humans is met through variety and balance over the course of a few days or a week, and we apply these theories to canine feasting.

It is super important that Stanislaw and I get many different types of protein over the course of a month, week, or even throughout the day. We also get different types of fruits and veggies, from apples to carrots to green beans to squash. This helps to prevent allergies from developing and it also exposes us to many different amino acid profiles, vitamins and minerals.

Now onto our meaty menu for next week, and what exactly it was that made me look so beggingishly at my mom~
Since Stanislaw and I are too small to feast on a whole prey animal in one sitting, we've always feasted on the "homemade" version of the diet using RMB meals and meat meals. But things are about to change. After spotting a coupon for "buy one get one free" whole fresh chickens, mom decided to pick one up for each of us and feed us in true prey model style. For less than $1 of cheese money per pound of feast (an AWESOME deal!), Stanislaw and I have an entire week's-worth of breakfasts and dinners lined up.

Mom broke down each chicken, removing the skin and excess fat as she went. The pieces were then weighed and divided into 8 oz. of feasting per day for me and 10 oz. for Stanislaw. The meals kept coming until there was literally nothing left (except the skin and fat which went into the trash). Even the baggie of guts was used - the necks counting as an RMB piece, the gizzards and heart as muscle, and the kidney and liver as organ meat. Stan and I were even allowed to give our chickens a test by snacking on the hearts while we waiting. Delish!
We already have a meal defrosted and waiting for tomorrow, but after that we'll be feasting on chicken for a week until the entire feasts are gone, with each of us eventually consuming our very own, whole bird. Some days our phosphorous intake will be high, and some days our calcium intake will be high, but by the time we have finished our chickens we will have taken in an overall ideal ratio of meat:bone:organ... a perfect balance over time. And that's what prey model feasting is all about.

As mom broke the tasty bird in pieces, Stan watched the floor carefully in case a morsel escaped from the counter. A chicken tail wound up flying off, but Stan had it in his mouth before it ever touched the floor. Great success!
The human meat locker has a few baggies chilled and ready for feasting, and the rest of our chicken deliciousness is in our meat locker being kept fresh and frozen solid.
We're excited! Since wings and necks are the easiest things to get, Stan and I have always eaten those chickeny parts. But this time we get to have backs and breasts and ribs. Crunchy yumliciousness!

We'll let you know how it goes. (It's going to be fabulous!)
Jealous?
Big Pupi.

Raw Food Diet Day 49- Meat Locker Nightmares

I'm a raw feasting dreaming boy. My favorite place to dream about catching my feasts is the top of the sofa, where I let my long legs dangle and air out my groin. My humans laugh at me when I sleep this way, but they don't know what they're missing. Last night I had a dream that I hunted down a rabbit and a squirrel and brought them home for a snack. I am one fast boy, and those running feasts are no match for me. But my dream turned into a nightmare when my human took my fresh feasts away from me and put them in the meat locker! They told me that they were saving them for later, but I was hungry now! To my horror I could not get the meat locker to open, no matter how much I barked and whined and cried and looked at it with the saddest eyes I could make. Does it have no feelings? No one is too powerful to escape the sad eyes! I woke myself up from this horrible nightmare because I was barking in my sleep. Phew. I felt much better when I realized that I would be eating my morning meal soon, and I didn't have to fight the meat locker for it. Now I'm exhausted from my uneasy sleep and full belly, so I'm going to take a nap on the sofa and expose my groin for a while.

Feed me,
Stanislaw


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brother is excited:
I'm really into crunching bones. This morning I was really surprised to hear that my humans also like to crunch something... numbers. Those sure sound tasty. What really sounds tasty to me is the impending arrival of our new meat locker. From what I can tell, a delivery human will be bringing a new one right to our door, and it's going to be just for Stanley and me! Man, are we special boys. I also overheard some talk about a lock on it, which I absolutely do not approve of, but as long as the feasts emerge from that meat locker and appear in my bowl in time for breakfast and dinner every day I think I'll be okay with it.

We live in a small apartment, and so my humans weren't too sure about taking up more space and spending all that money on this new addition. However, after spending much time crunching those tasty numbers, they've come to realize that it will save them lots of money in the long run. It'll even pay for itself in 4 months since they will be able to make large orders from their local co-op, where being a member pays off big-time with low meat prices. They've never been able to order from there before because there is a minimum amount that you must get, and they couldn't store it all. But another review of finances revealed that my humans will save about $35 each month if they got our food this way, and so Stan and I are getting our freezer!
The new locker is a 3.5 cu. ft. Haier freezer, which is only supposed to cost $20 per year to run. It has a small footprint so it can fit in a tight space, and the design is such that it can be pushed right up against a wall (some freezers require an inch or two of space for ventilation). It's not a big meat locker like the one my humans have, but it has more than enough space to fit the 72lbs of food that Stan and I feast on every 8 weeks. And with the sudden drop in our food expenses, this raw diet seems like a better deal than ever. My people used to spend 85-cents per day per dog on our high-end kibble, and with the co-op purchases and storage space, our new meal budget comes to $1 per day per dog. I have no idea how much a dollar is, but it must be a lot because meat that tasty can't come cheap.

I have to go -- Stanley and I scheduled a meeting to figure out how to break into the meat locker. I've got the brains and Stan's got the height (see how lanky his in that picture??), so I think we may be able to do this. If you have any advice please let me know, because my humans sure aren't going to let me in on their locker-opening secrets.

Keep you feasts frozen,
Stanislaw's brother

Raw Food Diet, Day 18- Stanislaw Isn't Speaking to Us

Our dad did not pay for overnight shipping on that goat meat he ordered, and so Stanislaw is not speaking to him... or any of us for that matter. He vented his frustrations on one of mom's good shoes this morning, but aside for that he's just been sulking. So today's blog will be short, sweet and goatless.

I'm going to post 2 more links that will hopefully make this raw feeding thing a little more financially delicious for your human. The first is a basic list of co-ops, which are broken down state-by-state. If you join one of these groups, usually each of your orders will be placed at the same time, making one big bulk order, and significantly reducing the prices for all of you. Similarly, some places have a agreement with a supplier, and being a member can get you some great deals.

Finally, as I've mentioned before, joining a Yahoo! BARF group in your area can link you into some deals and group purchases. Click this link and do searches for your city or state, and words like "BARF," "Raw Diet," and "Raw Feeders." Better prices mean better feasting, so good luck!