The Usual Suspects

a brief introduction

So what is this all about? this is about our journey from a house that fed high end premade pet foods to a raw (also know as “Bones And Raw Foods” or “Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods” – “BARF”). Until the little thing I like to call “the never ending recall” we were dedicated kibble feeders. I remember the exact moment I was pushed out of my lovely, insulated, white tower of safety; it was when Natural Balance began recalling foods. Granted they aren’t the best, but there was a time when we fed them, and given the brands recalled to that point it was really quite a blow to me. A food I’ve used and recommended to others recalled!? well guess we’re not so safe in our ivory tower of premium dog food. that was the point we decided to put our dogs and cat on a BARF diet.

some background

we attempted feeding a BARF diet several years ago, but found it price prohibitive because we did not have a co-op through which to buy bulk meats through. However, even though we went back to kibble I incorperated some aspects of it into our feeding routine. Namely at least 2 days a week they would get some kind of protien (fish & usually either chicken or turkey), and on 2 other days a veggie “mush”. I honestly think that doing this has enabled our dogs a much smoother transition to a completely raw diet than had we not been doing it.

the “kids”

age: 11 / sex: female-spayed weight: 85lbs
allergies, medical conditions, etc: grain & airborne allergies; severe arthris in hips; stomach ulcer
hunny’s story: Hunny is my second dog who came into our home when I was 14. she was absolutely The Worst puppy I have ever had; completely destroyed everything (and I mean *everything*), but she got all her “bad” out that first year and has been the best, most trustworthy dog we’ve ever had. PS- hunny is scared of camera’s, so getting a picture of her is rather tough

age: 7 sex: female-spayed weight: 45lbs
no known allergies or medical conditions
edie’s story: edie found us in 2001. from all accounts she did not have a very good life before then, and I strongly suspect that she was abused at some point. we do know that she was dumped on the roadside, and then was hit by a car, which broke her leg. she was picked up by LA county animal control, and adopted to a woman who left her in a dog run and didn’t feed or water her on a daily basis. she was rescued from that by a friend of ours, and we brought her home. we don’t know her exact age, but estimate she’s about 7. she looks like a golden retriever, but it very small, only weighing about 40-45lbs. I don’t know if that’s due to lack of proper care at an early age, or she’s some kind of mixed breed & the size she’d be either way. she’s a love though. I honestly don’t know how anyone could be cruel to her. all she wants in life is to cuddle w/ her humans. she’s not ill behaved in the slightest.

Riley
age: 1 year sex: male-altered
allergies, medical conditions, etc: allergic to fillers/by-products
Riley’s story:we actually had no intention of adopting him. we had seen his brother on petfinder.com, but he just wasn’t for us. the litter was born to a ferral mother, and all were very leary of humans. his brother, though a lovely cat, was just too much for us to take on; he needed someone more well addapted at turning him into a non-ferral cat. But we did see Riley, and james just said “that’s the one!”, and we ended up bringing him home. When we got him the adoption group cautioned us that he had “food allergies”, but were unable to tell us what exactly. When I inquired as to what he was being fed (Iams & whiskas wet food) that kind of explained itself. I tossed that bag of Iams so fast! once he was on a premium food his bowel movements were solid, and his coat went from dry and brittle to soft and silky. for a cat he’s very affectionate. he’s still unsure of strangers, but he’s quicker to come around, and he’s very attached to us.

Pepper
age: 5 months sex: female
allergies, medical conditions, etc: allergic to nuts
Pepper’s story:the newest addition to the house hold! I’m a boxer fanatic, and after we lost our first boxer almost a year ago to cancer I knew that some day I wanted another one. I love all my animals immeasurably, but boxers steal my heart. I found a breeder I liked through the AKC, and we found Pepper. The breeder wanted her to go to a home where she’s just be a pet because of her small size (though honestly if she’s the runt of her litter, I’m scared of what her other siblings look like!). before we got her the breeder did a great job with her, and I’m confident she got the best start in life. she is absolutely the “life of the party” in this house, and her and Riley LOVE to play.

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