I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve completely changed the way I feed my dogs. I no longer calculate the 80/10/5/5. Instead, I’ve opted to balance over time and it’s a lot easier.
This meal is an old time favorite for the dogs with something extra.
Raw Dog Food Ingredients:
- Ground duck wings
- Seasons canned sardines (in water, no salt added)
- Organ blend*
- Veggie mix (zucchini, squash, kale)
- Cheese with turmeric from Answers Pet Food
So you’re probably looking at this and thinking “that isn’t a balanced meal!” No, it’s not. Because I don’t balance per meal anymore. I balance over the week. The dogs are doing great, it’s a lot easier to do, and I no longer spend my Sunday afternoons doing meal prep.
Why the change?
Because I wanted to incorporate more whole foods in my dogs’ diet and fewer supplements. The dogs may get a meal of duck frames (this is the carcass of the duck, no wings, feet, neck, or head) and then I’ll follow up with a meal of ground whole meat and organs (no bones).
Instead of supplements, I’m adding more foods. I feed raw eggs for their multivitamin, I alternate the fish oil with sardines (canned or raw), and I’m giving my dogs more foods that are high in glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health.
I will be posting a recipe a week (fingers crossed); hopefully, they’ll give you some ideas on what you can do with your dog’s meals.
Why Grind the Duck Wings?
Freezer space. I leave duck necks whole because they dogs love them. I grind the duck wings because freezer space is limited, even with two freezers. Ground duck wings take up less space than whole duck wings.
*What’s in the Organ Blend?
I alternate between making my own organ blend and buying one through my local raw food co-op from GreenTripe.com.
My organ blend includes heart (fed as a muscle meat), kidneys, and liver.
- Heart: duck, turkey, or pork
- Kidneys: pork
- Liver: turkey, pork, or venison
GreenTripe.com:
- Beef heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and pancreas with green tripe.
Follow me on Instagram @KeepTailWagging. There is a KeepTheTailWagging, but that’s not me.
The cheese contains turmeric? My dogs like cheese as a snack. I balance over time because it’s hard to get everything into one meal with Matilda’ s tiny serving, which is typically 2-3 tablespoons.
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Yep! They also have one with spirulina and one with ginger.
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You mention that this recipe “isn’t a balanced meal.” It looks like it has everything! What is is missing to cause you to say that?
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A lot of people look for a meal that meets the 80/10/10 exactly and I don’t feed my dogs this way. Instead, I balance over time. The organ blend that I use has what I need, but some of the organs are fed as muscle meat and a lot of people have asked me to tell them specifically how much liver and offal are in the mix and I can’t do that – so before folks start asking me for the percentages, I just let them know that this isn’t balanced and that I balance over time.
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Thanks Kimberly, that makes sense. I am figuring lung is offal, correct? Heart and gizzard totally make sense as more muscle meat than offal. And tripe, more offal than muscle. Of course assuming offal is the correct terminology. 😉
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Lung and tripe are fed as muscle meat along with heart, gizzard, and tongue. Offal includes pancreas, spleen, kidneys, testicles, and brain.
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I have seen countless web sites, books, blogs, youtube vids and such that claim to show “easy raw recipes” but I don’t know what is easy about duck necks, duck wings, or duck carcasses…. Where does one go about obtaining these items? Do I stalk ducks at the local lake? I know this may sound like a real dumb question to someone who has been feeding their dogs a raw diet for some time, but this novice has no clue where to obtain these items.
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Hi Mark…
I source all of these things through a local raw food co-op. You can also find these items at ethnic or Asian grocery stores, through farmers, and through meat restaurant supply stores. Best.
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