Raw food questions

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dirtybirdsoaps

dirtybirdsoaps

Member Since 2014
I have been thinking about feeding my cats a raw food diet since it seems to be so good for them. I am wondering though, there seems to be mixed thoughts on protein levels for cats with kidney issues. Supposedly Hidey shows signs of beginning kidney disease although I don't see that by looking at his labs (labs are attached on his spread sheet) Some people say protein % doesnt matter, others (like my vet) say its bad to have a high protein diet when it comes to kidney disease. I have no experience with this and have read Tanyas site and she even states theres a debate.....so who to believe is the question lol. Its funny because my vet is the best I have found for my cats over the years, and I still have TONS of issues with her :-x I guess no ones perfect, but its hard when I'm looking for info, advice, and answers and I basically get told I'm a bad parent because Im not feeding Science diet. Ummmm no, not happening! Anyways, how to calculate phosphorus? I am trying to keep him on a lower phosphorus diet since he is getting older, regardless of kidney issues or not. Also, can I purchase PRE-ground meats and add in the supplements or do I have to grind it? Hare-today http://www.hare-today.com/ has pre-ground meats with bones and organs https://www.hare-today.com/product_info ... ucts_id=61 I would hate to buy a grinder and all that to find out they wont eat it lol. Thank you to listening to my rant and questions.
 
I have two civvies with early kidney disease. Both eat the raw diet. I don't care about protein levels, only phosphorus. The raw diet is not low phosphorus so I only serve it with a phosphorus blocker. They seem to do well with this.

I have ordered the Hare Today ground products and they are very good. I add the supplements to them. If you are not ready to purchase the grinder yourself - you could try this. Shipping is expensive so you have to order a lot at a time. I think the minimum is 10 pounds. I ordered all kinds of meats but my cats would only eat the chicken.

It is not recommended to buy the meat already ground because of the amount of time it will be exposed. Dr. Pierson talks about this on her website about feeding raw at Catinfo.org.
 
Thank you for the info, especially since your dealing with kidney issues as well. I' not sure about Hidey's diagnosis for kidney issues but in a month or so I have to take him in for his yearly checkup and I am requesting blood work be done to get another look at his labs. If they respond well to the raw diet I definitely wouldn't be opposed to buying a grinder and doing it myself I just figured it would be easier to give it a try before I JUMP in lol. I also did read the safety issue with pre-ground, but I assumed it was referring to grocery store pre-ground. I know it may be an obvious point that they are one in the same I just assumed that hare today ground it up and froze it immediately so the warning wouldn't be the same. Do they not freeze it immediately like you would at home? I know these may sound like stupid questions, I apologize. Im just sick of this food battle and want my cats to be happy and healthy as much as I can contribute.
 
you could also purchase the boneless option as I believe a lot of the phosphorus content is in the bones (and since you don't know how much they use) you may want to limit what cat gets.

This site looks interesting and certainly seems like a good alternative to making your own.
 
Yes - you are correct - the warning is for ground from the grocery store. The ground from Hare Today is immediately frozen so it is good. And - you are wise to try it before purchasing the grinder since it is a large investment. As my cats will only eat chicken, they get tired of it and I have to take long breaks. I hope you can find something that you kitties will like. I believe it is a great diet for felines.
 
dirtybirdsoaps - wow, thanks for those links to Hare Today. If you place an order, let us know if Hidey likes it! :smile:

RobinCot - do you use Dr. Pierson's recipe?
 
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