My good friend started feeding raw 2 months ago and loves it. I hear the poop scooping is much better. I have been educating myself about it. My first goal was to get my lab (of a few months) off of beneful and onto a good kibble. Raw sounds like it might be cost prohibitive so I was hoping I might be able to do 1/2 kibble and 1/2 raw. Is this worth it?

How much do you feed?
How does price compare to quality kibble?
How did your dog transition (stools, etc)?
How convienent is it? 
Do you buy locally or online / in bulk?

Why do you feed raw?

I am looking for any and all information. We are almost transitioned off of beneful so I wonder if I can start introducing raw now or do I need to wait longer?

Thanks!!

Yes, it's worth it IMO. Think about feeding yourself or your kid out of one bag for every single day of your life - how could you possibly get the best nutrition without some fresh ingredients? So a blend of a good kibble and good raw diet is great and many folks choose this option. I started feeding raw many years ago, before they were commercially available, so most of what we do we do ourselves, but now you can buy prefab raw from various sources, all made into patties which makes it very easy. No, it's not cheap. BUT I seldom if ever have significant vet issues or bills - my dogs are super healthy.

IN answer to your questions:
1) how much depends on each dog - I have a 21lb RT 4 year old that gets just a little more than my 1yo RT 9lb boy. Both are active but the 21lb boy tends to be "thick" and needs less food (he disagrees).
2) Raw diet is not cheap - home made raw even bought cheaply in bulk is going to run at least as much as a really good kibble in my experience.
3) I've never had a really tough transition with a dog for this, esp if I transition with their kibble in the mix
4) If you buy the prefab patties it's pretty easy. If you make your own it is not convenient, no way around that.
5) I buy locally in bulk both prefab and 40lb boxes of parts.
6) It started because I had a dog that had dietary issues (Zippi) who was unable to tolerate kibble and couldn't gain weight. I was researching dog food, found out what was IN most kibble (esp back then when the good ones were rare), started to learn of raw and home cooked and decided to try it. Zip's health turned around, as has every single dog we've fed this way. It's fixed many allergy issues, coat issues, smell issues (stink), their muscle tone is amazing, and overall I've been continually impressed at how healthy a balanced raw diet is for my dogs. I've fed this way for around 10 years now and will never look back.

We switched to raw about 4 years ago and have never looked back. YES it is worth it...though I'm not sure what you mean by "worth it." To me it is no more trouble or expense than feeding good kibble, but the benefits from feeding raw far outweigh any inconvenience you might be worried about. If you decide to do half kibble and half raw, just be sure to alternate meals of each...don't mix kibble and raw in the same meal.

You can find formulas to use as a starting place, as far as how much to feed. I don't remember right off hand. You'll have to adjust for your individual dogs based on their metabolism, activity level etc. Weigh them on a weekly basis and make minor adjustments until they are maintaining their correct weight.

If you are resourceful, and can buy in bulk quantities, feeding raw is not expensive at all. Invest in a freezer that you can use just for dog food. When something is on sale, buy it all and freeze it. We feed primarily chicken and venison as staples. The chicken we buy on sale at local stores...usually whole fryers or leg quarters or wings. Walmart frequently has leg quarters in 10 lb. bags for 38¢/lb...there is a LOT of meat on a leg quarter. The venison we get FREE from a guy that processes deer meat for hunters during hunting season. My husband gets enough meat from his "scraps" to last us all year long, feeding it about 3 times a week. The same guy also does some beef, so we get beef scraps as well. Make friends with a butcher...it's amazing what they throw away.

I feed raw for a lot of reasons. I feed it for my peace of mind...at least I am not at the mercy of corporate morality (HA!) when it comes to knowing exactly what my dogs are eating. I feed it for their healthy bodies, their pearly whites, their beautiful coats. I also feed it because they LOVE it. You should see the smiles and wiggles when it's dinner time at our house. No finicky eaters here!

I feed raw... but I don't make it as some do. I purchase it from Nature's Variety... comes in a "sleeve" of 12 patties. I feed my 9-lb rat terrier 1/2 of a patty once a day (he's more active and younger than my other three dogs)... and I feed the other three dogs 1/3 of a patty. I rotate among chicken, venison and beef. I mix 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and 1 teaspoon of Kronch's salmon oil in each bowl. I feed only once a day, but each dog gets a homemade dehydrated sweet potato treat each morning and sometimes a bully stick (Nature's Variety brand).

I have a 12-year old doxie, an 8-year old doxie, an 8-year old "pound puppy" mix, and my rat terrier who is a few months past two years of age.

I LOVE feeding them the raw and I know they are getting a goodd quality food. My dogs (knock on wood) have no health issues... and they poop VERY LITTLE which is a wonderful 'by product' of feeding raw. The reason being that their body absorbs 99% of what they eat... there is no waste.

I've been feeding raw for 1-1/2 years...

I HIGHLY recommend it, but as you commented on... it's not cheap.

Edited to add:  I have on occasion supplemented the raw with Nature's Variety kibble (usually salmon and brown rice).  This would help with the cost, for sure... if you wanted to do that.

  That's too funny! Have you tried lightly searing the outside? That's what I had to do for one of mine to convince him that raw liver was edible. After a couple of times I didn't need to do it anymore.

Oh okay...Yep, I think it's still worth it. Give it a try and see if you don't notice a difference. I don't know much about the pre-packaged patties...are they 100% meat, or are they a blend with organs, veggies etc.? I know they would be way too expensive for me because I'd have to have them shipped.

Thanks! It does sound very good. I did a search and found a retailer about 40 miles from me so I will definitely check it out next time I'm near there.

Can you tell me how this one compares to something like Nature's Variety (I can pick up NV locally)?

I am still learning what I am looking for. My lab is a little sensitive overall, is there anything I should avoid?

http://www.darwinspet.com/dogs.html

Please help me to understand.  Are you talking about raw meat?  I have never heard of this.

Duke's mom

Here are some very informative links on the topic.  I believe one of them has the formula for calculating quantity to feed, if I remember correctly.

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
http://www.rawlearning.com
http://www.rawfeddogs.net/
http://www.rawmeatybones.com

Here is the guy I am working with at the pet store, he has been great. Interesting general info. 

westernpetsupplyinc.com/doug.html