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Welcome to Raw Foodie Friday!!! Usually, I share recipes of what I feed to my dogs on Fridays. Today, I'm going to shake it up and share what's in my freezer instead. I love sharing pictures of my freezer because I get so excited when everything is organized. And a full freezer is THE BEST. Thanks to our local raw food co-op, I've ordered enough food for my dogs and cat to last through the year. I order everything by the case (sometimes multiple cases). This makes sense to most people, and often the follow-up question is “where do you store all the food?” I have two freezers that I purchased from the Appliance Recycling Outlet in Snohomish, Washington. They refurbish freezers and offer them at an affordable price. My freezers are in our garage, and I try to keep them filled with food for the dogs.
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments.
My Raw Feeding Freezer
The Main Freezer
In the main freezer, there are four shelves, two drawers, and then the door storage.
| Top Shelf | Second Shelf | Third Shelf |
| Golden paste | Ground emu | Fermented vegetables |
| Fermented vegetables | Darwin's Pet Lamb & Tripe | Duck necks |
| Rad Cat raw cat food | Bones from Raw Paws | Bones from Raw Paws |
| Green tripe from Raw Paws |
| Fourth Shelf | First Drawer | Second Drawer | Door |
| Answers Pet Food – Detailed Turkey | Sardines from OC Raw | Carp from Scout & Zoe's | Answers Pet Food kefir |
| Columbia River quail | Sardines from Primal | Venison liver | Answers Pet Food cheese |
| Ground emu | Fermented Fish Stock | ||
| Grass-fed butter | |||
| Apples (for treats) | |||
| Pancreas | |||
| Ground emu |
The Second Freezer
In the second freezer, I store more raw dog food and their bones.
Freezer (from top to bottom)
- Beef organ blend from GreenTripe.com
- Rabbit (whole pieces and ground)
- Grass-fed beef
- Ground emu
- Grass-fed beef from Wild Coast Raw
- Green tripe/trachea blend from GreenTripe.com
- Lamb necks
- Lamb bones (for bone broth)
- Buffalo knuckle bones
- Beef knuckle bones
6 Essential Ingredients Every Raw Meal Needs
Now that you see my freezers, you may wonder if I ever get overwhelmed by the selection. How do I determine what to thaw for my dogs? It's pretty easy. It doesn't matter if I'm sick or running late, I can quickly grab what I need from the freezer that will allow me to mix up a healthy raw meal for my dogs. I just need these six ingredients.
1 – Muscle meat – a lot of the meat that I order is meat (emu, beef, and venison) or meat and bone (duck, quail, carp, and sardines). The only orders that include meat, organ meat, and bone are rabbit and quail. What I grab next will depend on the muscle meat I choose for the week.
2 – Organ blend – if I'm not feeding rabbit or premade raw, then I grab a chub of beef organ blend by GreenTripe.com. I used to source the organ meat individually, and although this was inexpensive, I could only source liver and kidneys – not the variety that I'm looking for when feeding my dogs. I think this organ blend helps me to better meet my dogs' nutritional needs.
3 – Duck necks – another thing that I need in my dogs' meal is a source of bone. Duck necks are soft, easy for the dogs to eat, and the bone is small enough for the dogs to digest. For my dogs, having whole bone is important for their dental health because the bone helps to scrape plaque from their teeth and prevents build-up. Duck necks are easy for me to source and easy to feed.
4 – Raw eggs – someone once asked me to think about how nutrient-rich an egg has to be to grow a chick. When you think of it this way, it's no wonder eggs are considered a superfood. I feed my dogs eggs several days a week, and I always have them on hand. I know that eggs don't provide every nutrient a dog needs, I still call it nature's multivitamin – mostly because I think it's funny. Oh, and I should clarify, I don't thaw my eggs – they're in the fridge.
5 – Sardines, carp, or oysters – I like to add a source of Omega 3 fatty acids to my dogs' raw diet; something other than fish oil. I currently alternate between whole, raw sardines, fermented fish stock, canned boiled oysters, and carp burgers by Scout and Zoe's. I chose oysters to provide a source of zinc, and I love carp burgers because they have high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids and lack the toxins in many fish today.
6 – Fermented vegetables – and, finally, I add fermented vegetables to the blend because they provide a great source of antioxidants, additional nutrients, and probiotics. Having a dog with digestive issues have inspired me always to add something that supports gut health to my dogs' raw meals. Fermented vegetables are an affordable and easy way to meet their needs. During the winter (or when I haven't taken the time to ferment vegetables) I use a base mix by Dr. Harvey's (Paradigm or Raw Vibrance). This is a great source of vegetables and additional nutrients and it saves me a little money on supplements and other food.
If I'm short on time, this is a great way for me to mix up a great meal for my dogs. Most days, I also add supplements based on each dog's needs.
Sourcing for Raw Meat for My Dogs
I purchase everything for my dogs through a local raw food co-op.
- Shop Through a Raw Food Co-Op to Save on Raw Dog Food
- How to Start a Raw Food Co-Op (I Think)
- 4 Examples of Craigslists Ads for Raw Feeders
- 21 Ways to Save Money on Raw Dog Food
