do you have a freezer? i would suggest getting a stand alone one, the chest ones are a pain to lean over and dig for frozen food... i got a stand alone 11 cu ft freezer from sears, but you can get one probably on freecycle or craigslist or any place that sells stuff used.. its cheaper that way.. some dogs dont tolerate raw at all, some do.. it all depends on the dog.. you basically read all the stuff here
www.therealpitbull.proboards50.com/index.cgi?board=bethebestguardianucanbe&action=display&thread=627 and when you are ready to dig in, check your budget, as raw can get expensive if you shop wrong.. go to yahoogroups.com and find a raw feeding group in your state, or surrounding state,. join, see if they have any co ops, as the more food you buy in bulk the cheaper it is, like down to .37 a lb for food.. most folks start out by figuring out how much their dog needs, like the great dane miight nee 4 lbs of raw a day.. normally its 2-3% of the dogs weight you start out feeding, and then tweek it if they gain or lose weight.. organ meats are a MUST as they contain valuable minerals and vitamins.. heart is a muscle meat, not an organ meat.. i know it should be an organ meat, but it isnt... anyway, you start out figuring how much each dog needs, and then you start out with chicken, as its the simplist to start out with and normally the cheapest.. you feed chicken for at least 2 weeks, no reactions, add turkey, feed that for 2 weeks, no reactions, add beef, etc and keep going down the line.. if a dog is going to have a reaction to raw food it will happen a few hours after they eat, they will scratch, itch, maybe break out in hives.. if that happens, that dog cant have that protein. dogs that are allergic to meats can also not be allergic to the meats in the raw form vs the kibble form... i have a gsd who is allergic to the world and protein but can eat raw no problem..
organ meat is VERY rich, as in explosive diarrhea rich.. normally you cut up a liver and give little bits all week in their meals to get them used to it.. i add Slippery Elm pills at the local health store (good for humans too) to keep the stool firm when feeding organ meats..
bones are a neccesity for calcium/phosphorus.. for your great dane you can toss the dane a whole chicken with the organs inside (remove plastic bag LOL i almost forgot once) and the dog will have the proper meat/bone/organ ratio and you are done for that meal for the dane.
my dogs eat cornish hens., half chickens, deer, beef, beef hearts, beef tongue, turkey/chicken organs ,pork, rabbit, turkey, canned salmon, canned mackarel, canned sardines, frozen mackarel, green tripe (very important to feed)whole eggs, elk basically..
i get my raw from a supplier who delivers to the area which is awesome..
basically a pup will need around 2-4 lbs of food a day depending on the pup, my pup when i got her at 3 1/2 months was scarfign down almost 4 lbs of raw a day... she was and still is a piglet LOL.. i would just feed her whole cornish hens for dinner for the bone/organ needs and give beef or pork in the morning, and have hubby feed her lunch too..
with pups you have to make sure the calcium/phosphorus ratio is correct so they dont grow too fast..
variety is the key... if you feed weird feeding whole bones,you can grind them up or use bonemeal for the bone needs instead..
i have been feeding raw for 3 years now, and love it.. the poops are small little milk dud sizes, clean up is easy, i know what the dogs are getting in their food, no surprises, coats are glossy, healthy, eyes bright.. dont be surprised if they all act like monsters when its feeding time.. mine go nuts as soon as they see a frozen bag come out of the freezer to be defrosted in the fridge,and will chew the plastic off to get to the raw..
buy in bulk, its cheaper that way.. if you know hunters, get whatever you can from them, whether its deer or pork,the more free stuff you get the better.... if hunters will give you food for free take it and kiss their feet, as free is the best way to go, as it saves money in your pocket...
weight bearing bones do not feed in cows,big animals.. birds bones are light and hollow, so turkey,chicken ,quail bones are fine to feed.. all food /bones MUST BE FED RAW.. dont cook the bones (nor marrow bones) as that makes them splinter and that is dangerous.. nice raw bones are the best..
basically these two links are my favorites when explaining raw to folks, you can feed whatever you want to whatever dog you want.. make it simple, and it wont be hard.
here is my puppy eating a cornish hen
and here are the best slides to see what you can feed
www.flickr.com/photos/illonahaus/sets/872344/www.flickr.com/photos/rottnbully/sets/72057594091327450/show/