Just about to start Raw

I am awaiting the delivery of supplements and then I will begin feeding raw. I am starting with Primal Grinds. I will start with Turkey, Chicken & Lamb.At some point I may grind my own but because one of my cats has FIV I decided the grinds sound safer. My cats eat only grain free wet at this time. I have fed one of my cats ( Desmond) Rad Cat many times and he loves it. I also have been feeding him some Chicken Gizzards for his teeth.

I was confused about which lite salt to buy because the Morton's contains Calcium. The grinds have bone so I was not sure if adding more calcium was a good idea. I bought 'Iodized Lo Salt' it has 170 mgs. Sodium,450 mgs. Potassium . Is this enough sodium?

Second question: These grinds have 10% bone. I have read that others dilute the bone content. Is that important? I am confused as to how to do that due to Remy's FIV status.

I would also love some advice about Remy. Not only does he have FIV but he has had 16 teeth removed due to Stomatitis and Resorptive lesions. On Sept. 9th he will have the rest of his teeth removed. I am assuming that the grinds are fine enough that the bone won't bother him once he is completely toothless. Am I right? I know there is disagreement about feeding FIV cats raw diets but Primal uses HPP and I think I is safe.

I am thinking about grinding my own raw at some point but am not sure about doing it for Remy.

Any advice and or suggestions would be great.

(Your thread was moved from Nutrition to this subforum so you'll get more responses).
I don't know much about supplementation and nothing about home made grind (I fed prey model raw), but I think this thread about salt/sodium might help you.
For grinds (and commercial raw) that have 10% bone, yes, some cats find that too much and they get constipated. To lessen the percentage, you can simply add a little more meat/poultry, like a piece of chicken or beef.
Here is a recent thread about safety of raw feeding. @LDG has an FIV+ cat and feeds her/him raw.
Here is an OLD thread--to prevent an alternative viewpoint. It can be argued things have changed in three years, and every cat/owner has their own comfort level.
You might want to look for a holistic vet who tend to be more open to raw feeding, yet (hopefully) have the necessary vet/medical background to advice you regarding raw and FIV+ cats.
And yes, grinds are fine for cats who have no teeth. You can also use bone meal or egg shell as replacement for bone.

Thank you Ritz. The primal Grinds do contain bone. I have read people dilute the bone content for the grinds.I have chosen this food because of the HPP processing ( except for the Lamb) I can put chunks of fresh meat into Desmonds food but not Remy's. Remy will very soon have no teeth so chunks are out. He also is FIV+ and until I understand more about feeding  raw the HPP is it for me. I am not at all clear on how to dilute the bone for Remy.I also do not understand why it needs to be diluted as from what I have read raw diets should consist of 10 % bone. I guess I have to read more about phosphorous to calcium ratio.

It depends on the cat. I keep my cats bone content between 10-15% and they are fine with it (no constipation or straining in the litter box). But some cats do get constipated with 10% bone percentage and it must be diluted a bit lower. I would try them out as-is and see how your cats do.

One way to dilute the bone a small percentage is to mix one raw egg yolk a week into their ground raw food. I give my cats 1/2 a yolk, twice a week (per cat). Egg yolks are very nutritious and have a high phosphorus to calcium ratio (good for diluting bone content). One yolk a week should be a nice improvement to any cats diet. (If you are worried about pathogens, you can buy organic, free-range eggs. Will probably cost you about $5 a dozen but should have a much lower chance of having salmonella than superstore eggs)

Abby- Thank you. I was planning on adding egg yolks but didn't realize that would be the answer! What a relief! I always buy free range eggs. Today I went back to the store and found Primal Pronto. That is a complete diet so, I guess my kitties went raw today! It's funny, I was against raw and began reading about it during researching the best diets. The more I read the more I realized raw is the way to go.

I am thankful the TCS is such a great resource.

Ritz, thank you for the threads.I can see the lite salt I found does not have enough sodium. Hmmm, not sure what to do about that. The Morton Lite I found is a mix which includes calcium.

 As far as my vet , she is the  only vet in Northern Ca. To be labeled a feline Friendly practitioner by the AAFP,she has been named the best vet in the san Francisco bay area and I love her. I just found her clinic last year . She never suggests all the vet clinic brands and keeps up with changes in pet foods etc.

I think she might be fine with a raw diet because of HPP. I won't see her again before Remy's upcoming surgery and I honestly see no need to consult her about it now. Remy may be FIV+ but the vet says he is very healthy except for his Stomatitis and allergies.

According to the website, HPP is done to poultry products only?  Just thought I'd mention it, although I think you'll be fine regardless of meat choice.

Is there a sodium requirement that you're trying to meet?  A calcium requirement too?  Otherwise, the reason Morton's Lite iodized salt is used is to lower the sodium and include the necessary potassium and iodine.  I realize you've now discovered a complete formula by the same company, but in the event you want to make your own I thought I'd mention it.

Thanks peaches- the lite salt I bought has less sodium than the Mortons.I just don't want the cats to be deficient in anything. I am just going to read a little more and see if I find a requirement for sodium . As I said the Morton's lite salt I found in both stores I checked contains calcium and since the grinds I will be using contain bone I didn't want to add extra.All my supplements, jars & the scale were delivered today and so I put the chubs in the fridge to thaw and as soon as that is done I will get to making the food!

You're not going to add enough calcium due to what's in the Morton's Lite salt to matter.  My cats eat Dr. P's which really comes out to over 10% bone (16% I think) and my cats are fine.  My cats are diarrhea prone so the extra bone may be helpful to them.  I don't deal with constipation issues out of my cats, but again that's MY cats.  8% bone may be too much for another person's cat and cause a vet visit.

I don't know what the sodium requirements are, but I would try to stick to the recipe and use Morton's Lite iodized if you can.  It has to be iodized, by the way, so the cat gets the iodine it needs.

Thanks Peaches. I actually was mainly concerned with the calcium Mortons has in it. To much calcium is a problem. I just made 1 of the 2 lbs chubs. The cats love it! No problem at all.I did add physillium

Maureen Bradley said:

I was confused about which lite salt to buy because the Morton's contains Calcium. The grinds have bone so I was not sure if adding more calcium was a good idea.

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The Morton Lite salt I have doesn't contain calcium. You aren't referring to the calcium silicate in it are you? If so, you don't need to worry about it. That is a compound added as an anti-caking agent. It provides little or no calcium to the diet. If it did calcium would be listed on the nutritional label with the RDA amount it provides.

Oh Jeez! I feel stupid. Thanks for letting me know that. I am glad to hear it. The lite salt I originally got is much more expensive than Morton's. I am pleased the guys love my first batch. I struggle with the slurry because I am mathematically challenged. I am using Dr. Pierson's recipe for the supplement slurry and it is for 3 lbs. poultry. The Primal Chubs I am using come in 2 lbs packages. The only other recipe I have found is for 5 lbs of meat. If anyone knows a recipe for the supplements that is per lbs I would appreciate knowing where to find it. I realize I can purchase it premade but that is beyond the budget.