A question relating to diet. - Page 2

AristianM - vets get 8 - 12 hours of nutrition education during vet school, which is typically presented by a dog food manufacturer.  With this it's easy to see why vets are biased about feeding manufactured dog food.  In addition, by feeding kibble, there is a chance you'll buy it from your vet, so feeding raw is a loss of income for the vet.  With raw your dog will also not have to have its teeth cleaned.  There's no need to sedate the dog or to knock the dog out, which can be dangerous.  More losses of revenue for the vet.  The dog will become healthier requiring less visits to the vet.  Yet another loss of revenue.  Vets want money.  Feeding inferior food lends itself to a host of reasons why your dog will have to go back to the vet increasing his/her income.

Please gain more insight into proper feeding versus not feed appropriately because your vet said not to.  Vets have opinions.  Their opinions are biased towards what's best for them not always what's best for the animals.

Vikram - bone has the calcium, which is why it comprises only 10% of the animals intake.  The majority (80%) of the food should be meat.  With these percentages the calcium:phosphorous ratio is kept intact.  This is a non-issue when the dogs are fed properly.

Lets see:  Dogs eat feces - their own and that of other animals, they bury food for weeks at a time, they can eat out of human dumpsters and all the while they manage to be unaffected by the spoils of contamination.  Why would they not be able to manage fresh, whole food?

A dogs digestive system is short, so it is fast acting.  It digests meat/bone/organ and quickly expels the rest.  Ever seen the poo of a raw fed dog?  It's small, nearly odorless and varies in consistency reflecting what has been eaten.  Ever seen the poo of a kibble fed dog?  It's high in volume, smelly and contains the fillers used to manufacture the food.  I've not seen one of my raw fed dogs eat its or another raw fed dogs poo.  I've seen plenty of my previous kibble fed dogs eat their own and others poo.  Why?  The fillers.  The dog expels what it can't use.  So basically what went in the mouth came out the rear and only changed by adding moisture.  Plainly said - bacteria does not sit in the gut long enough to be a problem.  In fact, subpar meats are used in kibble and are more likely to contain problematic bacteria than fresh, whole meats.

I will agree that users beware when evaluating advise on boards such as this.  For more information head on to http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/.  This group has nearly 11,000 members and most all feed raw and have very few if any problems. 

I've never seen the German Shepherd Cheese and Yogurt factory, so I would avoid the use of those species-inapproriate food items.  Use cheese as a treat, in small pieces, but not as part of a meal.  Probiotics, the aim of adding yogurt to a diet, can be used especially after a dosing of antibiotics.  Simply buy capsules and dump the capsules on the dogs food.

The primary reason to use probiotics is that antibiotics kill the good flora along with the bad flora, so the probiotics can help replenish the flora.  Otherwise, probiotics and other supplements are not needed.  A case for lactose intolerence can also be made as a reason to not feed yogurt or other like foods.

Dave

You know GunnarGSD your absolutely right! I buy kibbles from my vet. He gives me purina puppy chow which i just found out it is CRAP! He makes good money. My vet is the one who cleans her teeth, more money coming in! My bitch suffers from all kinds of health problem because of eating purina puppy crap! Money coming in AGAIN. I have already stopped giving her kibbles! I am giving her cooked meat with organ meat and vegtables. I shall now try the raw diet!

GunnarGSD  Very, very good posts!

aristianM         Good for you! For some reason I thought I read you didn't feed the meat raw because of the country you are in.   Raw is the way to go. I do ad some veggies and grains occasionally  but not much. You will be amazed at how well your dog will look and feel. Your vet visits will also be far and few in between.

Thanks Trailrider!

And to be fair - I eat ice cream occasionally - I don't live on it.  Feeding veggies or grains occasionally will cause no real harm.  Providing those items as a daily staple, not good.  How would we look/feel/act if ice cream was a staple.  :o) - though some would enjoy that.

AristianM - please do not jump into the raw diet and expect miracles in a day or two.  This is a full change of lifestyle for the animal.  While it is easy - there is much to be understood.  I urge you to join that yahoo group I mentioned previously.  Read the archives, read about progression, what foods to start with, what to expect, how to evaluate poo, etc.  Knowing these items is as important as feeding the appropriate diet. 

Feel free to message me if you have questions about the diet.

Dave

Not much to add but a quick testimonial..

My 12 year old dogs health had been deteriorating with arthritis, allergies/sensitivities, and bad teeth.  Between 5 and 7 we switched to a completely raw diet for him and he's in better shape now at 12 than he was at 7.   His teeth are clean,  his weight is nice and slim,  and his allergies have cleared up.   I am certain that switching to raw when we did added years to his life.  His arthritis is still there, but stabilized.

My 16 mos gsd girlie has been my first raw-only raised dog and I am loving the results.  She is sleek, shiny, healthy, bright and active, and no health issues. 

Heather

ok, I just love reading the posts on food.  I'm kicking around the idea of raw or partial raw.  Tell me about raw beef liver, how much at a time,when just starting this, and what do i expect after the feeding?  A blow out, runny poop? Is just adding a portion of raw to the kibble at first to get them used to it a better idea?  And raw chicken, like a leg and thigh added into her kibble. bones and all?  Can you tell lol that  lucy is my first gsd? I really want to do whats best for her, but i do have to admit that she is healthy, coat looks great, alot of energy, an all around happy girl.  I have given her just tiny bites once in a while of raw beef liver, and she seems to really like it, but i've never given her any raw chicken, and it kind of worries me about the chicken bone thing,,,,,

thanks

pam