raw food or dry kibble - Page 4

Sitasmom, You do not feed raw and have little experience or knowledge with raw feeding. If dry food works for you that's great. Please don't knock something you know nothing about. Dogs fed a raw diet rarely ever suffer from Salmonella or E coli. It is no different than you or I getting sick from under cooked meat or chicken. I don't know about you, but I never get sick from my own cooking. Thousands more dogs have become I'll and died from tainted dog food in the last couple of years than have ever been sick from raw food. Jim. Have you researched the "4D's" yet?

raw is always best to feed! just freez meat for 12 hrs. but, raw should be balanced and need supervision while feeding as bones specially chicken bones may choke !
i think salmonela and e-coli may not effect the dogs as they eat raw if they r stray or wild dogs! regular dewarming is must and yr dog will be happiest! even show dogs look beautiful on raw diet ..
plus no bad beath, no allergies, no worry of goin off food a day or two, stools r firm and small qauntity,
i
cows and buffalo can't eat meat they eat grass and thoes bacteria r thr on grass as well but they dnt become ill. same as carnivores eat meat in raw form they dnt become ill....
its human menality that dogs r thr pets so they need coocked diet but actually dogs r carnivores and raw is best food biologocally

ask any honest breeder he will say same! dnt ask any breeder who live on insentives of kibble comapnies! thoes breeders feed raw and suggest kibbles to others for getting that big comission!!!

happy new year
lol

Don't know if I'm a rebel, or just old... but @ 60 believe the old axiom that if something's not broke, don't fix it.  In the years I've been feeding GSD's the "IN" thing has gone from one to another as being the ONLY thing you should feed if you really love your dog...  I've avoided grocery store food (except in emergency) and avoided almost all "designer" foods.  The best thing I've fed is Blue Seal Natural 26... enough protein for a healthy active dog, and enough fat/oil for a great coat.  I do add a bit of canned meat, or mix up a container of Rice/chicken/carrots and green beans... mostly for flavor.  All the crew scarf down chow every day like they haven't eaten months, chase their dish around the room a few times before the quit.  

The exception to this would be if special feeding is needed.  My sister has an Akita, now 8 years, who has multiple medical issues and food/ environment allergies, and HAS to eat raw food.  Or a combination of Raw and special non allergy food (not sure if she's feeding Fish, lamb or what... but no beef or chicken based foods).

As most of my dogs have lived good long healthy lives without any specific medical issues I'll stick with "IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT."

           I am seriously thinking about going with the raw diet. But, I am very concerned about bones, I can not get over the concern of bones getting lodged in the throat....I am phobic about it...lol...

           Does anyone grind their raw food..??? Also, I feed a fish based kibble. Why don't I hear more about feeding raw fish? It seems to always be chicken, beef etc......Thanks....


                              Deanna...: )

Deanna, Raw bones do not splinter, cooked bones are brittle and splinter. There is no more risk of a dog choking on a raw bone tha giving a dog rawhide and choking. You run the sane risk of choking eating cooked chicken that a dog dies eating raw chicken. I just gave my male a whole deer neck, it weighs about 3 1/2 lbs. It will take him a while to finish it but he sure is enjoying it. Jim

Deanna,

I have been feeding raw since 1998 but my two dogs were 5 and 2 years old.

When I brought home Pharaoh at 8 weeks I was woried about giving him whole bones.  So, I bought a heavy duty meat grinder that could handle bone. 

Another person who had more experience with feeding young pups raw meaty bones convinced me to get brave.

Here is the result-Pharaoh at 11 weeks having his first meaty bones, chicken drumsticks.

  It didn't take him long to figure it out.

Michele

I would think that if e-coli or salmonella were a real danger of feeding raw, I would have seen some evidence of that in the last 18 years of feeding multiple dogs.   But I haven't.  Dogs I've fed raw ranged in age from 8 weeks to 15.5 years.

There's no perfect food for all dogs.  If you research you can find cases of dogs becoming sick from kibble, and dogs becoming sick from raw.  Nothing is perfect.  But I do know my dogs are healthier all around since I switched to feeding raw.

      Jim,,,My brother in-law just shot a deer last week on our property, I imagine Prince would have loved to chew on it's neck.......: )

     Pharaoh, Those pics are cute..He looks pretty satisfied....: ) How did you like the grinder ?



                      What about raw fish, does anyone feed that ?

I have been feeding raw since last March 2010;  all has gone great.  However, does anyone have any ideas for an old dog that doesn't want to eat;  raw or kibble.  Has not ever been what I call a great eater but had to hand feed him this AM.  Really need some new fresh ideas;  thanks in advance for any info that could be helpful.  Otherwise seems healthy has had vet check's etc.  Am going to check teeth also but I have exhausted all my ideas.  Thx  Nan

        FWIW,,,I have done a small bit of research about feeding fish....based on what I read DO NOT FEED RAW SALMON....before doing some of your own research.....