RAW VERSUS COMMERCIAL DIET - Page 1

 I've been using raw food for over a year now.  I was sceptic in the beginning but a friend convince me to try and my dogs loves it.  I have seen improvement in muscle tone, coat and just overall condition. Is it just my imagination!!

Just wanted to know if anyone has try it and the result you had...

Thank you...

Julie

starting raw tomorrow Julie....  you tell me :)

Darcy

I started a pup on raw food several weeks ago. He had dry skin and I hoped it would help. Did it ever! His skin and coat are much better. His muscle tone also improved tremendously as did his general energy level. He's the most muscular and strongest pup of his age in our club. I'm sold on raw. 

I have been feeding my Arkane RAW since I got him at 8 weeks, and his breeder weaned him on RAW.  He is a little over 2 years old now, and I am pretty much sold on always feeding my dogs this way.  I love the way his coat feels and looks, I'm very happy about the way he has physically developed - and I like knowing exactly what's going in him.  I know genetics have a hell of a lot to do with it too, but I feel I'm just trying to stack the deck in my dogs favor by feeding him RAW.

With my Zorba, I supplemented his food by boiling boneless, skinless chicken breast and rice every night and mixing it in with his kibble.  He also enjoyed raw sliced marrow bones as a treat for most of his life.  I just wish I had learned more about the RAW revolution during his life instead of "poo poo ing" it as something just for the fanatics or lunatic fringe element.   He would have loved it.

I don't give my dogs any recreational bones though. 

Been feeding RAW a little over 4 years now. Dogs look and feel great. I use a little Orijen but now that my son and his dog are gone, pretty much back to just RAW.

I am looking into a raw diet for my dogs and was wondering if you use a commercial raw diet or make your own?

What commercial raw diet do you use and where can I find it?

If you make your own what do you use for best health of the dog?

I use a little bit of raw chicken for training but thats about all I use it for. My dogs love it and want to actually make meals for them.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 Why don't you give bones??

I've been giving raw femur and their teeth looks wonderful..it removes all the tartar and the plaque.  but you cut the food by half on that day..you don't want to give too much protein=diarrhée.  they all have white teeth..you should try it.

 Im pretty lucky that it i one of my friend who is making the food.  It comes all frozen and cut up (one square per 25pounds a day).  here's the ingredients:

backs and necks (chicken), fruit and vegetable (the ones in seasons) liver and hearts, kelps, sunflower oil, ground flax seeds, alfafa, brewer yeast, vitamine E and probiotics..sometimes when it is hunting seasons he puts some deer..

Really easy to use..2 hours out of the freezer and you can serve it...

I do feed whole bones, just not  recreational bones because I don't want my dog to gnaw on them, and possibly break a tooth.  Plus I don't want to deal with having to remember to pick them up when they start to dry up and I sure don't want them in the house!  Also, I have had a dog actually slip a knuckle bone over both lower canines then not be able to get it off without some pretty severe manipulation on my part.

  I feed whole chicken necks and backs, whole  venison necks, whole  pork necks, whole lamb necks,  every night.  In the morning I feed ground meat/ground bone/organs/bit o'veg/salmon oil/vits.  Sometimes it's canned mackeral for breakfast if I forget to thaw.   

My dogs pearly whites are, well....pearly white.

I began feeding raw in 1998/1999, I had a 5 year old and a 2 year old German Sheperd.

Due to allergies that the 5 year old had, there was only 1 kibble he could digest and it was discontinued. So, I got brave and plunged in. My veterinarian was so amazed by the transformation that she now feeds her dogs raw food.

After almost 2 years the allergies were completely gone and that dog lived to be 13 1/2 and looked great to almost the end of his life. The other one died last month at 11 1/2 of osteo sarcoma. She looked like she was 8 or 9 years old. Now I have only my 8 month old puppy and he looks great and is vibrant.

After almost ten years I have evolved into my current system. I rotate through several prepared raw diets and buy whole chickens and cut them up, I get tripe and cow gullets and tracheas from GreenTripe.com. I also buy food from www.excelk9diet.com/home.htm and www.darwinspet.com/dogs.html. I pick up Prairie Nuggets from PetFoodExpress. I periodically buy marrow bones and beef knuckles from the supermarket. It really cleans their teeth which saves a huge amount of money on veterinary bills and anaesthesia for teeth cleening. No bad breath either, amazing considering how disgusting and stinky green tripe is. I also buy canned sardines in water-no salt. A couple of times a week he gets raw egg yolk.

I give ester C, yeast/garlic tablets, Ark Naturals Joint Rescue, Acidopholis pearls, and vitamin D in gel cap.

I would love to know what other people who feed raw are doing as I am by no means a canine nutritionist. and would love to learn more.

Pharaoh at 10 weeks with his first drumbstick.

Michele