All Natural Raw Diet - Page 1

Anybody feeding an all Natural 'Raw Diet' to their dogs. If you do what do you feed etc?

I've heard lots of positive comments on various sites and was just wondering what the general views were here, pro's and con's...

Thanks.

It's the only way to go. We talk about it here a lot, but I know it's a hassle to dig thru the archives. And lots of people prefer kibble or don't have access to a good supply of cheap meat.

Basic rule:
2-4% of your dog's body weight; feed 10% bone, 10% organ, 80% meat. My own dogs do better on like 30% bone. Throw in some omega-3 eggs and you should be good to go. That's pretty much the extent of it, except for one female I have who gets supplements to correct an old celiac thing.

Lots of people go prey model, but my dogs would be obese if they free fed. Well, one of them would. I know a cowboy in Oregon who kills a cow, saws off big chunks and hangs the rest to freeze. Tosses a big hunk into each kennel and the dogs feed themselves for a week. Of course, that's only good for 6 months of the year, when things freeze. Rest of the year they eat kibble.

There is a threat with exact the same question that was fairly recent.

I buy whole chicken cut up in 4 parts, add some burger patties, eggs, stripped chicken backs, some fish, and serve to the dogs. Both my dogs love it, and even the picky eaters now try to chew your fingers off.

It is time consuming, potentially harmful to your dogs and there are no peer-reviewed veterinary studies that illustrate any health benefit over feeding a good quality dog food.  I'll let you do the math. 

It takes no time at all. It is only time consuming if you indulge in the outdated, BARF nonsense. 

Ok, we'll write off procuring the food, freezing and thawing it and cutting it as not time consuming leaving us with potentially harmful with no documented benefit.

Surre and we will ignore all the recalls and dead pets from eating commercial dry food, as well we will pretend that the companies are not in it for money, have hardly done any research on the long term effects of dog eating their commercial diets.

As well we will ignore that dogs don't know how to cook, or shop for thier food. lol And in wild we see wolf and coyotees and other simillar animals walking to petsmart to get their daily nutrition requirments lol hahahahahaahahahaha.

That is very little effort to get what I have documented myself as great improvements. And that's why I do it.

And it takes exactly 10 minutes every two weeks it used took me 1 hour every month to drive up and pick my dogs dry food. lol Plus I controll what goes into my dogs belly rather than bunch of corporate employees.

Keith,
I will respectfully agree and disagree. Yes, it is time consuming I agree.  I have been raw feeding my dogs for 3 1/2 years and they have never done better.  I personally know several BSP competitors and National and WUSV competitors and they all feed raw.  I could give you as many reasons for not feeding dry dog food as you could give for feeding it.  It has worked well for me and my 10 1/2 GSD is doing great since being switched over at 7.  Her allergies and chronic ear infections are virtually gone and she has unreal energy, alertness and drive.  I recently had a full physical including complete blood work done on my 10 1/2 year old GSD.  The vet left a message saying "I have your bloodwork it looks, wow, it looks great.  This is for Annabelle, wow, I didn't realize she is that old.  Everything is perfect."  You'd never know her real age.  The difference is apperant when you compare my 3 1/2 year old Police K9 to the other GSD' in our unit. 

Raw feeding is not for everyone, but I will never go back to dry food ever again.  I wish I had started raw feeding 20 years ago, so all of my GSD's could have benefited.  For me it has been great and for my dogs even better.  Most vets have little experience with nutrition or raw feeding.   There is so much money in it for major dog food companies they won't publish any studies pro raw feeding.   Dog food is a mulit billion dollar industry. 

I will add it takes a liitle work and research to get the diet down properly and get a good system going.  Once, you've done that it's actually very easy.

JMO FWIW,

Jim