Raw food !!!

[Sherry]

ok, as I told @GatorRay on blog, my new freezer was delivered today. All ready to start with the raw diet. My husband.........He flip flopped on me. Will start to work on him again. LOL I really want to do this !!! whaaaa whaaaa. tehe
I have been reading everything I could find on this subject. It really sounds fabulous for this breed. And with all the good peeps on here, I feel fearless.

 

[HrsDiva]

This has turned in to an AWESOME post !!!


I went to the feed store and got a bigger bag of the TOTW wetlands and a small bag of salmon and she LOVES the salmon.
I got a few cans of wet as I only give her 3tbs in the AM...

I asked the lady how she felt about the meddallions as treats... she thinks it would be okay ( I can't remember the name of the brand)


Im hoping after we move into the new house I might be brave enought to try some real RAW food...

 

[GatorRay]

I am doing GREAT with raw right now. I will post more of the blog in a bit.

 

[Maximus]

I feel bad about feeding dry kibble. I mean, it has to be horrible for any dog. WHO ever invented it in the first place? I would like to re-try canned food, but Maximus gets diarrhea from it all .....I've asked 3 of my VETS about RAW FOOD and none of them recommended it. So now I'm in a quandry.....I'd like to give Max just something other than Dry Dog Food all the time. I do COOK chicken for him which he loves, but I never thought of giving him RAW uncooked meat.....I don't know.....I'm squeamish about it. I'm afraid of it making him sick ......

 

[GatorRay]

[MENTION=701]Maximus[/MENTION] don't feel bad. We all feed what we are comfortable with. I feel raw is best for is but I am comfortable doing it. If you are not comfortable, then you aren't. I wont go into the vet issue. That is another topic altogether and there are more appropriate forums for that. If you are interested, do some research and decide. Take care!

 

[karenben]

its your dog not the vets feed what you want to feed,its very rare for any dog to get sick on raw,yes you may get a few runny poops,you may over/under feed at first but raw feeding is a learning curve,but all this passes as you grow more confidant with raw,remember dogs choke on kibble,bacteria is found in kibble so there is no difference with raw,tell your vet that when he starts paying the vet bills then he can tell you what to feed lol,i know that i actually feel more comfortable raw feeding than i did kibble feeding ,but you will never know till you try,karen

 

[Maximus]

[MENTION=701]Maximus[/MENTION] don't feel bad. We all feed what we are comfortable with. I feel raw is best for is but I am comfortable doing it. If you are not comfortable, then you aren't. I wont go into the vet issue. That is another topic altogether and there are more appropriate forums for that. If you are interested, do some research and decide. Take care!

It's interesting. This Topic was a News segment recently on the Evening News in New York this week. They interviewed VETS who did not recommend it, saying "Bacteria" was the problem they had with feeding a RAW diet to dogs. But I do see there are a number of frozen Raw Diets available for Sale in Pet Food stores. Has anyone ever tried these ??? Or do most people just go buy their own meat?

Don't you have to provide Vitamins and supplements to the Dogs when they are on a RAW Diet ?

 

[JeannieCO]

This is a local place that I just came across today. I know nothing about raw feeding but it has my curiosity up since it's local. Can any of you give me your thoughts and opinions of their food?

peoplefud.com/products/

 

[GatorRay]

It's interesting. This Topic was a News segment recently on the Evening News in New York this week. They interviewed VETS who did not recommend it, saying "Bacteria" was the problem they had with feeding a RAW diet to dogs. But I do see there are a number of frozen Raw Diets available for Sale in Pet Food stores. Has anyone ever tried these ??? Or do most people just go buy their own meat?

Don't you have to provide Vitamins and supplements to the Dogs when they are on a RAW Diet ?

I don't buy the "bacteria" thing. Their systems are set up to handle the bacteria in a different way than a human's system is. Does a wolf cook their food? Anyway, off my soapbox. lol. I actually buy my own because that way I know it is handled in a clean, sanitary environment. I wear gloves, wash everything, bleach all surfaces, etc. I have issues with pre-ground or pre-packed things because I don't know that it is handled properly kwim? As we all know, the chances of there being bacteria in ground meats, e-coli for one, is MUCH higher than whole food. I also buy my food at the grocery store and butcher shops so it has been handled there for human consumption. I then freeze everything and safely thaw in the refrigerator just as I do for my human family.

No, you don't have to add supplements. Fish oil IS recommended but other than that, no. If you read the nutrition information on meats (organs in particular) they are actually very high in vitamins/minerals but the cooking process often destroys them. Chicken liver, for one is high in zinc as well as vitamin c.

Anyway, I am not an expert by any means and I am sure there are others that can answer your questions better than I can. If you are interested, pm me and I will refer you to some groups to research.

Take care!

 

[GatorRay]

This is a local place that I just came across today. I know nothing about raw feeding but it has my curiosity up since it's local. Can any of you give me your thoughts and opinions of their food?

peoplefud.com/products/

Well, I looked at their product and I am in no way an expert but I did spot a few things that I wouldn't consider adding to my dog's food. Kelp and yeast are just two items in one of their products.

There are two schools of thought on raw feeding...those that feel vegetables and fruits are necessary, and those that do not. I suppose if you were a veggie/fruit person you might consider it. I don't feel they are necessary, but I do give them some because they like it. I figure, they will eliminate the unnecessary things in their diet that they don't need through poop lol.

I can't give a review as I have never used it and do not know anyone that is.

 

[karenben]

bacteria is everywhere,we could go to the icecream parlour and contract bacteria,macdonalds,local food store,to mention just a few,i buy my dog meat,bone,organs from my local butcher i also buy from the supermarket,i divide it ,bag it and freeze it,freezing will kill any bacteria,i also clean up with white vinegar i clean her bowls with white vinegar,i mop my floors with white vinegar,i dont use any other cleaning products around my dog,i even wash her down in apple cider vinegar!!!kibble is full of bacteria ,how can it be bacteria free when its proscessed then stored for months in a warehouse then sitting in the pet food shop waiting to go into a dogs bowl ,some raw feeders feed road kill,hunt for fresh kill ,i dont doubt for 1 minute that some raw fed dogs get ill but its the same with all dogs,all i know is i know whats going into my dog,when she was kibble fed i had no idea but i did know it wasnt good for her as she started her scratching when i changed her usual kibble to a more expensive higher grade kibble!!!!,she doesnt have tear stains ,her weight is good,ears and eyes clear ,and although she is still scratching im hopefull that by raw feeding whatever is in her system will eventually clear by raw feeding,karen

 

[JeannieCO]

@GatorRay, thank you for checking it out. I know nothing of raw feeding and I probably will never do it. I'm intrigued by it though.

 

[hoegaandit]

I think from our experience that there is nothing stopping you doing a half and half with raw viz cooking half of it and feeding the rest raw. With our boy I try and find out what he likes. For instance he likes mince uncooked, and is not keen on cooked mince. But he much prefers cooked liver to raw liver. With beef or hearts he seems indifferent if they are cooked or raw.

If you don't like the idea of raw, you can freeze it then it is easy to cut up if you want.

Raw is probably better than cooked, but if your dog is getting a good variety of foods, I don't think it makes too much difference. I tend to think fresh meat is better than kibble.

If your dog is not overly keen, it may help to hand feed the items.

 

[karenben]

if a dog tolerates fruit and veg and doesnt have a yeast build up then its fine,but remember that carbs do convert to sugar and sugar leads to yeast and if a dogs immune systen gets low then the yeast will overtake and as we all know yeast is a bugger to get rid of lol,dogs dont need fruit and veg to live,i only feed raw meat,bone and organs she gets absolutly nothing else,as we are still fighting allergy i feel its best for my dog,perhaps when i figure out what is causing her allergy then i will give her the odd banana as she adores banana and sits looking at the fruit bowl bless her lol,karen

 

[GatorRay]

[MENTION=2962]Stuard[/MENTION], yes, they are the same but the frequency of feeding is different (would feed smaller meals more often during the day). You can also use smaller pieces for a small puppy. For example, a Chihuahua can eat a chicken wing but if you give a wing to a bulldog, they will likely try to swallow it in one gulp and that could result in choking. You just need to make sure you are feeding enough of the three components, bone, meat, and organ. There is a yahoo group called Raw Puppy that might be of interest for an owner of a puppy less than 1 year old.

Oh, and I think cooking the meats will destroy many of the good things in raw that your pet needs. However, some dogs will only eat organs that have been lightly seared on the outside so I would say that if they won't eat it, searing it is better than kibble.