[Simba C]

Hi, I don’t have a dog yet but I may be adopting one this summer. I’ve recently learned about raw feeding and I think it’s much better than feeding kibble, but I do have a few questions.

Which is cheaper? Commercial or homemade?
I live near My Pet Carnivore and was thinking of ordering their food. Will I need to add supplements for their whole grounds?
How do I prevent bacteria from the raw meat spreading when the dog runs around the house? I live with the elderly and young children.
There seems to be no vet near me that supports raw feeding, I’ve emailed them and they all say it’s nutritionally imbalanced and I should not be doing it. How do I convince them otherwise?
I don’t have a local co-op but my friend is thinking of doing raw as well, can we make a mini co-op together?

Thanks.

[D]

Commercial or Homemade- I do a bit of both. There are a few pet stores that offer a rewards program. For instance, if you buy ‘X’ amount of frozen dinners you get one free. I find going raw is not all that expensive. Also, remember you will save money in the long run from not needing to go to the Vet from issues concerning dry kibble. Such as allergy meds, reactions, cancer, etc…
Ordering food tends to be more costly, you may be better off going to a local butcher or a local grocery store and find meat there, i have a great success finding offal in grocery stores, very inexpensive too. Make sure you wash any meat you buy from the grocery store thoroughly and freeze meat no less than 3 days in order to kill any bacteria that may have contaminated the meat.
Make sure you clean up after your dog eats. I will brush my dogs teeth after eating if i plan on letting him lick me or my guests to ensure no spreading of bacteria. (Vet’s Best Dog Toothbrush and Enzymatic Toothpaste Set | Teeth Cleaning and Fresh Breath Kit with Dental Care Guide| Vet Formulated is a great toothbrush and toothpaste) I’ve been feeding my puppy raw for a year now and noticed tremendous results. I will never revert to kibble again.
My vet strongly advised me not to go raw and at the same time tried to push Royal Canon on me. The same dog food that nearly killed my last dog.
One of my friends is a vet and she told me that they do not spend much time in school learning about raw. And whatever they did cover was all negative. I have yet to hear of a dog or puppy getting seriously ill from going raw.
I wouldn’t try to convince your vet otherwise, save your breathe. Just keep doing research and you will be fine and learn so much!
There are great website out there that give you a great breakdown on meat, fat, bone, and offal percentages you should be feeding your dog.

i wish you the best of luck!
P.s. I’ve worked in feed kitchens before and seen what goes into dog kibble, its quite alarming.

[anonymous]

“There seems to be no vet near me that supports raw feeding, I’ve emailed them and they all say it’s nutritionally imbalanced and I should not be doing it. How do I convince them otherwise?”

You can’t, they are much wiser than you and more importantly they are veterinary healthcare professionals that have examined thousands of dogs and have seen a lot.

In case you or anyone else would like to educate themselves on this matter http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=raw

[D]

That does not mean you shouldn’t do your own educated research.
Go ahead and ask your vet a simple request to go over all of the ingredients they put into your dog kibble and have them explain to you each and every ingredient and its purpose and benefits. Since they are so much wiser than you it shouldn’t be a difficult request to ask. You must love the Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 2, genetically modified organisms, pesticides and all the other artificial flavorings and preservatives they add into it. It’s not like dog food has ever been recalled before…Nor have vets ever been wrong on anything before…

Up here in Alaska our sled dogs don’t seem to mind eating raw, something of which they have been down for hundred plus years. And our family and friends pets all seem to live a long healthy life.
It wasn’t until the early 1950’s that dogs started to eat kibble. I wonder what they were eating before that?? Back then you would hardly ever hear of a dog having cancer, seizures, allergies, or the multitude of skin problems you see today.

There is a plethora of great articles and books out there regarding the history of dogs and their diets, especially feeding raw.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by D.

[anonymous]

“Back then you would hardly ever hear of a dog having cancer, seizures, allergies, or the multitude of skin problems you see today”

Back then? Back then no one took their dogs to the vet unless they had to. No one did any diagnostic testing, they just had the dog put down if it was suffering. It’s a fact, dogs did not live very long “back then”.

There are more puppy mills now, breeding dogs with genetic flaws that should not be bred, just to make money.

By the way, read the ingredients on the last loaf of bread that you bought, lol

[D]

I cant eat bread. I found out I have celiac disease due to the modification of wheat.
Which was misdiagnosed my entire life. And when I spent 18 days in the hospital, a team of 12 doctors couldn’t even figure out what i had. My family friend who did her research brought the possibility of it being Celiac Disease up. That was how we figured it out, then a surgeon said lets test for it through an endoscopy. Sure enough it was what my family friend suspected it to be.
My point is, doctors or vets may not learn/be taught everything. Sometimes doing your own research, or in this case a friend doing the research can save your life.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by D.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by D.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by D.

[D]

Interesting. My great grandparents and my grandparents owned Alaskan huskies all their life, they did not see a lower mortality rate with their dogs back then.

I agree with you entirely regarding the puppy mills!

[D]

Those people are sick!

• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by D.

[anonymous]

My sympathies. I was tested for celiac as well, it was ruled out.
Gave up sugar, processed foods, I am vegetarian for the most part, no dairy, no red meat. Occasional fish.
Pescatarian, except I use homemade chicken broth to make soup.
I feel much better.
Of course, everyone is different. Bread has ever been an issue.

My dogs love chicken, fish, meat based kibble plus I give them boiled chopped chicken meat or boiled egg as a topper to the kibble and always add a little water.

PS: I tried raw for my dogs back when and it resulted in emergency vet room visits

No thanks!

[D]

Thank you 🙂
Did you get a blood test for it? The only reason why I ask is because they tested me first with a blood test for Celiac and it turned out to be negative. But as soon as they put a scope down into my small intestine they were able to discover that i did indeed have it.

[D]

I gave up sugar too. Power to you because that is honestly the toughest thing to give up. It is in everything!
I mean to say i gave up any added sugar. And yes the results are terrific. Happy to hear you feel better.

[anonymous]

Yes, I had the blood test. It was negative. My symptoms were not severe enough for more testing and I did note positive results with some dietary changes In example: No more chocolate chip muffins from DD!

PS: Yes, I meant I gave up added sugar, also salt is in everything too, another thing to avoid.
It’s amazing but after a while you don’t crave any of it.

[D]

Do you mind me asking what kind of raw food did you give them?
My puppy (akita inu) eats raw food that my pet store provides.

If you have a second check below:

Home

My favorite and his favorite is the turkey, salmon, lamb mix.

[D]

Aha! Those gosh darn muffins!
In all seriousness, I am happy to hear that you did note positive results. It can be very tricky figuring out digestive issues. Almost have to do the elimination diet. Not fun!

[anonymous]

I tried raw food for my dogs as recommended by an online homeopathic vet.

Within a month or two we were at the emergency vet with GI upset/rule out blockage. More than one visit.

All kinds of sludge noted via x-ray in the colon. Also vet visits for broken teeth due to “raw meaty bones”.

Not for me

PS: I had an expensive meat grinder (went to the Goodwill) chicken, bones , supplements”

• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by anonymous.

[D]

There is so much truth to that statement: “after a while you don’t crave any of it”. To my surprise, I thought I would a pop after 6 years of not drinking one, however after taking the first sip i nearly threw-up. The amount of sugar was overwhelming. I couldn’t believe it! I used to drink these cans of pop like nothing.

[D]

To me, it sounds like the raw food diet was a total disaster for your dogs and I don’t blame you for not wanting to going back. However, my results have been the complete opposite. Anal glands did not need to be expressed, no more need for allergy medication for the itching and no more topical sprays for his hot spots after transitioning to raw food.

Some breeds may have a better time handling the diet than others.

Anyway, I think we can both agree we won’t be changing either of our minds. Our journey’s just happened to take us on a different path.

[anonymous]

I used to get horrible headaches (migraines)

They are in remission for over 2 years. I think there is a connection with diet. If you can find the right doctor he will support your dietary decisions.

We will have to agree to disagree about the raw diet for dogs though. 🙂

[anonymous]

Yeah, my dog with anal gland issues did well on “grain-free”

Now they are implying grain-free may cause heart disease.

So, who knows…

Glad that your dogs are doing well.

[D]

My sympathies. Migraines are not something i would wish on anyone.
It really sounds like you are on top of your diet and if i had a beverage in front of me i would cheers you. I will always respect someone who is food conscious even if we have to agree to disagree about our dogs diet.

And likewise. To our dogs may they live a long, healthy and happy life!

[GSDsForever]

D,

If you don’t mind the Q, what happened with Royal Canin and your dog? And which formula was it?

[Chipy]

Feeding home-prepared meals can certainly be less expensive than commercial raw diets. You just need to find a good source for raw ingredients. I heard that My Pet Carnivore is good, but I only have experience ordering from Hare Today. They offer a great variety of quality meat. I’m lucky to have a good butcher in town and love preparing my pup’s meals at home. It is so great to know what goes in there. I was developing anxiety over choosing the right commercial raw brand. Some uses radiation, some uses HPP, some are fermented and they all claim they are the best. Most of them are still full of synthetic ingredients like synthetic vitamin and mineral premixes. I have lost trust in the pet food industry over the years, and prefer to be in control of the ingredients I offer to feed my fur baby. Feeding home-made raw or preparing home-cooked meals is so much easier than many people would think. The basics I have learned from a quick Natural Diet Course https://peterdobias.com/pages/course-rawdiet and also ordered some nutrition books and did a lot of online research. It takes some time and patience to get used to preparing meals at home, but it is so worth the effort. Good luck on this new and exciting journey! 🙂

[Jan S]

Raw feeding is an excellent way to feed your dog. Ground up chicken thighs are easy to serve in a dish and provide all the vitamins and mineral supplements needed except for one amino acid. If you grind up the chicken thighs there is really no mess. You should read the book “Feed your Dog a bone” by Dr. Ian Billinghurst. He talks about the benefits of raw feeding. I purchased a grinder and find it super easy and cheap to feed my dogs. I also include other types of foods in their raw food i.e., vegetables, dairy, organ meat, grains, legumes and even table scraps. Trying to achieve balance in every meal is ridiculous. You want to achieve balance over a period of time by having your dogs eat a variety of foods. With most of their meals consisting of raw meaty bones. I have chihuahuas. My five pounders have trouble chewing bones, so I grind up their meals. My two larger chihuahuas can eat raw chicken thighs and the bones like popsicles. So it depends on the kind of dog you have.

[anonymous]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets Performance Dog frozen raw pet food purchased after July 22, 2019 because a sample tested positive for Salmonella and L. mono.

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/news-events/fda-cautions-pet-owners-not-feed-performance-dog-raw-pet-food-due-salmonella-listeria-monocytogenes?utm_campaign=9-26-2019-PerformanceDog&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

[Jerry R]

Dogs can handle bacteria tho I do take common sense precautions. I take warninging like the one above with a grain of salt.
And while my raw feeding started out as buying ground frozen Angus from a local raw food supplier that ships too, I quickly changed to meat from grocery store and meat market. Whole chickens, beef, lamb, turkey.
Chicken feet and necks, turkey necks are great for joint health. I bought 10lbs of lamb liver for $7 from the local meat market and mix a little with other meat a couple times a week.
Pork tails, chicken and turkey gizzards and hearts. All from the grocery store and cheap.

[william M]

Can anyone point to anything this government has done well? Bureaucrats run the asylum. They are unelected, many without any real education, and they make up the rules. Second, The FDA is silent over every other form of animal feed unless it has some form of human element. Salmonella isnt even on the radar for a dog. The stomach enzymes are completely different from ours. Why do you think they and cats will gladly finish up road kill thats 5 days old in the sun? What about the crows, racoons, weasels, rats and every other scavenger? Come on people, at some point we got to wake up and realize that we have let buffoons run our lives and since we dont feed ourselves any longer, we depend on other people to do the critical thinking for us. Try reading some basic farming and ranching reference material, you may be enlightened. Especially if its copy written sometime before 1945. They still used real experts like ranchers that had been raising beef for 3 and 4 generations, as well as farmers that had trailblazed the modern farming methods still used today from the midwest to the california basin.

[william M]

@anonymous, you make a most uneducated and foolish statement that dogs lived shorter lives and infer they were put down rather than taken to a vet. Newsflash, that loaf of bread buffoon is the very reason the dogs today are as messed up as humans. All the saturation of preservative and they have a vastly different bacterial enzyme balance than we do. My fellow Alaskan knows better than you and we all do up here. And as for the puppy millo game, we take a husky or a siberian and let them mingle with the wolfpack, which gleans us a REAL malamute. Bitches have been bred like this for generations by the inuits and the Klingat. do some reading

[Jerry R]

I switched to raw for my 16 month old red longhaired dachshund after much research and him not liking any kibble I bought for him. Maybe he’s smarter than I think. He is spoiled. I feed him from the grocery store and meat market. He loves chicken and a drumstick/thigh is more than a meal for him.
He works at it for an hour(skin, bones, and all).
He gets chicken feet to chew on for a treat. He’ll crunch it up for 30-45 minuted and swallow it.
He gets turkey wings too. One of them is 3 meals for him!
Pig tails, chicken and turkey gizzards and hearts, a little lamb liver I bought 10lbs. of for $8 .
Beef and lamb when reduced for quick sale is a great way to offer variety.
He’s as healthy as can be. And those chicken feet are very high in glucosamine for joint health. Great for reducing the effects of and preventing arthritis. Cleans their teeth too.
I try to follow these basic rules but I not naive enough to believe that every meal needs to be properly balanced.
60% lean muscle meat
20 % organ meat(5% liver)
20% bones, cartilage
He gets everything he needs and none of the crap he doesn’t. Firmer poop and far less of it and it doesn’t stink to high heaven. Clean teeth.
I use common sense in ths hygiene dept. and don’t use rotten meat like I’m sure kibble has.

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