Feeding Your Dog A Raw Diet Vs Cooked Meat? What’s Best?
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Oct 6th, 2009 |
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I’m making the switch to feed my dog homemade dog food and am reading alot about feeding raw. Any other pros and cons out there. Other differences are whether to feed vegetables and grains. I’m reading 60% meat, 20% grain, 20% veg. These numbers keep changing! What is the right combination?
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I have fed a raw diet for 13 years now. I feed 60 – 65% Raw Meaty Bones (such as chicken wings)…………not just meat, which would be disastrous. Dogs need the Rmb’s to get the correct balance of calcium, phosphorous and magnesium. The rest of the diet is made up of 10% offal (liver, heart, kidney) and then a good variety of other meats. You can feed cereal if you want……no more than 10% of the diet, and preferably oats. Cooked veg you can feed up to 15% of the diet. I used to feed grain and veg, but don’t anymore, and my dogs look super. We have five dogs in ages from 11months to 11 years, and not one has been to a vet for any illness whatsoever…….so you save a fortune in vets fees!! If you want a diet sheet to start you off, mail me.)
Good Luck!! (Your dog will love you…..your vet will be annoyed!!
A great decision! There are many pre-prepared raw frozen diets on the market that are exceptional. I have been feeding raw for 7 years, and my dog has never been healthier. I’m a little leary about buying raw meat from the grocery store as we do not know how it was handled. A conventional vet will tell you that it is bad to feed raw…try to consult a holistic vet for more help! Good Luck!
I feed my dog raw dog food, but I also rotate with kibble, because I am too lazy to make sure he is getting all the nutrients he needs in a completely homemade raw diet. (And it is a lot of work.) I love the results I get feeding my dog raw food. I used this same method with my Labrador who had horrible food allergies, and he never had a problem after being switched to a high-quality, no grain filler kibble and a raw food. Lots of people will tell you that feeding a raw diet to your dog could kill it – but look at how many pets have died in the last three years from eating kibbled food.. some very high quality names in the pet industry – versus how many have died (or even gotten ill) from eating a raw diet. The only cons I can see of your method of homemade diet is the one I said before: Taking the time to make the food AND make sure your dog is getting the nutritional requirements s/he needs. You might want to find a veterinarian well-versed in holistic approaches and raw-diet friendly (lots of vets have their hands in Science Diet’s pockets too deep to give you an honest answer about raw food and will try to scare you off of it) and discuss the nutritional needs of your dog with him or her.
The dog should be getting around 27% protein in it’s overall diet – give of take a couple percent depending on the breed.
You should cook it though – raw meat isn’t clean – it’s all processed in plants and exposed to chemicals and bacteria. Also most meats are exposed to antibiotics and hormones, so definately check what kind of meat you’re feeding your dog. Very few meats are certified “sushi” grade meaning that they are safe for raw consumption. Do your research before starting a raw diet.
I would cook it though.
I feed my two dogs raw, and the benefits are incredable.
I feed my own mix, which i am constantly refining a long with Nature’s variety raw frozen. It is a bit pricey, but we seldom go to the vets… even my ten year old is in great condition.
I think raw is the way to go, but you should definitely know your sources. Organic fruits and veggies. Antibiotic and hormone free meet and eggs.
I feed raw meat in the morning and kibble at night so my dogs get the nutrients from the kibble and I don’t have to hunt them down.
dogs by nature in the wild and their wild cousins are carnivores… not herbivores or grain eaters.
So I recommend raw… but you need to make sure you give the dog the right additional products that offer the needed nutrients. Either feed part kibble or go to the raw feed sites to learn what to add to the diet.
Home cooked dog food simply satisfies the emotional needs of the dog owner. The dog doesn’t need it’s food cooked.
A good way to get meat is at the grocery when it goes on 1/2 price sale the day before the expiration date on the meat and freeze it immediately. Always freeze the meat before feeding it to the dog. This will kill anything bad that’s in the meat.
I also go to the butcher who kills the cattle for the small farmers and get whole hearts, tongues, livers, kidneys, oxtail…. that the person having the animal butchered doesn’t want. I get a whole heart or tongue for a dollar or less, and they are generally from 3 to 7 pounds each. I got an 18# liver for a dollar or two dollars last time.