Comments on: What Are You Opinions On Feeding A Dog A Raw Diet?

By: Catherine S

Catherine S — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

Vets are supported by the kibble industry through their schooling and in their clinics. Note, some of the dog foods that they sell on their shelves still have cancer causing preservatives in them like BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin. Vets are not any different then our Drs.’ that get kick backs from prescribing certain RX meds.
I own three Shepherds ,16 1/2 years old , 13 years old and a 5 years of age. The 5 year old Shepherd suffers from environmental allergies. She was put on prednisone three times. It was killing her immune system, and caused her to become dog aggressive. I ended up with a costly vet bill from a dog fight,( her jumping my older dog) and ALL my vet calls from her tearing at her skin. All drugs were prescribed by three different vets. She was fed various kinds of top kibbles such as EVO.
I’m now feeding RAW and she has not been back to the vet since. I could have saved HUNDREDS of dollars had I taken the plunge sooner, not to mention, saved my older dog from being injured in a dog fight (add on another $600 for that bill.) Funny thing is after I was weaning her off the preds. for the third time it was a friend of mine, NOT the VETS, that had warned me that a fight could break out among my pack with her being on prednisone.
Those VERY same vets that DOWN the BARF diets are the same ones that have told us for years that our dogs need to have their yearly shots. Does anyone NOT see a connection here?
I feed my dogs the BARF diet, adding organs and supplements (as needed) and they are thriving!!! Do I tell my vet I feed raw, heck NO!!! He is not a holistic vet. However, at my last vet appointment for both my 16 1/2 year old and 13 year old Shepherds the words that came out of my vet’s mouth was “Those dogs are very impressive, indeed.” Need I say more?
Kibble is made for OUR convenience. And I know for a fact, that my foods of convenience are not healthier then me eating the real thing. I find it hard to believe that this does not hold true for the rest of the animal kingdom.

By: kelly

kelly — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

I talked to my vet about it and she said dog food is good with all the vitamins they need. If you feed your dog dry food get a high quality kind I use-solid gold. I read alot of information from The Whole Dog Journal they go in detail about the raw diet. There web is whole-dog-journal.com. good luck and hope I helped. : )

By: suellenh

suellenh — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

Recently talked to a friend who was considering the raw diet for her dogs. She talked to her vet who strongly recommended the meat be cooked. She said, yes, animals like wolves live on a raw diet – what most people don’t know is that wolves don’t live long. Raw meat carries the risk of salmonella and e. coli.

By: nellana

nellana — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

I feed a raw diet to my four dogs, and they have *never* been ill once in their lives. Four different breeds, ages between 5 and 12. I have fed them raw from the day they came into my home. I have my vets phone number, but I’ve seen him twice..for a spay and neuter.
I feed Barf, because I don’t think the prey model gives all the nutrients that are necessary…but that is just my opinion. Vets **do not** know best when it comes to dog food…..they spend a few weeks training on nutrition, and that’s it…and that is subsidised by the pet food industry. As for the vet who says that dogs don’t have the enzymes any more to digest raw….what a load of rubbish! In actual fact, dogs are being made ill because their digestive juices (there to break down bone) are not being used enough with kibble, and the liver and kidneys are over-taxed in trying to deal with the rubbish that goes into kibble….premium or not, it’s still rubbish.
As for E-coli, etc. My dogs have never had it. I prepare their food in my kitchen, and I’ve never had it. Does no-one put raw chicken in the oven for themselves? Or raw meat on to cook for themselves? Handling the dogs food takes no more effort, and is no more dangerous, than handling meat for myself.

By: Jo

Jo — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

A well balanced raw diet is WONDERFUL, in most cases. I can only speak for the model I used and I got it from this site:http://www.rawdogranch.com
I am not for indiscriminately throwing dead carcasses or roadkill out there for dogs to eat since even for those born in the wild, only the strongest survive. Not only that, but for awhile the mother eats the food and regurgitates it for the cubs (wolf) or pups (dogs). So I personally wouldn’t recommend a raw diet for a young puppy.
I used a raw diet for over six mos and I ground the raw meaty bones since one of my three dogs “gulps” food and was at risk of choking on bones. Also, I don’t think it’s good to feed them weight-bearing bones. Instead, I’d give them (for raw meaty bones) chicken wings or backs.
I was careful with preparation and used fresh foods.
I went back to a largely prepared food diet because of moving to a smaller place with minimal fridge and freezer space.
I rank it highly if you find good mentors with long time experience in feeding raw.

By: joesmax

joesmax — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

I follow the prey model diet with my dogs. It works for me and them. I don’t feed them ground anything. I have an Irish Wolfhound, Tibetan Mastiff and a Great Pyrenees. I spent thousands of dollars in the last few years on vet bills, dermatologist bills, medications, etc. 2 of my dogs had severe allergies, serum shots, allergy tests, eliminations diets, etc. The other had recurring hot spots and yeasty ear infections. The raw diet has eliminated all those problems, plus raw cleans their teeth. Dry kibble does not. They have never been healthier, more energetic or happier. Every meal is a treat for them now. Everyone approaches a raw diet just a little bit differently, but any of them are better than kibble. I don’t do the whole, weigh the food, grind or puree fruits/veggies, etc. I feed them what I think they need and they gets fruits/veggies for snacks, whole. If they look heavy, I cut back on their food. If they look thin, I feed more. My vet wasn’t crazy about it either at first, but he has seen the difference in my dogs and others and is now discussing and researching raw for his own dogs. It’s the only way to go.

By: Bandit

Bandit — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

Dogs in nature, do not cook their food or process it in any way other than burying it. Why would they need cooked food? I think it might even be harmful to them as their systems are not evolved as a human.

By: AS

AS — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

One thing I know for sure is: I would never do the ‘do-it-yourself’ raw food diet. Its time consuming and you could possible containment your dog.
Not sure of BARF or Prey brands, but I do feed my dog a natural Frozen Raw Food Diet called Natures Varity. It is well balanced, all natural, and they use a flash freezing process.(they also have some organic) It is completely safe to feed to your dog or cat, and I swear by the stuff. I also feed my dog half portion of the dry food version as well; in order to maintain less tartar on his teeth.
There are studies out there showing that feeding your dog a Raw Food Diet does reduce the risk of common diseases and cancers found in older dogs. Its quite interesting on the found benefits of humans eating a raw diet as well…

By: Elise F

Elise F — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

Hi.
I just asked my vet about this on Tuesday. He told me that it really isn’t the way to go. His reasoning on this was since dogs have been domesticated the enzyme they would need to break down all that raw food isn’t in their system anymore.
You could still ask your vet when you go, or maybe give them a call? I’ve been taking our dogs to the vet since 2000, so I believe him completely.

By: Haley C

Haley C — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:32:09 +0000

umm i think going on a raw diet could be good but i would chekc with your local vet!