Can You Tell Me How When You Switched To Raw Feeding It Benefited Your Dog Or Not?
Posted by
editor in
Question & Answer on
Sep 26th, 2009 |
4 responses
Just wanting to know some experiences with raw feeding. My dog has very low energy on raw and so I would like to know what your experiences have been, whether it was positive or negative.
Thanks
Similar Posts:
- What Do You Guys Think About Raw Meat Feeding?
- Is Raw Feeding Save For My Dog?
- Raw Feeders How Long Do Your Dog(s) Typically Live?
- Anybody Switch Their Dogs To Raw Feeding?
- Why Do Some Breeders Recommend Raw Feeding (high Protein) But Not High Protein Kibble?
I do feed raw meat, but I don’t just feed meat. Dogs are omnivores, whether people believe that or not, I don’t care, their digestive system is that of an omnivore. I believe feeding only meat CAN be just as bad as feeding only vegetation, a lot of dogs can handle only meat with no problems, but not all of them.
One thing that can lead to low energy on raw is no grains. I know a lot of people are against grains, but they do have their benefits. The starches in the grains are transformed by the body into glycogen, the starting point of glycolysis, which is the bodies way of producing ATP, the energy form most frequently used by living organisms. Feeding some cooked grains can increase a dog’s energy level. Grain-free dog food is not just meat, it may have no grains, but there are other things in it that help with energy levels.
I haven’t made the switch yet, but one reason your dog could have been lower energy on raw is because a lot of the lower grade kibbles are loaded with junk. It makes dogs hyper just like giving a kid a boatload of sugar. I have heard from several raw feeders in different yahoo groups I’m in how their dog no longer smells, has a shiny coat, bright eyes, great teeth. You can always do more research online if you decide to give raw a chance again. It could be whatever type of meat you started with didn’t agree with your dog. Most recommend starting with chicken, and I have given my dogs chicken and turkey several times with no problems.
Once I tweaked the diet its been the best thing.
I struggled to get Bindi to eat for 2 years. Vet after vet, test after test all said my walking skeleton with fur was normal.
She wasn’t even on raw for a year and put on 10 pounds, and looks and feels so much better than before.
Both of my dogs have endless energy. But its even energy, not sudden bursts then crash the way many kibble dogs do.
They only get sluggish when I make them. A couple times a year I feed them meals on the lighter side for a week, and then gorge them out. They basically eat until they quit. After which they go into a “food coma” and konk out for a few hours.
I feed in a very similar way to Joh, although I’m jealous because I don’t have acces to kangaroo. She had some good questions for you too.
hi – I’ve been totally raw feeding for about 2.5 years and partially for about 5. I have three cats, two dogs and have weaned pups straight to this method of feeding. I would NEVER go back to commercial foods.
I’ve got a few questions for you so that I can answer more fully -
What were you feeding? All raw diets are not the same and some contain far too much bone and then use vegetables and grains as well.
Were you feeding enough/too much? Most dogs do well on between 2 and 3% of their body weight in food each day but smaller dogs may need close to 4% and giant ones less than 2%.
Are you sure the dogs were sluggish? Sometimes dogs on kibble can become ‘hyper’ – a bit like an ADHD kid on additives. Often they really calm down after being taken off these foods.
This is some more information on how I feed my pets. The menu here is a bit dependent on what is on sale and what I can source at the time. I aim to feed about 2/3 meaty meals (including heart) with the remainder a combination of meaty bones and organs. A meaty bone for the cats is something like a chicken thigh cutlet or half a breast and for the dogs (staffords) a chicken quarter or pork hock etc. I only feed things like chicken frames, necks and wings combined with chunks of meat and/or offal – a chicken frame stuff with a lamb heart and kidney or some roo mince.
My animals eat meat form many different sources including chicken, beef, pork, turkey, lamb, and kangaroo. They also get heart, liver, brains and kidneys regularly BUT liver not more than 3-5% of the total diet to prevent too much vitamin A building up in the animal.
Aim to feed 2-3% of the animals ideal adult body weight per day. EG my staffords (both b*tches) weight between 17 and 18 kg – they have been eating the same amount of food (400-500 grams) since they were about 10 weeks old. The only difference is now they get one meal a day and as baby pups they got three.