Thinking About Putting My Dog On Raw?
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Question & Answer on
Dec 31st, 2009 |
9 responses
My main concern is though, that with toy breeds they are prone to “mush mouth” and eating soft foods all the time can cause it. Mÿ mother-in-laws Maltese has mush mouth because of soft food, her teeth are falling out, her breath stinks, its just horrible. If I’m not feeding my dog a dry kibble because I’m feeding raw, how do I avoid mush mouth?
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I had a long discussion the other day about RAW feeding with my really close friend who is a Veterinarian and a breeder/exhibitor of GSD’s.
She is definitely NOT a fan of RAW.
Even though the Food Nazis are pushing it, I see no science/research behind it, just a lot of talking points.
I will stick to commercial dog food.
There’s no evidence to support raw feeding, it’s controversial, and it takes work to make sure that you provide your dog with everything it needs and don’t provide too much of anything (salt, for example- lots of meat is injected with salt water so a dog might get too much very easily). Having said that, your dog will probably thrive on it (dogs thrive on a variety of diets) and if it doesn’t you can just change the diet again. Just make sure you do your homework and try to provide the right amount of fat, protein, salt, minerals and vitamins, fibre etc.
Bones can be a good way to help your dog’s teeth, provided that you don’t use small bones or cooked bones. Ask your butcher for dog bones, most of them will give you suitable ones. It’s also a good idea to brush a toy dog’s teeth once a week- kibble isn’t a cure-all either (neither are bones), it’s a good idea to brush the teeth either way if you have a breed that tends to be susceptible to such problems.
Ask your vet’s advice about the teeth, I’d say.
I am personally a fan of raw and feed it to my dogs. Granted my dogs are med size, they eat Abady raw and I only give them raw marrow bones. I find that the process of them chewing on the bones, trying to remove the marrow, cleans their teeth. My oldest is 9 w/ not a spot of tarter. Another benefit of a raw diet vs processed diet, is that the raw has natural enzymes which help break down the food reminants left in the mouth. In the end you will need to monitor your dogs teeth regardless of diet b/c most of the toy breeds are not big chewers and prone to mush mouth
Everyone has opinions but I really think the ones that matter most are the ones that have experience and not just what they read or what they heard and to top that off many vets recommend Science Diet which is gross and it does not take a rocket scientist to read the ingredients and figure out that it is gross. However most Holistic Vets do recommend the Raw Diet.
I have done two years of research, study and courses on dog foods/nutrition. There are many good kibbles on the market like Natures Variety, Innova, Wellness, Ojens, Natures Logic , Taste of the Wild etc. I have used many but ended up feeding Raw and it has made a huge, tremendous difference in my dogs health.. All for the absolute better. He had many health issues and many are gone or reduced just by being on a Raw Diet. It saved my dogs life so from experience I can only say the absolute best by it. If I did not feed Raw I would without question feed a Grain Free food.
My dogs have perfect teeth but they have bones, tendons and other such things to chew on everyday. You may also want to consider Natures Variety’s rotation diet. Go to their website http://www.naturesvariety.com and just read about it. Even if you do not use their products you may utilize that type of rotational diet. So you have kibble and bones etc to avoid Mush mouth.
I feed my dogs commercial raw, and the don’t have any dental problems.
Plaque is related to carbohydrates in food as much as to regular use of the teeth for chewing, a diet without carbohydrates s and starches (grains, potato) is said to naturally produce cleaner teeth.
I also throw in a once a week treat ( http://www.theanimalhouse.net/products/Merrick_Flossie-226-119.html ) that helps keep keep the teeth clean.
Keep an eye on your dog’s teeth you will find much more success than your mother-in-law who feeds processed canned food. There is a distinct difference, and much more nutritional value in raw than cans.
Apparently the answer for this depends upon which “Food Nazi” you are listening to.
Join a couple of Yahoo! Groups raw feeding email lists and ask questions.
I raw feed BIG dogs and have successfully for years… they get bones, which keep their teeth clean. (I start raw feeding at 3 weeks of age, at 4 weeks they are gnawing on chicken wings – bones included – I can’t imagine a small dog would be any different).
your suppose to feed things like chicken and other thing with bones in side you could also give her marrow bones and other things with raw bones like necks
here is a site that has foodshttp://www.rawfeddogs.net/
“feeding a dog commercial dog food for its whole life is worse then feeding a child pizza it whole life”
if it’s just to avoid dental problems. Good quality kibble is fine. I use Wellness CORE reduced fat. And a good oral liquid like pet kiss or dental fresh which have gotten excellent reviews, as well as a raw meaty bone once a week.
You should ask your vet that. Consult a vet before making a major diet change anyway.