The Pros and Cons on raw food?

[Marley420]

We are thinking about switching our dogs after our pups are sold. Does anyone have any advice good or bad?

[dutchie]

I just switched my pup to raw, and it is awsome.

poops are smaller, the dog has more energy, and he has leaned out and does not have gas any more.

I would reccomend trying it, I talked to Marc about it, his dogs are on raw.

Dutchie

[bozzdrywall]

i used to feed my bitch raw chicken legs when she was prego and everything was fine. after the pups i started my male on the same diet and his coat and energy level went way up takes some getting used to in there stomaches but its for the greater good i think

[Bpower]

Dry kibble helps clean the dog's teeth which is especially important with older dogs as decayed teeth can lead to infections causing death.

I have heard that most vets will discourage a raw diet but a small percentage are quite keen on it.

Once a raw diet is started it can be difficult to switch back to dry kibble as the dog's digestive system has gotten used to the diet and your dog will get some nasty liquid poo for a while.

You have to be carefull about the fat content (too much fat) in the raw food if your dog has a slower metabolism or you could end up giving the dog problems with it's pancris.

You will be surprised how little water your dog drinks on a raw diet. Their urine smells like an asparagus pee or horse piss sometimes too.

Turds a less frequent, firm, easy to pick up and degrade pretty quick if left for nature to take care of them.

Just a few points that I know of but maybe this helps.

[Everett]

We feed our dogs a supplement of 1/2lb of raw deer/moose/elk/bear every day. They seem to love it no problems with digestions.

[Steeleco]

We feed out Rottie a mixture of raw and kibble. She gets raw on meal and kibble the other. When I'm out of game trim I feed her the chicken/veg diet from Surrey meats in Cloverdale.

What ever you do, start slow or you'll have a dog with loose bowels and a mess on your hands.

[Kody94]

We feed out Rottie a mixture of raw and kibble. She gets raw on meal and kibble the other. When I'm out of game trim I feed her the chicken/veg diet from Surrey meats in Cloverdale.

What ever you do, start slow or you'll have a dog with loose bowels and a mess on your hands.

We do the same. Dog loves it and has been way better on it than he was on straight kibble.

[Iron Glove]

Raw food: You can make it yourself. Nicer turds. :mrgreen: Less needed ( raw food has no fillers like kibble does ). You need to be very careful @ strorage, cleaning up the dishes, utensils, etc. - it's RAW FOOD. Supplement the raw food with recreational bones to make the turds even nicer and you will also never need to brush your dog's teeth. More expensive if you buy it rather than make it. May need to add supplements. Harder to find in pet stores and non existant in grocery stores ( the pre made stuff ).
Kibble: Cheap and easy to feed and store. Messy poop. Readily available and lots and lots of choices. Fillers and additives. Need to feed more than raw. Bad for teeth - need regular cleaning.
Do some internet research, there's lots to read.

[longshotz]

Good friend and hunting partner is a vet and raw is good. Chicken backs and thighs raw only are recommended. (IE smaller bones of chicken only). Bones of birds can present issues in that they are not as readily digestible and can cause "back up" in the dog. Moderation is the key for feeding raw fowl.
Only issue is that certain nutrients are not available in raw meat only.
As you all know, the stomach contents of prey animals are also consumed as well as the organ meats for a balanced diet.
Consult your vet for nutritional advice or feed a top quality dried as well as the raw.

[SHACK]

I am on the other side of the fence with the raw food diet. My wife Used to work at a very well respected Vet here in the LM, and the long and short. Some dogs do well, others have even died.
The raw food diet craze is just to much of a risk IMO to even consider it. No, I'm not saying every dog is gonna be sick, or wind up with problems, but it happens all to frequently due to raw food diets. Renal failure, pancreatitis, and other issues can be much more frequent on raw food diets.
How many generations removed from wild dogs is your breed? 10? 20? 30? think about it.

[Bighorn hunter]

I am on the other side of the fence with the raw food diet. My wife Used to work at a very well respected Vet here in the LM, and the long and short. Some dogs do well, others have even died.
The raw food diet craze is just to much of a risk IMO to even consider it. No, I'm not saying every dog is gonna be sick, or wind up with problems, but it happens all to frequently due to raw food diets. Renal failure, pancreatitis, and other issues can be much more frequent on raw food diets.
How many generations removed from wild dogs is your breed? 10? 20? 30? think about it.


I'm with you on this one, we tried it with our dogs and ended up loosing one of our boxers due to renal failure. Back to the kibble

My 2 bits
BH

[Iron Glove]

I am on the other side of the fence with the raw food diet. My wife Used to work at a very well respected Vet here in the LM, and the long and short. Some dogs do well, others have even died.
The raw food diet craze is just to much of a risk IMO to even consider it. No, I'm not saying every dog is gonna be sick, or wind up with problems, but it happens all to frequently due to raw food diets. Renal failure, pancreatitis, and other issues can be much more frequent on raw food diets.
How many generations removed from wild dogs is your breed? 10? 20? 30? think about it.

I can't disagree with the comment that some do well, others don't but I do take some exception to the " others have died " statement.
Dogs die due to many food related problems, be it raw or kibble, it's a matter of making sure that the type of food you use is appropriate for your dog. Food allergies seem to be more prevalent in kibble fed dogs, likely due to all the additives. We had our girl tested for allergies and amongst the more serious reactions were common kibble additives such as rice and certain fish products that are used. She has done very well on raw but we are particular about the products we use, just as all dogs owners should be, whether it's raw or kibble. At least we have a pretty good idea of what our dog is getting, unlike the recent pet deaths caused by kibble that was melamine tainted. Do you really trust a product produced in China ????
I'd be very interested in reading any studies that back up your statement about the issues being more frequent in raw food diets.
As stated earlier, our daughter was a Vet Assistant and the Vet initially was anti raw but after a few years he has changed his mind. We had him check out our dog's food and diet and he approved it. He has expressed amazement at the health, particularly the teeth, of our dog on the raw diet. The other two Vets we have used heartily approve raw. Daughter is now an animal health tech and has switched their cats to raw and would switch her Lab to raw but it's too expensive for their budget at this time.
My advice for what it's worth - do your research, talk to your Vet and make an informed decision.

[heybert]

My lab has been on a raw diet for about 8 years now and she is doing well. She gets raw bones to clean her teeth as well. Our Jack has been on it for 4 years. Same result. Both dogs have nice coats, lots of energy and no health problems. We started giving them horizon dog kibble when mountain dog food's quality went downhill (switched to another raw brand). Raw in the morning and kibble at night. No issues with stool or gas with the mixed diet.

[Spirit's Master]

Raw food in action.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt333/SpiritsMaster/Hunts09016.jpg

Check with your vet, or good raw foodist pet food dealer for breed specific requirements as far as your dogs' diet goes. Our old newf needed a specific amino acid only found in bovine meat so we stayed away from chicken as the bulk of their diet and stuck with beef and buff.

Good research leads to a healthy pet regardless of the diet you choose- raw or kibble.

cwf

[IronNoggin]

...How many generations removed from wild dogs is your breed? 10? 20? 30? think about it.

Both my Companions are 1/2 Wolf. Verified by DNA analysis. The female is 1/2 Arctic, the little male (not quite 3 months) is 1/2 Timber. We've been living alongside wolf crosses for nigh 30 years now.

In these animals, raw is the way to go. The vet has cautioned against this several times over the past - something we chose to ignore. The male I lost this fall made it to 16 plus years - almost unheard of for a large hybid. I attribute much of that to his diet - chiefly consisted of caribou, moose and deer most of his life. That, and a lot of care and exercise.

With the new pup still in development, we are feeding him 1/2 ground deer / moose and 1/2 developmental Med-Cal formula kibble once a day. Two other feedings are just kibble. His growth rate has been nothing but explosive! The female gets 1/2 and 1/2 each feeding, and is in beatiful shape!

These dogs are but 1/2 a generation removed from "wild". I believe they could probably survive on beer cans, seems they can digest almost anything without problems. Don't know how well the more "domesticated" breeds fare with the raw food, but have a couple of Buddies whose dogs appear to be doing right well on a diet similar to what we feed here.

Cheers,
Nog

[skleep23]

The breeder that I purchased my dog from switched to raw years ago. She said it was the best decision she ever made. It takes a little bit to get organized with thawing the meat out but once you have a routine it's very easy. There are many books out on the raw diet such as this one: Grow Your Pups With Bones by Ian Billinghurst. He has also published many others. Here's another link http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359. Just some info given to me before I purchased my Pup.

[horshur]

I think some obsess a little to much with making of portions........something to consider.

When the RCMP boat spent two winters in the arctic and finally completed the northwest passage there was a fine book about it....
While visiting the Inuit it was remarked that a dog would whimper when a baby was defecating..mom would open the clothes and the dog would eat it up.
Most of us with only a single dog do not need to buy any dog food...our table and cooking scraps is plenty nearly all the time.
Leftovers balance out the nutritional requirement of greens.

Most dogs are fat and many people when seeing a fit dog will call it skinny.....our perceptions are skewed.

the one possible concern with merit is the possible spread of harmful parasites to humans that the raw meat may carry.

[yamadirt 426]

I have 2 dobies on raw and my sister has 2 valley bulldogs on raw all with the pos results talk about. Look great, more energy,smaller stools, they don't have to drink much water. It went from 1+ bowl a day to 1 bowl if i didn't refresh often it would go more than a week. Works for me. 3lbs a day but now I do keep some kibble and mix incase i run out for a day or go away their system is still use to both.