Feeding Raw
It started because we had a dog that had dietary issues (Zippi) who was unable to tolerate kibble and couldn't gain weight. In researching potential dog food options for him we found out what was IN most kibble (esp back then when the good ones were rare), started to learn of raw and home cooked and decided to try it. Zip's health turned around, as has every single dog we've fed this way. It's fixed many allergy issues, coat issues, smell issues (stink), their muscle tone is amazing, and overall I've been continually impressed at how healthy a balanced raw diet is for my dogs. I've fed this way for around 10 years now and will never look back.
While yes, raw feeding can be a bit of work, it's worth it IMO. Think about feeding yourself or your child out of one bag of dry prefab food for every single day of your life - how could you possibly get the best nutrition without some fresh ingredients? Even if you choose to feed a blend of a good kibble and good raw diet you are greatly improving what your dog is consuming, nutritionally. You'll find after feeding raw for a while that your dog has smaller fecal droppings on a raw diet as they are able to better utilize the food - less left over waste comes through their systems. A balanced raw diet improves coat, doggie odor all but vanishes, poop is smaller and less frequent, teeth are cleaner and stay that way and overall health is improved.
Here are some questions we are frequently asked:
Remember, the information listed here is anecdotal and tells of our own personal experience with raw feeding. As with any changes to your dogs health regime, please check with your vet or pet health care professional before making changes to your pet's diet.
While yes, raw feeding can be a bit of work, it's worth it IMO. Think about feeding yourself or your child out of one bag of dry prefab food for every single day of your life - how could you possibly get the best nutrition without some fresh ingredients? Even if you choose to feed a blend of a good kibble and good raw diet you are greatly improving what your dog is consuming, nutritionally. You'll find after feeding raw for a while that your dog has smaller fecal droppings on a raw diet as they are able to better utilize the food - less left over waste comes through their systems. A balanced raw diet improves coat, doggie odor all but vanishes, poop is smaller and less frequent, teeth are cleaner and stay that way and overall health is improved.
Here are some questions we are frequently asked:
- How much do you feed?
- Isn't it expensive?
- I've heard that switching a dog over is really difficult on their systems.
- How much work is it to feed raw?
- Where do you get your raw food?
The amount really depends on each dog - I have a 21lb RT 4 year old that gets just a little more than my 1yo RT 9lb boy. Both are active but the 21lb boy tends to be "thick" and needs less food (he disagrees).
Feeding a raw diet is certainly not the most inexpensive way to feed an animal. Home made raw ingredients, even bought cheaply in bulk run around as much as a really good kibble in my experience. There are some things you can do to minimize cost but, frankly, to me it is worth every penny. The dogs end up SO healthy that our vet costs, even as they age, are minimal compared to those of folks I know who are feeding regular kibble diets.
I've never had a really tough transition with switching a dog to raw. If they have had a very poor diet for many years you may have a few days or up to a week of loose stools but nothing too significant. I've switched several fosters (the heartworm positive ones who needed extra nutrion especially) to our diet over the years.
There are some really great raw options available now that were not on the market when I started this journey. One brand, for instance, is Nature's Variety and they make frozen patties and nuggets. If you buy the prefab patties it's pretty easy. If you make your own it is not as easy since you have prep and food handling and packaging to deal with. I do a mix of both.
We buy our premade frozen patties locally at a specialty petstore. For the raw meaty bones we feed, there is a wholesale meat distributer that sells (among other things) chicken necks, turkey necks, lamb breast etc) at reasonable rates where we buy 20-40lb boxes. A large empty freezer comes in handy!
Remember, the information listed here is anecdotal and tells of our own personal experience with raw feeding. As with any changes to your dogs health regime, please check with your vet or pet health care professional before making changes to your pet's diet.