photo credit: theclutterbells
So the dogs have been packing on the pounds. Sydney has saddlebags, Rodrigo is “big boned,” and I cut out the canned food and started cooking for them. Friends of ours have started feeding their dogs a raw food diet – just feeding them raw chicken – and the change has cleared up allergies and made the dogs slim and trim. This isn’t the first story I’ve heard – I’ve come across a lot of people who are hanging with RAW.
Wow! We can buy up chicken at Costco, we do every weekend anyway. I usually cook up some of it for them, but I can toss a couple of pieces in their bowls. Can’t it?
Before I grabbed the keys and headed off to Smokey Point, I decided to ask around about the “raw food” diet. It’s not as simple as feeding them raw meat, is it? If that’s the case, why all the veggies and brown rice in today’s food? And I don’t know about you, but our spoiled dogs haven’t experienced “the wild.” And what about salmonella? As you can see, I started slowly talking myself out of this new trend.
Dog owners shared their experience with feeding their dogs a raw food diet
Our “neighbor” Dan Koffman- in quotes, because he lives close by – shared…
“We are starting the third year of feeding our 12 year old chow chow the raw food diet by Nature’s Valley called Instinct. Our boy has really thrived on it as he had many allergy issues with regular dry and wet brands. We would encourage anyone who is leaning towards a raw food diet for their pup to visit the website of these folks. We would never just feed our dog raw meat by itself. Instinct has 5 percent fruits and veggies and no grain. Variety is good and patties stay frozen until used. Risk of spoilage is eliminated.”
Sarah Chamberlain recommended that I check out the a book “called Give Your Dog a Bone
Felice Arata-Rhodes, President and Founder, Feline Instincts LLC shared…
“Feeding a balanced raw diet to cats and dogs is what they are born to eat. Their digestive system is short and acidic to be able to digest raw and the enzymes in the meat when it’s raw is what they thrive on.”
When I check out these sites, I’m not seeing raw chicken. I’m seeing carefully prepared foods for dogs and cats. This is the raw food diet.
That being said, I was happy to receive this response from Terri Jay, Pet Psychic and Veterinary Intuitive…
“Raw meats contain e coli, salmonella and a host of other life-threatening bacteria. The thinking on a raw diet is that the dog is getting what it would eat in the wild. Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years and therefor need a domesticated diet. Most commercial dog foods are made from dead, dying diseased or decayed foods and are over processed. We can cook our dogs healthy, nutritious food and avoid the health problems from commercial foods and yet protect them from dangerous bacteria.”
Terri inspired our dogs current diet when she shared the following…
“I cook low fat ground beef and add gravy, rice and mixed vegetables and my dogs are healthy and have great coats. Their diets can also be adapted if they have any food allergies but none of mine do.”
March 2, 2012 at 4:35 pm
I have been feeding my dogs and cats raw for almost 4 years. I had a cat that almost died from his urinary tract being completely blocked, and after paying over $400 to save his life, I knew there had to be a better way than Science Diet. I researched the BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) diet thoroughly. It took a few weeks to get my pets used to raw, but once did, they loved it! I feed each of my dogs (2 beagles, 1 English bulldog) a raw chicken leg quarter every day. The raw bones are perfectly safe, because they are not hard like cooked bones. Cooked bones are brittle and splinter. Raw bones are not. There is no fear of salmonella, because a dog’s stomach containes a higher percentage of stomach enzymes, which break down the bones and raw meat. My dogs eat the occasional sweet potato, banana, apple, or other vegetables. But it’s the meat that’s made them so healthy. Sleek, shiny coats, you wouldn’t believe how clean their teeth are. Very small, odor-free stools. With 5 indoor cats, that’s great! I grind up the leg quarters for the cats-bones and all-but the dogs eat the pieces whole. I have never had a problem. Also, I don’t know why, but with 5 cats who are indoor, and 3 dogs who are in and out, fleas are almost nonexistent. Don’t know why, but I have read other comments saying the same thing. I realize that this method of feeding is controversial, but I would NEVER go back to processed food for my pets. They are happy and healthy. Look at the protein content of processed dog foods. My animals get 100 % protein. No filler, unless I give them some bread or brown rice.
March 2, 2012 at 5:01 pm
Hi Nancy
Thanks for sharing your experience with raw food. I keep hearing different things. I wonder when an idea is new (or new to a group of people) if there will always be resistance to it.
We have friends who put their dogs on a raw food diet and have had nothing but good things to report. I didn’t make the leap, because I discovered Life’s Abundance and I’m really happy with their food. I won’t be feeding our pets food from the pet store.
I love that you don’t get fleas. That’s so cool and I wonder if it’s a benefit of the diet too.
Twitter: thefurmom
April 11, 2012 at 10:27 am
Hi Kimberly,
In regards to cooking vs. raw, we have discovered that cooked foods (meats) results in a loss of necessary nutrients and enzymes needed for proper dog digestion. If illness is concerned when making your own raw diet for your dogs, we simply advise that you choose meat (chicken, lamb or beef) that is human grade — in other words good enough for you to eat — and get to know your butcher and source of the protein. We especially do not recommend giving your dogs cooked bones, particularly chicken, not just because of the loss in nutritional value but because it can splinter and pose as a choking hazard.
People will always disagree on this topic, but I do encourage you to continue your research and come to your own conclusion on what is appropriate for your dogs.
I also invite you to explore more about the BARF Diet at our blog and site: http://www.barfworld.com/blog. The co-founder of BARF World worked closely with Dr. Billinghurst to create the BARF Diet for pets concept that is rapidly growing today.
Let us know your progress on your discovery of a BARF diet, and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Twitter: barfworld
April 11, 2012 at 10:37 am
Thanks for the information, Cynthia. I wonder if the butcher is the key to getting quality cuts. It’s funny that I don’t mind buying our meat at the grocery store, but I would never eat that meat raw so I’m hesitant to give it to our dogs raw. I’m not ready to change to the Raw Food diet, I’m very happy with Life’s Abundance, but I think that for me to be a good pet owner, I need to keep an open mind and consider all options. I also want to be a great resource for my followers, which inspires me to ask these questions. Thank you for the link and the information.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
April 21, 2012 at 3:08 pm
It’s important to know that Salmonella isn’t harmful to dogs and so you don’t need to worry about it….but wash your hands after handling raw chicken for your own health.
April 21, 2012 at 3:44 pm
I didn’t know that, Owen. Some of the recall stories state Salmonella as a problem so dog owners who were handling the food were getting sick too; so I just assumed that it was making both humans and dogs sick. I recently spoke with a breeder who feeds her dogs raw chicken and raw beef bones (for teeth cleaning) and her dogs have never been sick.
Thanks for sharing what you know, because this is very new to me.
Twitter: thefurmom