I have been feeding my dogs raw food for the last two months, and while they started out well on it, their health has slowly gone down hill. They now have diarrhea, they throw their food up, and are generally lethargic. I have been feeding them Primal Raw Food (Duck and Beef), the appropriate amount for their weight. It has been kept securely in the freezer, and thawed correctly in a very sanitary environment, so there has been no risk of contamination, so I know that isn’t what has made them ill. Do some dogs just not do well on the Raw diet? My dogs are Chihuahuas, if it matters. We’ve tried the Raw diet on two separate occasions now, months a part, and both times they have been made ill on it. I transition them correctly, from good kibble (orijens) to raw, and provide them probiotics just in case. Has anyone experienced this problem before? Has anyone else’s dog rejected this diet? I’m putting my girls back on a high-quality kibble diet tomorrow, if I can’t figure out what’s wrong.
You know, finding the right diet for them has been a battle, and their original raw diet was self-made, organic local meats only (and they have always received raw bones!). Half the people I know say raw is bad, the other half say I’m crazy if I don’t feed raw. Every vet I’ve had has been opposed to raw, but every holistic store owner has pushed for the raw. My dogs were perfectly healthy and happy on high quality, grain free kibble with the occasional raw bone. When I switched to raw food entirely, the problems just took over. I love my babies, I want them healthy and happy, so I may just stick with the hard food an supplement them appropriately with raw treats now and then. It’s like having kids, and being told you aren’t raising them correctly on a regular basis- I really don’t think anyone knows for sure what the best food is, and really, I think it depends on the dog. People will always be critical of whatever food I feed them. It’s harder to feed my Chi’s than myself!
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