Why are people so against the raw food diet for dogs?
I’ve done a lot of research about the raw food diet for dogs and I see no reason not to do it. Most kibble is processed with preservatives, artificial coloring/flavoring, animal "meal" which is not meat by the way, fillers like corn and soy, heat baked which takes out most nutrients- and so on and if its the higher end kibbles yea they’re healthier but how are they healthier than a balanced raw diet?…Yea there are certain things that you cannot feed your dog with this diet but all it take is a little research into it to discover whats good and bad…I dont get it. What do you think? And to set the record straight-chicken bones are FINE for dogs as long as they are RAW- not cooked in any way..
lol I’m talking about kibble vs. raw meat/veggies diet
chicken bones do not splinter when raw..
Tagged with: artificial coloring • chicken bones • corn • fillers • kibble • nutrients • raw diet • raw food diet • raw food diet for dogs • raw meat • straight chicken
Filed under: Raw Food Diet
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Speaking as someone who has raw fed for over forty years and prior to that lived with my parents who also raw fed, I can honestly say that I am speaking from experience.
Fact is that a dog’s gut is comparatively short it is designed to eat meat and not grains because of this.
It was in the late 1800s when a man called Jack(?) Spratt saw dogs being thrown stale ships biscuits and he started to manufacture something similar and sold it as a dog biscuit.
It was not until the 1940′s that tinned meat and a few dry foods came onto the market. Prior to that and really until the ’60s most dogs were fed on table scraps and bones from the butcher.
Taking this into consideration, prepared dog foods have had a relatively short history. In that time, the increase in cancers and gut problems have increased.
It is not difficult to feed raw, in fact, I find it a lot quicker and easier to throw my dogs a chunk of meat each than to get out bowls and open cans or measure dry food and then soak it.
The reason that chicken gave the dogs mentioned diarrhoea is because they were probably given the skins and that contains the fat where any chemicals the chicken were given, gather. Had the skin been removed then it is unlikely to have caused a problem. Lamb is quite binding and if fed frequently will make the faeces white and crumbly – as will a lot of bones.
I do not ever weigh the dogs food, I feed by eye, if any has lost some weight then it gets a bigger chunk, if heavier, then it gets less. I am able to get green tripe (cows stomachs) from the abattoir. It is not the nicest of things to handle but very good for the dogs. I cut it into chunks and it goes in a freezer kept for the dogs food.
They get chicken backs, pig heads and trotters, venison from road kills, lamb bones and ox heart.
Any vegetables come from them eating horse, cow and sheep poop and the grasses left in the tripe – all of which have been digested so, they can gain some nutrients from it.
I have an elderly Labrador that was on tablets for epilepsy. He was dry food fed. Since I have been feeding him – two years now, he has not had a fit and off his tablets for a good 18 months. Prior to raw, if he missed two days tablets he would fit.
I worked it out that between my parents, my sister and myself, we have had over thirty dogs – all raw fed. The youngest to die was a Springer Spaniel my sister rescued. She had severe gut problems and was labled as untrainable to the house. Once settled on raw she was fine and had no gut problems. She died with cancer at three years but the rest of our dogs have lived an average age of 14.5 years all fit and healthy until the time came for them to go to the bridge. The eldest was 18.5 a BC who although in need of a hearing aid and bifocals, was still alpha of the pack. When she had a bad stroke I had her euthanised.
Cooking food is better than tinned but, by cooking a lot of the nutrients are destroyed.
The only problem I have ever come across is when a bone gets caught on the roof of their mouths. A dogs digestive acids is very strong which is why they need bones and raw meat to utilise it. Raw fed dogs rarely ever eat grass which they do to make them sick and bring up the spare acids.
Chicken bones do not splinter when raw and pork does not contain worms – maybe it use to but, with modern farming methods wormers are regularly used to eliminate any problem.
A survey being done in Holland has, after only 8-10 years shown that dogs fed table scraps and raw live on average three years longer than those fed on ‘dog’ food.
Cooked is better and more delicious, my dog loves his steak flambeéd
not against raw feeding but most people think you can just feed your dog some raw meat and that it will be fine. they don’t bother to do research to learn that the diet has to be balanced. and for the record, not all kibble is bad. look at acana, california natural, prairie, evo, innova, taste of the wild, etc. no artificial colors, no unnamed meat or meat meal, no by products, no corn, wheat, or soy.
I’m not against it ^^ I’m just a little overwhelmed by all the info and I can’t afford it.
I am not against raw feeding but I don’t entirely believe in it. The reason why so many dogs’ health, fur, eyes, etc improve when eating raw meat is actually because of the elimination of grains, corn & wheat. If you feed home cooked food & I mean NOT ‘human food’ & you also don’t add in grains, corn & wheat, believe me, you will get the same results. If you look at my dogs, they are just as great looking as those who eat raw. They are conformation dogs.
I have just started giving my dogs fresh imported Australian lamb meat yesterday. It’s their 1st time eating raw bloody red meat. The last time, we gave them raw chicken necks & they had explosive diarrhea the following day without fail. So we stopped. But for some reason, they did not get diarrhea eating the lamb meat. I am glad. Feeding raw meat once in a while is OK but don’t over do it! Dogs do need raw blood sometimes. Giving it once a week is like a supplement.
When you think about it, Lions and Tigers and Wolves eat raw meat all the time, and are pretty fit.
I feed my dog raw meat and once a week raw liver, and he is very fit, he also has a breakfast of dried dog.
Am not to sure about the bone bit though, we lost a West highland terrier last year, who got a bone stuck in his gullet, so you can understand we are very wary now.
By the way it was a bone he found in our garden, have no idea if it was cooked or raw.
I have fed raw to my dog for almost a year now. It’s hard. You have to get the ratios almost perfect, otherwise, you’ll cause diarrhea and a host of other problems.
I’m not against it, I just think people should do a lot of reading and research before jumping in.
One of the biggest reasons to feed raw is because that is the closest thing to what the dog ate in the wild. However, do you know the lifetime span of a wild dog? Not long…..
There are kibble dog foods out there that are very healthy. I use Blue Buffalo dog food. No artificial preservative, the vitamins are cold formed and added to the kibble after the kibble is baked to preserve the potency, no soy, wheat or corn, and specific protein and fat listed on the ingredients. Meat meal is not good nor specific enough, but if it says chicken meal or lamb meal that just means the water is not in the product.
When I wasn’t working full time I fed my dog the raw diet. It is great for their teeth, stool and general health. But now that I am working I can’t devote the time to prep like I used to.
I think most people are opposed to it for several reasons with the mail one being that they don’t eat raw–especially meat products. What they also don’t understand is that dogs are basically meat eaters and not vegetable eaters. You will never see a starving dog in a corn field eating corn and if you look at the majority of prepared pet foods they are all mostly corn. A dog can’t digest it very well. Most owners are also reluctant to spend the extra money to buy a better quality food that will have more meat content.
If it works for your dog and they are thriving on it don’t let peer pressure change your mind.
your not suppose to feed your dog raw pork because it can give them worms it will even give humans worms if not cooked right…and your not suppose to give them any kind of bone because the might splinter and cut their insides…I had a friend that her dog choked to death because a bone was stuck in his throat…I have 3 Rottweilers and ever once in a while I will give them a chicken bone but it’s rare because even they can choke on them plus it’s hard for them to digest..I’m not familar with the raw diet food but I do know that some dogs once they get the taste of blood it changes them..
I’d like to know the same thing. Some of the things said here and said in general really bother me. My 3 dogs are fed a raw diet and have improved greatly from their high quality kibble diet. It has to be done right to be effective but is worth it. Dogster.com has a raw forum where you can discuss the diet and relate to other people. I post there all the time. ;)