Raw food for a puppy questions

[mikesmelly]

I'm just curious here, what are the benefits of feeding raw? I've seen a lot of really good quality dry dog food that's definitely more economical than raw food.

[GoingPostal]

We switched our dogs to raw about three years ago, my oldest dog used to get bladder and ear infections at least yearly and we could never keep her lean enough (bad knees). Raw keeps her lean but not starving and no infections since switching. My male has severe allergies that kept getting progressively worse, skin and ear infections frequently, bad hair loss, goopy eyes, nonstop itching and had started having focal seizures, I really thought we would be putting him down, he hasn't had any infections, no more seizures and while his allergies aren't fixed, they are 90% improved. My youngest dog didn't have any major issues, just occasional unexplained days of diarrhea on kibble but no problems on raw. All the dogs shed less, smell less, it keeps their teeth nice, they poop 1x a day and I don't have to pick it up, it just disappears lol.

Cost wise, we had been feeding TOTW @ $50/bag but once we added a third dog went to Diamond Naturals to save money but still cost me about $80 a month and they were having yet another recall so didn't trust them. Something better quality like Origen would cost me several hundred a month. Raw we spend $80 or less a month so under a dollar a day per dog, feeding three 50# dogs real food. Sometimes a lot less since we hunt and get scraps.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I'm just curious here, what are the benefits of feeding raw?

Health, but you have to remember a raw /barf diet is only as healthy as how the food was raised.
Demodex for one can go away on a balanced barf diet. Most allergies found in our dogs too.

I've seen a lot of really good quality dry dog food that's definitely more economical than raw food.

None, I don't care what you read or are told about manufactured dog foods.
The only reason we are back to using Blue is cost. At $65 a bag its still not cheap but the markets around here got smart and upped their pricing on all the scraps.

[200xth]

12 days in and he still has diarrhea. I've been feeding chicken only (leg quarters, split breasts, drumsticks). I've tried from a couple of differnet places in case the chicken was bad quality. No change.

I'm not going try a different form of meat. I don't need another 14 days of diarrhea while his system adjusts again.

Think I might be switching back to dry food in a day or two if he doesn't stop having diarrhea by then. Very disappointing experience with this.

Oops. Meant to say, if anyone has any suggestions, they would be much appreciated. I have no idea what to do. I've read a ton, but I don't know what the best way to proceed is short of going back to dry food.

[GoingPostal]

Stick to quarters, you want mostly bone at this point, are you removing the skin? How much are you giving? Overfeeding can cause issues. You could try adding some pumpkin and see if that helps firm things up for a little while. You also might want to get a fecal done, in case it's worms. Hopefully it straightens out or you find something that works better for him.

[200xth]

I have not been removing the skin. I will try that the next couple of times along with some pumpkin.

The first couple of days I went really light on the food, but since then it's been 3/4lb to 1lb a day. He weighs between 35 and 40 pounds, so around 2% to 2.5% of his weight.

His next vet appointment for puppy shots is Saturday. I have to get a fecal sample for them then, so we'll see. They gave him some deworming stuff the first two visits, so hopefully that's not the issue.

Thanks.

[200xth]

Experiment over. Back to dry food, a healthy dog, and nice solid poops.

[Gio]

RAW is great. Superior to dry food. Dogs do not have a carbohydrate requirement.

I have been feeding RAW for 20 years. If you are starting a puppy, and you bought it from a breeder that used kibble, you will have to switch slowly.

Keep in mind, a good quality plain yogurt can help if the poultry is causing loose, runny bowel movements. The best way to start is a ground version that includes the bone and some organ meat. However that usually gets spendy and bulk is the way to go. Plus the ground doesn't force the jaws to work and part of the process his the crunching and chewing.

However, starting correctly is important, and I recommend ground stuff at the early phase. Chicken can be a challenge at first, but turkey is more mild.


There are several ways to feed and depending on the size of the animal you have to adjust the food. A smaller dog would have a rough time with full sized turkey necks.

We buy all of our food in bulk. 40 pound boxes of Amish chicken backs, livers and gizzards, and we switch up to beef kidney, ground bison, name it we use it. I like to supply a quality, hexane free fish oil, and we'll use organic eggs with the shells. Natural canned pumpkin is good to firm up stools, and add some variety. If you like to mix fruits go ahead, I usually like to use broccoli or a leafy spinach now and then. Keep some variation going throughout the year.

My best advice is to read up on things and try different types of food. See if there is a group in your area that feeds RAW, our supplier actually delivers!

I personally would not go with name brand raw food in a tube for long. They will charge you way more than you should pay and you don't see whats ground up.

There are some cons to feeding raw. Storage, handling raw meat and the messy part of it amongst other things. Thawing for the week is also not always fast or easy. But you will notice once the dog is converted, the stools will be solid, dry, and stink a lot less. In the summer they disappear in the grass because they break down so quickly. The enzymes and chewing action of feeding bones and raw food cleans teeth as well. Think omnivore like a wolf and you will start to identify what you want to feed. Raw fed dogs will also consume very, very little water they get a lot of it from the raw food.

I could go on but the topic is just too big.

I'll answer questions if you have any.

My wife and I have trained and competed in protection dog sports for almost 20 years. PSA, French Ring, Iron Dog, and various other dog sports including some companion type obstacle races. We keep Presa Canarios and Pit Bulls. We have 1 each at this time.


Dogs are usually overfed and under exercised like a lot of animals. Proper raw feeding gives you a lean, muscular, healthy animal.








All dogs will benefit from quality RAW feeding. I remember doing this 20 years ago and not a single vet was on board, now I see raw food being marketed all over the place.

Best of luck.

[Gio]

12 days in and he still has diarrhea. I've been feeding chicken only (leg quarters, split breasts, drumsticks). I've tried from a couple of differnet places in case the chicken was bad quality. No change.

I'm not going try a different form of meat. I don't need another 14 days of diarrhea while his system adjusts again.

Think I might be switching back to dry food in a day or two if he doesn't stop having diarrhea by then. Very disappointing experience with this.

Oops. Meant to say, if anyone has any suggestions, they would be much appreciated. I have no idea what to do. I've read a ton, but I don't know what the best way to proceed is short of going back to dry food.

OOooops.

Didn't see this. Dump the chicken for now. Settle the stomach with boiled ground hamburger and plain white rice. Just cook the ground hamburger normal in a frying pan then add a 1/2 cup to a cup of water and boil it.

Chicken is a hard adjustment for some dogs.

Pumpkin can firm up the stools. But nothing until you do the rice and hamburger for a few days.

Try starting on a ground turkey (small amount) throw an egg in and a scoop of yogurt when things clear up.

Go with 2 small meals to start with.

I'm back tracking here a bit so I may have missed the age of the dog or pup.

[Skiploder]

Experiment over. Back to dry food, a healthy dog, and nice solid poops.

For the most part, I've avoided the raw discussions. Seems like there are a core group of raw/BARF feeders that go ape crap anytime someone suggests it's not all its cracked up to be....and I will gladly debate WITH science and facts (not the promotional pap that people who PROFIT from raw puke out) that your damn chihuahua or labrdaoodle isn't as close to a wolf as you think.

I've fed raw, and I've fed kibble. I fed our old staffie bull mostly raw and he made it to about 16 or so. His mother made it to 17 on soley kibble. Before that, my tibetan mastiff made it to 14 on the same diet. Our patterdale has at certain stages of her life been fed both.

The difference - not much. The cost difference...minor...and I live blocks from a grocery store that sells a very inexpensive raw grind for dogs out of their butcher's department. The biggest difference is in the poop - I love the powdery self dissolving piles of turds that raw diets produce.

Now there are some kibbles out there that are pure junk...at the same time, there are some excellent kibbled food on the market that you can't go wrong with...and none of you can claim my dog will live a shorter life if fed exclusively a raw diet versus a quality dry one. In fact, my dear departed Duff did not make it as long as his mother who was fed Iams for 17 years.

It may work for some, it may not work for others. Our mammalian vet who is very pro raw says that she's never seen dogs with chronic systemic issues "cured" by going on a raw diet. She also says that food allergies are extremely rare in dogs...rare to the point that she barely ever sees them and if she does see them they are animal protein, not plant/grain based. I was flat out told that food allergies cause issues more on the digestion side - not via hotspots, itching etc.

Regardless, I don't knock raw and I don't knock kibble. What I do advocate is buying healthy/sound animals. No diet in the world is going to fix an inbred dog.