Raw Feeding

[Deleted]

The information I have read on raw feeding hasn't been trying to sell me anything. It's just outlining the benefits of raw feeding.
Have you actually read about what they put in dog food? It's not better for them.

If you won't accept advice from people who clearly know more about it than you, than why bother asking in the first place.

My parents feed our dogs a bit of dog food mixed with leftovers. I don't know where you got the silly idea that dog food is bad...sounds more like tinfoil hat to me.

What I'm getting from this thread is that you really want to feed your dog raw meat, and created a thread just to see how many people agreed with you.

Seems like it.

[Snow White]

Let's say, hypothetically, that your domesticated pet still has the capacity to digest raw meat. How do wolves & wild dogs eat raw meat? They eat it fresh.

Not always. They will bury parts of a kill for consumption later. They will also eat off of dead rotting animal carcasses.

[Coombs]

"Humans have only changed their external appearance and temperament of dogs, NOT their internal anatomy and physiology. The claim that dogs cannot handle a raw diet because they are so domesticated is only true in that we have been feeding them commercial diets for so long that a dog's system is not running up to par. The result of feeding dogs a highly processed, grain-based food is a suppressed immune system and the underproduction of the enzymes necessary to thoroughly digest raw meaty bones. This does NOT mean, however, that the dog does not "have" those enzymes. Those enzymes are present, and once the dog is taken off the grain-based, plant matter-filled food those enzymes quickly return to the proper working level that allows for optimal digestion of raw meaty bones.

Dogs are so much like wolves physiologically that they are frequently used in wolf studies as a physiological model for wolf body processes. Additionally, dogs and wolves share 99.8% of their mitochondrial DNA."

That sounds like an undereducated housewife wrote that bullshit out and now you're believing it. Mitochondrial DNA is fairly similar in most mammals so that is a poor argument. Plus mitochondria have nothing to do with enzyme production. Internal anatomy is affected by artificial selection just like external. Don't be a fool.

[Snow White]

What I'm getting from this thread is that you really want to feed your dog raw meat, and created a thread just to see how many people agreed with you.

I do really want to feed my dog raw meat, and I create this thread to talk about it with those who ALSO feed raw. How is it my fault that a bunch of naysayers jumped in here to call me names?

[fizzbob]

pro tip:

every single animal you feed raw chicken too, will have the WORST smelling shit in the world. i mean, it's so bad it sticks in your memory. i used to have to feed my lizards baby chicks, usually alive, and man it was rough a few days later.

nothing is beneficial enough to get over that

[Deleted]

I do really want to feed my dog raw meat, and I create this thread to talk about it with those who ALSO feed raw. How is it my fault that a bunch of naysayers jumped in here to call me names?

Why don't you post the link you mentioned so we can read it properly?

[Deleted]

Not always. They will bury parts of a kill for consumption later. They will also eat off of dead rotting animal carcasses.

And terriers often bury animals don't they?

Really, raw dieting is a marketing scam started by some Australian "vet guru". It's most likely not going to kill your dog.

Alright look. A wild deer eats lots and lots and lots of vegetation. It's filled with all that fibre and vitamin and mineral goodness. Wolves eat it, and get their needs fulfilled from it. You buy some beef. What did that cow eat? Mostly cow feed, filled with antibiotics, steroids and other such additives that are technically fine for humans.

Do you know what these additives will do to your dog if it exclusively eats this meat? I don't, but I wouldn't chance it based on some crack pot theory.

---------- Post added 2012-04-11 at 01:21 PM ----------

I do really want to feed my dog raw meat, and I create this thread to talk about it with those who ALSO feed raw. How is it my fault that a bunch of naysayers jumped in here to call me names?

I'm sorry but nobody has called you names. Except maybe one.

The rest just don't agree with raw diets for dogs.

[Snow White]

The rest just don't agree with raw diets for dogs.

That's fine, but this thread isn't a debate (or wasn't intended to be). This is an information thread for those that do.

[Deleted]

That's fine, but this thread isn't a debate (or wasn't intended to be). This is an information thread for those that do.

I am genuinely interested in seeing where you got your info, please can you post the link?

[Stir]

pro tip:

every single animal you feed raw chicken too, will have the WORST smelling shit in the world. i mean, it's so bad it sticks in your memory. i used to have to feed my lizards baby chicks, usually alive, and man it was rough a few days later.

nothing is beneficial enough to get over that

Please keep in mind that reptile scat smells so incredibly bad that my bearded dragon actually flees from his own droppings. And I mean he flees; top speed.

But yeah... Chicken diet... I wouldn't do that. Chicken's fine, of course, but hey. All things in moderation.

How is it my fault that a bunch of naysayers jumped in here to call me names?

Nobody called you names. But how is it your fault that nay-sayers showed up in your topic? Well; because it's not your topic. It's a topic on a forum, and a forum is (by its definition) an open platform for debate on which anyone can express their opinion if they do so in a civil manner. By opening the topic, you invited the nay-sayers yourself.

[Deleted]

That's fine, but this thread isn't a debate (or wasn't intended to be). This is an information thread for those that do.

It's not an information thread if you're asking opinions.

And it's misinformation, I'd hope that nobody would make their dog sick by feeding them raw meat just to satisfy yet another fad diet.

Cabbage water was a popular diet when I was a kid, don't see that anymore? Why? Because you'll bloody die on the stuff.

[Borzo]

Indeed, the ammonia is really the only "bad" think in pink slime. Otherwise it's just reprocessed beef. I try not to feed my dog too much beef anyway. However ammonia isn't in all pink slime, some manufacturers use citric acid compounds and solutions.

I never really cared too much about the ammonia. I'm sure it's safe. It's more about the lack of protein in pink slime that bothers me.

But on the flip side, most Americans consume well beyond the recommended daily intake of protein anyways - so it might not matter. But by feeding your dog lots of pink slime, they may not be getting as much protein as you might think.

[Deleted]

I never really cared too much about the ammonia. I'm sure it's safe. It's more about the lack of protein in pink slime that bothers me.

But on the flip side, most Americans consume well beyond the recommended daily intake of protein anyways - so it might not matter. But by feeding your dog lots of pink slime, they may not be getting as much protein as you might think.

I just examined the contents on the packet. Checked everything with the vet I trust and my dog is happy and as energetic as a puppy.

Honestly pink slime doesn't bother me in the slightest. But then I only eat "processed" once a week. I hate my diet:/

[Borzo]

Not always. They will bury parts of a kill for consumption later. They will also eat off of dead rotting animal carcasses.

1) Is your particular breed of dog capable of eating and digesting dead rotting animal carcasses? If so, how do you know? I strongly suggest NOT doing this.

2) Natural bacteria formation on wild dead animals... is very different than the bacteria that will grow on your factory-farmed meat from the grocery store.


Also this:

Alright look. A wild deer eats lots and lots and lots of vegetation. It's filled with all that fibre and vitamin and mineral goodness. Wolves eat it, and get their needs fulfilled from it. You buy some beef. What did that cow eat? Mostly cow feed, filled with antibiotics, steroids and other such additives that are technically fine for humans.

Raw factory-farmed meat is not natural in any sense of the word.

[Klutzington]

I agree with UncleSilas. Don't feed your dog raw meat.

[Deleted]

I have recently started our cat on raw food, after he had been ill and after doing some research into what was used in cat food. Read a lot about cats being obligate carnivores, and decided to give it a go. Frankly, nothing could be worse than the content of some better known food brands I was feeding him convinced I was doing what’s best for him.
For now I am feeding him small amount of commercial dried food (high protein and no grain content) in the morning and afternoon, and he gets meat once during the day. Trying to switch him slowly, and also want to keep him partly on commercial food in case someone else needs to feed him. Trying to provide meat with small bones and cartilage mostly, not just lean meat (cats can eat raw bones fine; they only become brittle when cooked, don’t know about dogs). I'm in the UK and there are several brands here offering cat and dog food more in line with the raw feeding principle (Natural Instincts coming up a lot when reading about it all), OP you could probably find something similar if you aren't confident that you would be providing your dog with all the necessary nutrients by feeding him meat yourself. Likewise, there are supplements available in pet shops, intended specifically for use with raw diet. My cat is doing amazing, and looks amazing. It’s taking a while for him to accept less fragrant meats, due to the strong flavour of cat dried food. Other than that, there have been no problems.
As for the argument presented here about raw farmed meat not being healthy, I wonder what those people think is used in pet food. Granted, not meat very often, or very small amounts of highly processed meat and meat not fit for human consumption at all. Everyone decides what to feed their pet, I find the replies to your post unexpectedly militant.
I’m sorry I’m not able to provide more info on raw feeding a dog, but at least a vote of confidence from someone with similar experience.

[Snow White]

I have recently started our cat on raw food, after he had been ill and after doing some research into what was used in cat food. Read a lot about cats being obligate carnivores, and decided to give it a go. Frankly, nothing could be worse than the content of some better known food brands I was feeding him convinced I was doing what’s best for him.
For now I am feeding him small amount of commercial dried food (high protein and no grain content) in the morning and afternoon, and he gets meat once during the day. Trying to switch him slowly, and also want to keep him partly on commercial food in case someone else needs to feed him. Trying to provide meat with small bones and cartilage mostly, not just lean meat (cats can eat raw bones fine; they only become brittle when cooked, don’t know about dogs). I'm in the UK and there are several brands here offering cat and dog food more in line with the raw feeding principle (Natural Instincts coming up a lot when reading about it all), OP you could probably find something similar if you aren't confident that you would be providing your dog with all the necessary nutrients by feeding him meat yourself. Likewise, there are supplements available in pet shops, intended specifically for use with raw diet. My cat is doing amazing, and looks amazing. It’s taking a while for him to accept less fragrant meats, due to the strong flavour of cat dried food. Other than that, there have been no problems.
As for the argument presented here about raw farmed meat not being healthy, I wonder what those people think is used in pet food. Granted, not meat very often, or very small amounts of highly processed meat and meat not fit for human consumption at all. Everyone decides what to feed their pet, I find the replies to your post unexpectedly militant.
I’m sorry I’m not able to provide more info on raw feeding a dog, but at least a vote of confidence from someone with similar experience.

Thanks for your post, I appreciate it. I've been on a quest to find the healthiest dog food for almost a year now and that's what lead me to raw feeding. I've heard nothing but positive things from those who actually try it. Shinier coats, bright white teeth, no intestinal issues, and more energetic dogs. Basically just trying to find a good source of meat to start my dog on. Everyone says to start them on chicken first because it's the easiest transition, and then after a couple of weeks you introduce organ meats and other proteins.

[Deleted]

Thanks for your post, I appreciate it. I've been on a quest to find the healthiest dog food for almost a year now and that's what lead me to raw feeding. I've heard nothing but positive things from those who actually try it. Shinier coats, bright white teeth, no intestinal issues, and more energetic dogs. Basically just trying to find a good source of meat to start my dog on.

I'm out. Focus on the person, first post ever from them as well.....

But good luck to you. And hope your dog does well on her new diet.

[Deleted]

Oh dear, now personal attacks... and no, I'm not the same person as the OP, I just don't usually post, prefer reading the forums. Felt I had some relevant insight to share, not just opinion, like most of the others; that was the only reason for posting. I presumed the OP has already done the reading and the research, and decided on raw feeding. Anyway, chicken is usually considered good for the beginning, maybe get in touch with local dog breeders that do raw feeding for some constructive and specific advice.

[Snow White]

Oh dear, now personal attacks... and no, I'm not the same person as the OP, I just don't usually post, prefer reading the forums. Felt I had some relevant insight to share, not just opinion, like most of the others; that was the only reason for posting. I presumed the OP has already done the reading and the research, and decided on raw feeding. Anyway, chicken is usually considered good for the beginning, maybe get in touch with local dog breeders that do raw feeding for some constructive and specific advice.

I know a breeder that does feed all her dogs raw. They have the softest coats I have ever felt on a dog! I'll ask her what a weekly diet looks like for her animals.

I think I'll go join a dog forum as well. I obviously can't rely on these forums (you're the exception) for any dog related information from people who are actually knowledgeable on dogs and wolves.