Dogs - Raw Diet Update

[Kaneman]

This is an update on the a conversation we had regarding putting your pooches on a "raw" diet.

We switched from commercial pet food (Pedigree dry, choice cuts and missing link) a few months ago to a raw meaty bone diet in an effort to ensure the health and stamina of my 90lb male Boxer and 65lb female Lab.

Initially I was using chicken necks and leg quarters as the main sources of meat but after a few raw vomiting episodes it became clear that they weren't chewing the neck bones enough and just gulping them down. I switched over to whole carcasses to force them to learn to chew and began feeding once a day instead of twice a day.

There are always good deals somewhere on whole chickens so there has not been a large cost increase compared to commercial dog food. The dogs main staple is 1/2 whole chicken, warmed to room temperature. I try to cut them in half so that the Boxer gets a bit more, but I don't weigh their food or anything to determine portion size....because they're dogs.

They get a ground beef/steak mix consisting of eggs, banana, some veggies and sardines/olive oil once or twice a week. They also get a whole raw fish (guts and all) once a week.

The results have been very positive, here are the bullet points of my experience thus far.

* Dogs thoroughly enjoy chewing and eating the food and seem very satisfied afterwards. They now have very well developed jaw and neck muscles.

* Dogs strength and stamina has improved on long runs and uphill pulls.

* Dogs have a very full and shiny coat that feels very healthy to the touch.

* Both dogs used to throw up once a week or so on the commercial diet. This is no longer a problem.

* The have completed ceased chewing on anything left out during the day and now have open access to the house while I'm gone...usually about 9 hours a day.

* They rarely fart and never have bad breath.

* And best of all, at our yearly vet exam a couple weeks ago the vet told me they were the healthiest dogs he had seen come into his office. Their muscle to fat ratio was perfect, their teeth and gums were exceedingly clean, and thorough testing revealed absolutely no bacteria or parasites in their digestive system. He was especially impressed with their muscle definition.

So far so good...we're definitely going to stick with it and keep watching them closely. My good friend came over while they were eating one day and asked a lot of quesitons. He switched his black lab over to raw and reported even better improvements than I got.

[Particle Man]

I've never liked the crap I see listed on the label of commercial dog foods. good for you caring for your furry family members like that man

[Rider]

I feed my boxer Blue Buffalo large breed puppy food. It a holistic dog food and his coat is shiny and he is filling out quite nicely for an 8 month old boxer. He is about 55lbs and you can just barely see his ribs. I'll have to get new pics of him posted.

[wildchild]

I've got a female boxer that goes roughly 55 to 60 lbs. she is 2 1/2 and still eats puppy food. tried the adult dog food but it did not agree with her at all. the fattening part of pup food is not a concern as she has 3 acres to run in and we take long walks at night. she is very toned.
I do feed her raw veggies and bananas, never thought of raw meats though. May have to look into it.
The poodle has stomach issues at least monthly on commercial diet.

[skiergirl]

So do you feed them the chickens whole? i know you said 1/2 a chicken but you give it to them bones and all? Just curious I remember always being told as a kid to never give dogs chicken or turkey bones because they splinter but maybe that was an old wives tale...

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by skiergirl

So do you feed them the chickens whole? i know you said 1/2 a chicken but you give it to them bones and all? Just curious I remember always being told as a kid to never give dogs chicken or turkey bones because they splinter but maybe that was an old wives tale...

Correct, a 1/2 chicken, skin, bones and all. Gizards and lizer if its there. The chicken bones thing appears to be an old wives tale. Apparently only cooked bones are harmful to animals...even poultry bones

[Particle Man]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

Apparently only cooked bones are harmful to animals...even poultry bones

correct. once they get cooked they become brittle and shatter. uncooked bones are actually good because htey clean the teeth and contain marrow... (at least, that's what our vet told us a while back)

[Adeptus_Minor]

Amazing how well they do when they're fed what nature intended them to eat, isn't it.

Perhaps this was discussed in the previous thread, but what's the expense like?
I know when I try to eat only fresh foods, my grocery bill goes up considerably.

[tached1000rr]

Interesting, just curious how much would you say you spend each week to feed them? I have a seriously overweight lab mix at 110lbs and my pitbull is about 60lbs I'd say.

[skiergirl]

Originally Posted by Adeptus_Minor

Amazing how well they do when they're fed what nature intended them to eat, isn't it.

Perhaps this was discussed in the previous thread, but what's the expense like?
I know when I try to eat only fresh foods, my grocery bill goes up considerably.

oh heck yes I know about a year ago when I changed my diet to only veggies, fruit and fresh protein my grocery bill easily tripled. I did see he mentioned getting some good deals on whole chickens though....but I'm sure it's a little more than dog food would be but that's a personal choice you make for you pet.