I've been looking to switch my dogs to RAW food. I haven't completed my research yet but I think it may help with some skin issues my lab mix has that the vet can't clear up. Hot spots and balding.
I have read so far that the dog's poo will be smaller, stink less and fall to powder 3 days or so after excrimenting if not cleaned up while on a RAW diet. Also, their breath can greatly improve on Raw Meaty Bones and such. The research I've done said that it is more healthy than feeding kibble. I have also seen some pics online of dogs and cats eating RMB's of deer, rabbits, roos, salmon, birds and more.
So my question to all you hunters are... Does anyone give their dogs a raw carcass, heart, lung, windpipe ect. ect.?
My dad use to feed our cats the brains of his deer. They loved them! I'm thinking about bagging the vitals for my girls and leaving the rest after feild dressing.
I've been looking to switch my dogs to RAW food. I haven't completed my research yet but I think it may help with some skin issues my lab mix has that the vet can't clear up. Hot spots and balding.
I have read so far that the dog's poo will be smaller, stink less and fall to powder 3 days or so after excrimenting if not cleaned up while on a RAW diet. Also, their breath can greatly improve on Raw Meaty Bones and such. The research I've done said that it is more healthy than feeding kibble. I have also seen some pics online of dogs and cats eating RMB's of deer, rabbits, roos, salmon, birds and more.
So my question to all you hunters are... Does anyone give their dogs a raw carcass, heart, lung, windpipe ect. ect.?
My dad use to feed our cats the brains of his deer. They loved them! I'm thinking about bagging the vitals for my girls and leaving the rest after feild dressing.
Anyone feed a RAW diet?
I would check with your vet. We adopted a greyhound once from the local race track when I was a kid and they mixed raw hamburger in with their food for protein. So I would think it could be okay if done right.
I know a raw diet was very popular in the past. It really sounds like alot of extra work to me. I think you should try to find a forum that has dog sledding people on it. I think alot of sled dogs in alaska are still fed a raw diet.
I follow a raw meaty bone diet. It has been much better for my dogs than any commercial feed available, and I have tried many. The benefits you are looking for are there, as are others; but they are at a cost.
You need to think well ahead of time on your food. Be prepared to purchase a months supply at the very least. Otherwise, you will be stuck going to the grocery store picking up chickens at $ 1.25/lb. It is very easy to find good deals which will end up costing about as much as a feed like Diamond or ProPlan, but giving your dog a much better diet. If you decide to go this route, stock up.
I agree you might want to check with your vet, but keep in mind that there are not many vets that support the notion of a RMB diet... moreless raw diet to begin with.
The other benefit that I have found is in their teeth. Chewing up the raw bones has given my dogs the ability to remove all the plaque, so the notion of paying a vet to clean their teeth is non existent.
The RMB diet isn't for everybody, but if you get on board, the benefits are fantastic and the dogs love it.
I've read that vet bills become virtually non existant because the dogs are much healthier aside from vaccinations. I will certainly ask my vet about it but I don't know if he'd be on board or not.
Casey is my biggest reason why I'm looking to try it. Her skin is just so raw from what, I don't know. The vet said flea allergy but she has none on her because she's FRONTLINED every month and she get's this nasty smell and oily skin too. Her ears even start to reak and the vet just says Flea Allergy.
I'm also thinking about giving them garlic cloves too. It's suppose to be better and more natural than FRONTLINE at keeping fleas away. I read about that while researching RAW foods.
Thanks birddog3412. I'll see what I can find dog sledding forum wise.
minnesotadeer,
If I go raw for the dogs, I may never buy another bag of kibble for these two if it helps Casey's skin condition improve.
I found this other food that comes dehydrated, it's called Honest Kitchen. My dogs are certainly worth it and they make one where they don't have to eat RAW all the time if ever. It sound much healthier for them and I'm really considering looking into it and spending the money on them. They are certainly worth it.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions thus far. Looking forward to hearing more.
I feed my dogs raw. Make sure to feed plenty of fat and edible bone. Organs are very important for vitamins and minerals.
Yahoo Groups has raw groups on there with some very knowledgeable people. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/ http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/RawChat/
Yes poop will be smaller and smell less. Coats are softer. The dogs are way more energetic! Commercial dog food, by and large is crap!
I have a wolfdog and an Inuit dog. They hunt grouse very hard. They mountain bike, backcountry ski and skijor even harder!
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I feed my dogs raw part of the time, kibble the rest of the time. They usually get raw when it is cheap/free or when I have excess chickens or goats to butcher. I started raw about 4 years ago when I adopted a dog with severe allergies. I was told that he was allergic to wheat and that if I put him on a raw diet he would be fine. Ha! No chance- he got sicker and sicker and sicker until I finally had him tested for allergies. Turns out he is allergic to almost everything I was feeding him, including venison, eggs, beef, etc. I wound up putting him back on kibble, one which was recommended by the lab which did his tests. He did okay on that but would still get occasional ear infections. Then last winter someone gave me a horse which had died from colic. The dogs ate it free choice all winter. When Spring came, the allergic dog was in the best shape he has ever been in. At the end of last summer our vet told us we should consider having him put to sleep. We held off, knowing that he always does better in the winter, but decided if he got bad again this summer we would have him euthanized. So far, so good- he is still really healthy and I think that eating the horse boosted his immune system enough that it was able to fight off most of what he is allergic to during the summer. He just had his first ear infection of the year a couple of weeks ago- I will be looking for another horse this winter!
A note- I do not buy meat/bones at the grocery store for our dogs. They are fed the entire carcass, hide, hair, bones, feet/heads, innards, etc. of whatever we butcher for them. I think they get a much more complete diet that way.
Hair and all... very intresting. I did see pics of that online. I bet my boxer would love that. She'd be like...
Do you freeze the meat and then thaw or is it all fresh ekfla?
I plan to take the dogs off of kibble and replace with Honest Kitchen as a side. I'm actually going to order some of it soon. I hope the dogs think it's the shiznet.
Usually, if it is wild game I will freeze it for a couple of weeks, but if it is something we have raised on our farm I don't bother- just feed it fresh.
Do You Feed Your Dog RAW?
