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Whats your view on Raw feeding
Topic Started: 30 Sep 2013, 12:44 PM (302 Views)
Tedsmum
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Ok whats all your thoughts on Raw feeding and why you will not feed raw and why you think it is better and would not go back. view.
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deanna
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Our Vet said in the beginning that my Sheya had a sensitive stomach and put her on 'dry' food for sensitive dogs and about 4 carrots a day to help prevent her having recurring Anal Gland trouble. Well, in the summer I read that some dogs get constipated from 'raw' food., so when I heard about 'Natural Instinct' raw food, I thought I would give it a try and use her dry food as a mixer.


After a month on this diet, Sheya looks better, has normal 'poohs', a shiny coat and has generally 'perked up', so I would give it the thumbs up.
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LisaRAGS
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I have been a committed raw feeder for decades - though what I actually feed has changed over the years and I now feed a huge variety compared to the mainly tripe based diet I used years back.

In reply to Deanna - a dog should not get constipated if fed the correct amount of bone in the diet (around 10%), many people do feed too much bone and end up with problems.

My dogs get a huge variety of different proteins - chicken (whole, mince, wings, legs, carcasses etc), turkey, lamb, beef, tripe, duck, pheasant, rabbit, venison, salmon, mackeral, sprats, other types of fish, liver, kidney, spleen, heart, lung.... Basically you name it and my dogs get it.

For bones and chewing I use lamb ribs, necks and spine, pigs trotter, occassional smaller beef bones, chicken feet etc.

the advantages to me are vast - shiny white teeth, good glossy coats, endless energy without being 'fizzy', no skin problems, no anal gland problems, nice firm, small non smelly poos!

My dogs also get whole raw eggs with shell a couple of times a week and fresh garlic cloves (in moderation) - I very, very rarely feed any vegetables at all. Now and then I add a spoonful of sea kelp and a splash of a good olive oil.

My main concern regarding commercial dog foods are the ingredients that make up there 'complete' kibbles. I strongly believe dogs are not designed to digest grains effectively. I have spent many an hour researching complete foods and frankly the stuff that goes into some of them makes my mind boggle! Granted some are considerably better than others but even some of the pretty popular well regarded brands are far from an ideal diet. As for stuff like Bakers.................. no comment.
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Tedsmum
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Lisa
 
In reply to Deanna - a dog should not get constipated if fed the correct amount of bone in the diet (around 10%), many people do feed too much bone and end up with problems.



I agree here with Lisa.... Also Deanna I would advise against feeding complete with your Natures diet...you are feeding two types of food if you want to add Biscuit you can get a natural one called Laughing dog...The difference to me and Lisa I do add veg to my dogs food :thumbs up:
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Rooneysdad
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It took ME a while to get my head around feeding Barf diet but once i got the nudge & with some convincing , i haven't looked back.

Very interested in your comment Lisa with regards to 10% bone content , as i probably feel i might be giving my troupe abit more than that. Their main evening meal consists of chicken carcasses , occasionally with a small amount of mashed up steamed veg smeared on one of the carcasses to supplement the 'iron ' content & their poohs are generally quite firm , so i will look into that abit more :thumbs up:

Whilst my house move was under going & dragging on , i had to drop them off Barf for a short while but within 2 weeks i noticed that their coats were already going drab & dusty, dry itchy skin etc . As soon as i moved house , straight back onto raw & don't intend on giving them anything else & they have their shiney, glossy coats back :thumbs up:



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LisaRAGS
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Different dogs are able to tolerate considerably different bone percentage. The rough guide is 10% - mine get more and tolerate it well but some dogs need even less than the 10%. I simply let myself be guided by 'poos' - if they are coming out too white and chalky I lay off the bones for a day or two.

One thing to bear in mind - it is the look of the poo when it first 'arrives' that counts, if it has been out in the sun for a while most raw fed poo will turn white and chalky. What a fascinating subject lol
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yogibear
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I've been feeding raw for years too and definitely wouldn't feed anything else. For all the reasons already stated above. I give very little veggie these days and I note than when I do, it comes out the other end in almost exactly the same state as it went in! This is testament to me that a dog's digestive system really isn't up to digesting veggies and that's probably because it doesn't really need them. I have also greatly reduced the amount of bone I now feed. My boy gets chicken wings in the evening but my old girl just doesn't seem to able to cope with them (they tend to come back up about an hour later) so I just miss them out altogether for her now.

What is always great is when I take my doglets to the vet, he always comments on how nice it is to see such lovely, healthy dogs! Nuff said!! :thumbs up:
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Tedsmum
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yogibear
 
This is testament to me that a dog's digestive system really isn't up to digesting veggies and that's probably because it doesn't really need them.



I have to disagree with this Stella...dog's can digest and do need veg in there diet..... I purée mine a lot give them whole and thats not how it is meant to be...in the kill the dog will eat all of the kill and this will include the gut where any vegetation would be digested but very much like purée......I have added veg to my dogs food for years like this and I never see in there poos any signs of veg so if done right the veg should be puréed and then put on the food....you can if your older dog's not coping well with a whole chicken wing get chicken that's been minced with some bone so at least the dog is getting the bone for which they need.. :thumbs up:
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yogibear
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Tedsmum
23 Mar 2014, 10:56 AM
yogibear
 
This is testament to me that a dog's digestive system really isn't up to digesting veggies and that's probably because it doesn't really need them.



I have to disagree with this Stella...dog's can digest and do need veg in there diet..... I purée mine a lot give them whole and thats not how it is meant to be...in the kill the dog will eat all of the kill and this will include the gut where any vegetation would be digested but very much like purée......I have added veg to my dogs food for years like this and I never see in there poos any signs of veg so if done right the veg should be puréed and then put on the food....you can if your older dog's not coping well with a whole chicken wing get chicken that's been minced with some bone so at least the dog is getting the bone for which they need.. :thumbs up:
There is always a debate about veggies - depends who you talk to and which book you read! I'm still sitting on the fence with that one. Ouch!

My old girl gets plenty of bone (well, probably about 10-15%) which is minced in with all the other meats and offal that she gets :thumbs up:
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