Tell me about Raw

[slleipnir]

I hear a lot about it being healther or something for the dog. Is it good for dogs with allergy problems? Zeke throws up a lot from his food, and often has runny poo. Would raw be good for him? Is it really expensive? How do I know what/how much to feed them? Do i just buy stuff from a regular grocery store?

[Karen]

Skip on down to Dog Health - there are several threads about it there already!

[binka_nugget]

I hear a lot about it being healther or something for the dog. Is it good for dogs with allergy problems? Zeke throws up a lot from his food, and often has runny poo. Would raw be good for him? Is it really expensive? How do I know what/how much to feed them? Do i just buy stuff from a regular grocery store?

Kai was allergic to turkey when I started feeding raw. His belly became really scabby and itchy. After a couple months, it started clearing up and now is completely gone.

The price depends on how good of a shopper you are. Right now I'm paying about a dollar a day per dog.. but it's probably cause I like to feed a lot of expensive foods like rabbit, llama, bison, etc. Pretty soon I'm picking up a huge order that'll bring it down to $0.57 dog/day. You could start out feeding from a grocery store if you want, but it'll get extremely expensive after a while. You're better off finding a butcher or even going to a local asian market.. they always have awesome bones for really cheap.

[Kfamr]

Zeke could very well be allergic to a certain type of meat. Providing him with a fully nutritious diet without that meat would more than likely improve his health.

The reason I like raw the most, I know exactly what my dogs are eating.

[slleipnir]

How do I know what they can eat, and what's good for them?

[Kfamr]

Take a look at this thread:
http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=105084



My dogs' meals usually consist of:

Chicken leg each
Pureed veggies (they must be pureed or else they will have absolutely no nutritional value to them.)
Spoonful of yogurt
and an occasional raw egg

[Jods]

I dont wanna switch my dogs to RAW, but for treats once in a while what would be really good for them? I'm thinking an egg in their meal... I do give marrow bones and pigs ears... Anything they might enjoy a lot? I have 3month old lab, a great dane and a golden retriever (golden has joint problems)

[Roxyluvsme13]

I dont wanna switch my dogs to RAW, but for treats once in a while what would be really good for them? I'm thinking an egg in their meal... I do give marrow bones and pigs ears... Anything they might enjoy a lot? I have 3month old lab, a great dane and a golden retriever (golden has joint problems)
My dogs absolutely love Raw eggs, so I would say definitely try that. You could try Raw bones, plain yogurt, and pureed veggies, too!
Oh, and I forgot why I popped in here, :p.
I would say go for it, Audrey. It depends on your dog's weight and energy level how much you feed. I'm currently buying my dog's meat from the grocery store, but I say it would be much cheaper if you bought it from butchers and such.

[slleipnir]

Take a look at this thread:
http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=105084



My dogs' meals usually consist of:

Chicken leg each
Pureed veggies (they must be pureed or else they will have absolutely no nutritional value to them.)
Spoonful of yogurt
and an occasional raw egg

Thanks. That's helpful.

However, I don't know why it seems so complicated to me. I guess I'm just afraid they'll get really sick, even though I know raw meat is what wild dogs eat. And I know they get a little sick while getting use to it...I'm afraid I will feed them something bad for them. Do they not choke on the bones? I don't want to feed them TOO much. Zeke is in excellent shape right now. And I know exactly how much kibble to feed him (a little less then 2 cups twice a day) he has a lot of energy, but I don't always get time to run him full out.