raw poll

[ashleycat]

My vet said he sees too many dogs come in sick and have injuries from bones.

I know yall said vets didn't have much info on nutrition.

My poll..

How many did get sick or injured from feeding raw?

[Kfamr]

Nope, never. I have been feeding them raw for a few months now.

Yes, vets generally don't know a lot about nutrition. Are you sure the injuries were from RAW bones? I've heard of many horror stories with cook bones, but I've yet to experience or hear of any with raw. The worst I've heard of is teeth wearing down on beef bones.

[ashleycat]

Hubby gave Charlie cooked bones. So that's why he got sick :(

[.sarah]

My opinion is that if a dog gets injured from a raw bone, you are not feeding them the right sized pieces. Always feed big raw meaty bones, especially until you know how well your dog chews. My Labs can't handle anything small, but Mandy does great with any sized RMBs. She actually had cut up lamb necks today, with no problems. She chews very well.

It's also very likely that your vet was talking about cooked bones.

[JenBKR]

Vets may very well see a lot of injuries and sicknesses from people who feed raw....my opinion is that would be from owners making mistakes and not doing it right. Feeding raw takes a bit of research time on the part of the owners, and if not done properly I think it may cause some of the above. I don't feed raw personally, at least not at this time, so this is just my opinion so I may be way off :)

[.sarah]

Nope, Jen, you're completely correct! The only injuries from raw bones that I've heard of where from owners who did not feed proper RMBs for their dog's size and chewing ability.

[ashleycat]

ok so other than getting hurt from wrong bones. HOw would feeding raw make them sick? just allergic to it right?

[Kfamr]

I wouldn't imagine that a dog would be allergive specifically raw. They could be allergic to a specific meat but it wouldn't matter if it was raw or cooked in that case.

When first being fed raw, dogs' stomachs can be sensitive. It's best to take it very slow and start with a bland, plain meat such as chicken and the move onto different meats.

[IRescue452]

No sickness or injury on raw. Autumn did get very sick on a higher quality kibble though. I'll bet most of what the vet sees are cooked bones. Very few people feed raw currently, the diet is too new to see so many problems at one vet. Most people are just learning the advantages and they think they can get away with feeding cooked meat because its less "gross".

[binka_nugget]

Nope, my boys have never gotten sick from raw. Our vet was very helpful when I was learning about feeding raw. He never told me to feed one thing or the other, he only gave me his experiences.. no opinions. He told me that in all his years of being a vet, he has never seen a single dog get sick or injured from the raw diet. He has seen countless cases of dogs that got cooked bones and were injured, but never raw. Of course, it'll happen with raw.. but whenever I hear mishaps with the raw diet, I always find out the dog was being fed an inappropriate sized RMB.

[CathyBogart]

ok so other than getting hurt from wrong bones. HOw would feeding raw make them sick? just allergic to it right?

The problem that I've heard comes up once in a blue moon...

A dog who eats very enthusiastically can asphyxiate if it tries to swallow too much bone in one gulp. Star is an extreely enthusiastic eater so I monitor her especially carefully, but she seems to know to chew up bones.

[Glacier]

The only problem we've ever had from raw is that caribou gives several of my dogs the runs. Oh, and the occasional disagreement about which bone belongs to which dog!

[CathyBogart]

Oh, and the occasionally disagreement about which bone belongs to which dog!

LoL, yes, we had a disagreement this morning when Jasper decided Wilbur's half of a game hen was more appetizing than his. :rolleyes: Silly boy.

[finn's mom]

I've never had a problem with it, either. I've fed Finn (who'll be three in December) this way since the day he came home (at 7.5 weeks). There are risks with everything, from feeding kibble to canned food to a homecooked diet to feeding raw. I, personally, decided on raw because, after research, felt that the benefits far outweighed any risks involved. I'm sorry Charlie got sick.

[ashleycat]

Ok, so if I'm just starting out, can I give her just the boneless chicken, and give a big beef bone? just scrape off all the beef for now untill she gets used to chicken? Just so she has a bone to chew?

I know her teeth need cleaning, this rmb helps right?

[anna_66]

We've been feeding raw for months now and never had any problems at all. Like everyone else has already said, just make sure you give the appropriate size. And with Bon, all his food has to be frozen or he will try to gulp even large pieces of meat.

Ok, so if I'm just starting out, can I give her just the boneless chicken, and give a big beef bone? just scrape off all the beef for now untill she gets used to chicken? Just so she has a bone to chew?

I know her teeth need cleaning, this rmb helps right?
I'm definitely not a pro here, but I wouldn't even bother giving boneless. With her size I'd just give her a small chicken (bone and all) or chicken quarters.
If your thinking like I was I thought they needed the bone all the time but this is not the case. The meat is the most important part of their diet.
If your thinking of feeding raw join raw chat (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RawChat/). There are people with an abundance of knowledge on there and will tell you everything you need to know:)

[ashleycat]

I was thinking the bone might help clean her teeth, I dunno lol.

[bckrazy]

It is way easier to feed mostly Raw Meaty Bones, which is a bone (edible, which beef bones are not) covered in a good amount of meat. Preferably so that you can just barely feel the bone, such as in a chicken quarter. Much of the raw meaty bones I feed are from fowl - chicken, turkey, goose, & duck. Red meats (beef and lamb) are usually fed as a muscle meat meal. I feed pork pretty often as well, but the only pork RMB's I feed to speak of are ribs, shoulder and hock. I only use beef bones (soup bones) for recreational chewing, which is a few times a month at most, because they are not largely edible and too much gnawing on rec bones can be hard on the teeth.

Neither of my dogs have been sick due to Raw. Fozzie has actually never been sick, even though I definitely was not overly cautious about introducing new kinds of meat, and he went almost straight from kibble to Raw when I got him.

[GreyhoundGirl]

While we are on the subject: I've noticed lots of people feed raw. Why? I've heard all the great things. But wouldn't it be lacking some vitamins? Why raw? why not cook the meat? it would have the same things in it. :confused:

[finn's mom]

why not cook the meat? it would have the same things in it. :confused:


Actually, cooking the meat removes most of the nutrients and vitamins in raw.

[lv4dogs]

Yes, bones do help clean the teeth.
Although Anna is right, meat is the most important part of the diet, the do however need some bone & organs. Some dogs systems are more sensative than others. Therefore some dogs can eat a lot of boneless meat with no ill effects, most will get the runds though. But too much bone can cause constipation in most dogs.
I agree, I would start off with a whole chicken (remember to remove the bag that the organs are in inside the chicken) or chicken quarters, bone & all.

[lute]

i don't feed my dogs raw everyday. i do give them something like a chicken or a turkey neck and other stuff sometimes. i've never had problems with it.

[Suki Wingy]

I havn't tried it but I really want to because I think Niño's having some issues on kibble.

[BORDER COLLIE LOVER]

All my dogs got sick except one, my female. I did research, but it just didnt work out. They all got the runs and threw up. One of my dogs had bloody runny stools. Wish that didnt happen, i really wanted them to stay on raw.

[CathyBogart]

I haven't fed raw for very long yet, but so far so good. :)

Border Collie Lover: Did you switch them over cold turkey? Sometimes if they're switched abruptly they go through a "detox" period of a week or so since their bodies aren't used to the rich food. That being said, some diets just don't work for some dogs, and I think you're a great owner for figuring out what works best for your dogs. :) :)

[Vela]

Runner isn't a large dog, I would not start off with a whole chicken. THe easiest thing I started off with was chicken legs, not the whole leg and thigh at first, just the drumsticks. The smaller pieces are easier to manage and first until they learn it's dinnertime. I started out by giving my two two raw chicken drumsticks at a time for a meal. THey now eat thighs, turkey drumsticks (quarters are too big for them and they don't finish them and they are larger than Runner). You can give chicken and turkey necks. We butcher a homegrown cow every year so we have access to lots of beef, we also do the same with a pig every six months, but the only bones I fed are from poultry, and the occasinoal oxtail (much softer "bone" and they can chew that). I am not an expert but it's often best to start off with smaller amounts of meat and stick with one kind for a few days to make sure she's not having any reactions. If you start off feeding lots of different things, and she gets sick, it can be harder to pinpoint what cuased it. I also feed plain yogurt, cottage cheese, raw eggs. For red meat and pork I only feed boneless meat (except the oxtail) because I don't what them to break their teeth on the harder bones. I am hoping to get some venison this hunting season from a friend. You can also buy chicken and beef liver in the meat departments for cheap, I also feed beef heart from the store and ground beef from our steer. There are great ideas in the nutrition thread on the raw thread about what the dog eats each day but just start off slowly, add new things one at a time so she gest used to it and doesn't throw up or get runs. Mine never had bowel issues since I didn't feed too much at a time to start and took my time adding new foods.

[CathyBogart]

LoL, we had our first problem today...Wilbur got outside while Jasper was eating and stole his breakfast! >.<

[BORDER COLLIE LOVER]

thank you Cathy, :D
maybe that was the problem.......maybe i wil try again some day, i know it is good for them.