Would you feed raw?

[wolfsoul]

If you had all the time, money, and resources in the world, would you feed a raw diet?

[sammy101]

Yes i most likely would.I would like my dogs in the future to be on a raw diet.

[.sarah]

I'll never not feed it, it's produced too good of results in my dogs for me to ever go back to kibble.

[wolf_Q]

Honestly I'm not sure. I cannot stand to touch raw meat (yes I know I'm weird) so I'd have to use gloves. That's not really my issue though. Nebo has a very sensitive stomach, with other foods he's had some diarrhea problems. When he was on a different food (regular formula Natural Balance) he had that problem so bad he ended up going in the house several times. I changed his food (Nat. Balance venison and brown rice) and that problem stopped. I just really don't want to screw that up and my parents would NOT be happy if it happened again. The main ingredient in the other formula was chicken so I'm wondering if he's allergic to chicken? *It is possible something else have caused it and not the food ingredients, the vet didn't find anything wrong with him though* I'm also worried about him choking or chipping a tooth on a bone. I don't need bones to keep his teeth clean, I brush them.

Umm I guess my answer is I would consider trying it if I could find raw venison, convince myself to not be grossed out and paranoid by raw meat/bones, and I had the time to prepare it and a place to put it.

I have one question, is a home cooked diet not as healthy as raw? Is it at least better than kibble?

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

I really wish I could feed raw and I definitely will once I get my Toller, but until then, I can't..

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I already do - and I would never go back to kibble. I spend less on a diet that is much better for my dog.

[K9soul]

Absolutely! Doing the best I can at the moment which is Innova Evo, my vet feels it is the closest thing to Steve's Real Food.

[The Cat Factory]

I already feed Chester raw. He does so well on it, i'll never switch him back to kibble. I wish I could feed it to my cats too, but they won't eat it.

[cloverfdx]

Already do and the dogs love it and have never been fitter.

[joycenalex]

i voted yes b/4 i saw the i already do. alex the wonder dog has been on a raw diet since 12/00, peanut has eaten a raw diet since may 2006. she walked away from her premium kibble and pushed her brofur away from his raw food. alpha dog gets first pick

[.sarah]

I have one question, is a home cooked diet not as healthy as raw? Is it at least better than kibble?

No, it's not as healthy as raw because you destroy the nutrients when cooking.

If properly balanced, yes it is better than kibble because it is fresh and doesn't contain grains, or at least not as the main ingredient. However, it is hard to get all of the nutrients a dog needs in a cooked meal, that is why there are so many artificial vitamins and minerals added to kibble. You would probably need to supplement in order to balance everything.

My dogs were on home cooked food for a month before I switched to raw. I didn't notice any changes from kibble, but a month is hardly enough time for changes.

I wish I could feed it to my cats too, but they won't eat it.

You have to do a lot of trickery to convince cats that it is food. Go to http://rawfedcats.org - read this page for info on how to switch them.

[zoomer]

No. It's too expensive and I much perfer dog food, don't know why, just do.

[k9krazee]

Yep, we have the time, resources and money...but the parents won't go for it. But I will definately feed my future dogs raw.

[slleipnir]

I honestly don't know. The idea freaks me out for some reason.

[Eastwood Danes]

It is not expensive if you are a bit of a scavenger. There are lots of good deals out there. I feed my 5 Great Danes for a lot less money on Raw as I did a so called 'premium' kibble. Plus, I no longer have the vet bills I used to have. Fleas and ticks are no longer interested in my dogs so I also don't spend any money on those types of preventatives.
As for the person who said they can't imagine touching raw meat.. Don't you handle raw meat for your family? Make hamburger patties? It's no different. The raw meaty bones in my freezers for my dogs can be thawed out for the family. In fact, we just made BBQ leg quarters for a cook out and I got it out of the dogs freezer!
If someone was going to be freaked out about what they are feeding their dogs, they should be freaked out at the facts about kibble. Not to mention that all the nutrients and vitamins that a kibble fed dog receives are in synthetic form. All of the original nutrients have been cooked out in the kibble making process so it is as comparable to a person being made to live on box after box after box of Total cereal. Sure you may be receiving the required nutrients to stay alive and you might even have shiny hair after eating Total cereal for 10 years. But I guarantee you would not be as healthy as the person who is eating a variety of foods. Hard to tell from the outside what is going on in the inside. We all know that fresh food is good for us. For some reason people have gotten into this mind frame that dogs should not be afforded the same quality diet.
It feels great to be able to see, smell, touch the food you feed your dog. It's a much better feeling then handing them a bowl of the unknown. Not knowing whats in there. Safe to assume it was rotted and not good enough for people though.
A great book that I have read is by Anne Martin called "Foods Pets Die For". I highly recommend that to everyone.
Anyway, it is not time consuming or expensive and doesn't require a degree in nutrition to feed a dog a healthy raw diet.
Dogs are MUCH easier to feed then humans and we are not sitting around calculating vitamins and nutrients and shopping for our families according to the needs to stay alive. We eat a variety of foods and balance happens over time. There is NO living being that eats a balanced meal at every meal. Nature never intended it that way.
Commercial dog food companies have succeeded at literally brain washing people into thinking THEY are the only ones qualified to know how to feed a dog or a cat. It is ridiculous to say the least.

Kim E.
www.eastwooddanes.com