What food do/did you feed your puppy?

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Never mind about feeding RAW to puppies - I have figured out the general rule to feed.

I am thinking I will go with RAW food and buy everything on sale. Winn Dixie and Albertsons *always* have sales on meat!

Raw is the BEST food you can feed a dog! Let me know how it goes - I would love to feed raw, but knowing the size of a Dane - I might go broke every payday!

[.sarah]

lol ... well, I imagine my food bill is twice as much as yours will be because I have 4 large dogs. The new pup will probably be 80ish lbs. Nova and Luka are both 70 lbs and Mandy is 57. If it gets too expensive I'll probably feed raw only a few times a week.

No word from Natura yet?

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

No, Natura hasn't emailed me back but the website does say...

Here is what I found about raw diets:

The case for raw

* Provides a fresh diet, without preservatives

* Raw bones are not dangerous. They are soft enough to bend easily and
break well for the dog to digest

* Clears up long-standing allergies

* Fewer visits to the veterinarian for health reasons

* Eliminates dog odour

* Naturally cleans pets' teeth

* Produces much less stool, and stool is firm and disintegrates easily

* Mirrors what a dog would get in the wild

* Develops jaw, neck and shoulder muscles

* Pets have more energy

* Reduces arthritis

* Better weight control

* Pets live longer

* Bitches manage pregnancies better

* Better weight and survival figures in puppies

* A healthy pet fed on raw food manages the bacteria found in raw meat

The case against raw

* All health claims are anecdotal, not the result of long-term research

* Concern about the nutritional balance of these diets. It can be difficult
to formulate a balanced homemade diet in the best of circumstances

* High protein and very high fat diets (fat contributes 40% to 70% of
calories)

* Can be low in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, iron, manganese and
magnesium

* Can have unbalanced calcium : phosphorus ratio

* Can have excess vitamins D, E, zinc and magnesium

* Questions about quality of ingredients

* Concerns about health

* Raw bones are dangerous for the pet

* Secondary hyperparathyroidism

* Dermatosis (zinc)

* Anemia (iron)

* Orthopedic conditions (Calcium/vitamin D)

* Bioavailability (excess zinc)

* E. Coli/salmonella often found in raw meat

There is so much you can screw up in a raw diet, not to mention the E. Coli/Salmonella that can be present on the meat. That means that it would be in your dogs mouth, in the food bowl, in his feces etc. I would be scared that my daughter would get E. Coli or Salmonella from playing with the dog, letting him lick her face etc.

I would advise using Grapeseed Extract. It kills all of these bacterias, therefore making it safer to feed raw.

Good Luck!

[Roxyluvsme13]

We feed Lily Pro Plan Small Breed, and she does VERY well on it. She has no gas or anything, and it works great for her!(although I heard other people say they dont like it too much...)

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

We feed Lily Pro Plan Small Breed, and she does VERY well on it. She has no gas or anything, and it works great for her!(although I heard other people say they dont like it too much...)

It might not be the best food, but as long as Lily is doing great on it - there is no reason why you shouldnt feed it. Dont feel guilty about it, Lily looks very healthy and all of your love is what makes her happy - not her food.

People should only feed what they can afford - as long as your pet is healthy and enjoys the food, I wouldn't change a thing. I know I have made alot of people change their foods - not realizing that they wont be able to afford other things because of it. I like to buy my groceries first - then cats food, litter and such - then my rent and bills. Once all of that is dealt with, see how much money you have left over that could possibly go towards a better food.

[.sarah]

I would advise using Grapeseed Extract. It kills all of these bacterias, therefore making it safer to feed raw.

But dogs are not supposed to get grapes

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

But dogs are not supposed to get grapes

LOL! Yes, but they can have Grape Seed oil! It is used in ALOT of raw diets to kill bacteria in the dogs body and bacteria found on meat. It is one of the finest and most potent antioxidants known today.

Forgot to add that MANY dog foods have grape seed oil in them (particularly the super premium foods). It is a better antioxidant than Vitamin C and E. I wouldn't feed raw without putting some grape seed oil in it.

[.sarah]

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to go to the drug store soon!