Anyone else feed an all RAW diet?

[lv4dogs]

I used to feed raw and LOVED it, my finances & freezer space got the best of me though. Hopefully in the near future they will be started back up on it and I can not wait for that day to come!

[dab_20]

Will feeding raw make them healthier and live longer? I'd really like to start when I move out, depending on if I go to college right away. Molli and Sam will only be around 5 years old by then.

[BC_MoM]

Do they eat in one sitting?? Because I don't want meat laying around my house all day..

Also.. is blood an issue? I don't want blood all over my dogs or the house! lol

[.sarah]

Do they eat in one sitting?? Because I don't want meat laying around my house all day..

Also.. is blood an issue? I don't want blood all over my dogs or the house! lol

My dogs eat in one sitting. They wouldn't leave their meal for nothing. I try to feed two meals a day if possible but sometimes they just get one meal around the middle of the day. Mandy did turn her nose up at rabbit and I just picked it back up and put it in the fridge and she didn't eat that time. Come next meal time I put it back out for her. She didn't eat it again. So for the next meal I gave her chicken and fed the rabbit to Nova and Luka.

I feed the dogs outside. I haven't had a problem with blood yet. It's usually absorbed pretty well in those things in the bottom of the packages. The livers I buy are kept in blood though and I just use a fork and pull them out of the container, leaving the blood behind. Blood is actually good for the dogs, and some people buy it by itself to feed (I don't think you can do that in the US though ), but I haven't gotten used the image of my dogs drinking blood just yet

[.sarah]

Will feeding raw make them healthier and live longer? I'd really like to start when I move out, depending on if I go to college right away. Molli and Sam will only be around 5 years old by then.

In most cases they will become healthier in one aspect or another. They are getting much better nutrition and their body is able to use more of their food (and that means less poo poo ). Living longer is never for certain. You never know how long your dog will live while on kibble or on raw, since you don't have a clone and can't feed one each

Mandy's benefits - Her arthritis pain has subsided for the most part. A couple weeks ago she had a few days where I thought she was getting worse, but she had been sleeping with my parents in their bed (believe it or not the dogs have a better bed then they do ) and I think that was the source of the problem. She's been fine since she got back to sleeping on her orthopedic bed. She's also lost 2 lbs, and I have been trying for over a year to get 5 lbs off of her.

Nova's benefits - I have noticed an increased energy level. She is fine now without her supplements (she has hip and elbow dysplasia) but I still give them mostly to help prevent things from happening. She's lost 3 lbs. She didn't need to lose any, but I wanted her to so there would be less pressure on her joints. She's at a really good weight now but could lose even more and still be healthy.

Luka's benefits - There hasn't been much of a change for her. She seems about the same except now instead of running to her kennel for meal time she runs to the door

Buck's benefits - he's growing slower than his littermates. The smallest in the litter has gotten bigger than him just in the 2 weeks that they've been at their new homes.

[Giselle]

Actually, I don't like feeding pork. I just feel that the benefits of pork can be found in other more wholesome protein sources. I also remember something about pork skin that causes pancreatitis or something...I know bacon can contribute to the development of pancreatitis, but I'm positive I heard something negative about raw pork as well. At any rate, Sarah seemed to cover most of it

The switch from kibble to raw has been the best decision I've ever made for my dogs. There was a recent poll on another forum and nearly all of the raw feeders who had to switch back to kibble due to financial restrictions wished they could switch back to raw because of the fantastic results. If you think about it, kibble truly is a completely foreign food to dogs. Sure, they may not have necessarily eaten raw (many domesticated dogs thrive on homeCOOKED diets then and now), but kibble is such an odd thing to feed your dog. Carbs and proteins lumped into a crushed nuggest sprayed with minerals and vitamins? Oh yes, that sounds very appetizing and nutritious indeed :X

After seeing my Pekingese languish on kibble after kibble, I decided enough was enough. The difference between a kibble fed dog and a raw fed dog is amazing. You don't even notice the suddle differences until you experience the changes yourself. I'll post some visual "proof" later. The poster who posted it deleted the images...hmm...

[Glacier]

Actually, I don't like feeding pork. I just feel that the benefits of pork can be found in other more wholesome protein sources. I also remember something about pork skin that causes pancreatitis or something...I know bacon can contribute to the development of pancreatitis, but I'm positive I heard something negative about raw pork as well. At any rate, Sarah seemed to cover most of it

.

It's the fat in pork that can cause pancreatitis. In some dogs, any high dose of fat will cause it. I have a couple who are prone to it and I have to be very careful to limit their fat intake. In extreme cold temperatures, I sometimes give the working dogs small chunks of pork fat. Takes a lot of calories just to stay warm at -40!