Quote Originally Posted by .sarah
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***IF YOU DO NOT EXCLUSIVELY FEED RAW PLEASE TELL ME HOW OFTEN YOU FEED IT OR WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL DIET IT MAKES UP.
99% b/c on rare occasions she stays @ my parents house I have a bag of high quality kibble for them to feed her
How was your dog's health while on kibble? Did you see any problems with allergies (please be specific as to what kind)? How was his/her dental health?Keegan's health was fine before the switch, she didn't really have many allergies, her coat was fine, a bit dry but it still is even with the switch. Her teeth have always been great - she's going on 6 years old and has never had a dental yet.
Keegan has bilateral hip dysplasia and has torn both ACL's of her rear legs she was getting quite arthritic and limping a lot. She's on an all natural pain relief tablet that I think in conjunction with her RAW feeding has made a world of difference in her comfort- she acts like a younger dog - and has high energy for doing what she loves - chasing the tennis ball.

How long have you been feeding a raw diet? about 10 months

What were the immediate changes you noticed after the switch? (ie. cleaner teeth, cleaner coat, less odor.) higher energy, less doggie odor, limping decreased rapidly, appetite is better - before she could go days without eating - now she eats once a day - with occasional fasting.... (my choice) Her stool size has changed drastically- it is so much smaller now.

How many dogs are you currently feeding a raw diet to?
just one
Are you feeding exclusively kibble to any other dogs? If so, what is the reasoning behind the different diets for different dogs?
n/a
How is your dog's overall health? Please note anything that has not improved since the switch. Please only answer this question if you have been feeding raw for more than three months, as it often can take this long or longer for some previous problems to subside.
Keegan has been doing fabulous. People comment to me - that isn't the same dog that could barely get around before. As I said previously - I really think that in conjunction with the all natural pain relief she is on -and this new feeding plan has helped her immensely. The only thing I find is it harder to get her to lose weight with this- altho that is probably more directly my fault with the weighing and measuring of the food
What made you make the switch? Please state if the reasoning had any involvement with the pet food recall. I had heard a few of my friends here on this board talk about the benefits of it with their dogs. One of them has a dog that has arthritis due to 2 surgeries on its leg and it is a much younger dog than mine. I researched it and decided I had to try it - it couldn't hurt and I owed it to her to make her more comfortable - after a month - she was doing so well I knew I wouldn't go back. [/color]
How did you first hear about raw food?
I had heard about it for years - I just didn't know much about it - I talked with my friends here on PT.
Do you share the information about raw food with others, and are you an advocate of this diet for those who are interested in it? How do people typically react when you tell them you feed your dog a raw diet?I do share it with people, and am an advocate- I tell people to not knock it until they try it. Some people turn their nose up especially when I talk about her eating raw liver. The only 'issue' I ran into was when I was first buying meat to switch her - I stopped at a small mom and pop run meat store - in a small town. I had never been in there before - I was thinking it was a meat/butcher shop but it is more of a pre-packaging place. The old man running the store told me it would be cheaper to put the dog to sleep than to switch to this type of feeding. I was so mad I couldn't speak. And his employee asked if I was trying to make my dog mean.

Please note anything else that may be of great interest.if anyone has a dog that has any kind of issues I think they should at least try it for a short time. If you don't like how the dog is reacting or if you don't think its helping you can always go back - but I think you owe it to your dog to do it for their health and well being....
Sorry but I couldn't resist adding the face up above - I couldn't help it!