Raw meat problems..

[bckrazy]

thanks everyone! this has helped a lot

I'll keep you all posted!

[cali]

you can boil SOUP bones first, but NEVER EVER feed other kinds of bones that have been cooked in any way first. raw bones are soft and pliable but cooked bones are hard brittle and they splinter. I gave my dogs a store bought bone once, it was smoked, within seconds it was broken into sharp, swallowable size peices so I took it away. the nylabones are even worse ending up with needle sharp spikes all over the the peices that the dogs would break off.

and dragondawg the toxins ARE in the kibble.. thats the whole point, kibble is packed full of fillers and chemicals and digests very slowly, while raw diets digest in seconds, my dogs have to potty seconds after the finish eating. my dogs throw up their food or get the runs also if they are under a lot of stress, so basicly if they are going to be in a stressful situation we dont feed them till AFTER something stressful.

[dragondawg]

Cali,

Could you specify what these toxins are?

Here's the ingredients in the Propet performance brand I feed my two puppies (Female 2 yrs, 50%GP/50% Lab+something approx 75 lbs, Male 1.5 yrs, Black Lab/mix approx. 55 lbs), probably close to 3 cups per day spread between 2 feedings (larger feeding at night):

Ingredients: Chicken meal, brewers rice, chicken, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), corn gluten meal, ground wheat, ground yellow corn, dried beet pulp, dried egg product, natural flavors, dicalcium phosphate, canola oil, fish meal, brewers dried yeast, potassium chloride, salt, dried yucca schidigera, DL-methionine, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A acetate, D-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D-3), vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, niacin, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B-12 supplement), minerals (magnesium sulfate, ferrous sulfate monohydrate, iron proteinate, zinc oxide, zinc proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulfate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite)

They gobble it down rapidly. They do their doggy duties usually morning and night. No irregularities, no flaculance, no diarrhea, no mucus, no blood or tar stools, no nausea. A previous dog ate it for 11 years (including the maintenance formula), without any problems. If toxins exist in this dog food then I must conclude the unseen toxins in the food I feed my dogs must be healthy toxins which of course is a contradiction of terms. One might argue that the processing or manufacture of dog food introduces toxins. But then again it could also be argued that the beef cattle in a field are eating toxic substances too.

What would you conclude if you gave your dogs the same food as I give mine, and they got sick in the manner you have seen in the past? Take a look at the ingredients and pick a food allergy. A lot of the dog foods do have numerous common components. If one has a dog allergic to a particular item in that list it might involve quite a bit of searching to find a brand formulation that can get around the allergy involved. You apparently have avoided the need for an extensive trial and error search for the non-allergenic dog food by defining your dogs diet with known raw meat ingredients. You have probably done a lot of research to make sure the diet is balanced per minerals and vitamins, and your dogs no longer have the allergic reactions as before. But for every dog likes yours, there are many many more that thrive on commercial dog food without any problems.

I would agree that Nylabones are not the best. I've heard of young dogs grinding their teeth down to the gums chewing on Nylabones.

[rebeccarichardson]

Each time I've given my [young] and extremely healthy Australian Cattle Dog a raw [beef] bone, she has gotten sick. Needless to say, I no longer do it.

[IRescue452]

Every dog has a different tolerance for what they can and can't eat. Just like people, individuals can get sick off of certain foods. I personally don't give my dogs raw meat because of the bacteria that is found in it. I get sick off pork but can eat any other meat. I suggest the simple solution of not giving it to your dog if it makes him sick.