Does anyone feed raw?

[JustineNYC]

My two labs have been raw fed for quite a while. One suffered from severe allergies for years and year after year all the doctors did was put him on Prednisone. 3 weeks after I switched him to raw, the bald "hot spot" hair on his belly grew back and he hasnt had allergies since.

My question is about my cat Irwin, Ive posted about his urinary problems here before.

He has a history of blockages from urinary crystals. He got better when they put him on Science Diet CD, temporarily.....then he had another flare up, (couldnt urinate, blood in urine) and he went on anti inflammatories, and we switched him to Royal Canins Urinary SO. He is also on Glucosamine powder as a supplement.

Because his problems are food related....Im really interested in putting him on a raw diet, seeing how it worked so well for my Labs...

The Urinary SO can food ingredients are

"Water, meat by-products (what are 'by-products'?), chicken by-products, animal fat, natural flavors (natural flavors of what?), trace minerals, calcium sulfate, potassium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, zinc sulfate, taurine"....etc etc...


To me, this stuff sounds like JUNK.

Wouldnt he be better on a meat, chicken hearts, gizzards diet?

[shepgirl]

My dogs have been on raw for years. although I don't have cats I do have friends that do and when they saw how my dogs were so healthy on raw they decided to switch their cats. So far not one of them would ever go back to cat food of any kind. The cats have no health issues, had no problem with the switch either. They eat hamburg, chicken hearts and giblets, beef,chicken pieces, eggs, and some mashed veggies 2X per week. Any meat the family has they eat it raw. Also get tuna and salmon often. Might be something else they feed them that I am not thinking of, but I do notice how shiny and well fed those cats are, less shedding too and I had no clue cats shed. No hairball problems ever, not quite sure what they meant when they explained hairballs.

[catmandu]

BY PRODUCTS , I HAVE THE FEELING ARE PARTS OF THE ANIMAL THAT ARE NOT USED FOR HUMAN FOOD LIKE BEAKS, CAWS AND HOOVES.
AND ANYTHING THAT SCRAP FROM THE HUMAN FOOD PROCESSING.
I AM GIVING THE FOUND CATS A LOT MORE GRILLED GROUND CHICKEN, VEAL AND BEEF AND THEY REALLY SEEM TO LIKE IT.
I MAY START WITH HEARTS AND LIVERS IF THEY LIKE IT, I WILL ASK AUNT JANICE FOR ADVICE.

[Queen of Poop]

I've been feeding the kittens raw all summer. Their favorite is Amore brand rabbit/salmon combo. It took a lot of trial and error to find one they'd eat. Their coats are noticeable softer these days. We have a store here called tailblazers, they have a great website where you can research all kinds of raw foods.

[JustineNYC]

Thank you everyone. I noticed Irwins hair changed (for the worse) when he was put on this food, his mom is a long haired cat, very silky, and he was too, now his hair is hard. I just dont like the way he looks on it.

[shais_mom]

I've had my golden on raw for over 2 years with great results.
I would LOVE to switch my cats but they are quite finicky and kibble addicts.
And unlike dogs who will eat after they get hungry enough cats just won't so you have to be very careful when switching over b/c if they go too long without eating they can go into liver failure.
Yahoo has a lot of message forums on raw feeding for both dogs and cats and with a little time and research you can go thru them and get some ideas.
good luck!

[Russian Blue]

I've been reading quite a bit on food and pet health. If you are considering a raw or homemade diet I would strongly suggest finding a vet who supports this way of feeding. It's always easier to have guidance from a vet to make sure everything you feed is balanced properly.

Second, I would pick up this book - Dr. Pitcairn's Natural Health for Dogs & Cats A friend of mine suggested I read this book and it's full of practical and useful information.

I'll be slowly introducing this new way of feeding to my two cats over the next several months and it's a wonderful resource.

[Catlady711]

Rather than a book which would not have information for formulating a diet based on YOUR particular pets needs.

Maybe try this site....https://www.petdiets.com/Consult/default.asp It's run by a vet and works with your vet to come up with a homemade diet designed SPECIFICALLY for YOUR pet. It's not cheap but you would know it's what your pet needs, not a blanket recipie.

[mrspunkysmom]

Mine are stubborn about their diet so they get a combo (premium no grain dry food with human grade meat, expensive canned food as an appetizer, some cooked meat on the side supplemented with taurine, and the raw). Spunky does much better on the raw, esp his digestive tract. The more he eats the better.

I feed Nature's Variety medallions, rabbit. It's a raw food that cats or small dogs can eat and is made just for them.

There are websites that have recipes for raw too.

[emily_the_spoiled]

I switched most of my guys over to a raw diet about 2 years ago. One of them has irritable bowel syndrome that is made MUCH worse by commercial cat food.

There are plenty of days when they eat better than I do

I make there food a couple of times a week using chicken breast (raw and no bones), chicken liver (for the taurine), baked sweet potato, carrots, apples, sour cream, and pumpkin. Mine has quite a bit of fiber because of the IBS guy, but I can tell you that it has certainly cut down on hair balls from everyone else. I also order a supplement off the web so that I know they are getting a balanced diet.

I find that they are generally more healthy and active than when they were on the commercial cat food.

[Pumacat]

Several years ago my Squizzman got a liver infection so now we watch his health very closely. Every few weeks I get my hand grinder out and grind up a whole chicken, bones and all for him. I add some egg, vitamins, minerals taurine and a handfull of other things. Easy on the B vitamins, have you ever tasted them? YUCK!!! He gets this for breakfast when the others get just canned cat food. The rest of the day he eats dry food at will.

When he is on his raw diet he has fewer hairballs and his coat seems to stay smoother. With him the hairballs were a big deal because when he thru up a hairball he would not want to eat for the rest of the day. Most of the hairball formula cat foods that we tried did little to curb them.

Let me say that grinding up and entire chicken with a hand grinder is a tough job but I'm a sucker.

[JustineNYC]

www.holisticat.com, one of the members of my Lab natural diets forum recommended it.

I live in New York City, Ill never find a vet that supports a raw diet. Most of the courses the vets here take in school are founded by pet food companies. And they certainly didnt help with my Labs allergies, I had to research for months about the connection between grains and allergies.

I read up about Taurine, and a fellow raw feeder recommended I start with soft bone meals like Quail and chicken wings. And the recommended bone meal, organ meat percentage is about the same for my dogs.

Last night Irwin had a chicken breast, some chopped chicken hearts and a little liver.

Hes also still on Glucosamine supplements which has taurine in it.

[JustineNYC]

Here he is from a few years ago....You can see his belly is raw and bald



And after 2 weeks on raw



And here he is now..

[Russian Blue]

Rather than a book which would not have information for formulating a diet based on YOUR particular pets needs.

Maybe try this site....https://www.petdiets.com/Consult/default.asp It's run by a vet and works with your vet to come up with a homemade diet designed SPECIFICALLY for YOUR pet. It's not cheap but you would know it's what your pet needs, not a blanket recipie.

I quickly responded last night, but of course, I meant to consult with a vet (not just pick up a book) when changing a cats diet. Especially, since he already has a health issue, I stressed the guidance of a vet. The book is a just a really good primer on the subject - not an overall authority guide.

www.holisticat.com, one of the members of my Lab natural diets forum recommended it.

I live in New York City, Ill never find a vet that supports a raw diet. Most of the courses the vets here take in school are founded by pet food companies. And they certainly didnt help with my Labs allergies, I had to research for months about the connection between grains and allergies.

Yes, am familiar with Holisticat and it has a huge archive that you can spend literally hours reading it.

Here's the website of the AHVMA (American Holistic Veterinarian Medical Association) - just plug in your location and it will give you a list of vets that support holistic practices. Check here -----> AHVMA Vet List

[JustineNYC]

Theres none in New York City, I just checked the link. I figured that. 12 million people and no holistic vets. Theres 2, 3-4 hours away upstate and one in Connecticut.