Raw food

[luvmyfurbaby]

QUOTE (vjw @ Nov 11 2008, 04:27 PM)

Pat, I've been looking for some of the credible resources I found when I was doing some digging. I thought I added them as favorites somewhere but I can't find them. I had a good one from the FDA which included warnings against feeding raw but I can't find it.

Here's an article from the American Animal Hospital Association:

AAHA's position on raw diets



This one from petplace.com lists some of the pros and cons:

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/raw-meat-deba...-dog/page1.aspx

Joy I haven't finished reading the articles but this caught my eye. Taken from Petplace.

It should be pointed out that, as a matter of policy, PetPlace.com veterinarians recommend that dogs and cats be fed prepared meat from high quality brands such as Eukanuba or Science Diet.



EDITED TO ADD:

Here's a link to a portion of the book Puppy's First Steps from the Faculty of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University:

From Tuft's Puppy's First Steps [/B]

On to read the rest. I have read alot of credible sites for the pros let me go read more of the cons. Btw my vet said as long as the raw is balanced she approves.

[luvmyfurbaby]

Here are some links for you to read up on Pat.
http://rawfed.com/myths/
http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Fo.../thread/511303
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/index.html
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

Please make sure your fluffs are not liver compromised before starting on a raw diet.

[Crystal&Zoe]

I've had mine on Dr. Harvey's for a few months. I just recently tried to switch them to Stella and Chewy's because with my hours, the freeze dried patties are a God send. And from all that I've read, it really is a great way to go. I chose Stella & Chewy's because of the freeze drying process they use to eliminate any harmful pathogens. And I really like the fact that they test EVERY batch and you can check it on their website! I didn't transition them since I had run out of Dr. Harvey's and Zoe did GREAT!! Jett on the other hand had pretty nasty gas and the runs on day 2 of the switch. Luckly my order from Dr.H's came in. Rainy from Animal Essentials told me that some dogs just need the grains while others do beautifully, even better without them. She suggested I use some cooked oatmeal until Dr. H's came in. Thankfully as soon as I added Dr. H's to S&C's raw, his runny pooh and gas cleared up immediately. So I'm transitioning Jett. He gets 1/2 patty and 1/8 cup Dr. H's (no meat added) and it's going great. I may keep them on that and only use S&C's when I'm here late at the store and don't want to worry about refrigeration.

As far as worrying about cross contamination and harmful bacteria to you, it's no different than handling raw meat that you are preparing for your family. And I can't imagine anyone not washing their hands after cleaning up after their dog.

[vjw]

QUOTE (LuvMyFurbaby @ Nov 11 2008, 05:02 PM)

QUOTE (vjw @ Nov 11 2008, 04:27 PM)

Pat, I've been looking for some of the credible resources I found when I was doing some digging. I thought I added them as favorites somewhere but I can't find them. I had a good one from the FDA which included warnings against feeding raw but I can't find it.

Here's an article from the American Animal Hospital Association:

AAHA's position on raw diets



This one from petplace.com lists some of the pros and cons:

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/raw-meat-deba...-dog/page1.aspx

Joy I haven't finished reading the articles but this caught my eye. Taken from Petplace.

It should be pointed out that, as a matter of policy, PetPlace.com veterinarians recommend that dogs and cats be fed prepared meat from high quality brands such as Eukanuba or Science Diet.



EDITED TO ADD:

Here's a link to a portion of the book Puppy's First Steps from the Faculty of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University:

From Tuft's Puppy's First Steps [/B]

On to read the rest. I have read alot of credible sites for the pros let me go read more of the cons. Btw my vet said as long as the raw is balanced she approves.
[/B][/QUOTE]



Maggie, from some of the veterinary nutrition info. research I've read I'm not yet convinced that Science Diet and Eukanuba are the horrible foods they've been made out to be. Still checking it out though.

[I found nemo]

I think to each his own, I just wouldn't give it, I'm happy on Natural balance I mean Nemo is.
I think there are pros and cons, but it's just not for us

[cindy6755]

I feed mine The Honest Kitchen Thrive formula. Its a dehydrated raw food, they have a few differant formulas. I usually add some whole ground chicken or turkey to it (raw) All of mine do wonderful on it, even one of my fosters that had IBD and colitis, his poops are now normal.

[lovesophie]

QUOTE (2MaltMom @ Nov 11 2008, 06:11 AM)

Does anyone feed their pups Raw food? The trainer in Abbey's obedience class thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread. She said her dogs coats have become more shiny and healthy and they poop less.... and it's easier to clean up. Is that right?

What are the advantages

and

What are the disadvantages?

Is there a difference between brands?


Sounds very interesting .....[/B]

My fluffs are HUGE fans of raw. They gobble that stuff up like there's no tomorrow! I feed mine Primal Raw (duck and lamb) and Stella & Chewy's freeze dried (lamb). I actually prefer the Stella & Chewy's freeze dried, since it's a lot more convenient than the frozen, but it's so expensive!! A small bag containing 12 or so patties costs about $13 around here.

Advantages: delicious taste; small, firm, non-smelly poop (on kibble, Sophie used to have the smelliest poop, and she'd go like 4 times a day, and now, my pups only go once a day); raw is supposed to reflect what wolves eat (I guess this being good or bad is rather subjective); no mats (I'm not sure if this has anything to do with raw, but I only brush my pups like once a week when I bathe them, and I very rarely find mats, if any at all!)

Disadvantages: very expensive; sanitary issues (I have to fork feed my babies, wipe their mouths thoroughly, and clean up thoroughly afterwards); inconvenience (having to defrost the prepackaged frozen every night can become a hassle)

That's all I can think of for now.

I personally love feeding raw, and I've never encountered any problems with it, so I'll continue to do so.

Hope that helps!

[edwardsupandy]

I find this link is very intersting. Please read the articles and you'll find why raw food can be harmful. I used to think about giving raw too but after I read the articles in this link, I changed my mind and decided to not ake the risk!

http://www.secondchanceranch.org/rawtestimony.htm

[1malt4me]

I am not a big fan of raw. I think it is a little messy.

[vjw]

QUOTE (edwardsupandy @ Nov 14 2008, 07:22 AM)

I find this link is very intersting. Please read the articles and you'll find why raw food can be harmful. I used to think about giving raw too but after I read the articles in this link, I changed my mind and decided to not ake the risk!

http://www.secondchanceranch.org/rawtestimony.htm[/B]

Thank you so much for posting that link - I added it to my favorites! I clicked on the topics in the tan shaded area and this information is exactly what I've read from some credible veterinarian's books/resources.




Joy