Raw Food Question

[mmyrto]

So i've been thinking a lot abt feeding my pup raw food vs dry food. My problem is that i always buy organic meat raised without antibiotics etc. If i were to feed her that kind of meat it would be very expensive. If i were to give her the cheapest one from the butcher it would obviously be with antibiotics etc, and given that it would not even be cooked i really dont think it would be that good for her. I mean in the wild they chase free range animals not ones in farms where the give them antibiotics. Does this make sense to you guys?

 

[Oak Hill Farm]

Yes, but even raw meat with chemicals is better than kibble. Most dog foods use the lowest quality of meat you are concerned about and it is usually not organic. And with raw you avoid all the other additives such as grain added fat etc. as well as the unneeded processing.

 

[angelbears]

Meat used in making kibble is not even human grade meat. Meaning they can use euthanized pets, including their flea collars, road kill, downer farm animals and pink slime.

 

[mmyrto]

no if you buy good quality kible like orijen and acana they use human grade meat: free range chicken, turkey, wild caught fish etc. I dont mean kibble from the grocery store obviously since i am concerned with the quality and ofcourse grain free.

 

[angelbears]

I'm sorry, I think I understand what your saying now. So, are the upper grade kibbles using organic meat without antibiotics or human grade meat? If they are just using the human grade I would still think raw is a better option. I do think the less processed, the better.

 

[mightymastiffs]

no if you buy good quality kible like orijen and acana they use human grade meat: free range chicken, turkey, wild caught fish etc. I dont mean kibble from the grocery store obviously since i am concerned with the quality and ofcourse grain free.

I just read the information on the Orijen site and I am sure with the careful wording they are doing what they say they are doing. After the summary I went a touch further into the actual ingredients and wow! I think there are at least 30+ foods that a dog in there entire life living in the wild would never have the chance to eat. Variety is good, but that is borderline obscene. Also, there is absolutely no mention as to the exact proportions.

As far as the question of the health issue raised by feeding your dogs meat that comes from mass-raised animals which receive antibiotics? I AGREE this is something I personally considered and still would like to find a way around. However there are two things that I know which take about 90% of my guard down. First is that my dog is not directly ingesting the drugs, they are only doing this after another organism has processed it. Second, I KNOW what is going inside of my dog.

Kibble is great for some people. For me, I am alright with spending a bit more and having the healthiest dogs possible. I also like to know what my dog is eating

 

[mmyrto]

Free range being the key word. In commercially raised livestock hens live in wire cages, several to a cage and one on top of the other, so that the droppings and urine of the hens drip all over the hens below, and the eggs. Cattle are crammed into small feedlots, stuffed on grains laden with antibiotics, and sprayed with pesticides to kill the flies that swarm all around the filthy stockyards. Chickens are fed a diet of processed grains, animal by-products, and antibiotics.Supermarket meats can be laced with hormones, antibiotics and contaminates, making raw meat a potentially toxic option for dogs and cats. I just think that if u can afford to feed free range antibiotic free meat then great but if u just get the cheapest meat you can find then Maybe a good dry food is a better option.

 

[bullyBug]

You make some good points mmyrto. Freezing or washing with ACV prior to feeding can help remove some of the impurities. I do neither and, personally, can only go with what has worked best for my pets. My GSD did best on his "cheap" meat diet than he did on any of the many high quality commercial foods we tried in his lifetime. My cats have been UTI, diabetes, kidney disease, and obesity free on their cheap meat diet. My current boy was getting all raw from 9 weeks of age, but I recently started feeding about half Acana.

I just think that if u can afford to feed free range antibiotic free meat then great but if u just get the cheapest meat you can find the. Maybe a good dry food is a better option.

If you don't feel comfortable feeding supermarket raw, a home-cooked diet would be next best. That would be followed by some home-cooked & some commercial, then canned mixed with dry, and lastly... dry food only. A diet 100% devoid of fresh, moisture rich food is not ideal by any standards.

 

[mmyrto]

thanks BullyBug