Duke Loves raw...

[ruthcatrin]

We've been conditioned for our entire lives that raw meat = BAD THINGS, but people eat all sorts of meat raw, or barely singed, in cultures around the world.

And although I can think of several kibble/canned food recalls (just in the last few years, never mind just this spring) where not only did dogs and cats get sick and die, but so did the humans who came in contact with them.

I can't think of a single instance where raw food diets for cats and dogs (either home prepared or commercially prepared) resulted in a sick/death toll to come even close.

Consider: the rules on human foods are WAY tighter than on dog foods. They start recalling things VERY quickly when they believe there's an issue. Not so for dog/cat foods, the Diamond recall went back MONTHS, and they're not sure it went back far enough. The whole issue with chicken jerky treats from China? Thats been going on for a COUPLE YEARS with no recalls.

 

[musicdeb]

We've been conditioned for our entire lives that raw meat = BAD THINGS, but people eat all sorts of meat raw, or barely singed, in cultures around the world.

And although I can think of several kibble/canned food recalls (just in the last few years, never mind just this spring) where not only did dogs and cats get sick and die, but so did the humans who came in contact with them.

I can't think of a single instance where raw food diets for cats and dogs (either home prepared or commercially prepared) resulted in a sick/death toll to come even close.

Consider: the rules on human foods are WAY tighter than on dog foods. They start recalling things VERY quickly when they believe there's an issue. Not so for dog/cat foods, the Diamond recall went back MONTHS, and they're not sure it went back far enough. The whole issue with chicken jerky treats from China? Thats been going on for a COUPLE YEARS with no recalls.

Well said...

 

[webwalcien]

Hi All,

At what age can I start Captain, our French Mastiff, on raw food? He's about 13 weeks now. I've been going through the forum about what food to give him as I only had him for just over a week now. I have read about the Earthborn Holistic as being highly recommended but there are no local stores where I am that carry them. Now I started reading through this thread about raw food and now I'm leaning more towards it and it would be more accessible to me compared to looking for premium processed dog food.

Also, here in Australia, they sell Kangaroo meat as pet food. Anyone have any experience with "roo" meat?

Thanks!

 

[angelbears]

You can start now. I have heard of Kangaroo being used but here in the states we don't get it. Search the forums here for "raw feeding" ect. and you should find a lot of info. If you have any questions just ask. I'm sure someone will try to help.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Start feeding raw now. The younger the dog the easier the transition. And yes you can feed roo, its just that most of us are in the states and so don't have access to it.

 

[DennasMom]

And... do you add fruit & veggies?

For us, we expect Denna to get to 185 lbs (her mother's weight)... which means 5.5 lbs of food per day. (YIKES!)

Using your 80/10/10 meat/bone/organ... where do the veggies fit in? Would that offset some of the 5.5 lbs, or just add to it?

Denna LOVES fruit and veggies... the only thing I've found so far that she doesn't like is tabasco (so glad we finally found something we could put on things we don't want her to chew!)

Another question - what do you do when you go on vacation without the dog? Do you give the kennel/boarder/relative a bunch of frozen food to use?

Thanks!!

 

[ruthcatrin]

No fruits or vegis except as treats. For the most part dogs don't digest them properly. For the raw variations that include them its recommended to puree them first. But I don't see the point. Apollo loves Macintosh apples and when they're in season I'll chop one uo for him a couple times a week. But its a treat, not part of his diet.

Unfortunetly many kennels won't feed raw. If having a friend or family feed, divide the food up into meal portions and label with the date to be fed and which meal time its for, and freeze that way. Make sure the person has seen you feed the dog a couple times so they know what to expect.