Does anyone do a "raw food meaty bone" meals for their dogs?

[T Baer]

Any thoughts or recommendations?

[Live2Ride]

Yep and it's great for them. There is a yahoo group on feeding a raw diet-I don't have the link, but I'm sure you can google it. Some people are into only meat based with no bone, but most use bone and meat. I loved having my dogs on it. I don't do it currently because I need a new smaller refrigerator to keep their stuff in. I have three dogs and it took up precious space in my kitchen refrigerator.

 

Their teeth stay white, their excrement is practically non existent after the first week or so (many have to detox from the commercial foods-mine weren't bothered though at all because they were on a high quality diet).

 

I plan to start again though. I'm starting to see plaque on my GSD's teeth and I will not pay 300 some odd dollars to have them cleaned by a vet when a few good meaty bones will do the trick. Oh and it helps those dogs who 'bolt' their food. They have to eat a chicken quarter slowly because it's too big to swallow whole and the dog has to chew up the bones.

 

I noticed that my dogs coats were shinier, they didn't pass gas and their breath was never stinky.

[Ria]

We feed a raw diet to our cats. They are super healthy and we spend hardly anything on food ($30 per month for 4 indoor kitties).

[Wabi Sabi]

Yes. Our dogs both seem to have skin issues and the special grain-free dog food was simply too expensive for us so I went the raw meat route. Unfortunately, it hasn't helped their skin issues as much as I'd hoped but they're still doing quite well on it. I'm convinced that it has to be healthier for them than the traditional dry dog food and it's cheaper as well (at least cheaper when compared to the cost of an ultra-premium food, not necessarily the case if you're already feeding a very inexpensive brand.) I mostly feed mine chicken quarters because it's them cheapest meat I've been able to find: a 10 lb. bag costs me right around $5. I've also had success at posting ads on Craigslist offering to take any scraps from hunters who process their own meat, expired meat, freezer burned meat from people cleaning out their chest freezers, etc.

[Denisemomof4]

Yep and it's great for them. There is a yahoo group on feeding a raw diet-I don't have the link, but I'm sure you can google it. Some people are into only meat based with no bone, but most use bone and meat. I loved having my dogs on it. I don't do it currently because I need a new smaller refrigerator to keep their stuff in. I have three dogs and it took up precious space in my kitchen refrigerator.

 

Their teeth stay white, their excrement is practically non existent after the first week or so (many have to detox from the commercial foods-mine weren't bothered though at all because they were on a high quality diet).

 

I plan to start again though. I'm starting to see plaque on my GSD's teeth and I will not pay 300 some odd dollars to have them cleaned by a vet when a few good meaty bones will do the trick. Oh and it helps those dogs who 'bolt' their food. They have to eat a chicken quarter slowly because it's too big to swallow whole and the dog has to chew up the bones.

 

I noticed that my dogs coats were shinier, they didn't pass gas and their breath was never stinky.

 

a couple of weeks ago I killed our MEAN rooster when I thought it would kill dd11's pet rooster. Also, the rooster has attacked every person and dog in this house, was running free, we couldn't get it, and dh was going to shoot it with a gun last week. Anyway, it was unplanned and I had to act fast as it was doing serious harm to dd11's pet. I killed it and didn't want it to go to waste, so we fed it to the dogs raw. It was a year old so it was tough and we couldn't eat him. My greyhound has HORRIBLE teeth. Greyhounds are known for this. Anyway, the dogs ate some of the chicken when we killed it but my greyhound has anxiety and once he was bitten by a fly, he was DONE. He couldn't eat the chicken, he had to go back in the house. That chicken sat in the refrigerator for almost two weeks. It would have been two weeks Saturday! I feared it would spoil so I asked dh to make sure he fed it to the dogs yesterday. It still smelled as fresh as the day we killed it! It sat in a bowl of water all that time. I couldn't believe it lasted that long! Then this morning I looked at the greyhound's teeth. I can't BELIEVE that all that plaque and tartar buildup is gone! It was BAD!!!! He looks really good now.

 

I'm sold on this. I'm going to be switching all my indoor animals to a raw food diet. They simply weren't meant to eat grains. None of them.

 

On an aside, ferrets commonly have adrenal issues. I think I read 80% of them have this issue and vets can't figure out why. I'm certain it's diet related. We have a VERY sweet ferret that's on her final month of treatment for adrenal tumors. They can only last 8 - 9 months on medication. This is the 9th month. I wish I had switched her to a raw diet sooner. I feel it would have made a difference.

 

What do you feed your cats?

[ktgrok]

It is good for dogs. However...in this day and age,with salmonella and ecoli an issue, I won't do it. NOt because I'm worried about the dogs getting sick. I'm not. They have a strong stomach acid ph that can handle it probably. But the bacteria will be in their mouths and their saliva, then they will like my toddler's face and mouth. Or her hands even, which she puts in her mouth. There have been many documented cases of the dogs giving food poisoning to children via this method.

 

A cooked diet, with the occaisional supplement of a meaty bone, given outside before bed, with no contact with the kids afterwards, might maybe be a compromise that would be safe(ish).

[SonshineLearner]

It is good for dogs. However...in this day and age,with salmonella and ecoli an issue, I won't do it. NOt because I'm worried about the dogs getting sick. I'm not. They have a strong stomach acid ph that can handle it probably. But the bacteria will be in their mouths and their saliva, then they will like my toddler's face and mouth. Or her hands even, which she puts in her mouth. There have been many documented cases of the dogs giving food poisoning to children via this method.

 

A cooked diet, with the occaisional supplement of a meaty bone, given outside before bed, with no contact with the kids afterwards, might maybe be a compromise that would be safe(ish).

 

I thought about that, but then thought of how much nasty stuff animals already eat. They eat mice, poop, bugs, lick themselves... Yuck! I think that something must normally protect us from what they eat. If I could afford free range chicken, I would... but feeding our pup raw is what made it so he could live. His skin was basically screwed and he was not healthy. I would much rather him be touched/petted now, than before. Our dog doesn't lick faces, and rarely licks us.

 

We feed chicken, turkey, kidneys and heart from lamb and cows, oxtails when I can afford them.... chicken feet ;) and some decent bones, sometimes... I know it's not super cheap, but when I went to get some kibble a few months ago for some "backup" food, I was surprised at how expensive it was... and how much he would be eating per day.

 

I think that just like people and how food affects them... so it does to animals. BTW, dog/cat food can seriously be contaminated so this, in my opinion... isn't more of a risk... We've fed like this for 3 years..

[Live2Ride]

I hate to tell you that licking their bums daily is just as bad. You might was well get rid of the animals, because honestly it's a risk every day if you think about it. Unless your dog/child is tongueing each other regularly, or right after they eat a meaty meal, the likelihood of poisoning is quite slim.

 

Most dogs drink water after their meals...it washes out their mouth. Also it's well studied that a dogs mouth is quite clean.

 

As for raw feeding of cats, chicken wing portions are great for them or other small meaty pieces. Also dogs/cats fed raw will need some organ meat as well. It helps balance out their bodies needs. I also give whole eggs which they love. I also rotate their meat choices to make sure they are getting a variety of nutrients.

 

And another poster was right, our pets are not made to eat corn or grains. They are not grazers. Corn is a filler making dogs gassy and itchy. It adds to yeast problems in ears too.