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Originally Posted by yorkiepuppie  can you tell me your concerns of feeding a raw diet. i am trying to learn more about the possible dangers of feeding raw to dogs because i am getting another puppy soon, and i am wondering if i am going to feed the new puppy raw as well, or if i should start cooking for both dogs.
thank you!  |
One of my concerns about the prey model diet, are the bones, I would only feel comfortable giving Joey a really small animal, something he could actually kill in the wild, like maybe a Rock Cornish Hen?
I'm really worried about him choking on the bones or the bones causing perforation in the intestines. From my understanding, in the wild bones are padded with either hair or feathers. Another concern I have is the safety of the meats; even organic meats can be butchered in a regular meat processing plant, which means that they are exposed to lots of chemicals and hormones. Chemicals and hormones are destroyed by cooking, however with raw, you aren't heating it. Washing the surface may wash some of the contaminates away, and I'm not sure what steps companies take with this, you need to wash the meat before its ground, so that's why I've been leery of processed raw patties.
I think if you are devoted to raw, you might want to investigate grinding your own food. You will have some control over the quality of the food you are giving and no supplementation will be necessary because you can grind your own bones. There are various recipes that will give you the proper ratio of meats, organ meats and bones. Some people also include vegetables and fruits in their grinds. It seems like if you wash your foods, grind them, and freeze it in patties, you will have a fairly safe product, as safe as the foods you eat. The freezing will stop bacteria from growing, but will not kill bacteria that was already present, however this small amount is not harmful to healthy dogs. If you have access to hunters, you are especially fortunate.
I know other people look at diets as far as, "What is the BEST diet?" I look at it from the prospective of safety, "What's a safe diet?" I believe that kibble diets are safer than raw, or home cooked, but if an individual is very careful, a raw or home cooked diet could be safe, and healthier.