[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Yen, I feel like your question is still just hangin' out there, blowin' in the breeze. I don't feed prey model (I feed pre-made raw), but I can try to list some potential risks of raw (and maybe others can add to this) :

-Choking hazard potential w/ Prey-model; despite the fact that dogs should theoretically be able to properly chew raw meaty bones, the fact is that any object whatsoever that could possibly occlude the throat (chewed or whole) is a potential choking hazard

-Intestinal issue/blockage after consumption of bones; while this is rare, it has been reported and is very dangerous if it does happen. In the wild, many wolves consume their bones along with some fur and there is some thought out there that the fur helps protect the digestive tract. IMO, this isn't really the full story though -- the distinct lining of the digestive tract in dogs/wolves is designed to handle raw bones and shouldn't need fur for bones to pass. So anyway, while very rare, it's a potential risk.

-Balanced diet. I don't necessarily agree that a prey model diet is UNbalanced. However, saying it is balanced is really an assumption that is based upon the wolf. While it may indeed be balanced, I'm not sure there is verifiable proof at this time. If there is someday, FABS! This is where I feel more secure feeding pre-made...but you make sacrifices there too, if you believe in raw (in general, that is). I just prefer the sacrifices of pre-made vs the possibility of choking hazard. If my dogs were more similar in size to a wolf or coyote, I may feel differently.

-Germs. An immunosuppressed dog will always be more vulnerable to germs, no matter the food. With raw, there is a potential for more germs. I've been feeding raw for almost 3yrs now, and we've never had any problems w/ germs.

-Feces. From what I understand, all dogs have salmonella in their feces - no matter what the diet. Raw-fed dogs may have a higher concentration of salmonella in their poo. However, no one can tell me if this translates to an increased risk or not. Regardless, I will handle poop the same I've always handled poop .

What else? I really dunno...that is just off the top of my head, but I will keep thinking about it...

thank you! i think it's kind of funny in a way. even though i do feed my dogs kibble/home-cooked/raw. it's easy for me to list disadvantages of feeding kibble and homecooked, because i feel like i have read more about those too as far as possible disadvantages of feeding those, but for raw, i actually haven't read that much negative stuff on it at all. so i am interested to know. no diet is perfect, that i know.

i honestly don't know what question to ask sometimes. i get so confused!

how long do yorkies live? is there anyone on yt who's been feeding their dog pre-made raw or prey model raw for more than 10 years? it would be nice to know if those people ever ran into any issues with feeding raw over a long period of time.(do you know of anyone who's been feeding raw for a LONG time?)

one thing i want to point out is that while i don't trust most pet food companies. i think the reason we do hear more about problems with those foods is because MOST people feed kibble, so obviously, you'll hear more about the problems with that. not that many people feed raw. my vet told me only a very tiny percent of his clients feed their dogs raw. i also only know a few people who feed their dogs raw. even on yt. i don't hear from that many people who feed raw, i mean, of all the people on yt, i wonder what % of the people feed raw?