Pixie ONLY gets raw meat (including raw chicken necks). I've had absolutely no problems at all. They're dogs, not people, and their digestive systems are totall different from ours. They're able to handle bacterias that would make a normal human sick.... I could eat all the choclate I want and get nothing but a stomache ache.. If a dog did that, it would kill him!

The best part is, I know EXACTLY what she's eating. There's no fillers or by-products or toxic dog food (which recently happened) or unnecessary addives/preservatives. I found a holistic vet in my area that actually encourages people to feed their dogs a 100% raw diet. I encourage everybody to at least do the research before condemning it. A lot of people (especially those with dogs who have allergies) are finding there are more benefits than risks!

I have a new baby, Chloe, and I am determined to try the raw food diet. I have a friend who does this with this papillions, and a standard poodle. He treid to talk me into this about 6 months ago. Then when I got this puppy the breeder says she does it too. Says her dogs teeth are in great shape. I just lost my Rosie of 11 years and I had to get her teeth cleaned evey 6 months. I wonder.....So I decided to try it and that Chloe can just eat in her pen on paper, that is cheep and I can remove it and replace it and mop under it as needed. So far so good, she sure likes it!

my sister feeds her dogs raw chicken and lamb that is frozen in a little cube. Their stomach supposidely produces enzymes that can take the raw meat. She said their dogs coats and eye drainage look so good. Her dog also has a very sensitive stomach and this has been really good.

I mean this in the most respectful and noncombative way, but equating dogs with humans is, in my opinion, a major error. I wouldn't feed people my friends dog food, nor would I crate train my kid or teach him to walk on a leash. Furthermore, biologically the two are entirely different entities, and what is okay for one species often has no bearing on what is fine for another.

One paper has been published which I found on PubMed which addresses the risk of salmonella to humans through dogs shedding it in fecal matter.

http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/article...medid=12058569

A thorough response to this is found here:
http://www.bonsah.com/forum/viewtopi...85e3e58ffd434f

Personally, I feel that the criticism of the paper is justified. As a researcher myself, the paper has no significance due to its low sample number, and consequently results are anything but conclusive. Also, none of the dogs that were tested were mentioned to have any ill effects themselves, and the authors have admitted that no papers have been published linking BARF to salmonellosis in dogs (though salmonellosis is found in dogs most frequently in immature puppies and pregnant bitches)

Until conclusive evidence or experiments have been conducted in a scientific manner to address this issue, what we have left is only the first-hand accounts of people who have used this, none of which I have personally found to be negative in any manner. However, we do also know that dogs are capable of shedding salmonella in their feces, so just be aware of that for your own health.

In response to the bird flu statement, I work specifically on avian influenza, and that has about as much relevance in the US as not feeding your dog anything beef-related because you are scared of mad cow disease.

I'm going to use homecooking instead
 

I have some friends who feed BARF and some who feed homecooking. Both have their reasons and do well. I have done my research and will do homecooking. Some books to look into are Plechners book, The Burns dog food site has info on BARF, and Azmira did a study on it. They are not "for" it but instead encourage homecooking. however!! Before the raw people attack me, I am for whatever works for your dog. If you feel comfortable with BARF and have done the research, go for it. I feel more comfortable with homecooking from my research. You can find pros and cons to anything.
suzie

Mitzi gets homecooked food all the time. I dont give her raw meat, but I do give her beef with a bit of blood in it. It's like having a medium steak. She also had bones. Lamb and beef bones, NO CHICKEN or POULTRY BONES!! I don't think there's anything wrong in a raw meat diet for dogs. I guess it's more of the owners preference than the actual animal itself. :)