Raw Diet
 

:)

IMO it is very good for them, but of course I am going to say that as I feed it and have seen the benefits, its what my furkids do best on.

Best advise I can give you is to do your own research and decide wether its right for you.

Heres a link to a recent thread where raw was discussed, http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96414

I've fed Lacy raw for a year and a half and she has done great on it. I don't mix the raw myself because I barely go to the store and plan what to feed myself...LOL..so it was more convenient for me to buy a pre-mixed raw. I feed Nature's Variety Raw medallions in rabbit and venison and alternate them every day. You can go to www.naturesvariety.com to read more about it. Make sure you do your research before you start feeding raw, and especially if you are going to mix the raw yourself. It can be complicated but is definitely worth it.

As soon as Layla's allergies calm down we will be starting her on pre made raw- Nature's Variety Organic Chicken. I've read that it is THE best you can do for them, as it is what their bodies were used to in the past... i currently home cook and will probably continue to do that aswell but just cut out the grains as you shoudn't mix raw with grains OR dog food... bad idea...

low protien is a myth.... HIGH protien is what you are looking for.... it means it is quality food... if a dog kibble had low protien it means it is filled with fillers.. which is NOT what you want.

I'm not sure right this minute what the number for protein should be, but be very careful because a high protein diet can cause kidney problems in dogs same as humans.

It would be too high if your dog has certain health problems that cause it to need a low-protein diet. Otherwise, for a healthy dog, it should be fine. Lacy has been on it for a year and a half and just had a full blood work-up and it all came back perfect.

I feed my dogs kibble in the morning and raw for their evening meal. I tried to make my own raw diet but it was too much work grinding up all the ingredients including bone so I switched over to the premade raw.I buy Natures Variety raw small medallions, they are the perfect size for the little kids.Tia my older dog has been on raw for 4 years and Remy the pup has been recently put on the raw as well . Their coats are very shiny and the added bonus is the poops are very small ( yeah!)
Eileen:thumbup:

I feed a raw diet to my boxer called BARF. It stands for bones and raw foods. I used to work at an animal hospital as a lad tech ( the person who comes into the room to draw blood and do x-rays, and run lab tests) and the vet that I worked for was very much into raw diets. My boxer had terrible allergies for the first year and a half that I had him. He had itchy skin, ears, and feet. I had put him on several meds, tried switching his food to fish and potatoes, but he was still a little itchy. He has been on a raw diet for 4.5 years and is doing great. I believe in strongly a natural diet. Just from working in an vet lab I can tell you that the number of diseases in animal keeps getting higher and I don't think that pets have evolved that much, I think that diet plays a big factor in health. A lot of dogs have allergies to corn and wheat. Check the ingredients of pet foods, most have corn or wheat listed in the first couple of ingredients. I have found that even some presciption allergy food use beef that has been corn fed, so your dog is still getting corn. Most raw foods free feed, meaning that the beef used for foods are grass grazed rather than corn fed. I can go on about this for ever, but I am tired.

have a good night,
Alice

That has been proven to be incorrect and any up to date vet or doctor will tell you that.

It is thought that the myth arose from when humans were diagnosed with kidney disease they were put on a low protein diet, however the only reason for that was because low protein is also often low nitrogen, nitrogen is what people with kidney disease should avoid, not protein. Now patients with kidney disease are put simply on a low nitrogen diet consisting of easily digesting protein that will therefore have fewer nitrogen by-products.

High protein is the best possible thing you can give a healthy dog. I believe in feeding dogs what they were designed to eat.

I've also been thinking about going to the Raw Diet but am a little intimidated. I'm not really a meat person myself so I'm wondering if I am going to get grossed out by the food. I know that sounds selfish of me!!

well, can i ask how expensive is it? I looked up the site but couldn't find prices and am curious how much a bag of the medallions is and how long does it last? And I've heard raw is good for the teeth but since this doesn't actually have the whole bones, is it still as good for the teeth?

Well it won't build up on the teeth like dog food does but its not going to be anywhere near as good for the teeth as a traditional home prepered RAW as there is no chewing of raw meaty bones involved.

However if your not comfortable with doing it yourself then you could feed mainly pre-made but will the occasional RMB for their teeth, theres a few people on here who do that.