We don't feed raw. I tried it.
1. I'm a germaphobe when it comes to raw food. I wash my hands and spatulas and countertops multiple times while cooking meat. I felt like they were full of nastiness even though they have fairly short hair. I was worried about them getting it on their paws and faces and in their water bowl. I gave them baths, brushed their teeth, washed my entire kitchen and never gave it to them again.
2. They get diarrhea if they don't have kibble at least once a day. Or at least meat+rice/potatoes. They need carbs. They don't do well on grain free, even kibble.

I need to cook for them more, but they eat Innova small bites so I feel like it's a good food for days when i can't cook their dinner.

I agree with you, we have fed Prissy dry kibble all her life and she still has tartar build up. She is scheduled to have her teeth cleaned April 1st and she ain't gonna like it..........poor baby.

I have a child that was born with a Primary Immune defect, so I am very cautious of what comes into contact with him. I actually looked into the raw feeding and it just seemed way to risky for my son's health to go this way of feeding with our Yorkies.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I fed Lola raw for almost 6 months and she LOVED it!!! I had to stop for 2 reasons. 1. I don't have access to the organ meat needed for the diet. No local butcher. 2. My son has been in/out of the hospital several times in recent months. Lola spent some significant time with my sister. She absolutely REFUSED to feed her raw. I even had all her meals premade. She just couldn't get past the raw. :p It's not good for Lola to keep switching back and forth. For now, she's back on Innova Evo. It's about as close as you can get to raw but in a kibble. I without a doubt will go back to raw once things settle down. Even if I have to go out of town once a month to get what is needed.

I don't personally have anything against feeding raw. It's just not for me. I don't know a lot about it and obviously I know I would have to greatly educate myself on it before trying it or considering it. I guess I would just be afraid that I wouldn't be giving my dog an adequate amount of nutrition. I must admit that after joining this site I have become a food freak when it comes to dog kibble and such lol, but really I have nothing against using raw. I know it works great for some people, but it just isn't for me. Best of luck to you if you decide to use it!

I don't feed raw for a few reasons. One I don't have the time to prepare these meals for Maddie and clean her and the feeding surfaces the way I fel would be necessary after each meal. Two, and most importantly, I do not know enough about her nutritional needs to feel confident in feeding raw. I know a friend of my groomer feeds 100% raw and she has a mini butcher station set up in her kitchen, meat grinder and all. :D I just don't have the time to prepare healthy meal this way.

I've read a little about this, and it sounds interesting. It seems like you would be able to control more this way.

If you don't plan to buy premade there is definitely a time commitment. I always prepared Lola's meals a month at a time and froze them. You just need to remember to pull them out of the freezer! :D

This thread is a great read!! I also thought all these things for as long as I have had Snickers and have been reading about diet. We also travel alot and finding the perfect kibble ws hard enough right!!? It's always been in the back of my mind and wanted to feed raw but I was just too grossed out and just decided to get the best kibble for Snick possible. But the thought just kept lingering and the more I read, the more I wanted it for Snick. I was at a doggy beastro and the woman there is a very knowledgable dog diet lover and she went on and on about raw. I finally decided to try it (just this morning was day 1!) w/ all intensions of keeping Evo kibble as his evening meal and today was great. Snick devoured his NV medallion and had 2 sessions of super small poop today already!!!!!! He also happily ate his Evo this evening. I have to say the medallion is nice & neat! So easy to handle and was just...easy! There was nothing in his beard, the medallion is not sticky/wet. It's pretty solid. No complaints as to the ease or cleanliness of it. But then again this is just MY opinion...everyone has their own preferences. But if you are thinking about it...try it:)

If ever interested in just learning about it - I think Nadia (Rawfedyorkieluv) makes her own grinds sometimes.

But also, if ever interested, I get my pre-made raw food locally - it's made right here, in Surprise, AZ: Home Page

The 'education' gal at Suzy's is amazing to talk to, so smart! And all of the recipes have been developed by a PhD canine Nutritionist. Pretty neat. :)

My reason is....They won't eat it!!! I have tried.... :)

I gave my little baby George (4 months old) a meal of raw meat and never again, he got it all over his face even though it was cut really small, went through his system terribly and I had so much mess to clean up, George gets really upset when he's messy and I hate seeing him upset so we are sticking to kibble and homecooking.

I just have to say no thanks...no amount of explaining will convince me that this is a safe and healthy thing to do for my dog.

Yes, I knew this already. So even those who feed kibble need to take precautions when handling dog food and the face kissing. However Kibble, isnt as messy as feeding raw NOT everything needs to be cleaned up after the dog eats, this is why I wont feed raw, it was gross and the clean up time was obnoixous. Im happy that Raw feeding works for you and your pets. :D

:thumbup: i like your post, simple and to the point!! :D

2. They get diarrhea if they don't have kibble at least once a day. Or at least meat+rice/potatoes. They need carbs. They don't do well on grain free, even kibble

My dogs didnt do well on a grain free diet either, they need the carbs too. Thats why I have a tendency not to beleive that our domesticated little dogs have the same digestive systems has a 50 pound wolf.

My girls are on Primal premade raw and also homecook diet. They are doing excellent on it. They used to be on Primal raw 100% but i wanted to give them variety so they have homecook food also. But i got their homecook food receipe to be formulated by a nutrionist so it is well balanced.

My girls are on the dehydrated freeze-dried raw by The Honest Kitchen. FDA approved plants, 100% hormone free meats with lots of organics as well.

We use on the Embark (turkey formula) for breakfast and then dinner is the Preference (veggies and fruits only) mixed with cooked salmon and talapia. This is the diet prescribed for Sissy's digestive disorder from the pet nutritionist. When we add the fish, she gets less than 1 oz of fish, so it is low in protein, low in fat and yet contains healthy veggies and fruits, but still no grains.

The girls are doing wonderfully well on it, have great looking teeth and coats amd it is not time consuming or messy to feed. We event travel with it (and then used tuna or salmon in water - the foil packets). With the freeze-dried dehyrated raw, any chance of e-coli or salmonella is eradicated as well. It is definitely more expensive, but not a ton more.

My girls will not eat any other raw, including the medallions or grind. When I have tried, Sissy turns her nose up and Angel then proceeds to choke for hours (I'm presuming on the bone fragments).

I didn't think freezing effected e-coli or salmonella, I know they can't grow under freezing conditions, but they aren't destroyed either.


When you say Sissy turns her nose up at other raw because of the bone fragments, I thought bone fragments were a very important part of the nutrition in raw, does this mean that the freeze dried raw has no fragments, or do you mean that they are ground up tinier?

And that's your prerogative and I respect it.

But ya know, that's exactly how many raw-feeders and homecookers feel about kibble. Personally, I don't quite feel that cut-and-dried about it - I think there are good kibbles out there, dogs can thrive on it, and I support those who choose to feed kibble.

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I just wish that no matter what diet people choose here, whether kibble/cooking/raw, that others would try to be supportive instead of seeming to imply that what so-and-so is feeding is unsafe and unhealthy. I understand the intent of this thread, and folks are sharing their opinions - but geesh, imagine if someone started a thread called "Why Do you NOT Feed Kibble" - imagine how that thread would go and the kibble-feeders' reactions :rolleyes:!

Just because raw-feeders may be in the minority here, it doesn't mean their chosen diet is wrong, or right - for that matter. But the same really goes for all diets, at this point in canine nutrition. So I guess all we can do is make choices that feel the best for our own dogs and be respectful of others' choices for their dogs. :)

It isn't freezing that affects this, it is freeze drying process which is different.

Sissy turns her nose up at all other raw - won't touch it at all. Angel chokes on the bone fragments. The Honest Kitchen products do not contain bones at all - nor organ meats, but then neither does kibble.

Oh, thank you I didn't know about the freeze dry process doing that, but that makes sense. I wonder if it could affect important enzymes though, as I believe that they are bacteria as well, you know good bacteria?

I thought if a dog wasn't eating bones, calcium had to be substituted in fairly large quantities, I know they do this with kibble, and those that are home cooking also recommend adding high calcium supplements.

This comment shouldn't just be between raw/kibble, but, kinds of kibble, if you feed something that is a 2 or 3 star, you get jumped all over. Everyone should be able to say what they feed without everyone jumping down thier back

I agree!

Well yeah, I thought that was my point. I said "the same goes for ALL diets". I didn't imply in my post that one grade of diet was any better than another. :confused:

:D I know that, but instead of me having to type everything, your statement was the closest I could use. If you look at other posts, if someone feeds purina or eukanuba, they get jumped all over. The thing is if you can find a food that your dog(s) like and they seem to be healthy, not scratching, healthy hair, I don't care if it is a 1 star food, leave them on it!

Don't do it
 

Talk about perfect TIMING! I was talking to my breeder and vet about this just a few minutes ago. The vet said DO NOT USE IT but it came highly recommended from somebody my breeder trusted and so she gave her dogs 1/2 TEASPOON! 2 of the dogs caught salmonella and had to be RUSHED TO THE VET!!! had Diarrhea so badly that he was POOPING OUT HIS INTESTINES and the other one couldn't even lift her head she was so weak. THIS WAS AFTER ONLY 1/2 TEASPOON!!!

I know a friend that has her bigger dog on it, but I worry about putting yorkies on it. If they get salmonella it can be fatal SO QUICKLY!

Oh, okay! I gotcha! :D

I know exactly what you mean and I too don't like it when someone gets jumped on. I mean, I'm not against a little education and I do like some premium ingredients for various reasons or dislike certain things for various reasons (i.e., Nutro, yikes!). But, at the end of the day - you really do just have to assess how your dog is doing - and that result is only up to that dog's owner. :)

Even though I said it earlier - just fyi, there is salmonella in pretty much all bags of kibble.

Salmonella will make a dog sick only if they are immune compromised.

If this is true, why are their recalls for bags that contain salmonella? I mean I think it's important for consumers to be aware of the possibility and always wash their hands after handling dog food, but where did you get the information that it is in all dog food?