RAW FOODS for Yorkies

[CLYorkie]

I want to feed my puppy raw food. the vet said it is not advisable for this breed because it can rot the teeth. I am hoping this is not true. Any thoughts?

[Britster]

Lol, no. If anything, it will HELP the teeth. Raw will not rot the teeth.

It's debatable whether it's best or not. Some believe it's the greatest, others don't.

It's a matter of your preference, what your comfortable with, and what your dog does best on.

[Yorkiemom1]

I suggest you thoroughly research raw diets....from several reputable sources....then decide what you want to do.

[CLYorkie]

i trust that raw food is good for most dogs but yorkie i don't know b/c of their small mouth. the vet has me concerned.

[Verbena]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

I suggest you thoroughly research raw diets....from several reputable sources....then decide what you want to do.

I definitely agree

[concretegurl]

I can personally testify to the benneffit of teeth condition and raw feeding.

I'd question the vet research and ask him/her to quote it.

[Lovetodream88]

I am not a raw expert or anything but I don't think you are supposed to feed raw until a dog is at least a year old.

[concretegurl]

Most now say 6a months so bacteria (natural safe) can build up in the stomach and intestines.

Some say 3a months some still say 1a year I personally would never feed unsterilized untested raw meats to a dog under 1year.

Raw risks are based mainly on food quality prep handling and creating a proper balanced diet.

Many raw feeders feed boiled meats for 3 month easing into rare then raw.

[Yorkiemom1]

I know that I STUPIDLY with NO research on my own, just stepped up and put an entire litter of puppies (3+ months old) on a raw diet...they LOVED it!!! and then in a little over a week, the entire group came down deathly sick from gastro enteritis, caused by eating raw food without haveing the intestinal bacteria in place to tackle it...their systems became overwhelmed with bacteria and they were very sick. My vet went ballistic....actually made me feel awful for taking such a MAJOR deviation from what I normally do with my dogs, and just jumping out there without doing my research. SHE told me NEVER feed raw food until a year old at least! So, that is why I say, do YOUR OWN research...dont just listen to "chatter" that is pro-raw....and be aware there ARE consequences for feeding raw, if you are not doing it correctly! Right age, right food, right balance of nutritients.....all critical for success.

[CLYorkie]

Dr. karen Becker has a Real Food cookbook out. she is on dr. mercola's site. perhaps in the book puppy food is lightly cooked? my concern was the teeth. thanks for input. i know one thing: no grains

[concretegurl]

Karen Becker is great she actually researches alternatives rarely looked at.

While I don't fully agree with her on everything I follow her on FB she provides so much information others don't.

[sganow]

We feed mostly kibble but supplement with a little bit of commercial premade raw (Nature's Variety and Vital Essentials). I give my dogs each about an ounce of the raw in the evening at dinner time. Then they finish up with their kibble. I free feed the kibble, but I put it up later in the evening and put it back down again the next day. I think this gives them the best of both worlds though. They love the raw at dinner time and go nuts for it.

[107barney]

I have never heard that raw food can rot teeth. That is simply not true. In my view, there are good reasons not to feed raw, but this isn't one of them. I have fed my dogs soft cooked foods for 12 years and their mouths and oral concerns were completely unrelated to diets. For example, my 3 year old had 7 teeth pulled and he eats the same diet as my 12 year old who has needed only one dental in all 12 years. BTW the vet dentist I took my dogs to who is a specialist said it doesn't matter what they eat -- there is no rhyme and reason to periodontal disease. Brush your dog's teeth daily and have professional cleanings as warranted and don't sweat the whole food thing.

[Potter]

Don't think raw food rots the teeth but I find that because I bought the pre-packed raw for my dog in the past, you don't really know how well the quality control is and during transportation if the food was constantly frozen and if it doesn't, the food may be contaminated with bacteria and you won't know. My dog has gotten tummy upset from raw. I have since switched to homecooking.

[CLYorkie]

potter can u give me your recipe? my pup is 2.6 pounds and 14 weeks old