Raw...really raw
 

My daughter feeds her two doxies and pittie raw liver, raw turkey necks, raw hearts (chicken, I'm guessing). She said the bones in the raw turkey necks won't hurt them. She swears that it's good for them and they love it. I did see a video of them eating the turkey necks and they did seem to like them...a lot. But somehow I can't get past the raw part, especially the liver. Mine do like cooked liver but they don't get it that often, if at all. I know you can buy raw food for dogs at the store but I've only tried that once, didn't go over too well, but that was a few years ago. Does anyone else feed raw, really raw food? What are the benefits?

A lot of people feed raw. It's typically known as PMR (prey model raw) or BARF.

Raw bones are "okay" for dogs to eat (as in, they're digestible, compared to cooked bones which can splinter and cause major obstructions etc). Some give RMB's (raw meaty bones) for recreational chewing.

As far as I know, when you're feeding PMR raw, you NEED the bone otherwise they will be lacking essential nutrients. The suggested guideline when figuring how much to feed of what is: 10% whole, raw bones, 10% whole raw organ meats and 80% skeletal muscle meats.

PMR does include any veggies, dairy, etc, no extra supplements. Supposedly they get everything they need from the raw food. Benefits are supposed to be shinier coat, very clean teeth, less stool. I am sure raw feeders could explain more.

It's not something I'd personally be comfortable with. Some really love it though.

I would not be comfortable with feeding a raw diet. To me, there is no nutritional advantage of raw food over cooked food and even if there was there are downsides to raw in terms of food safety.

I know a lot of pups do well on raw. My boys would turn up their noses and tell me to cook it. :p

ETA: Bird poop good, raw food not good. Love their thinking.

Thanks for the replies. I don't know if I could feed raw, just the thought of feeding a "heart" creeps me out. I think mine would turn up their nose as well.

I know animal digestive systems are different from humans, but I always wash my hands, cutting boards, dishwear, knives, etc. that contact raw meat really well! Always worry about e-coli, etc. from raw meats. Now, my husband allowed the outdoor farm cats to have fresh-caught, raw fish leftovers, when he cleaned his fish by the garage. Then, he rinsed the fillets at kitchen sink before frying; he cleaned off sink with Brillo pads. The outdoor cats really loved the fish remains, but he does not give raw meat remains to our indoor Yorkie pup. Taffy has always has mixed doggie canned food & kibble, and some cooked treats every so often. I just feel leary of raw meat, period. But, everyone has their own opinions on this.

Yes - lots of people here feed PMR (prey model raw), which is what your daughter is doing and they all recommend it.

I feed pre-made raw (comes frozen, in patties, then I defrost it) and love it for my kiddos.

So far so good with Natures Variety Frozen Raw and Primal Frozen Raw!

:thumbup::thumbup:

I feed a pre-made raw from Darwin's and my little absolutely loves it!! I would never go back to processed food unless it was medically necessary!! Piper absolutely refused to eat processed dog food no matter how I tried to fix if for her. Raw is the BEST choice for my little!

There are downsides to feeding processed food in terms of food safety, too. :)

Do what is best for you after you have done all of your research as this can be a very heated topic. ;)

This.

I also feed raw (yes, raw-raw, lol) or PMR. My kiddos love it. The night we brought Thalia home she stole some of Zeus' food and that was that! LOL

Turkey necks are too big for my little ones, but some dogs can definitely chow them down.

I also feed raw. Gunner gets all parts of the chickens that I grew and slaughtered. We have hearts, gizzards, livers, necks (his favorite) feet, heads, you get the idea. I also feed beef and turkey. All very well balanced. I would love to feed him a premixed raw, but so far I have not found any he will eat. Oh, and he LOVES green tripe!

That's why in my opinion home cooking is the best but processed food that has vet nutritionist that help to make it and they do the testing necessary and put the money into making a quality food is very safe.

Green Tripe aka doggie crack!!! OMG, Piper goes crazy and will sit and lick her bowl for about 15 minutes. Piper also gets chicken necks, feet, livers, hearts and gizzards from chickens we grew and slaughtered. I have to watch her really close because she tries to hide her necks.

Your opinion. ;)

I don't think we can categorically claim there is no nutritional value over processed. Processing does denature things when it comes to food. Just like how cooking vegetables denatures some it's nutritional value, steaming does so but to a lesser extent, while eating veg raw is seen as carrying the best nutritional value. And most of us are willing to eat our veg raw despite all the e.coli etc and other germs we know are on it.

I'm not saying, however, that raw *does* have nutritional value over processed. What I'm saying though, is that I don't think we can make the claim that it doesn't, bc it may. And on the flip side of that, who knows, maybe processed has the superior value, ya know?

The bottom line is, we just really do not know - either way.

Daughter's Peace Corps pet food experiences!
 

Our daughter was stationed in the center of the Ukraine in 2008 for 24 months, after 2 months living with a host family in the capitol of Kiev. Now, 'grocery stores' were a new concept over there, and we saw only a few small ones in the larger cities when we visited her. There were mostly farmers markets or small village food shops. Kim said not many people kept larger indoor pets, except for a few kitty cats she saw, and an occasional dog. There were pet shops, but the one in the town near her village only sold birds and the baby 'red-ear slider' turtles - (red stripes on sides of necks), these baby turtles were 'poached' from lakes in Canada & the USA and sold in Europe for pets, just the way pet stores & little stores did right here in the USA back in the 1950's! One of her best friends in the P.Corps, Emmy, did buy herself a little pup from a lady in a nearby city who bred them once a year. He was similar to a type of Maltese. The people in Emmy's apartment, especially the children, loved "Misha" since most families where she lived could not afford a "pet"! Emmy followed the breeder's instructions and made Misha's food at her apartment in her town. It had cooked rice, egg, and a meat (fish or ?) and some cooked veggies. There was no ready-made dog foods for sale there at all. The few times their Ukrainian friends saw "ready-made cat and dog foods" in the 'new smaller grocery stores', Kim said the Ukranian people "felt sorry for the USA animals" having to eat the same kind of food day after day! People over there made their pets foods from their own leftovers, and Kim said the animals seemed healthy on their homemade foods, probably not much different from how pets were fed here in the USA in the 1800-earlier 1900's when we were more rural in life style and there were no "dog food companies" yet. And yes, Misha got all her shots so she could pass the tests, and she came back home to USA with Emmy! Kim said there were vets, but not in every town.