Sunday, August 2, 2009

Anyone experienced with raw diet?

I've been feeding my two year old French Bulldog Science Diet for over two years. I just bought some Nature's Valley beef patties for him and fed him his first one tonight. I have heard both sides of the raw diet, but has anyone had any experience with the raw diet, or the Nature's Valley Raw diet? I do not know a lot about the raw diet, that is why I started him on Nature's Valley since it comes prepared. Any advice on this subject would be greatly appreciated!
Answers:
I've been feeding a raw diet to my dogs and cats for five years now. The group the first person mention is very helpful to people new to the diet--especially when you consider how many times they answer the same questions over and over. %26lt;g> If you go to (veterinarian) Tom Lonsdale's web site, you can read both of his books on raw feeding online. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/

Salmonella is pretty much nothing to worry about for dogs, they are carnivores and have the digestive tract to handle bacteria that humans cannot...besides, kibble has a pretty good salmonella load on it too, and people don't worry about feeding that.

Raw feeding will NOT make a dog mean, there are many livestock dogs that are raw fed, and they do not have any problems telling the difference between the animals they are supposed to heard, guard, etc., and the food they eat. See http://rawfed.com/colbythekiller.html... for an example of a dog knowing to leave live food animals alone.
I feed a raw diet but not a premade mix. You can find more information about how I feed my dogs on this group. They're helpful but I admit they can sometimes be a bit rude.
No sorry, I have considered it but have mine on Nutro, which they have been on forever. I do give them leftover brown rice and veggies from my dinner once in awhile
raw meat should not be given to dogs as it will make them mean and maybe even turn on you once they get the taste for blood they made even kill other animals
A raw food diet is healthful and colorful. At first it may sound daunting, if you just picture standard salad-bar fare, but a raw diet can also be incredibly diverse and delicious. A raw food diet can help you acheive your ideal weight and improve your health.

Steps
The best way to start eating a raw diet is to add more raw food to your current diet. A good start would be to eat fresh fruit for breakfast.
Arm yourself with information. Some good places to start are living foods.com or the book, Raw Family. To answer the question, "Where do you get your protein?" consider reading "The China Study." For some good web search terms, try: living foods, raw, sprouting, dehydrator, juicing, blender, vita-mix, healing, enzymes, organic, recipe.
Buy organic. Organic produce isn't just less toxic, it also has more vitamins and minerals. You will feel more nourished on organic produce.
Try to write a list of produce, herbs, nuts, and seeds from A to Z, and then start consuming them.
Find community. It's wonderful to share food with others. Join a local potluck. If there isn't a potluck near you, start one of your own.
Experiment with growing sprouts and herbs. There is nothing more delicious than fresh sunflower greens. And sprouts are a great source of complete protein!
Consider composting outdoors, or starting a worm composting bin indoors. Then use the resulting soil for your growing experiments.
Choose time-saving devices for your kitchen, such as a food processor, juicer, blender, dehydrator, and a few good knives.
Consider that raw foodists can make satisfying and delicious patties, lasagna, soup, dips, crackers, and even pasta and pizza.
Experiment with green drinks. Chlorophyll can cure a lot of what ails you.
Learn how to make tasty pies, puddings, smoothies, nut milks, and frozen banana cream. Raw desserts are yummy.



Tips
If you can't afford 100% organic, identify those foods that are the most pesticide-contaminated when conventionally grown. Buy just those foods in organic form.
If you go out to a restaurant, come armed with a few items such as avocado, lemon, some herbs, or some natural salad dressing.
Explore online shopping for raw foods.
Find support. Online forums are great resources to meet fellow raw foodists, exchange recipes, and get questions answered.
For many, being honest with the level of fresh, raw plant food that they are CURRENTLY comfortable with (say 10%) and stretching from there (say 1-2% per week) is a nice, slow transition.



Warnings
Be honest with yourself as to whether a 100% raw approach is best for you. Some people choose 100% just to be able to stay on course. Others prefer a more flexible approach, say, 80% raw.
If you choose to be 100% raw or vegan for a period of years, consider supplementing with vitamin B12.
Not everyone can be healthy on this diet. Listen to your body.
Get enough protein and healthy fats; your body needs them to function.
Personally I wouldn't. Pick a decent dry food and stick to it. Handling raw food is risky for you. I have a dog that gets really sick on raw food and it gives him the runs. Storage can be a problem when you have to stash 10# of chicken backs. If the Science Diet is working and your dog does well on it, go for it! Unfortunately people get passionate about dog food.
Read this article this may answer your question
http://www.dogsvets.net/articles/common_...
http://www.dogsvets.net/articles/pet_ani...
Yes, I fed a totally raw but package product called Farmore to my house of show dogs for years. They loved it and thrived on it for years until it became more difficult for me to get. The supplier went out of business. I tried other raw foods and was disappointed. There are myths that they become mean, agressive--but thes are simply myths that most people now know to be untrue.

The only weakness in a raw diet for my breed, which carries a long single, silky coat, was that the raw was lacking enough fatty acids to maintain a glossy coat. Otherwise, teeth required NO ANNUAL DENTAL CLEANINGS, weight and muscle was superior.

I have since returned to kibble out of convenience but would recommend FARMORE to anyone considering a switch now with the issues of contamination in so many foods. Do a google search for ingredients. FARMORE is now carried by more vendors but is pricey.

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