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Raw Food Diet; Any Problems?


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I would like to know if anybody who changed their dog over to raw had problems with it? Has any dog gotten ill? Has anybody who switched ever regretted it? How do you feel it has improved/been detrimental to your dog's health?Do you feel your dogs have less medical problems because of it?Has anyone turned to the diet to help their dog with a medical problem?Did it help? Did their coat fill in more on the diet? My dogs back legs are totally bald on top and almost bald the rest of the way down.He also has no hair on his belly and bottom 1/2 of his sides.The hair on his back looks much better than when I got him in March at 41/2 but I thought maybe switching to a RAW diet might help with the baldness. I had his thyroid tested,it was normal.I want to try it because intellectually it makes perfect sense to me ,but emotionally I still have a fear of "RAW MEAT DISEASES". Plus I know I will get a ton of resistance from my husband and M-I-L that lives here! Can't blame them; I've been reading for the last 2 weeks and I'm still unsure if it 's right. I'm not sure how to get them to look at it with an open mind.Any thoughts and advice are welcome!

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We don't feed entirely raw - we mix half ground raw feed (blend of beef and chicken muscle, bone and organs) with kirkland kibble. He also gets a chicken foot or a turkey neck once a week as a treat which we feed with his collar on so we can keep him on the kitchen tile in case he drops it. Never had any issues with getting sick, though our pup has only been with us for a month and a half. His fur is really soft and thick (including his butt!), but he did come to us that way from the track so I think it's just genes and not food. He does have a small bald patch on his chest, which has just recently started growling some sparse hair.

 

Only down side right now is that his stools are fairly soft most of the time (formed, but not always neatly pick-up-able).

 

We are concerned about the humans in the house getting a bug from the meat since we hand feed his entire meal bite by bite. We wash really well with soap and scrub under the nails after feeding time... so far no problems.

 

Our adoption group recommended Missing Link supplement as they've found it helps their fosters with their coats. I haven't tried it though.

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Changed everything for us. Rainy was having really bad allergies. After months of liquid pops she firmed up after her first raw meal. My dogs are far from fat. Coats are shiny and glimmer in the sun. Nice coats, nice teeth, actually just had the vet tell me that she doesn't think 8yr old Rainy will ever need a dental. No doggy breath, no horrible gas. I will never go back to feeding kibble if I can help it. Sunshine is now very furry but she's also on thyroid meds so it could have been that.

 

I have used raw-lite a yahoo group for a lot of my info. They make things seem easy and less overwhelming. Plus you won't get banned from mentioning kibble or veggies. Some raw feeders are a little over the top.

 

The are risks. Tooth breakage, choking, bizarre bacteria issues, etc. I've been feeding this way for three years and have had no problems. You just need to weigh those risks against the pros. There are risks with everything anyone does.

 

Oh and we feed the prey model diet... ex husband wasn't too thrilled back when I started. Oddly the BF now thinks it's the coolest thing ever and tells people about it as much as he can! Lol even trying to get scrap deer parts from his coworkers.

 

The sound of crunching bones will make you panic at first. Just walk away and take deep breathes. Now the crunching of bones sound relaxes me and makes me smile.

------

 

Jessica

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The raw diet is right for some people not for others. If you feel you are dedicated enough to try it then go for it. I won't write a book here, please ask specifics if you need to, but I have fed it for (12?) years to 4 different dogs and all have done well. Never had a problem, in fact in all those years I never needed the vet for anything other than routine checkups or a few stitches...no dentals either. I thought I would never feed it (back then it wasn't nearly as common as now) but ended up trying it out of desperation when my old dog had chronic IBD/Pancreatitis and kibble wasn't working. It literally cured everything in a week, so after seeing that, plus the other benefits I would now never feed anything else. But...it does take a bit of extra work/cost and is not for everyone.

 

If you are going to switch permanately, definitely get some books to read up on it...too many people think just feeding a diet based on chicken necks and backs is all you have to do, but that isn't ideal. I also am a member of some online groups, those are useful too.

 

BTW sorry to say, but I doubt raw will make fur grow back on your dog, a lot of greys have bald tummies and legs. :)

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I know many people who feed raw and the dogs don't have very nice coats. Is it the food or perhaps they aren't groomed regularly? I don't know. But I also know kibble fed dogs with lousy coats. Raw fed dogs, I do find, seem to have excellent back teeth but not so much the fronts. Kibble fed dogs seem to have cleaner front teeth but not so much the backs.

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Raw fed dogs, I do find, seem to have excellent back teeth but not so much the fronts. Kibble fed dogs seem to have cleaner front teeth but not so much the backs.

 

So no matter what you feed it is always good to brush teeth daily! :)

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We don't feed entirely raw - we mix half ground raw feed (blend of beef and chicken muscle, bone and organs) with kirkland kibble. He also gets a chicken foot or a turkey neck once a week as a treat which we feed with his collar on so we can keep him on the kitchen tile in case he drops it. Never had any issues with getting sick, though our pup has only been with us for a month and a half. His fur is really soft and thick (including his butt!), but he did come to us that way from the track so I think it's just genes and not food. He does have a small bald patch on his chest, which has just recently started growling some sparse hair.

 

Only down side right now is that his stools are fairly soft most of the time (formed, but not always neatly pick-up-able).

 

We are concerned about the humans in the house getting a bug from the meat since we hand feed his entire meal bite by bite. We wash really well with soap and scrub under the nails after feeding time... so far no problems.

 

Our adoption group recommended Missing Link supplement as they've found it helps their fosters with their coats. I haven't tried it though.

 

Not being critical but seriously curious because I don't know: If there is concern about humans getting a bug from the meat, why isn't that concern for the dogs?

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Here is an article on some of the myths commonly associated with raw food diets.

 

Raw Veterinary Diets

 

People will inevitably have different stories, and while the experience of others can be helpful on some level, I wouldn't rely on anecdote to make a decision on my companion's health. I would want to look at the actual science and whether there is evidence to suggest that the adoption of a particular diet will be beneficial.

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Here is a great discussion (among the some 50 threads on the topic) about raw feeding: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/242512-raw-feeding-basics/page__hl__%2Bfeeding+%2Bbasics

 

Our 4 dogs are raw fed and the positive benefits were immediately obvious: eliminated gas and firmed the stool (as well as decreased the quantity by 50%). As with anything, there are pros and risks - I almost said 'cons' but in the 3 years we've been feeding raw, we haven't found any. It is less convenient, sure, but having 4 dogs isn't exactly 'convenient', either.

 

Brucie has not needed a dental in the 4 years we've had him and Bumper had one only to remove broken teeth from crate chewing before we got him.

 

Bloodwork, coats, weight, energy, satiability are all amazing.

 

Even with an immunosuppressed dog, we haven't had any issues of bacterial overgrowth or stomach problems - nothing. Dogs have a much shorter GI tract than humans and as a result, don't get the complications from consuming raw meat that we do.

 

You can make any dog fat by overfeeding it and withholding exercise.

 

You can transition to raw over a couple days or go cold turkey. We've done the latter with great results 4 times.

 

In the end, it's your call and you will get a wide range of opinions from people. We'll never go back to kibble, though - we switched to raw for a reason and have been very happy with the results. Those results outweigh anyone else's opinion (family/friends, etc) on the topic. Good luck with your research and decision.

 

PS - the hair (quantity) thing is probably not related to diet.

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I switched to raw a couple years ago. It has been wonderful. NO problems at all. In fact they are all healthier now than they ever were before. I am leery of chicken so I don't feed them raw chickum but they get raw everything else-turkey, beef, lots of tripe(perfect food), alpaca, chickum feet, bunny feet, lamb, mutton, goat etc. Their coat is so soft on the raw food. You might look up melatonin for hair growth-that works goood too. One of the wonderful side effects of raw is no surprise diarheaa. The meat is the meat and it don't change and they are used to it. Dry food manufactures always change theri formula and then surprise surprise you have to deal with the results. Also the raw is GREYT for their teeth. It really helps keep their teeth clean-especially turkey necks. And not to mention thier appetite is alwasys good! IMO raw food is the best (and easiest) way to go.

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Guest lanielovesgreys

I didn't love it. It was a lot of grocery shopping, a lot of raw meat juices, and a lot of mess. This has also proved to be an obstacle in feeding the humans in my house. So take that with a grain of salt. :P

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Guest KennelMom

We've fed raw off and on over the years. I greatly prefer it to kibble...however, we have a separate building where all the dogs eat and their food is kept. I might be less thrilled with it having to feed all of them raw inside my own house. Being overweight has less to do with what the dog eats, than how much the dog eats so a dog can be overweight on both raw or kibble. I've seen a LOT of overweight greyhounds and most of them were on kibble but that's probably because most dogs eat kibble. I think it's easier to keep and maintain weight on raw but it is easy to overfeed b/c it's very calorie dense

 

We have one dog that eats kibble now and that's because she has a chicken allergy. With only 7 greyhounds now, though, it's getting more feasible to switch her to a chicken-free raw diet. Hopefully soon.

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Not being critical but seriously curious because I don't know: If there is concern about humans getting a bug from the meat, why isn't that concern for the dogs?

 

Apparently because dogs have a shorter digestive tract so bacteria doesn't get enough time to reach number required to cause illness, and dogs have a more powerful stomach that kills off stuff that we can't.

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Bald thighs and legs and bellys are very common with Greyhounds, and most people believe it's genetic. It is highly unlikely that anything you do with diet will grow hair there, although a bunch of people swear by Melatonin.


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After countless food trials to find something that worked with our "allergic to everything" Kasey, raw is the only thing that has reduced his itching to a bare minimum and also reducing his prednisone intake to next to nil to control the breakouts. It also encouraged the very picky eater in him to eat his entire bowl. Unfortunately, it also means he has slimmed down quite a bit, since the raw is very lean....no added by-products etc. like kibble, and very little fat. So really raw IMO is healthier, however you might have to feed more of it to keep the correct weight on your pup, so it can get rather expensive. The other thing, NO STINKY FARTS! :rofl

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Guest grey_dreams

Raw is healthier. My dogs eat raw. I buy very good quality, mostly organic meats, grinds that are commercially available from specialty pet stores. If you feed poor quality reduced-for-quick-sale, factory meat from the grocery store, it's not as healthy (antibiotics and hormones, salts and other contaminants in the meat).

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Guest FinnsMom

At the moment my guy is fed kibble for breakfast and raw for supper. As soon as this bag of kibble is gone, we are going 100% raw. I've read way more positive things than negative about the raw diet and if my vet has a problem with it, then I'll find a vet who doesn't.

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Thanks everyone for your input! I've been reading a lot online,watching videos on youtube, and have ordered some books(raw meaty bones)and I feel this is the route I want to pursue.Surprisingly enough, my husband did'nt wig out as much as I thought he would! He's not happy, but he said do what you want, just don't kill my dog!So, once I read the books, I plan to start with the chicken.I'm still trying to find somebody who regretted changing over to raw but haven't found it yet!

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Here is an article on some of the myths commonly associated with raw food diets.

 

Raw Veterinary Diets

 

People will inevitably have different stories, and while the experience of others can be helpful on some level, I wouldn't rely on anecdote to make a decision on my companion's health. I would want to look at the actual science and whether there is evidence to suggest that the adoption of a particular diet will be beneficial.

 

Noteworthy that the article above makes no mention of the difference in fecal output between raw and processed. Surely massive amounts of soft or loose feces is a sign of a less than ideal health in a dog (as it would be in a human). And no mention of benefit to teeth? The problems cited seem to relate to mismanaged raw diets. That article really smacks of a one sided slam against raw diets, not an objective analysis. Something smells fishy. Count me skeptical of the skeptic!

 

My boy did well on both but with raw it is actually possible to pick up after him. With kibble, no way. Below is just a small sample of the problem.

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