How many here do raw food for their pets?

[riverdeep]

Came across this interesting website which challenges the conventional wisdom on regular pet foods and was wondering about people who've done something similar:

http://www.drkarenbecker.com/nav_sets_04/set04.htm

(for some reason, it doesn't take you to the raw food diet straight away. please click on 'raw food diets' in the left hand menu)

[riverdeep]

1. Here's a sample of what this vet is saying:

"Dogs and cats have consumed raw foods for thousands of years. Some cats and dogs still mouse or hunt today, but the majority of our pets have been raised on lifeless, processed food for the last 6-10 generations. Evolution, or the body’s ability to adapt, can and does occur; but it takes longer than 80 years for it to happen. Since commercial pet foods entered the market our pets have not genetically adapted to the diet, which is very different from the diet they evolved to eat. To argue whether dogs and cats can eat raw food is moot; they have been doing it for thousands of years. They are designed to efficiently and healthfully thrive on living foods. There is no scientific evidence that our pets’ gastrointestinal (GI) tracts have changed or become less resistant over time. There are plenty of comparative anatomical studies demonstrating the biologic parallels of big cats to little cats, dogs to wolves. Painful as it sounds, our pets are still designed to tear, rip, swallow and digest raw flesh. We voluntarily picked predators as companions and must accept them as such! Trying to convert herbivores to carnivores or vice versa is best left to Mother Nature and Father Time; they do a much better job. Feeding your pet incorrectly because you don’t agree with the food source is not fair to the pet. Knowing what each specie’s nutritional requirements are before buying the pet is imperative. Some of us may decide to house rabbits after this lecture, just don’t try to convert them to a meat diet!

Home-prepared diets can be the most or the least nutritious foods you could offer your pet. If the diet is unbalanced it will foster potentially life threatening nutritional deficiencies. If it’s balanced it will add years of healthy living to your pet’s life. I believe no one diet is perfect for every pet. Many pets have unique physiologic needs that a diet should address. Some pets just do better consuming certain foods. Some animals cannot tolerate certain foods. The process of finding out what foods your pet likes and dislikes is part of the process. You can consider the process a burden or an adventure."

[Lorien]

2. I feed mine freeze dried raw

and sometimes mix Prairie Nature's variety raw diet into their canned food. They don't like it much, but I know it's better for them. I'm blending the frozen raw with a bit of cooked chicken (for taste) and a concoction of holistic remedies for my FIP kitten Atticus today. I hope it will bring about a miracle!

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Atticus has been diagnosed? I hope that your miracle happens.

I know that if any;one can do it, you will be the one.

Sending all the love and white light I can gather for you, Atticus, Pip, Oberon and Puck.

[Lorien]

4. The vet only said that she was fairly certain that it's FIP

there's no conclusive test that can be done while the cat is alive, so she didn't bother with any. She could have tested for corona virus, but since 80-90% of all kittens who come from a shelter have it, it's safe to assume that he has it too. She said that he's the right age for FIP and since it's between 2-3 month since he was neutered, vaccinated, and sent to his new home (all on the same day), that's the amount of time that the FIP mutation needs to turn into full blown FIP. I hate feeling angry with the SPCA, but I can't help it. This all could have been avoided if they just would have vaccinated him well before he was neutered. He was there for over two months-surely they could have spread things out. When I picked him up to bring him home and they told me about everything that had been done that day my stomach did a flip flop; I knew that he was now at high risk for FIP, but I already loved him, so I couldn't leave him there. I think that I'll write something to the SPCA about this. I wonder how many other people who have adopted kittens from them have endured the same heartache? :cry:

At least he's having a good day today; he actually wanted to go outside again (I'd taken him out a few days ago because a kitten should see the day and night at least once in his life). He walked slowly at my side, then rubbed against my leg and purred. It's the most "normal" that I've seen him in days, so I'm happy to give him what moments I can.


:hug:

[BrklynLiberal]

5. I hope with all my heart that he has many more such days ahead of him....

Have I ever given you this link before...to Shirley's Wellness Cafe..Holistic Treatment of Cats/Dogs.

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/feline.htm


Here is a section on FIP
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/renalfailure.htm#FIP

Here are a couple of excerpts...

I think the homeopathic nosode's approach of strengthening cellular immunity and prevention of infection this way, without any fear of a virus getting in there to be able to trigger an antibody response (since there is no virus in the nosode), is the way to go.

Toby was diagnosed with FIP in February 1998, just two weeks after he was given 3 vaccinations in one day. I thought it was too much to give to a 4 lbs kitten. But I did not say anything to the veterinarian. Now I strongly believe that the vaccination messed up his immune system. Toby had the wet type of FIP and had fluid accumulation in his chest. Shelley believes that a change of her cat's diet from commercial kibbles and canned food to wholesome raw food helped saved her cat.

There is also a list of homeopathic vets who offer telephone consultations.

[Lorien]

8. Thanks BrklynLiberal

You did give me that link when Mithril had FIP. I had a Homeopathic vet in Australia send me a set of nosodes and other treatments which I used to try to save Mithril, but it was too late for him. I'm using them again, along with raw food and a powder called "Trigger Immune" that my Holistic/ Chinese vet recommended. Atticus Pye is pretty much unchanged today-though his breathing was more labored this morning. I think I need to get even more food into him because he's still just skin and bones. I'll keep doing all that I can; where there's life there's still hope!

:hug:

[BrklynLiberal]

9. I will be keeping you and Atticus Pye in my thoughts....

:hug: :pals:

[riverdeep]

6. Some info for those like me who had no idea what FIP is:

FIP is caused by a virus. Cats can be infected with feline coronavirus (FCoV). There are two types of this virus which cannot be distinguished from each other in laboratory tests. One is avirulent (does not cause disease) or only mildly virulent and is called feline enteric coronavirus (FECV). Infection with this virus does not produce any signs other than maybe a very mild diarrhea. The other type is virulent (produces disease), is the cause of FIP, and is called feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). It is believed that FIP occurs when FECV mutates to FIPV in the cat and starts to replicate in the cat's cells. What causes this mutation is unknown.

Studies have shown that approximately 25-40% of household cats, and up to 95% of cats in multi-cat households and catteries are or have been infected with FCoV. The development of fatal FIP occurs in 1 in 5000 cats in households with one or two cats. In multi-cat households and catteries 5% of cats die from FIP.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1316&aid=212

Here's hoping your own gets better.

[Dover]

7. There's so little known about FIP ...

And I'm sure you've researched it until you're cross-eyed.
I found this in my searches of turmeric, which you might have already seen.
This author looks at FIP as a kind of kitty HIV.

http://www.geocities.com/joelkehler/curcumin.htm
http://www.geocities.com/joelkehler/bdmeds.htm

More: http://www.google.com/search?q=Feline+FIP%2C+turmeric&btnG=Google+Search

(((hugs)))