Anyone here also feed their pets raw food?

[tuvor]

Grain is used in almost all kibble, and dogs aren't meant to digest grain. Also, since they're genetically the same as wolves, it only makes sense to feed them accordingly.

So we've been feeding 6-year-old pug raw for the past four years, and our new 4-year-old yellow lab was fed kibble until we rescued him from the SPCA a couple of months ago. The pug's dirty ears and his coat were the first things we saw improve, and our lab, who was grossly overweight is looking a lot better now. His coat is no longer so greasy, and raw bone keeps his teeth clean.

Just wondering if there are any other raw-feeders out there.

[momzno1]

1. We feed raw also

I have a 1 year old mixed breed - looks like a golden, but is really a chow/border collie and others probably. I feed him chicken backs and necks. I buy them in bulk 40lb packages that I get for about 50cents a lb. He is so healthy, and has sparkly teeth and his poops are much smaller and don't smell, and they disintegrate quickly.
He is a very happy pup, and I would NEVER go back to dog food since it is full of Horrible things... rendered road kill, feathers, downed animals etc.
great stuff

[tuvor]

2. Oh, good, I'm not the only one :)

Seeing posts about "going easy on feeding pets (cooked) turkey, "greenies" to correct the problems that the kibble is doing to animals' teeth, and so on, I was wondering if anyone else knew about the benefits of raw.

Although I'm not sure about the author's opinion on not feeding veggies or supplements in addition to a raw-meat diet, I found this link very informative for any newbies who might be interested in knowing more about feeding their pets as nature intended.

http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html

Welcome to DU, by the way!
:hi:

[Lorien]

3. I've tried to; my one cat loves Steve's

freeze dried real food, but the others aren't very interested in my own home cooking attempts.

There was another thread about this subject in this forum not too long ago...

[tuvor]

4. It won't work for all animals.

We tried to get our 15-year old cat off the prescription kibble, but he would have rather starved to death, so we had no choice but to revert.

[Minimus]

5. We use carrots as a treat for our slightly overweight dog.

Our vet recommended it and Frolic loves them. They are crunchy so she thinks she is getting a special dog biscuit.

[InvisibleTouch]

6. I'm a big fan of the raw/homecooked diet.

I've seen a huge improvement in my older dog, who was on commercial food most of his life; and my younger dog was on partially raw/homecooked from the start.

I'm not a full-scale BARFer because I'm still paranoid about bones, and I admit to sneaking in some commercial kibble and canned food still at odd occasions, but I'm phasing it out. Mostly raw beef, cooked rice, and steamed veggies for my guys, with supplemental calcium and additional minerals/vitamins as needed. I also mix in lentils, eggs (raw or cooked), yogurt, and cottage cheese for some variety.