Raw Food Diet for Dogs

[BloNdie]

After much thought, discussion and research, I’ve put my dog (Lab) on a raw diet. I purchased a variety of different foods from Tail Blazers in Arbour Lake.
I’m looking for people who have also gone this route with their pet, and their experiences with making and purchasing the food.
I know there are ways to make the meals yourself, and more inexpensive ways around buying strictly from specialty pet stores.
If you have recipes, or suggestions, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

[R-Audi]

My parents have raw food for their dogs.. but purchase it. I forge the company but they deleiver it every few weeks to the door.
I know both dogs absolutely love it.. and have been healthier since.

[sputnik]

A friend of mind put his 9 year old dog on the raw food diet (Mountain Dog Food) a while ago and he says its like he has a new dog.

Huge difference.

[BloNdie]

I've heard nothing but good reviews from everyone. The only thing is that its a bit more work and tad bit more expensive...but from what I gather, its worth it.

[JRSC00LUDE]

There may be some info. in this old thread about it (I didn't read it, I just remembered it came up before):

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/171445/raw-food-diet-for-dogs/

[Supa Dexta]

Waste of time and money. Dogs have been living healthy long lives on dog food for decades...

[BloNdie]

Originally posted by Supa Dexta
Waste of time and money. Dogs have been living healthy long lives on dog food for decades...

I personally like spending time and money on my dog...so thats not an issue.
I realize there are good kibbles out there, I had good results from Orijen...but I've heard good things about raw, and I'm giving it a shot.

If you've personally had a bad experience, I'd be interested in hearing it....

[redline]

Originally posted by Supa Dexta
Waste of time and money. Dogs have been living healthy long lives on dog food for decades...

wrong

[redline]

My lab is on Raw food, i buy his food from Tailblazers and totally support it.

His is healthier and happier for it.

he eats Urban Carnivore, Arusha, Natures Premium, beef and bison

With health wheat free treats!!

[5hift]

Originally posted by Supa Dexta
Waste of time and money. Dogs have been living healthy long lives on dog food for decades...

not even close.

Dog's were eating this way until the 60's-70's when kibble and canned food became more convienient for lazy/ignorant people.

[Rav4Guy]

If you're into premium dog kibble or raw food, check out UNLEASHED on 14th st. (right up the hill). Extremely nice people with premium food. During the dog food recall, not one kibble left because of it.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by 5hift


not even close.

Dog's were eating this way until the 60's-70's when kibble and canned food became more convienient for lazy/ignorant people.

And that would be decades.... we had a Cocker Spaniel that lived for 18 years on kibbles'n'bits... plus whatever table scraps she could scrounge from us kids.

Out of curiosity.. we spend on average about $100/month on our dog for her primary food, which is a blend of 3 dog foods from the vet, and supplement it with veggies. She's an 82lb lab cross if you're curious. So what is expensive to you guys?

We looked at some of the Raw varieties, and found our dog didn't like them.

[worm]

Originally posted by Supa Dexta
Waste of time and money. Dogs have been living healthy long lives on dog food for decades...

Both of my pure bred dogs have been on it for a little over seven years now and I would never go back to unhealthy kibble again, a dogs food track was never meant to eat wheat and rice, not only was it never meant to eat it, they can't properly digest it, a normal healthy dog will take over 24 hours to digest kibble, which in normal terms means that your dog is still digesting yesterdays food when you feed him today, so their stomach never gets any down time its working 24/7.

That being said just raw meat ins't good for your dog either, your dog in the wild was meant to get its vitamins for the entrails of what ever it kills, this is done because the dog as I previously stated can't digest these items in its own stomach, but with the vitamin rich substance in the entrails it can be broken down by your dogs stomach, which is why for a little more money you can purchase raw food (meat) with ground vegtables already in it. I personally went out and bought a 1/2 HP grinder and grind my own vegtables which I add to their food.

My dogs I beleive are healthier, have better looking coat and now only go to the bathroom once a day, (less crap to pick up):thumbsup: this is beacuse they digest and use more of what they eat to properly function, less filler in their food = less crap in your yard.

We purchase our food from "mountain dog food" As for the comment about a little more expensive, maybe, if you feed a high end kibble you will find the price comparable, if you feed "ol roy" yes it's more expensive.

[BloNdie]

Originally posted by worm


Both of my pure bred dogs have been on it for a little over seven years now and I would never go back to unhealthy kibble again, a dogs food track was never meant to eat wheat and rice, not only was it never meant to eat it, they can't properly digest it, a normal healthy dog will take over 24 hours to digest kibble, which in normal terms means that your dog is still digesting yesterdays food when you feed him today, so their stomach never gets any down time its working 24/7.

That being said just raw meat ins't good for your dog either, your dog in the wild was meant to get its vitamins for the entrails of what ever it kills, this is done because the dog as I previously stated can't digest these items in its own stomach, but with the vitamin rich substance in the entrails it can be broken down by your dogs stomach, which is why for a little more money you can purchase raw food (meat) with ground vegtables already in it. I personally went out and bought a 1/2 HP grinder and grind my own vegtables which I add to their food.

My dogs I beleive are healthier, have better looking coat and now only go to the bathroom once a day, (less crap to pick up):thumbsup: this is beacuse they digest and use more of what they eat to properly function, less filler in their food = less crap in your yard.

We purchase our food from "mountain dog food" As for the comment about a little more expensive, maybe, if you feed a high end kibble you will find the price comparable, if you feed "ol roy" yes it's more expensive.



Thanks for your informative response.
I am looking to grind up my own vegetables as well. Which vegetables do you normally use?

[94CoRd]

Tailblazers FTW!!!

All 3 of my dogs are on a raw diet, and I agree with worm. I can totally tell a difference in their coat, and overall health.

All three of them love agility, and the oldest, being ten years old, still gets quicker course times than our 'puppy' who's only five, and I think the only reason she can is because of her diet.

[dinglenuts]

both my dogs are on raw as well, the problem with cheap ol' dog food is its loaded with fillers and garbage. This is the equivelent of feeding yourself mc donalds your whole life. Just look at the rate at which pets are dying from cancers etc in the last few decades, far more than previously. Chances are your pets die younger and have a less fulfilling life, you are what you eat! Raw food selection is tough, i originally fed "mountain dog" cause it was affordable, but this brand is the "garbage meat" that safeway throws away, its the worst choice for raw food. Personally, i go with "top hand" always at tailblazers in arbour lake. this brand is a little more money, but is great quality, from hudderites in B.C. No garbage in here, also when feeding raw, you should get the "full meal" versions which include kelp,alfalfa etc for a much more nutritionally balanced diet for your little buddies. Just raw meat is not enough, the dogs need all the other stuff too. My dogs are super healthy, very shiny with excellent coats, helps their joints last longer and the best part is they poop less because less of the food is pure waist. You will run into a vet or two who will terrify you about raw diets, but keep in mind they are often sponsored and spiffed by pet food manufacturer's such as science diet, take this as you will. I suggest discussing this with a holistic vet, they are much more honest and grounded in my opinion. Here's one more little story. The dog trainer i used with my dogs told us she knew a dog who was fed a well balanced raw diet its whole life and lived to 24 yrs of age. I'm no expert, but pm me if you've got any q's, i'll try to help.

[dgmartinez]

I have a 12 year old Dalmation. From the start she had problems with allergies and hives from Kibble, took me over 2000 to find that she was allergic to most if not all kibble, went to raw, never had the problem again.

And yes, it is better to get the raw with ground up veggies, straight meat is good for a treat, but they need the veggies.

It has been 7 years since I switched, she is still like a puppy at heart and body.

I had a Black lab that was on Kibble when I rescued him, he was switched over to raw, After he did the switch, he was the most even tempered dog i have ever seen, I know this is not saying much for a lab as they are like that anyways.

However after him being abused to the point that someone would walk into the room and have a loud voice, he would pee everywhere, to having kids ride him like a horse and loving it, I think part was the food, but a major part was the change in venue for him. Sadly I lost him 2 years ago to cancer. (Worst day of my life!)

I have heard that switching a dog can take a week or two to finish as they have to get used to the high protein. But once they are switched it is like a different dog. Bonus is that the poop left behind is fully bio-degradeable and will turn to dust quickly and with little smell.

[kenny]

We switched our beagle to the raw food diet and the biggest difference was the amount of poop and his coat.

He poops about a third of what he used to poop on kibble. Its not scientific but it shows how much waste is in the kibble. His coat is also really smooth and shiny now compared to before and nothing else has changed except his diet.

:thumbsup:

[Scottie403]

can someone give me an estimate on how much it will cost a month to switch? i got an american bulldog which i do feed a high end dry dog food. right now she eats a little more then 4 cups a day, but is only 8 months old. i have been thinking about switching over for a while, its nice to hear some positive feed back. just like to know what im looking at moneywise, right now im spending around 100 a month, which will only increase.

[BoostMonkey]

I work at PetPlanet and Raw food is one of the best diets to have your dog on... what kinda are you feeding? You can add your own veggies to it as well and can give some kibble a couple times a week, like a good grain free such as Go! or Horizon Legacy which would be just like raw in kibble form. If you have any questions go to a PetPlanet location as we have tons of info for you or feel free to pm me!

[BoostMonkey]

Originally posted by Scottie403
can someone give me an estimate on how much it will cost a month to switch? i got an american bulldog which i do feed a high end dry dog food. right now she eats a little more then 4 cups a day, but is only 8 months old. i have been thinking about switching over for a while, its nice to hear some positive feed back. just like to know what im looking at moneywise, right now im spending around 100 a month, which will only increase.


What kinda of food are you feeding her at the moment? with a "high end" food you dont' need to feed your dog nearly as much as you would with science diet or iams or something like that. For example you go buy 3 bags of olroy from walmart which is filled with nothing but fillers and unhealthy ingredients and you'll end up feeding your dog 4-8 cups of it a day spending over $100 a month on food where as you can get one large bag of orijen, horizon or go! for 60 bucks and your only feeding 2-3 cups a day which will last you a good solid month, less poop, healthy coat, wholesome ingredients (human grade) no fillers or indigestible ingredients.
go to www.idontdogrocery.com and you will find alot of GREAT info on dog foods, check out the link dog food analysis http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ i suggest for everyone cause it tells you exactly everything you need to know!!

[Canmorite]

Both of my parents dogs have been on raw food for a few years. The differences were noticeable. Shinier coat, less shit to pick up, less problems at the Vet, etc etc. It is more expensive though, and you have to be able to justify the added cost.

[npham]

Curious to which veggies everyone is using. My dog would never eat veggies, unless he mistook it for meat, lol

[BloNdie]

Originally posted by npham
Curious to which veggies everyone is using. My dog would never eat veggies, unless he mistook it for meat, lol

I'd also like to know which veggies people use...in your experiences, which ones do they like more/ are better for them

[R-Audi]

My parents dogs go nuts for carrots....but then again they will eat any.. but just go especialy nuts for them.

[dgmartinez]

For Raw it is recommended to feed 1-2 cups per feeding. I buy it in the round patties, feed one in morning one at night.

As for veggies, you can use, carrots, celery, peas, apples, pears, cherries, pretty much anything but stay away from green onions. ( I have heard they are poison to dogs ?) My dog loves carrots, and apples. Feed them to her in chunks if you want.

[worm]

Originally posted by Scottie403
can someone give me an estimate on how much it will cost a month to switch? i got an american bulldog which i do feed a high end dry dog food. right now she eats a little more then 4 cups a day, but is only 8 months old. i have been thinking about switching over for a while, its nice to hear some positive feed back. just like to know what im looking at moneywise, right now im spending around 100 a month, which will only increase.

Giving you and estimate on cost is a little difficult as the amount of raw you should feed your dogs a day is controled by their weight, my dogs both weigh in at around 45 pound which make the amount according to the charts that my dogs should have a day at 1.5 pounds of raw meat and vegtables, now the charts which ever one you use can be found at your food dealer or on-line, and are only rough estimates of the amount of food your dog needs, my Toller did very well at 1.5 pound but my springer needed more, it is very natural for your dog to lose weight during the swap from kibble to raw both mine lost almost 10 pounds but within a month or two they had regained their weight. One thing I would reccomend if your swaping is too include yogurt in their diets for the first month or so, it help the dogs stomach to create the enzimes it needs to properly digest the food. BloNdie asked what type of vegtables to use? Well thats up to you really, we use just about anything from our garden to supplement thier raw food, but yes stay away from onions, I as well believe I've read that they aren'y good for your dog, but on a more closer to home note your dogs breath really doesn't need the help that onions will give it.:rofl:

As for the statement about Mountain Dog Food being the bottom of the barrel for Raw food???????

I can't say whether this is true or not. We use it because of the fact that up here in Cold Lake your choices are shall we say limited.

If anyone has any question post away or send me a PM.

[redline]

Originally posted by worm



As for the statement about Mountain Dog Food being the bottom of the barrel for Raw food???????



well yes and no, MDF is made from human grade meat, but has meat with GH and other stuff.

Were some of the more expensive raw food is all organic etc...

it is still better the 99% of dog food :thumbsup:

[redline]

Originally posted by BloNdie


I'd also like to know which veggies people use...in your experiences, which ones do they like more/ are better for them

it is not necessary to give them veggies, dogs if they had a choice are carnivores but will eat anything to survive.

My dog loves eating apples and carrots and berries, and anything else i give him, but his normal food is just meat and bones.

He does get omega oil daily with his food and tuna and salmon once in a while and the odd raw egg.

On veggies, stay away from onions, grapes and broccoli (gives them gas). Lots of leafy greans darker the better, fruit, carrots you are good to go!

[jonnycat]

We buy our raw food at Tailblazers in Lethbridge. It took awhile for her to adjust. We just needed to warm it up for her. My Dogs is 20lbs and a box of three tubes for $45 lasted at least a month. She eats once a day, shits once a day. Lots more energy too. Her coat was always good though.

[Shibumi]

This was on CBC last night and it was really informative regarding the practices of the pet food industry. What was surprising was the fact that the vets don't have a clue about animal nutrition and are at the mercy of the pet food industry.

http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/dogsbreakfast.html

We have been feeding our dog a raw food and organic diet for the last 2 1/2 years after our vet found that he was anemic. There was an instant improvement in his stamina and alertness after we switched the diet. His anemia has been cleared up.

Last year, we visited the owners of a dog from the previous litter to our dog. He had died a couple of days shy of his 13th birthday. They were surprised to see that our dog was in a much healthier condition than theirs. Our dog has just celebrated his 13th birthday and aside from the development of a cataract, arthritis and slight anomalies in his blood chemistry, the vet said that he was doing very well for a dog his age.

My wife gives him Innnova large breed senior (a holistic dog food kibble) in the morning (purely for convenience and variety in the diet) and a raw meat patty in the evening (Arusha). The raw meat patty can be beef, bison or elk (the dog eats better than I do :cry: ). She mixes the patty with vegetables (e.g., carrot peelings, broccoli skins) that she had previously ground up with a food processor and frozen in an ice cube tray the freezer.

She buys the dog food from Tailblazers in Arbour Lake. All in all, I would say that although the food and time is a little more expensive than the "premium" pet foods, it has been worth it to have our dog around a lot longer and in a healthier state. Besides, who do you want to pay - the pet food store or the vet?

[wjjeeper]

We put our dog on Mountain Dog Food a year ago and he's a million times healthier and happier. I recommend everyone who I know that owns a dog to get their dog on raw food.

[reese]

I have a great dane that is just over a year old (110lbs) and is eating eagle pack hollistic (10 cups/day)... i am going to switch him over to Orijen, which I was told is one the the grain free kibbles closest to feeding RAW...

can anyone give their opinion on Grain Free Kibble vs the RAW Diet

[Shibumi]

We tried our dog with Orijen for a while. Unfortunately, it gave him gas :thumbsdow . Talking with other owners of Entlebucher Mountain Dogs said that they had the same experience with Orijen.

[Kritafo]

Originally posted by reese
I have a great dane that is just over a year old (110lbs) and is eating eagle pack hollistic (10 cups/day)... i am going to switch him over to Orijen, which I was told is one the the grain free kibbles closest to feeding RAW...

can anyone give their opinion on Grain Free Kibble vs the RAW Diet

I would love to see pics of your dane, I grew up with a Harlequin and a Brindle...fabulous animals.

[dinglenuts]

just to clear up ,my earlier statement about "mountain dog" brand, the owner of tailblazers was the one who told me it was the lowest end raw they carry, she said it is full of garbage, and high in hormones and anitbiotics, basically she said if you can afford a little better, it was well worth it. I have two 20 - 30 lb dogs, they each eat approximately 1/2 to 5/8 of a pound of raw per day, costs me on average 5 -6 dollars a day to feed both of them this way.

[BoostMonkey]

Originally posted by reese
I have a great dane that is just over a year old (110lbs) and is eating eagle pack hollistic (10 cups/day)... i am going to switch him over to Orijen, which I was told is one the the grain free kibbles closest to feeding RAW...

can anyone give their opinion on Grain Free Kibble vs the RAW Diet


10 cups???????????????? wow! thats alot to be feeding your dog. If you want to do a kibble that is grain free Horizon legacy and Go are pretty good as is orijen but they are having supply problems right now so it might start getting alot harder to find. I would sugest horizon legacy to you for a grain free kibble. It is the same thing as raw only its 'cooked' so you are losing some amino acids and what not that you would normally find in a raw diet. Also remember you will be feeding ALOT less of the kibble than an other kibble that has fillers. I have a 70lb chocolate lab thats 7 months and i feed her the Go! grain free and i only feed her 2-2.5 cups a day. I would definitly say that the 10 cups your giving your dog is much to much, even for eagle pack, as the hollistic is still very rich and better than your average grocery bags.

Raw is alittle more time consuming but great in my opinion, my cats are on raw and my dogs both eat raw and kibble in the mornings. Petplanet carries 2 types of great raw products, horizon pure and natural chow. The horizon already has a great balance of your meats and bones/veggies and they are decently priced. Comes in chicken and beef, and pork and beef, soon to be just chicken and just pork. The natural chow is just your meat/bones. You can suppliment the veggies by buying a bag of dehydrated veggies from pet planet or add your own. Natural chow is great. They have free testers at pet planet of the chicken and beef flavor if you want to try it out. And pet planet can tell you tons about the raw diet. You can also feed your dog bison bones, chicken and turkey necks, all which are raw and see if they like those. All in all in want a nice balance of 70% meats/bones/organs and 30% veggies and fruits.

All in all you never mix kibble and raw together, but if you want to feed a raw and a kibble i would suggest a grain free kibble and only give it a couple times a week.

Please PM me if you want to learn more!

[BoostMonkey]

Originally posted by dinglenuts
just to clear up ,my earlier statement about "mountain dog" brand, the owner of tailblazers was the one who told me it was the lowest end raw they carry, she said it is full of garbage, and high in hormones and anitbiotics, basically she said if you can afford a little better, it was well worth it. I have two 20 - 30 lb dogs, they each eat approximately 1/2 to 5/8 of a pound of raw per day, costs me on average 5 -6 dollars a day to feed both of them this way.

mountain dog is not very good as it does contain alot of hormones and its basically all the lilydale unused meat from human grade food, so your not getting the great quality something like horizon or natural chow is getting. The guy who does natural chow raises all his own livestock, no pesticides, hormones or anything and he basically cleans them up and throws them in the grinder whole and then makes the raw food so your getting everything not just left overs.

[BoostMonkey]

Originally posted by Shibumi
This was on CBC last night and it was really informative regarding the practices of the pet food industry. What was surprising was the fact that the vets don't have a clue about animal nutrition and are at the mercy of the pet food industry.

http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/dogsbreakfast.html

We have been feeding our dog a raw food and organic diet for the last 2 1/2 years after our vet found that he was anemic. There was an instant improvement in his stamina and alertness after we switched the diet. His anemia has been cleared up.

Last year, we visited the owners of a dog from the previous litter to our dog. He had died a couple of days shy of his 13th birthday. They were surprised to see that our dog was in a much healthier condition than theirs. Our dog has just celebrated his 13th birthday and aside from the development of a cataract, arthritis and slight anomalies in his blood chemistry, the vet said that he was doing very well for a dog his age.

My wife gives him Innnova large breed senior (a holistic dog food kibble) in the morning (purely for convenience and variety in the diet) and a raw meat patty in the evening (Arusha). The raw meat patty can be beef, bison or elk (the dog eats better than I do :cry: ). She mixes the patty with vegetables (e.g., carrot peelings, broccoli skins) that she had previously ground up with a food processor and frozen in an ice cube tray the freezer.

She buys the dog food from Tailblazers in Arbour Lake. All in all, I would say that although the food and time is a little more expensive than the "premium" pet foods, it has been worth it to have our dog around a lot longer and in a healthier state. Besides, who do you want to pay - the pet food store or the vet?


i would suggest feeding the EVO kibble over the INNOVA, because EVO is grain free as INNOVA is not and mixing a grain with raw is not good for your dogs digestive system as it takes longer to digest the grains and your not getting the full potential from the raw as its just going to pass thru without being absorbed cause your dogs busy digesting those grains.

[BoostMonkey]

Originally posted by jonnycat
We buy our raw food at Tailblazers in Lethbridge. It took awhile for her to adjust. We just needed to warm it up for her. My Dogs is 20lbs and a box of three tubes for $45 lasted at least a month. She eats once a day, shits once a day. Lots more energy too. Her coat was always good though.


I would only leave it at room temp because as soon as you start "warming" or cooking th raw your taking away the essential amino acids and fatty acids, the whole reason for buying raw. Or maybe your dog would do good on a grain free like horizon legacy or go!


For anyone buying raw just let it thaw in your fridge or put it in a plastic bag in cold water in your sink over night or just in the sink without water. You just want it to be room temperature.

[BoostMonkey]

Originally posted by redline


it is not necessary to give them veggies, dogs if they had a choice are carnivores but will eat anything to survive.

My dog loves eating apples and carrots and berries, and anything else i give him, but his normal food is just meat and bones.

He does get omega oil daily with his food and tuna and salmon once in a while and the odd raw egg.

On veggies, stay away from onions, grapes and broccoli (gives them gas). Lots of leafy greans darker the better, fruit, carrots you are good to go!


Great info! But dogs have evolved over time to be ominovores, so they do need that 30% of veggies and fruits. Cats however are carnivores they just need a diet of meats and bones and organs, as cats need taurine because unlike dogs and humans cats cannot produce taurine.
The veggies to say away from are onions, citric fruits, grapes and mushrooms. Broccoli is actually good for them. Cooked it might give them gas.