[M:0]
Post by Collie on Jan 13, 2009 0:09:06 GMT -5
What is your stand on the raw diet? Do you feel that it's dangerous and/or that not a good diet for dogs? Or do you feel that it's the best diet possible for a dog? If you are for it, which form of the diet are you for: PMR (prey model raw) or BARF (Bones And Raw Food)?
(Note:
Just in case you don't know, the raw diet is a diet where the dog is fed raw meat rather than dog food and in some cases, vegetables.)
My opinion:
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I'm all for the raw diet. I feel that it's the best diet you can possibly feed. I switched my dog to it in September '08 and it seems to have benefitted him. His breath smells odorless (unless he's gotten into the cat food we set out for the stray catsxD), his coat is shinier, his teeth are cleaner (raw bones work like toothbrushes), and he seems to have even more energy than he used to.
I used to be very anti-raw because of one little article I read in 2005. Then when I joined Dogster, I saw that they had a raw forum and I thought "why the heck would any reasonable person feed raw?" (hmmm, I was so naive back then
). I stalked the raw forum once in a while and gradually got convinced the raw is better than dog food.
No going back to dog food for me.
That said, I would rather that people feed their dogs commercial dog food than feed a poorly balanced raw diet.
In the raw diet, researching it before feeding it is extremely important. Research reveals important guidelines to follow such as feed as much of a variety of meat as possible (otherwise, your dog will miss out on some needed vitamins and minerals), how much to feed, what not to feed, etc.
There is a lot of controversy in raw, and that makes it all the more important to research raw before feeding it.
One should also read what is written by anti-raw people, so they can see both sides and decide for themselves.
For, while many anti-raw people do misrepresent facts (for example, they talk about salmenella in raw meat, but they don't mention that dogs have died from salmenella in commercial dog food as well), they do bring up some concerns to really think about.
Arguments I've heard/read against raw:
"Feeding raw meat is dangerous for the dog"
Actually, dogs can tolerate bacteria much easier than humans. And as a bonus, commercial dog food's sugary-ness leaves the perfect environment for germs to grow in the dog's mouth. While raw meat does not.
In addition, many believe that a commercial diet has caused many diseases in dogs. I'm not sure what to believe on that particular point yet, however.
"Feeding your dog raw meat is dangerous for you and other humans"
Not so long as you practice safe meat handling, the same way you would when preparing meat for a dinner for people. That is common sense.
As for people getting "raw meat germies" from dog's mouths, it is possible, but as I said earlier, dog food fed dogs have germier mouths.
"Store-bought meat has 72,000 chemicals in it that could hurt your dog"
Actually, all meat has those chemicals (even wild meat) and they can't get gotten rid of by cooking the meat. In other words, humans who eat chicken are eating those chemicals, dog foods that contains meat have those chemicals, and...well, you get the idea. No way to get away from those chemicals.
"Feeding raw meat will make your dog blood-thirsty"
No, I doubt that my dog will go out and murder a cat or other small animal just to get raw meat. Dogs are by nature carnivores, so logically, I'd expect a kibble-fed dog to go hunting for meat more than I would a raw-fed dog.
More here:
www.rawfed.com/myths/
I feed PMR, as I feel that dogs are carnivores and don't need vegetables.
(Note:
Just in case you don't know, the raw diet is a diet where the dog is fed raw meat rather than dog food and in some cases, vegetables.)
My opinion:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm all for the raw diet. I feel that it's the best diet you can possibly feed. I switched my dog to it in September '08 and it seems to have benefitted him. His breath smells odorless (unless he's gotten into the cat food we set out for the stray catsxD), his coat is shinier, his teeth are cleaner (raw bones work like toothbrushes), and he seems to have even more energy than he used to.
I used to be very anti-raw because of one little article I read in 2005. Then when I joined Dogster, I saw that they had a raw forum and I thought "why the heck would any reasonable person feed raw?" (hmmm, I was so naive back then
). I stalked the raw forum once in a while and gradually got convinced the raw is better than dog food.No going back to dog food for me.
That said, I would rather that people feed their dogs commercial dog food than feed a poorly balanced raw diet.
In the raw diet, researching it before feeding it is extremely important. Research reveals important guidelines to follow such as feed as much of a variety of meat as possible (otherwise, your dog will miss out on some needed vitamins and minerals), how much to feed, what not to feed, etc.
There is a lot of controversy in raw, and that makes it all the more important to research raw before feeding it.
One should also read what is written by anti-raw people, so they can see both sides and decide for themselves.
For, while many anti-raw people do misrepresent facts (for example, they talk about salmenella in raw meat, but they don't mention that dogs have died from salmenella in commercial dog food as well), they do bring up some concerns to really think about.
Arguments I've heard/read against raw:
"Feeding raw meat is dangerous for the dog"
Actually, dogs can tolerate bacteria much easier than humans. And as a bonus, commercial dog food's sugary-ness leaves the perfect environment for germs to grow in the dog's mouth. While raw meat does not.
In addition, many believe that a commercial diet has caused many diseases in dogs. I'm not sure what to believe on that particular point yet, however.
"Feeding your dog raw meat is dangerous for you and other humans"
Not so long as you practice safe meat handling, the same way you would when preparing meat for a dinner for people. That is common sense.
As for people getting "raw meat germies" from dog's mouths, it is possible, but as I said earlier, dog food fed dogs have germier mouths.
"Store-bought meat has 72,000 chemicals in it that could hurt your dog"
Actually, all meat has those chemicals (even wild meat) and they can't get gotten rid of by cooking the meat. In other words, humans who eat chicken are eating those chemicals, dog foods that contains meat have those chemicals, and...well, you get the idea. No way to get away from those chemicals.
"Feeding raw meat will make your dog blood-thirsty"
No, I doubt that my dog will go out and murder a cat or other small animal just to get raw meat. Dogs are by nature carnivores, so logically, I'd expect a kibble-fed dog to go hunting for meat more than I would a raw-fed dog.
More here:
www.rawfed.com/myths/
I feed PMR, as I feel that dogs are carnivores and don't need vegetables.