Dog Community

Raw Feeding - Beginners Questions

Posted : 9/12/2012 6:43:01 AM

Hello there! I'm considering switching my two dachshunds to raw foods. There are a bunch of reasons why, but the main driving force (besides their overall health) is that it's supposed to help a lot with dogs with anal gland issues. Both of mine need theirs emptied at least once per month (or else one expresses them on the couch, or in bed, or somewhere else inappropriate, and the other can't express hers at all and gets very uncomfortable and irritable). The one that can't express them needs to be taken to the vet every month to have this done. I'm not complaining about the cost, but she's TERRIFIED of the vet now. Last weekend when I took her in she was shaking from the moment we got in there and tried to hide behind me, and then when the tech came out to get her she tried bolting behind me and then bolting to the door (I did have her on a leash, she didn't go anywhere). Anyway, there has GOT to be something else that I can feed them so that they don't have this problem anymore.

Right now they're on California Naturals Grain Free Salmon and Pea formula (they have yeasty issues and this food has helped a LOT). They do have nice consistent poos, but they aren't really hard by any means. I tried adding fiber on the advice of my vet (in the form of pure pumpkin) but it didn't help at all.

I've asked my vet what I can do and they basically all just said to keep getting their glands done every month and get on a schedule, and in extreme cases they could do surgery but it has quite a few risks associated with it as well.

So, after that novel, I've been doing my own research and it seems like a lot of people have had great success going raw with their dogs to help with anal gland issues. The dogs also have some mild seasonal allergies, and a lot of raw people have said that those tend to become much less troublesome with a raw diet.

I've been doing research on raw feeding and am somewhat confused though. For instance, some people say absolutely no feeding of pork or fish bones, whereas other people say they feed exclusively chicken, beef, and pork. So should I stay away from pork completely? And I think it's safe to feed canned fish with bones (such as mackerel) but not raw fish (which is fine by me) because the cooked fish has less sharp bones, right?

Also, to feed veggies or not? There's a list of veggies you're only supposed to feed occassionally, and some you can feed every day, but then some people say don't bother feeding any veggies at all.

Supplements are another really confusing area. Some people suggest a myriad coctail of supplements (multivitamins, fish oil, Vit. E, Vit. C, kelp/alfafa, etc.) and then others are vehemently against feeding any supplements, except the occasional fish oil. It's all very very confusing.

I do have two books that I'm waiting to receive, one is Optimal Nutrition by Monica Segal and the other is Raw Food Diet for Dogs by Silke Bohm. I'm not planning on making th switch immediately, and in fact am going to get pet insurance on the dachshunds before I do any sort of switching of their foods, but would like to start researching everything now.

Thank you so much if you read through my novel! I'm trying to do the absolute best that I can by my dogs, and am finding that I definitely need some help. If you want to email me privately please email me at angiedarnold (at) gmail (dot) com.

Again, thank you!!

JackieG

Posted : 9/12/2012 8:50:44 AM

You might try to contact Bevo's mom, Amanda. She's been feeding raw for years and should have some good info and advice for you.

BEVOLASVEGAS

Posted : 9/12/2012 11:40:06 AM

I've fed raw for the past four years. I like the results that raw yields & I can't imagine, willingly, going back to feeding kibble. Raw has reduced the frequency in which my small guys need their anals expressed. They usually need to be done every 3 months or so. I just do them myself when I'm bathing them. There's no stress that way & clean up is simple.

Shooter is an allergy dog & I can tell you that going to raw has not decreased his allergic responses at all. He ended up going to a dermatologist, & now gets desensitization injections to help with have helped immensley. I know that some people describe raw as a cure all, but I'm not one of those people.

There's no one way to raw feed. What works for one person will not always work for another. The beauty of raw is that you can create a diet to fit your comfort level. I used to feed prey model complete with fur/hair/feathers. After having to clean up one, early morning, fuzzy vomit episode, I said "screw that". I am not built to clean up that sort of mess. It's a hard limit for me. Now, I feed 10% organs (1/2 being liver), 15% edible bones, & 75% muscle meat. It works for me, so I go with it.

My dogs eat a variety of meats. They eat whatever I pull from the freezer. Sometimes that means that they eat one protein for a few weeks straight. Other times, it means that they eat something different at each meal. We don't have sensitive tummies, so it's not a big deal. My dogs do eat pork bones. They do not eat whole fish bones. They used to, but we had an incident where a tiny fish bone slipped into a gum & cause some problems, so I don't feed them any more. I'm not comfortable with it, so it doesn't happen. They do get canned mackerel or canned salmon from time to time, & those bones are fine. I don't feed veggies regularly, but I do feed green tripe at least twice a week, so they get some green matter. That said, I do share fruits & veggies with them from time to time.

I supplement some of my guys. I have a few dogs who need extra stuff to look/perform/be as healthy as possible, so I add things. The only things that all of my dogs get, regularly, are fish oil & Vitamin E.

I am a big fan of Lew Olson's "Raw & Natural Nutrition". She has a LOAD of articles on B-Natural's website. The book & site are both packed with great information for any level of raw feeder. I am lucky that Lew lives here in Texas. Cher & I met her at a show when Cher was a puppy, & she was a HUGE help to us. I know that she's always willing to help a new raw feeder, so you can contact her if you need to. Generally, she doesn't charge for her advice, although I know that she's super grateful if you donate to rottie rescue.

oranges81

Posted : 9/12/2012 2:36:59 PM

Agreed with everything Amanda said! Be warned thou when looking for groups or forums, some people who feed raw are very anti veggie and have been known to take on an extremist view. I feed raw for the past 4ish years and I also add fruits and veggies cuz my dogs like them. Lew Olson does have a yahoo group that she's active on. K9 nutrition I believe it's called. And get her book!