Raw diet?

[Dawn Laskey]

Hi Everyone,

We are contemplating feeding our 9 1/2 mth old puppy raw food. I have heard some rumours that raw pork and raw venison are not good for dogs. Anyone know if either is true? We have been feeding him kibble (Natural Balance Limited Ingredient) along with their canned food because he won't eat the kibble by itself. When we first got him, he had some intestinal problems that took a couple of months and long term antibiotics to clear up. That was when we ended up gradually changing foods two or three times. Our boy is doing well, very muscular, active and happy but is not very excited about his food. He is about 125 lbs now.

[Sweet Pea]

No, completely untrue. Dogs need a variety of meats when they are on raw, including red meat. You don't want their diet being too heavy on poultry. The great thing about venison is that if you can find deer processors in your area, you may be able to take their scraps for free. I've been lucky enough to get a good deal of venison this season for dirt cheap. 

I started feeding both my dogs raw one year ago. My boy has bad allergies and intestinal issues too. All his intestinal issues are gone now and allergies much better.  I procrastinated about starting raw for some time, but I'm so glad I did. My dogs are much healthier because of it.

 If your looking for some websites to help you get started, these will help: http://rawfed.com

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

[Dawn Laskey]

Thanks so much Kimberly. We have discussed it for several months and feel like it will be helpful. Unfortunately, our Vet is totally against a raw diet. I think our pup, Crixus will really like it. We do have a butcher shop that processes deer not too far from us. I will check with them and see what they have. Thanks again!

[Tony Rodriguez]

This should be helpfull too!  http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_Diet/thread/511303

[Marco]

We also have our Raw Feeding group here as well that can be of great help.