The Many Myths of Raw Feeding

[Marco]

I know many of you have seen this, and we have some places on the site covering this.  However I wanted to share this once more for a lot of the new puppy owners that have joined.  Information from http://rawfed.com/myths/  Please share your thoughts with us on this topic.

 

The Current Myth List

 

Dogs are omnivores

Wolves eat the stomach contents of prey

Dogs are too far removed from wolves to be fed a raw diet

Dogs have adapted to cooked diets

Dogs live longer today because of commercial foods

Wolves have shortened lifespans because of their diet

Millions of dogs safely eat commercial foods, so why feed raw?

Raw diets are not balanced

Bacteria in raw meat is dangerous to my pet

My pet will get parasites from the raw meat

Raw-fed dogs pose a serious health risk to humans

Raw diets vs. the AAFCO standards

There is no scientific research to validate raw diets

Feeding raw meat makes a dog bloodthirsty

I am not knowledgeable enough to make my dog's food

Raw diets are not very digestible

Raw diets are inconvenient and expensive

Different breeds of dogs need different diets

Because of the risks of bones, ground raw diets are better

Plenty of premium kibbles are available, so raw is unnecessary

Home-made, cooked diets are viable alternatives to raw

Vets are thoroughly qualified to dispense nutritional advice

Small dogs and toy breeds cannot eat raw diets

Carbohydrates are necessary in dog's diet

[Janice Petzer]

I was reading up on raw diets and I decided to try it - did not enjoy the raw meat and cutting it up etc, so what I now do is cook some rice and when it is cooked add the raw meat, chicken necks, liver etc and just till it is no longer red and then mix it with their pebbles.  I must say that they love it - I give it to all my other dogs as well

[Lisa Tiro]

You should never cook the bones (chicken necks) as they splinter when they are cooked and can cause problems. If you are going to mix it with the kibble, then do not feed bones. You should choose one or the other. Mixing causes stomach upset as the kibble digests at a different rate than the raw. If you are cooking the meat and mixing it in that's fine but it is not raw feeding and the nutrients are lost in the cooking process. Do what works for you. The way I feed is big pieces, no cutting. Just hand them a chicken. I do quarter them as I feed Axel twice a day. When I feed a pork picnic roast I hand him the whole thing (whole prey model raw) and refrigerate the rest until the next feeding. Easy peasy!

[Mrs David/Bonnie]

Hi Lisa, I have a gulper, he's almost one n no matter how we feed him, he swallows whole. Tried giving him a kg of leg meat with a marrow bone attached to it thinking he'd chew it down to the marrow bone then leave it..he swallowed the bone! Tried freezing a huge chunk of meat thinking he'd spend some time chewing it.. before I could say, "do you think he could swallow that whole?" he'd swallowed it, sniffed it down his throat. I don't know how big his throat is but he swallowed it n looks up for more! When I am feeding him chicken necks or frozen mackerel; I literally hold on to one end to force him to chew off bits. What else should I try?

[Lisa Tiro]

Does he ever throw it up? On the Raw Feeding group they say to feed pieces bigger than their head. Do you feed him in a quiet place away from everybody so that he doesn't feel nervous like its going to get taken away from him?

[Mrs David/Bonnie]

Lisa, he hasn't thrown it up as far as we know. I have see n him throw up bile once or twice, When you say pieces bigger than their head, are you referring to bone or meat? he works through hunks of meat v v quickly and except for leg bone, he chews n swallows any bone he can gnaw down n buries the rest for later. they don't fight over each others bones (yet)

[Lisa Tiro]

Sometimes if they swallow a piece that is too big they will throw it up and re eat it. This happened to Axel once. It was a huge piece of beef. It was long and thick. It was from the restaurant my daughter works at so it was the off cuts of beef. I now cut it up to prevent that. Axel has swallowed what looks like a pretty large chicken bone to me but has never had a problem digesting it. My raw group says that dogs rip and crunch a couple times then swallow because digestion starts in their stomachs not their mouths. They say it's fine as long as it is edible bones such as chicken and pork. They don't recommend feeding larger animals bones as they are too dense. Today I gave Axel a pork shoulder (bigger than his head) about 8-9 lbs. He ate it for a while, about 1/2 an hour and then knocked on the door to come in. Tonight I'll give him 2 chicken thighs that have some bone in them. He will gobble those up in a second. Then tomorrow morning I'll hand him the roast again and he will work on that again. Tomorrow night I'll probably give him the chicken thighs again unless he has chewed the pork roast down to the bone and ate some bone. Don't give him ribs as those swallowed whole are dangerous. I would stick with meats attached to bone that is large and feed him away from everybody. You should not hover either as he may view you as getting ready to take it away. He may calm down after a while. If you give just meat I'm sure there are no worries about swallowing that whole. I also give Axel chicken backs and chicken necks for added bone. Turkey necks are too big if swallowed whole. If I do give a turkey neck I hold it and hand feed that. Axel isn't a gulper and he backs up and away from his food when I approach. You should join the RAW FEEDING group on facebook. There is a lot of knowledgeable people on there that can answer questions. Also, read the files first. You can search for subject matter there too. Good luck!

[Ramesh Narayanan]

Hi,
I am new to the forum but I have a query on raw feeding. I feed my boerboel pup raw( recently started)and I find she's more active and her stools are better. The question is how much do I feed her? She's 10 months old and weighs about 58kgs( 128 pounds). Right now I feed her about a kilo of chicken a day. Is that too much, too little? I also alternate her feeding with kibble at times.
Thanks for any inputs,
Ramesh

[Lisa Tiro]

Hi Ramesh and welcome!

I feed my dog RAW as well and the percentage should be 2%-3% of their ideal adult weight. It also depends on how active your dog is. I feed my 100# dog between 2 and 3 pounds a day. I split his meals into 2 so I feed him in the morning and in the evening. He is a very active 16 month old and he is lean which is what is recommended for a growing large breed dog so as not to let them grow too quickly. Your pup sounds very large for 10 months. If you cannot feel the ribs she is too heavy. Idealy you should see the last rib or two. I don't recommend feeding kibble part time as it is digested at a much longer rate and can cause digestion problems. You should join some RAW CHAT groups on Yahoo or Facebook. They are quite knowledgeable and have been doing it for many years.

Good luck!

[Ramesh Narayanan]

Thank you Lisa. Appreciate your quick reply and good inputs. Since I feed my pup about a kilo per day(split over two meals) I guess I am feeding her less than the recommended 2%-3%. She doesn't look heavy and I can see her ribs. Was just wondering if I am affecting her growth by feeding less. Anyway I will look for information on those sites as well. One thing is sure raw feeding has made her more active.
Regards
Ramesh

Lisa Tiro said:

Hi Ramesh and welcome!

I feed my dog RAW as well and the percentage should be 2%-3% of their ideal adult weight. It also depends on how active your dog is. I feed my 100# dog between 2 and 3 pounds a day. I split his meals into 2 so I feed him in the morning and in the evening. He is a very active 16 month old and he is lean which is what is recommended for a growing large breed dog so as not to let them grow too quickly. Your pup sounds very large for 10 months. If you cannot feel the ribs she is too heavy. Idealy you should see the last rib or two. I don't recommend feeding kibble part time as it is digested at a much longer rate and can cause digestion problems. You should join some RAW CHAT groups on Yahoo or Facebook. They are quite knowledgeable and have been doing it for many years.

Good luck!

[Lisa Tiro]

No problem. If you are feeding her less and she is getting treats for training, that should be fine. It will not affect her growth. She will be what she is intended to be size wise. You don't want to overfeed as it puts too much stress on growing bones and joints. Just keep her lean. She is probably close to her adult weight now as the growth slows at this age. Good luck with her!

[Marco]

Hello  Ramesh Narayanan, please check out the two guides below which will really help you, and answer some questions you might have.  These are found on our diet page under the info tab.  Both these guids below will give you a great break down on how to feed raw.  Anymore questions please let us know.

 

Raw Feeding Guide 1

Raw Feeding Guide 2

[Ramesh Narayanan]

Thanks Lisa and Marco for your encouraging replies and quick inputs. So one thing I have learnt from the links Marco sent is that one should not mix raw and Kibble. I was doing that. Will now try a pure raw diet for a while. One of the issues we have over here is the cleanliness of the meat so I am just feeding chicken and occasional fish.