Confused!

Just got back from the vets with Ralph. Nothing serious, just had to get his advocate, anyway, I got onto the subject of teeth with the vet.

One of the girls at work has a 6 year old Westie, and she has just had to have 13 teeth removed because they were rotten.

I said to the vet that I was including raw meat with bones into Ralph's diet as amongst other things, the chomping of the bones are good for the teeth.

He said that he didn't recommend raw at all and he certainly wouldn't give bones. He also said raw chicken has all bacteria in it which is why you and I don't eat it without cooking.

How can he think that it's not good! Why are there so many conflicting opinions on food for dogs!

He said I should use dentisept on the teeth once a day!?

me i wouldn't feed my dogs raw because of risk of bacteria all over the place, I think someone said in American they trying to ban it

Look at Ella , Blue Staff Blue, Caryll's dogs do they look Ill to you ???

A dog's stomach acid is much, much stronger than ours & it copes with bacteria that we couldn't hope to! You obviously have to be careful with cleaning any surfaces & implements that come into contact with raw meat - but you'd do that even if you were cooking it!

It isn't actually the bones that keep the teeth clean, though, it's the ripping of the meat off of the bones. Raw meat is quite sticky & as they tear it off, the dirt from the teeth sticks to it & they're left with nice sparkly teeth!

There aren't many vets that actually approve of raw feeding - mainly, it's got to be said, because they don't know much about it!

Thanks Caryll, Always the voice of reason there.

That's what I said, their tummy's are different to ours! I'm going to carry on with it. Ralph loves it.

My own vet used to say he couldn't approve of Dempsey's diet, but lately he's stopped bothering!

When I raw fed Diesel my vet was proper mortified.

Prolly cause they are affiliated to certain brands in their clinics !! They have to promote what they sell.

As others have said, follow Ella n Caryll, u can't go wrong x

If ur staffy is happy, ur 95% there !

Errm last time i looked wolves hadnt invented fire let alone know how to cook. Drop into the mix they will quite happily tuck into a few days dead festering carcas..
I dont feed raw other than mince beef and the odd insect or moth he catches but if i had time and expertise i would.

I don't feed raw, because I'm not trusting Loki to eat bones for a long time, but our vet also said they wouldn't recommend any bones, whether cooked or raw. I reckon it's because they don't know much about it. Vets don't specialise in diets or nutrition. Ella's dogs look and seem very healthy and she feeds them pig's heads and other disgusting things

That said, do the dogs actually eat the bones, or just the meat from it? Every time I did give Loki a bone, he chewed it a bit and then completely left it alone. Maybe he's a vegetarian

Well, I just don't talk about it with my vet. Doesn't seem that they will ever like it.

Tara, dogs eat the bones too in a raw diet. If it is a really hard bone like a raw beef knuckle bone, it will take ages, but I feed mine chicken quarters all the time and they chomp it all right down (in a matter of minutes too)! That goes for fish, beef ribs, pig head...