Why did you decide on/switch over to feeding your dog Raw?

Hello - I went for raw ever since I fostered a beautiful Ridgeback cross who was in such good condition I asked the kennel what they had been feeding him (answer: raw green tripe).

I would never feed my dog anything except for raw now. But I am interested to learn why people swapped or decided on raw.

Had been umming and ahhing about it for a while, Ledger was getting towards the end of his kibble but had also stopped eating breakfast so it was change brands or take the leap and give raw a go. Its only been 3 weeks but the difference in him is amazing, have a freezer on order and it's fun sourcing free options from the butcher

My two always had the odd bone as a treat, and they loved it. Roxy is pretty fussy and I had done a lot of research on raw vs dry so in the end the decision was easy! Reasons included health benefits, skin benefits and variety!

I was looking into changing to a grain free hypoallergenic dry food to see if it would help with some of Daisy's minor health issues and I cam across a raw complete, so started thinking about that and then found there was a shop selling raw near me so decided to just go for it, full on DIY raw!!

Bane started having some skin issues. None of the vet treatment worked and their next move was to put him on a special food trial so we thought we would try changing his food ourselves. Raw seemed like the best way to go

Zeus has had digestive and skin problems since birth, he then developed Colitis. We tried around 10 different dry foods, the best around, including Orijen, Applaws, Fish4Dogs, and none of them sat right with him.

We then took the decision just under a month ago to give raw.. Touchwood, his digestive problems have cut down, he's still really itchy but just giving this time.

We've always fed our dogs over the years with high quality grain free kibble and haven't had issues with our dogs using them. The only skin issues we've had in the past were a result of adding chicken in conjunction with the kibble and a couple of our dogs had allergies to that. With our latest dog Marquez (and first staffy) we decided to try raw after his farts were totally disgusting and clearing out the room. He's only been doing raw for a couple of weeks now and the stink has basically all but disappeared. He does still drop the occasional one but its not at the intensity or frequency as when we first brought him home 5 weeks ago.

He has also really leaned out and getting thicker since we got him. He has put on a little weight but it is 100% muscle weight gain so it does make me think that it is the diet of pure clean proteins of raw combined with his exercise has made a big impact. While this could just be a result of him getting more exercise, I really think his change of diet has made a big change. The hubby and I have many years of first hand experience with how food affects the body in terms of muscle gain and fat loss through bodybuilding, and we're definitely seeing it happen with our boy now

I have posted similar question in here few weeks ago. We saw documentary call "Truth about dog food" that's enough reason to put us off from dry food. We immediately change to 100% raw diet. (We ware mixing dry and raw before but Zeus was starting to just eat raw meat and left dry food) We occasionally give him bones from butcher as treats and he loves new diet so far. His skin changed and poo is solid and no much smell also notice that he doesn't fart as much as before. We are very happy that we changed his diet to raw.

I'm interested in before and after taking on raw: the difference everyone noticed in their dog.

When I got Rupert he was very scrawny and undernourished. Now he is big, but not at all fat - DJstratton I get your body-builder analogy. The other day someone asked me how come Rupert is so muscly if he's been neutered. etc

I have heard about the truth in dog food documentary, I can guess what's in it but I may still have to watch it.

Regarding allergies, or other problems - does raw seem to be working for your dogs? What are the subtle differences you've noticed?

I need to get a bigger freezer!

Daisy's eyes used to run all the time but don't now   Other than that she just looks healthier, better condition than before   

She is more alert and although I have no proof I would say her sense of smell has improved, just the way she is makes me think that!

We've been on raw for a month now...Bane's skin has calmed down although not cleared up just yet. We were told this could take a couple of months though if it was a food allergy.
He is still a growing puppy so we are not sure if it 100% the raw food but he is looking quite a bit more muscular where as before he was pretty scrawny.
He seems a little calmer and less hyperactive, but more than anything he is enjoying his food. He started to go off his kibble and it's so great to see him actually enjoying what he is eating now! He gets so excited! (so do we! haha)

I remember right at the beginning some dog trainer telling me that raw food was bad for dogs because "all the protein makes them hyperactive". Perhaps lots of carbs do slow them down a bit but surely that's not necessarily a good thing. Rupert loves going for runs and is very active but in the house he's like a giant furry slug.

I can't say I've really noticed much of a change in Daisy's activity level but she is definitely much more alert and much more enthusiastic about her food!!

As with daisy above Darcy is more alert and very enthusiastic about her food which was always a struggle on kibble, I have to say though she's not hyper

Bane wrote:We've been on raw for a month now...Bane's skin has calmed down although not cleared up just yet. We were told this could take a couple of months though if it was a food allergy.
He is still a growing puppy so we are not sure if it 100% the raw food but he is looking quite a bit more muscular where as before he was pretty scrawny.
He seems a little calmer and less hyperactive, but more than anything he is enjoying his food. He started to go off his kibble and it's so great to see him actually enjoying what he is eating now! :)He gets so excited! (so do we! haha)

Sounds like detox.  Marquez has runny eyes, more ear gunk and seems to scratching more as well as having a doggy smell but these are all part of the detox part and either resolves quickly or a bit longer depending on the dog and what's in his system.  If someone were to say that their dog was being more lethargic I also wouldn't be surprised as detox in humans can also cause flu like symptoms until they got rid of the crap from their bodies. http://dogsdinner2.webs.com/detox.htm

We also noticed Marquez getting more muscular while losing the fat that he had when he first came home to us.

Yeah we are hoping he is going through his detox and his skin will improve over the next month
Bane also has very gooey eyes! They are slowly getting better now though.
In terms of his energy levels, he has plenty when we are out at the park and when we are playing, he just seems a lot more content at home now. He is no longer hyperactive most of the time seeking attention, he will happily mince around playing with his toys and sit around

We changed to raw 2 days ago and so far so good i was sick off the vets advicing this kibble and that kibble to which i asked the question other day while at vets why dont use recommend raw is it because you wouldnt make a profit on the kibble your selling?? She was stuck for words for a few seconds and mumbled erm yes if am to be honest but to befair the other vet i normaly use is brill she loves staffies and told me raw is best and from researching i decided to change eddie for the best

hi,
we changed to raw after having nonstop visits to the vet and they had no idea how to solve the fragile nails, bad skin and an overwieght pitbull who was on diet food but keep on putting on weight, we did our own research and found out about kibble and changed straight away, all the problems are gone, pitbull is losing wieght nicely and looking trim and three staffies are on top form no vet visits now. The next best thing is the cost, 4 dogs fed 90% bio for 20 euros a week or less and weeks when things are tight it can be cheaper just need to ask around the local butchers, and farmers for free food

Hi the raw diet sounds interesting, after watching the programme about whats in dog food we have decided to give Gordon home cooked food which is quite expensive!!. I havn't the first clue about raw, do you buy it already packed ? is it just meat you give them or do you feed them veg with it? and also what about the bones getting caught in their throats? i'm sorry to sound so dumb but before we got Gordon it has been 20 years since we owned a dog.

Come over and have a look at the raw food section lots of great info in there

Simply put I feed just meat/bone/muscle I don't add veg to the diet but give sweet potato stuffed kongs as treats. I have only changed less than a month ago so Ledger has mostly been on chicken mince, thighs and wings shop bought and the carcass that butchers have left over after they prep all the chicken breasts etc pets at home do bags of frozen mince but finding that they sell out quite quick so if you have the freezer space there are other suppliers to source and if you have time the butchers give lots of freebies that they would only bin otherwise

As for the bone it shouldn't be an issue if they swallow too big a piece they will throw up and try again. The bone issues tend to come from cooked bones which splinter and can be very nasty

Eddie: We've been back and forward to the vets about Bane's skin and they suggested our next step is a food trial to which we replied, well we want to change him to raw. That way we know exactly what he is eating. Oh man did the vet go right off on one! We already read up about it in preparation and everything that she said contradicted what we had read. She obviously didn't know what she was talking about and was more interested in trying to get us to buy their super expensive special diet food -.-

Tracy: As Jules said take a look at the Raw feeding part of the forum It is packed with info! You just feed raw meat, so wherever you can get it from I suppose. We order from an online supplier but have been to the Butchers for a few bits (not had as much luck as Jules though) and we get fresh fish from Tesco for him

Bane - I am intrigued. What did you vet say!?

Bacchus has never had a problem with dried complete but he was always fed top quality products..Orijen and Eden Holistic Pet Foods. However friends in the staffie world regaled me with stories of how his poos would be firmer, less smelly and reduced volume. Also that his bum burps would not be so smelly. My niece breeds and shows Red Setters and has fed raw for 15 years and refuses to give her dogs dried food. I'm pleased to say that all the claims, for us at least, have been validated. I feed Bacchus Natural Instinct and he gets raw meaty bones for 2 of his meals, including chicken carcasses, each week. He took to the raw straight away but I had always given him the odd meaty bone or chicken wings so it wasn't totally alien to him. I also add 2 teaspoons of Missing Link and 1 teaspoon of Pet Plus daily to his food as a supplement for added vitamins, digestive enzymes, omega 3 and 6 etc. Not sure this is absolutely necessary but I prefer to err on the safe side. He has been on this diet since November and his condition is superb. If in doubt make the switch.

Rupertsbooks wrote:Bane - I am intrigued. What did you vet say!?

Some stuff along the lines of Salmonella, bigger and more smelly poos, probable regular illness because of the lack in certain nutrients, he won't grow properly and basically said the people who develop dry food have done so for a reason and spend so much time researching completely balanced foods that it is the best thing to feed them.

We have seen her a couple of times and really wasn't happy either time. Recently been informed that one of the directors at the vet surgery specialises in skin and dermatology so will be requesting to see him from now on

djstratton wrote:

Bane wrote:We've been on raw for a month now...Bane's skin has calmed down although not cleared up just yet. We were told this could take a couple of months though if it was a food allergy.
He is still a growing puppy so we are not sure if it 100% the raw food but he is looking quite a bit more muscular where as before he was pretty scrawny.
He seems a little calmer and less hyperactive, but more than anything he is enjoying his food. He started to go off his kibble and it's so great to see him actually enjoying what he is eating now! :)He gets so excited! (so do we! haha)

Sounds like detox.  Marquez has runny eyes, more ear gunk and seems to scratching more as well as having a doggy smell but these are all part of the detox part and either resolves quickly or a bit longer depending on the dog and what's in his system.  If someone were to say that their dog was being more lethargic I also wouldn't be surprised as detox in humans can also cause flu like symptoms until they got rid of the crap from their bodies. http://dogsdinner2.webs.com/detox.htm

We also noticed Marquez getting more muscular while losing the fat that he had when he first came home to us.

Bane wrote:Yeah we are hoping he is going through his detox and his skin will improve over the next month
Bane also has very gooey eyes! They are slowly getting better now though.
In terms of his energy levels, he has plenty when we are out at the park and when we are playing, he just seems a lot more content at home now. He is no longer hyperactive most of the time seeking attention, he will happily mince around playing with his toys and sit around

Zeus is going through the same thing, he's been on raw for just over a month now and he's got really gooey eyes, sore ears which i'm guessing is due to gunk and hes generally really itchy all over his body, hoping it clears up soon!

reuben wrote:  I also add 2 teaspoons of Missing Link and 1 teaspoon of Pet Plus daily to his food as a supplement for added vitamins, digestive enzymes, omega 3 and 6 etc.  Not sure this is absolutely necessary but I prefer to err on the safe side.  He has been on this diet since November and his condition is superb. If in doubt make the switch.  

This is one of the things I have been wary about regarding a raw diet, Zeus is currently on Natures Menu mince, which we give with turmeric, salmon oil, herbs (such as mint) and apple cider vinegar, but I want to make sure I don't miss any key nutrients/vitamins in his diet. Whats Missing Link & Pet Plus? I'm guessing a Multivitamin?

Missing Link and Petplus are supplements recommended to me by my niece who breeds and shows Red Setters and has fed raw for 15 years. Missing Link contains Omega 3 & 6, Probiotics, dietary fibre and phyto nutrients. PetPlus contains vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, enzymes etc.

Thanks for the advice bought some Natures chicken today, will try him on it tomorrow   

I recommended Natural Instinct to a friend who has a 2 year old staffie who has always been on dried. I gave her a tub to try before buying in case he didn't like it. She phoned to tell me he loved it and watches her preparing it, which he's never done with dried. He is also a sleepy head and won't get up even for breakfast.....until now. He can't wait for his next meal. Needless to say she has placed an order. By the way, I'm not pushing Natural Instinct in particular, it just happens to be the one I was recommended and use.