The Puffer Forum

Does anyone here have their dog(s)/cat(s) on the raw diet?

I wish I did!!!

I have suggested it to many of my grooming customers who's animals have severe skin allergies. My dog does get 1/4 dry dog food, 1/4 carrots, 1/4 broccoli, 1/4 green beans, 2x/day.

I feel like a raw/whole diet is much better for cats and dogs. For dogs, I don't think it's quite as big of a deal because of the high thirst drive, though they do benefit from the lack of processing and the muscular development. Cats, on the other hand, have a very low thirst drive, and kibble all the time dehydrates them and causes problems like kidneystones. Canned food is much better, and then of course raw is best; it develops jaw muscles, stimulates their minds, and gives them maximum nutrition. As obligate carnivores, they need minimum to zero fillers, which canned and dry food rarely offer. Plus, raw is cheaper than high-quality canned.

I may be mistaken, but I think that a raw diet also improves dental health.

For now, I'm stuck feeding my cat grain-free kibble. I used to wet it, but then when we moved in with my parents for the school year, she started turning down wet high-quality kibble in favor of my parents' cat's dry grocery store crap. To help prevent kidneystones, I give her distilled water; our local water is notorious for its high mineral content and contribution to absurd rates of kidneystones. As soon as I can afford it, I will feed raw!

My wife and I switched over to the Raw diet 15 years ago and haven’t looked back for a second. I can’t even begin to express the difference in the health of our 3 Labs and 1 Pit in comparison to past animals fed on any quality kibble.

I do!! Well, it's a rotating raw diet so my dogs don't get bored with their food, and they don't get bad allergies. Little bit of kibble in the morning, with a tiny spoonful of wet, then at night, they get their raw with a tiny bit of kibble. Allergies are gone, and they never pick at their food, and their coats come in super shiny and healthy. I used to have to take Lady, my beagle, in for steroid shots every summer because she'd chew herself bald with allergies. Don't have to worry about that any more

Pufferpunk wrote:I have suggested it to many of my grooming customers who's animals have severe skin allergies. My dog does get 1/4 dry dog food, 1/4 carrots, 1/4 broccoli, 1/4 green beans, 2x/day.

By the way, Jeni, have you considered balancing Kalvin's diet with more meat and a variety of vegetables and fruit? That is a very low-protein, low-calorie diet. The kibble alone, if it's decent- to high-quality, should be balanced in itself, so all those veggies are probably unbalancing it. Since Kalvin is an athletic dog, shouldn't he be getting more protein? Plus, it might benefit him to get a wider variety of veggies and fruits, since each different one has a different nutrition concentration, and only using the same three might deprive him of other vitamins and so forth.

He does get plenty of fruit. Hubby shares 1/2 his banana every morning with him, along with apple slices. Kalvin was getting a lil thick around the waist with more kibble (Solid Gold--good quality stuff) but when I reduced the amount, he was hungry all the time. Someone in the dog club suggested supplementing with pumpkin, which was good for the 1st year but then it was off the shelves for a year & I had to find an alternative filler. He's nice & trim now!

Have you considered a low-fat meat or kibble that's higher in protein? Dogs aren't meant to fill up on plants like us. Some plants are important, definitely, but 3/4 veggies probably doesn't supply enough protein for the average dog. With low-fat dog food, he can eat more, but take in fewer calories.

The problem with any kibble is it contains grains. Dogs do not have the digestive system for grains and it causes a lot of allergies in dogs. When feeding a raw diet you feed 2-4% of the dogs adult weight, daily. You can add fruits and vegetables as a side, but dogs should have a diet that consists mainly of protein.

This link lists the food you can feed the dogs: http://rawfeddogs.net/Recipes/

However, when feeding a raw diet you shouldn't purchase packaged meat from the grocery store. The best thing to do is go to your local butcher or meat supply and ask for leftovers that they don't sell. Raw, meaty bones and carcasses are best. Dogs can, and enjoy eating whole bones. However, do NOT cook the meat or bones.

^^^There are many kibbles available now that are grain-free! See dogfoodanalysis.com. Of course, raw IS the best.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:^^^There are many kibbles available now that are grain-free! See dogfoodanalysis.com. Of course, raw IS the best.

Oh that's great news. I'm pretty outdated on available dog foods, other than I know fancy ones are VERY expensive and Science Diet is expensive crap.

my dog gets a mixture of brown rice, sweet potatoes, random veggies, and ground beef 2x a day. my collie often eats better than me. for dinner today i had a can of condensed soup. my collie had that, and my puffers had squid w chopped fresh garlic (+ meds). everyone had a good meal in my house today except for me...

Nuclear_Glitter wrote:

LilGreenPuffer wrote:^^^There are many kibbles available now that are grain-free! See dogfoodanalysis.com. Of course, raw IS the best.

Oh that's great news. I'm pretty outdated on available dog foods, other than I know fancy ones are VERY expensive and Science Diet is expensive crap.

Look at Orijen, Canidae/Felidae, Wellness (certain formulas), Blue Buffalo (certain formulas), Taste of the Wild, Evo, and Weruva, for starters.

Wheat makes Kal throw up. I think he's allergic.