How many of you feed your dogs only raw foods, and if not, why not?

Question

WHen I say raw, I mean whole raw chickens and necks and feet and organs or other animals and whatnot part of most animals/fish.

Dear Mel, no they don't get salmonella or parasites from eating raw meat, their systems are different than ours!

Cat, I'm sure if a wolf had a human tossing it all the raw meet it needed, it'd never be deemed "malnourished..." Just a thought. I'm playing devil's advocate and I am very interested to hear from the nay-sayers. THANKS!

Answer 1

No, I don't and won't feed raw. Although, I briefly tried it...before looking into it enough. The reason being, dogs are far removed from wolves...externally and internally. They're not the same, even reproduction differs greatly. I also haven't seen any research proving what raw feeders claim. Plus, I recently read on YA (I believe) an article from someone with a wolf sanctuary who wrote that wild wolves are typically malnourished...they eat to survive, not to be healthy. We can survive on fast food, but it doesn't mean it healthy. I'll try to find the link and add it if do.

Edit: Found it & another: http://www.pheasanttracks.com/raw.htm
http://www.secondchanceranch.org/training/raw_meat/wolf_mike.html

Edit: My understanding is "malnourished" in the sense of poor nutrition, rather than a lack of food. Like my fast food example, lol. Apparently, many wolf sanctuaries include kibble in the diet. Also, it's parasites, splintered bones, etc. In the end, I believe *all* of us (kibble, homemade & raw feeders) have the best intentions and are doing what we feel is right. Thanks for reading too. :)

Answer 2

I feed my 2 dogs raw twice a week. It's far too expensive to feed them raw all the time. I tried doing it with one dog, and I couldn't keep up with the expense since the only place to get it around here is the stores. So I feed my dogs raw 2 days out of the week. I also feed them a high quality dog food, and the raw is mainly to keep their teeth clean and just to keep them in good condition. =)

Answer 3

I have fed all the dog diets except raw. Why? Because I have never been convinced that raw is even equal to a top quality home prepared or commercial diet, much less better. BARF'er are very fanatical in promoting this diet but never produce any studies or qualitative facts that BARF is superior. The usual argument for BARF is that commercial is bad, huh?

Answer 4

I do not feed my dog any raw meats at all. I just don't think that can be very healthy. I choose to feed her all natural food instead. She is very happy with it and extremely healthy. She refuses to eat dog treats and who can blame her. Dog treats are full of so much crap that they don't need. Instead I give her raw fruit and veggies. She LOVES it!

Answer 5

the only down side is in some dogs Raw foods can bring out the predator nature, and that can be dangerous if you have small kids. i had a friend that only fed his boxer raw foods, and was fine until one day the dog was alone with his 1 year old for a few mins, long story short the dog chewed the kids foot off, and was put down, and the baby lost a foot. i would stick to a good quality dog food like Iams or Science diet.

Answer 6

I dont. For one: its way to expensive, we have a german shepherd, a boxer, and a rott, we would go broke or starve just to feed those three. For Two: We live on a farm where we have chickens and cows are all around us, feeding raw meat to predatory animals such as dogs will incourage them to kill our chickens or try to take on a calf or something, which would inadvertently lead to the farmers down the road to shoot our dogs (I know it seems cruel, but farm logical says that you cant have dogs running around killing your livestock, and the things that make you money).

Answer 7

the BARF diet has possitives and negitives, first off working with raw meats. Contamination and u getting sick can happen if you are not meticulus. I have worked with dogs that thrive on the BARF diet, most of the Schutzhund kennels that I have associations with do use this form of diet. I personality dont because of the reasons above and I have kids. If u r educated enough on the proper preperations then I would say yes, It does solve alot of health problems.

Answer 8

I feed my Great Dane all raw foods, except for a little cooked liver (he refuses to eat it raw). He's 19 months old, extremely healthy, in great physical shape, and his coat has the most beautiful, glossy shine.

Answer 9

No my dog gets cooked stuff for sure.Raw stuff goes in the garbage. Hey we humans dont eat raw meat why subject to dogs to have 'ta eat 'em?

Answer 10

I don't feed my dogs raw anything. Regular dry dog food. I never really thought of giving them raw food. I figure if it's not safe for me to eat, it can't be for my babes. Plus, my male gets all crazy around "human" food.