Community Chat

[pommom]

Yesterday I stopped by Unleashed for non-grain treats for my dog. While there the sa handed me a small bag from the freezer (for free) of raw chicken mixed with veggies/grain-free. They were promoting the line and had larger bags for sale in the refrigerated area.

I thawed the chicken in the small bag to give to my dog for dinner yesterday. She turned her nose up at it and walked away. I then gave her the regular food and threw away the frozen stuff.

This morning I mixed the refrigerated food with her kibble and she really liked it.

Is raw better than kibble? She's been on Victor All Life Stages grain-free for years. The raw is much more expensive and I'm not thoroughly convinced raw is the way to go.

I did wash her bowl in soapy hot water after she finished eating plus the measuring cup I used to prevent salmonella.

Any experiences with raw you'd like to share?

[Citrine1]

I know it is popular with some, but I would never give my dogs raw meat. The idea is sickening to me.

[gardenman]

My youngest cat (Callie) loves raw meat. She won't eat canned food but any raw meat you're dealing with is delicious to her. You've really got to watch her around it. Set a raw pork chop/chicken breast/hamburger patty down and turn your back and when you turn back around she's likely to be up there chomping away at it. Raw flounder is her absolute favorite food in the whole world. I prepped some this morning for frying for lunch and she wouldn't leave me alone for a second while I was prepping it. (I cut off the thin little pieces at the very end since they curl up while frying and she gets those as a treat.) The only real issue with raw food is contamination. Any bacteria that's on the food won't be killed by cooking, so you really want to be sure it's been handled in a pristine fashion. You can get away with poor food handling practices in the early stages on food you cook, but if you're eating food raw, you have to be perfect all of the time.

[NickNack]

I've never done it, and my Vet says it's dangerous. I go to a very progressive Vet clinic that is up on all of the latest things. They perform surgeries in the same way as the Vet School. I trust her judgment implicitly. I've never been tempted to feed raw though.

[pommom]

Citrine - the food is not like the raw chicken we buy at the butcher's or grocery store. It is not slimy, but rather looks like kibble - only softer. I totally understand how you feel, though.

[pommom]

I'll have to monitor this closely. So far it hasn't affected her indigestive system which is a miracle. Her tummy is sooooo sensitive which finally led me to Victor's ALS.

Yes, this appears to be a high maintenance ritual: washing hands before and after handling the raw kibble and a clean food bowl at every meal. I feed her 1/2 c for breakfast, 1/4 cups for lunch and dinner. She's a senior and gains weight easily. The vet told me to cut back on her meals.

Thanks for your replies.

[Citrine1]

Hi Pommom! Thank you for enlightening me about the raw food; I was more or less envisioning tossing a whole chicken at a dog (similar to the way they feed animals at the zoo). Your explanation makes a lot more sense!

[jaxs mom]

I've been feeding prey model raw for almost 10 years. Kibble is not a natural diet for dogs and I can't think of one on the market I'd feed.

[CrazyDaisy]

Love feeding raw. Much easier to control my dogs weight. Do not have that ""I am hungry"" look all the time and they seem much healthier. Highly recommend.

[Bird mama]

Many years ago, with my first dog, we went through an episode (for the life of me I can't remember what it was) where the vet recommended that for a couple of days, Spottie needed to eat some raw hamburger. I rarely eat meat myself and when I bought some ground round for him and put some on his plate, he looked at me as if I was insane. In order to get Spottie to eat it, I had to take a small section of it and eat it in front of him - you know, like, yummie, this is so good.

My mother said she knew I loved that dog more than myself when she saw me do it. I managed to plaster a smile on my face and avoid throwing up and we made it through the couple of days of doing it.

Personally, I'm not crazy about raw food unless there's a medical reason for it.