Raw feeding.Questions,myths and the truth

MaplesMommy · Sep 4, 2014

So after receiving a rather rude message on a different forum I am a member at as well , I figured I will open a thread for all the questions and myths on raw feeding that are out there.
Feel free to post any questions or concerns.

The two most often heard myths are

1. Can the bacteria in the raw food kill me or my dog?
- A healthy dog has a very(!) acidy stomach. They evolved on eating raw meat so your dog will absolutely be fine! And you dont have to worry either. Most raw formulas you can buy are pasteurized, this means all bacteria such as Salmonella and E.Coli was destroyed IF there was any at all.Usually there arent. Keep your dogs dish clean and wash your hands afterwards, thats it. I even feed unpasteurized local meat and my dog licks my face and is all over the place and I am not concerned about getting sick.
Plus did you know even kibble contains salmonella? There actually have been more cases of people getting sick from kibble than from raw meat(infact no case is known).

2. Does a dog get blood thirsty on a raw diet?
- No, an animal does not get blood thirsty nor will it feel the sudden urge to kill. I know lots and lots of dogs that live with kittens,bunnies and other small animals and can run off leash without any incidents. Its the breed and how you raise your dog that decide wether your dog has an urge to hunt and in the worst case to kill.
Infact a raw diet has been proven to lower aggressive behaviour which can be cause by carbohydrates (sugar) in their kibble diet.

Raw feeding is rather simple and you will notice positives changes within days. In my opinion wholesome,fresh food is always better than processed,unnatural kibble.

I am not judging 'kibble feeder' and dont feel obligated to post anything I just figured it would be a nice thing to have a thread like this where questions can get answered and advice can be given

2bullymama · Sep 4, 2014

:up: great info

karla215 · Sep 4, 2014

Thank you - - my vet also tried to scare me about listeria and such, and said my puppy wouldn't be getting the right nutrients. In the end she loves it so much that I decided to just be careful and supplement with nuvet instead, given I had wanted to do that anyway... But party of my confidence in doing so came from this group! Without that alternate voice, I probably would have struggled to get her to love kibble!

Thanks for starting this! Karla

KimB3384 · Sep 4, 2014

Meat: it's what's for dinner!

Jill Perry · Sep 4, 2014

I feed our 10 month old and 2yr old raw food from Bravo and supplement w/fish oil.

MaplesMommy · Sep 4, 2014

You guys are awesome!

Maple has been raw fed for half a year now(so half her life if you wanna put it that way

). The kitten has been raw fed ever since we weaned her of the bottle (the milk bottle lol).

MaplesMommy · Sep 6, 2014

So how does this work with the new hashtags? Can I ads hastags to this thread? If Im doing something wrong please let me know lol
#raw #health #meat #fresh #diet #nutrition

bullmama · Sep 6, 2014

MaplesMommy said:
So how does this work with the new hashtags? Can I ads hastags to this thread? If Im doing something wrong please let me know lol
#raw #health #meat #fresh #diet #nutrition

Perfect and excellent information!

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rcd22uc · Sep 20, 2014

I have a 12 year old puppy who we feed bravo chicken pattys. Do I need to add other supplements to ensure he gets all the proper nutrients in his early stages of growth? Thank you for your help

MaplesMommy · Sep 20, 2014

Hi there

I just looked at your dog's food. It is nutritionally complete. You dont have to supplement however you can if you would like. There are a few natural supplements out there who are specificially made for raw fed dogs. Since your food comes from a supplier and is already 80-10-10 balanced and even contains veggies I dont think its necessary however this is up to you

Instead of a supplement you can add your own veggis,Chia Seeds, Turmeric etc if you'd like

DHA is important for a growing puppy so the only thing I would think about adding is good quality fish oil.

MaplesMommy · Oct 10, 2014

Another myth I hear a lot: "Raw must be so expensive. I dont think I can effort it!".

A raw diet gets as expensive as you want it to be.
There are all kinds of good raw supplieres such as Stella & Chewy's, Primal and Natures Variety. You will notice a price difference between the pre cut nuggets (just take out of the freezer and thaw) and the ones you would have to cut yourself. For example a 5lbs Chicken Brick that you would thaw and cut yourself is as little as 17 cents (canadian) per ounze. Lets say your Frenchy needs about 8 ounzes a day. Thats 1.36 $ a day and only about 43$ a month. And this is all with organic good ingredients.
I personally feed local ,grass fed,free range meat. Its a little more expensive but Im still under 70$ a month. A good quality kibble bag will cost you as much maybe even more.

If you have multiple dogs and/or big dogs you may be scared of the cost but you can always stay on budget. You can add a good carb such as Quinoa,brown sprouted rice or steel cut oats. For every 1/2 cup cooked(1/2 cup of the cooked ingredient) you can take away 3 ounzes. So for 1 cup of a cooked carb its 6 ounzes of the meat you can save.

Yes,feeding a 8 months old Great Dane puppy a raw diet may sound scary at first but its all possible without spending an arm and a leg every month

And a Frenchy wont cost you near as much. I promise!

nikki86 · Oct 10, 2014

$70 is a lot for dog food. We feed blue buffalo at $35 a month and with frenchie vet Bills shots. Emergency visits Etc money has to stretch in our household.

MaplesMommy · Oct 10, 2014

Like I said the 70$ is for the higher end meat. If you go with a good organic supplier from the states it will be as little as 45$ a month or even less.
I'd rather spend my money on good,healthy food than on vet bills and an unhealthy dog in the long run.
(Yes, fresh Veggies and Fruit is more expensive than McDonalds).
But this is a decision every pet owner should make for himself.

chubbybunnymax · Dec 31, 2014

Thanks for the info! I am currently transitioning Max from kibble to raw (Stella & Chewy's). My bf and I have tried different "5 star" kibble but still feel like Max will do better on raw.

eeturk · Dec 31, 2014

chubbybunnymax said:
Thanks for the info! I am currently transitioning Max from kibble to raw (Stella & Chewy's). My bf and I have tried different "5 star" kibble but still feel like Max will do better on raw.

Hudson tried all of the "best" kibbles and they just never agreed with him. Some of them just do better on raw! We love stella and Chewy's.

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chubbybunnymax · Jan 5, 2015

So glad to hear Hudson loves Stella & Chewy's! Max always had so much stool on kibble even when we decreased his portions. We just felt like he wasn't really absorbing kibble too well. We definitely feed him enough food and he also gets treats/snacks. He is slim for a frenchie and I worry he isn't getting enough nutrients. Max loves any food. haha

Jennifer Soos Brancifort · Feb 6, 2015

Just curious what proteins your frenchies tolerate best. I have an allergy man and so far he can't eat chicken, or rabbit... I'm starting to get frusterated. I like the Raw diet and feel like he is handling it well other than he is so pink on his under side and itches constantly.. I have just started adding Goats milk to his food, and he is on a probiotic, but still so itchy, and he throws up from time to time... always in the middle of the night all over my bed.... please help... Ill take whatever suggestions I can get.

eeturk · Feb 7, 2015

Jennifer Soos Brancifort said:
Just curious what proteins your frenchies tolerate best. I have an allergy man and so far he can't eat chicken, or rabbit... I'm starting to get frusterated. I like the Raw diet and feel like he is handling it well other than he is so pink on his under side and itches constantly.. I have just started adding Goats milk to his food, and he is on a probiotic, but still so itchy, and he throws up from time to time... always in the middle of the night all over my bed.... please help... Ill take whatever suggestions I can get.

On raw, we change Hudson's proteins every week so that he doesn't develop allergies from repeated exposure. So far he doesn't do that well on chicken. His favorites are duck duck goose, beef, and surf and turf (all Stella and Chewy's frozen). It might just be some trial and error with finding the proteins that work best!

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chubbybunnymax · Feb 12, 2015

eeturk said:
On raw, we change Hudson's proteins every week so that he doesn't develop allergies from repeated exposure. So far he doesn't do that well on chicken. His favorites are duck duck goose, beef, and surf and turf (all Stella and Chewy's frozen). It might just be some trial and error with finding the proteins that work best!

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I do the same thing with Maximus who is also on Stella & Chewy's frozen like Hudson. I chose Stella & Chewy's since they seem to provide more single source protein options compared to some other brands (always seem to have chicken in them). I believe only Surf & Turf (beef and salmon) and Duck Duck Goose (duck and turkey) are more than one protein source. Maximus is doing MUCH better on raw!

eeturk · Feb 12, 2015

chubbybunnymax said:
I do the same thing with Maximus who is also on Stella & Chewy's frozen like Hudson. I chose Stella & Chewy's since they seem to provide more single source protein options compared to some other brands (always seem to have chicken in them). I believe only Surf & Turf (beef and salmon) and Duck Duck Goose (duck and turkey) are more than one protein source. Maximus is doing MUCH better on raw!

Stella and Chewy's has been a miracle product for us!! It was such a relief to finally find a food that worked for him and that he would eat. Glad Maximus is doing well on it!

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