Our Raw Dog

Raw meat??? Yes, I give my dog raw meat, bones, and vegetables each day--and he loves it! If you asked me a year ago if I would ever feed my dog raw meat I would have told asked you if you were delusional--I never would have invited that much bacteria into my home. But I have been convinced, my reasons for it are tri-fold: the health of my dog, the quality of ingredients, and street cred. No not really--just the first two.

After a year of constant trips to the vet due to diarrhea, we decided to change vets (that's another post,) and have a nutritional consultation. Denali had previously been diagnosed with food allergies to beef, milk, soybean, flaxseed, carrots, peas, and barley. So we were married to only feeding him only kibble. Treats upset his stomach, so we ceased giving him anything but vension treats (100% meat and very expensive.) I was tired of constantly fighting off bouts of diarrhea with him and refilling the antibiotic prescriptions constantly.

Our new vet recommended raw. She explained to us that dog's have a lower pH in their stomach that allows them to kill any bacteria that might find its way into its food. As he was a relatively healthy puppy in her words, he should have no problem transitioning to the raw food diet, and that his problems with diet were most likely due to his processed kibble. Giving a dog food that is in its natural state (raw) is the most beneficial because the nutritional content has not been compromised by processing or cooking. Most kibble is put through an extrusion process where many of the nutrients are eradicated. Furthermore, it is then packaged into a large bag where it will sit until it is distributed, and then sit until it is sold, and then most likely sit in your kitchen/ basement for 3-4 weeks.

Denali's turnaround was nothing short of remarkable. In the six months that we have been on raw, we have not once gone to the vet. He can eat anything we give him, with only the occasional gas. Although it is expensive, the benefits of it outweigh the extra expenses. And we are saving on veterinary costs!

To come to this decision was a big one, and I was desperate for any respite from the diarrhea, but since the switch I couldn't be happier. I have since become more interested in canine nutrition and have read a number of good books on the subject that were recommended to me by our awesome friends at our local dog food store. Thanks Julie and Hattie at Sirius Cooks!

Luckily there are a ton of great raw dog food companies out there. Here are some of our favorites because they use meat from animals not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.

Stella & Chewys* what we ideally use

Darwin's Foods Naturals- make sure to get the Naturals not Zoologic (b/c Zoologic might contain antibiotics and hormones)

Primal

Bravo


If you are at all interested in learning more about canine nutrition, including the rationale behind a raw food diet take a look at some of these resources:


www.dogaware.com (written by one of the contributors to Whole Dog Journal, focuses on diet)
www.whole-dog-journal.com (great resource, has annual reviews of commercial food)
Your holistic vet--our previous vet recommended Royal Canin which did not fit my criteria

And last but not least, the knowledgeable staff at your local dog food store. We are so lucky to have Sirius Cooks close by, they have been an invaluable resource and are behind this whole thing! Other great resources in the Chicagoland areas are Noah's Ark in Winnetka, Kriser's Foods (multiple locations), and Barker & Meowskys: A Paw Firm in Lincoln Park.