![]() Q& A Feeding a Raw Diet. Q& A Feeding a Raw Diet. Disclaimer: I am not a vet or a health care professional. By feeding your cat a raw diet you are exposing him to dangers overlooked by "natural diet" advocates. ![]() Feeding a raw species appropriate diet can be a controversial topic, and like any feeding regimen can have health risks associated with incorrect feeding and preparation. DO NOT FEED COOKED BONES, ever! Cooking bones changes the molecular structure, they become brittle and may splinter and injure or kill your dog!! NO COOKED BONES. Do your own research FIRST before diving into a new method of feeding your dog. Read as many books and articles as you can, talk to successful raw feeders and find a mentor, and use your own judgment and gut instinct. If you aren’t comfortable with it, DON’T do it. Remember there are many ways to feed your dogs, with many variations. Just because I don’t cover it here, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. The ideas and opinions in this section of the web site are my own, and come from feeding my dogs this way since 1. Myth: DOGS NEED CARBOHYDRATES IN THEIR DIET. The following text is taken from Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog, by Wendy Volhard and Kerry Brown. Building a balanced diet From table scraps to kibble and back again. Cats are predators. They evolved eating a raw prey based diet. Cooking degrades nutrients, causing loss of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. More frequently asked questions on the popular raw diet, BARF, an acronym for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones And Raw Food. I am constantly evolving, tweaking and changing my ideas as my knowledge and experience increases. Take any ideas I present here at your own risk and discretion. I hope you and your dogs enjoy many healthy years together. Congratulations on making the first step towards one of the most important things you can do for your dog. La Dieta B.A.R.F.Cindy Rhodes. Questions & Answers I am interested in feeding the BARF diet, what do I do first? My vet told me my dog would get sick or DIE from feeding a raw diet? I am having second thoughts about switching. Why should I switch my dog to a raw diet? Is kibble actually bad for my dog? He seems really healthy. I want to breed my female. Is it ok to feed a raw diet to pregnant dogs? What about my new puppy? He was fed kibble at the breeder's place. How do I switch him? I don't want him to get sick. What is a RMB? What is a recreational bone? I have heard that you should NEVER feed your dog chicken bones! One of the foundations of your feeding program is chicken! Aren't you afraid your dogs will choke or the bones will splinter? I was told that if you feed dogs raw meat, they will become vicious and kill animals. Is this true? How Do I Make The Switch? What Should I Expect At First? I have heard that raw is much more expensive than kibble, how much will it cost me to feed my dog this way? I read somewhere on the internet that feeding a raw diet reduces vet bills? How does that work? It seems too complicated to feed a raw diet, I don't have any free time to spend on this. How much time does it take each day to prepare the food? What Do You Feed Your Dogs? Can You Send Me Some Menu Plans? How Do I Know Each Meal Is Balanced? How Much Do I feed? I'm Not Sure I Am Ready To Switch To Raw, But I Don't Want To Feed Kibble. Do you have any suggestions? I have small kids and I am worried about Salmonella and E- Coli! What about Grains? I read that you don't feed them to your dogs . What supplements do I need to use? How often do you use supplements? The label says to give it every day. What is ACV? What are probiotics? What are digestive enzymes? What about vegetables? What kinds of meat can I feed my dogs? Are there parasites in raw meat? I want to feed a raw diet but whole bones scare me! Can I grind them up before feeding? What kind of equipment do I need to grind RMBs? I see that some places sell pre- ground raw pet food. Are these ok to feed? They seem very expensive though! Can I buy RMBs at the grocery store? If not, where do I find them? What about feeding Raw and Kibble together, is that OK? I forgot to thaw out my dog's next meal, can I feed it frozen? I left my dog's raw food out of the fridge too long and it smells bad! Is it safe to feed it or should I throw it away? Wendy Vollhard and her husband have written a number of articles or books on feeding a raw diet. Some of your information is different that what they recommend. There seems to be a conflict among experts here. What are your thoughts? I own two Pomeranians. He sniffs the food and walks away. What should I do? My dog takes his chicken pieces and buries them under the couch cushions! I can't get my dog to eat the chicken with bones, what should I do? We started our litter of pups off on a raw diet. Everything was going great, until they recently began scratching and some losing fur. What do you make of this and what do you suggest we do? My dog chews the legs for about a minute or two, but then swallows the leg bone whole without breaking it up. Is this okay for her? Will she be able to digest the whole leg bone as it is? Can I feed my pup RAW food about 3 times a week and then all natural dry KIBBLE for the rest of the week? Will this schedule mess- up my dog's stomach, or will my pup get used to this? My vet recommended that my lab lose some weight. Am I doing this the right way? What do you think? Are rawhide chews OK to give to a dog on a raw diet? My dog has diabetes and cushings, can you recommend a raw diet for him? My dog is too thin and I'm feeding a raw diet, how do I put weight on him? My dog has excessive thirst, excessive drooling, heavy breathing, lethargic and loose stool. Could this be diet related? Did I start my dog on too many different meats too fast? My vet said eating raw chicken is unsafe for humans and why would you risk your dogs health by feeding them raw chicken? I have 2 chihuahuas and have switched them to a raw diet but I’m terrified. They choke on their chicken drumsticks and act like they are choking to death. Can you help me? Our dog was recently switched to a raw diet. She did fine for a couple of weeks and then started to vomit yellow bile and even vomited right after she ate a couple of times. My dog has been on a raw diet for 3 months and she is constipated, what can I do? I would appreciate your thoughts. Do you recommend warming up the meat portion of a dog’s food when feeding raw? My trainer asked what I was feeding my dog while assessing her behavior. I feed a raw diet of chicken, turkey, beef and some fish. Is there to much salt in the two of these or will it be fine? I have a Giant Schnauzer 1. I noticed today that his front legs are bowed. Is this normal for a puppy? Should I cut that down? I read your article on Pano and didn't know if bowed legs was considered Pano. Please advise. I’m switching my 6 month old dog to a raw diet, will she start jumping on the counter when we are fixing meals thinking it is her food? My pup continually has loose, watery stools. At first she had gardia, but no longer tests positive for it. Any advice? My dog has been on raw for a month but he keeps getting diarrhea. Any input would be appreciated. I purchased raw chicken thighs and legs and just noticed the expiration date was 1. Is it safe to feed this? Our dog starting shedding a lot last spring after 2- 3 months on a raw diet. Our vet said it was from feeding her raw food and wanted us to switch her to a kibble. Could her shedding be because she’s allergic to chicken? I have been feeding my dog just meat (alternating between chicken and organic beef) and eggs. Would she still be getting all the nutrients she needs? I am interested in feeding the BARF diet, what do I do first? Let me start by saying I don't like the acronym BARF (which stands for Bones And Raw Food) I think it is an unpleasant term so I don't use it. I prefer the term raw diet so that's how I will refer to this method of feeding from here. I recommend you start by reading a few books, they are available at the Leerburg web site bookstore. All the books sold about health and nutrition are good but beginners will especially benefit from Natural Nutrition for Dogs & Cats by Kymythy Schultze and Raw Dog Food by Carina Beth Mc. Donald. We give both of these books to our German Shepherd and Malinois puppy customers and rarely get questions about feeding a raw diet. The internet is also a very good resource, with lots of Yahoo raw feeding and dog nutrition lists. It's a great way to read about other people's experiences, problems and successes with a raw diet. Be aware that there are also many ANTI- raw folks out there, so be prepared to wade through the controversy and make up your own mind. We have a great deal of information on the Leerburg Discussion Forum. There are many posts on feeding raw foods, tips and questions from beginners and experienced raw feeders. You can register and post your own questions or just read through the existing information. Be prepared to spend some time reading, there's lots of material to sift through! You can also find health, training and health related topics discussed here. Some people switch right away, but most take an average of weeks or months to take the plunge. Stay within your comfort zone, and do what you feel is best. It's your dog and your decision! Don't let anyone make you feel bad or wrong for taking your own sweet time. My vet told me my dog would get sick or DIE from feeding a raw diet? I am having second thoughts about switching. This is one of the most common emails I get from people researching a raw diet OR from our puppy customers after they take their pup in for a wellness exam. When I hear this, I tell folks to find a new vet! Whether you ever switch to a raw diet or not, when veterinarians use this type of scare tactic with NO basis in fact for it, I get upset. Most vets have very little nutritional training, and what they get in school is funded by the pet food companies. Vets and their staff are also given kickbacks, free food for their own pets and other perks for pushing their products in their office. How do I know this? I worked in the veterinary field for over a decade and before I made the switch to 'real food' for my dogs, I was guilty of promoting Science Diet and Hills Prescription Diets right along with the vet. To all those dogs and cats from years past, please accept my apology! I just didn't know better. Vets that don't understand the dietary needs of dogs (and cats) will recommend kibble or canned food, so that each meal is complete and balanced. They will tell you that your dog will get salmonella or e- coli from raw meat.
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