The Dog
Food Dilemma – The Road to Raw
I’m writing
this blog so that I can share my journey as I leave the world of “safe” and convenient commercial dog food and
enter the unknown world of raw food. These opinions and experiences are mine
alone and I am in no way an expert on the subject. This is a learning experience for me.
We have
recently welcomed a new member to our family. His name is Spencer and he is a 7
month old Miniature Schnauzer. It didn’t take long before this beloved little
creature stole our hearts became the 5th member of our family.
After a few
weeks of transition, us getting used to him and he to us, I continued my
research on how to give this little guy the best quality of life we can give
him.
When I
purchased my puppy from the breeder, I was given a complimentary bag of food. I
looked it up online and it was reviewed as a very good quality food, so I stuck
with it.
I never had
any trouble feeding Spencer. He loves his food and he is not a picky eater. I
place the food in front of him and it is gone within seconds! I had to go out
and buy a special bowl to slow him down. So my reason for switching food has
nothing to do with him disliking it. The
reason for switching is the fact that my little carnivore is eating dry kibble
when I feel he should be eating meat.
I try to
prepare a home cooked meals for my
family that are made up of the least amount of processed food possible. It is
very hard, with two picky eaters, but I try. So, I am standing in my kitchen
preparing a wonderful meal that includes fresh meat and lots of vegetables. And
as I sit down to enjoy this meal, I hear the loud crunching sound of hard
pellets being “enjoyed” by my dog. I
knew there was something wrong with this picture. A dog should not be eating
hard crunchy kibble. He should be eating meat. Period.
The
following day I took a trip to a local pet food store that specializes in Raw
Dog Food. They had a lot of information for me and to be honest it was a little
bit overwhelming. There were all types of meat, bones, supplements etc. My head was spinning but I knew deep down
that I wanted to give it a try. The staff was very helpful at answering my
questions and almost all of them own a
rescue dog that are now thriving on a raw diet. This seems to be the consensus.
People who have tried the raw food approach, loved it. I have searched numerous
websites and I have yet to come across someone who was not satisfied with the
raw diet, not one negative comment. The only negative comments come from
commercial pet food companies or veterinarians who don’t support it.
I decided
to wait to make a decision that day, but I did purchase a bag of raw bones.
I’ve read a lot about the benefits of feeding your dog raw bones. It is
described as “natures toothbrush”. It’s supposed to keep their teeth clean and
exercise their jaw and neck muscles. I figured I would give it a try since I
was not ready to make a commitment.
Well, let me tell you, I have never seen my dog enjoy something as much as he
did this bone. At first he didn’t know what to do with it. He sniffed it,
circled around it a couple of times, sniffed it again. I watched him closely
not knowing how he would handle it, and I didn’t want him to hide it somewhere
in the house. Then he started to bite on it a little, and once he figured it
out, he was in pure heaven. He was in his element. This is what he was meant to
eat.
My initial
concern about feeding my dog raw food was the issue of bacteria and salmonella.
What if the dog gets sick? What if we get sick? What if he eats the food and
licks our face, will that make us sick? I learned that a dog’s digestive tract
is much shorter than a human’s and their stomach acid is much stronger so the
chance of him becoming ill from bacteria is considerably low. And what’s the
difference between me handling raw food
for my dog and handling raw chicken or ground beef for my family. I would need
to use the same precautions and be very vigilant in keeping my counter clean
and sanitary.
It was at
this point that I decided that I could no longer deprive him of a real meal.
So, I returned to the pet food store and purchased a small package of frozen
raw turkey meat with bone and fiber made by Mountain Dog. It comes in a 2lb
package and is separated in to two logs of 1lb each. I was told to supplement
with kelp and fish oil and to feed him a portion that equals 2% of his body
weight. I am nervous and excited to try out his new diet and I will let you
know how it goes……
I would be
curious to hear about your experience whether it be positive or negative.
Please feel free to leave a comment below.
