Is anyone feeding raw?

[searcher]

I am trying to switch Tasha Yarr (and both cats) over to a raw food diet. Tasha has allergies to commercial dog food. I have tried a lot of foods and the latest one I am trying is grain free. It has helped a lot. She is still having issues with her ears though. So I am trying to switch her over to a raw meat diet. I put an ad on Freecycle for old deer meat or game if anyone is cleaning out their freezer. I was contacted by one lady who gave me two grocery bags of meat. Most of it was deer meat. It won't last long. I have to find a source of cheap meat real fast. We don't have butchers around this small town but I will keep looking. I have been watching for marked down managers specials real cheap and I am buying what I can afford. I am paying $24.00+ for 15 lbs of her dog food so if I can find different kinds of meat for the same price I will be set. My big Maine Coon loves the raw meat but my female cat won't touch it. So it will be a long process to get her switched over.

Does anyone else feed a raw diet to their pets?

[wookin]

That does sound expensive. Never heard of feeding raw before. Hope it helps. Do I understand that you are feeding your 'cats' dog food? I'm confused.

[TBEventer2002]

Be careful with a raw food diet. When people feed actual raw food (not just cooked meat), then you run into digestive issues and missing nutrients. Please do this in conjunction with your vet's reccommendations. If you feed actual raw meat (which isn't that good for them actually; it really should be cooked to some degree), it must be supplemented with vitamins.

Good luck.

[searcher]

Originally Posted by wookin That does sound expensive. Never heard of feeding raw before. Hope it helps. Do I understand that you are feeding your 'cats' dog food? I'm confused.

No I am feeding the dog and cat raw meat. If it is frozen first before being fed, it will be safe to eat once thawed. The cat that won't eat the raw diet is eating cat food right now.
Dogs and cats are naturally carnivores, meat eaters. The corn, rice, wheat, grains included in commercial dog food is not a natural diet for carnivores. When was the last time you saw a dog or cat out in the middle of a corn field or garden eating produce? lol!
From the reading I am doing, if I feed a variety of meats and parts they should get what they need. I have started giving the dog probiotics to help any digestive issues.
The animals in the wild eat this type of diet. With the extra care domestic animals have being indoors, vet care etc. they have a longer life span than wild animals who get none of that care in the wild.
Another thing I read and it makes sense is that the wolves and other wild animals in zoos eat a species "appropriate diet" which is raw meat and game.
Since I can not find a commercial food that does not aggravate her allergies, I am going to try this species appropriate diet for her. As much as I can.
It makes sense that if the processed food we eat is not healthy for us, then why is it any different for our pets?

[smiles]

I have a friend that has done lots of research and tried the raw diet with her 3 dogs, and most of her 11 cats. The Raw diet can be good for the animals once their body gets used to it. Her dogs did well on the raw diet, and even her less picky younger cats liked the raw diet. It can get expensive though, and make sure you get meat from good sources. She did plenty of research on it and shared the reseach with me, and if you can do specific meal times and do your research on food it can be very good for animals. That is their natural diet.

I've concidered switching my dog to a raw diet, but right now she eats a mix of grain free food supplimented with cooked meats. I think our one cat would go for it, but the other 2 are to picky so I haven't tried it yet.

[purplefdu]

Actually dogs are not true carnivores, cats are. Its the reason you see almost exclusively protein based cat food and more types of veggie dog food.

However depending on the types of meat you get and feed you may still run into problems. Commercially raised meat is fed antibiotics and large amounts of low quality food. If you're having ear infections I would hate for anyone to build up an immunity to antibiotics due to a raw diet.

I fed raw for two years when I got my dog to purge his system of a triple dose of DHLPP vacs. We fed sojourner farms base of oatmeal/herbs/nuts as well as fruits, veggies and meats as well as dairy. We normally bought enough food for four people (a family of three plus the dog) and he got 1/4 of what we ate.

My dogs will both raid the garden. They adore beans, carrots, squash, pumpkins, corn, tomatos and radishes. They can and have helped themselves when not watched. The puppy would rather have pumpkin than a steak any day. Like seriously would turn his nose up at a steak for pumpkin.

I would definitely speak to your vet about it so they can help you out and give you things to watch out for on your new journey. Our vet is a conventional as well as a great alternative medicine practioner and had fun learning with us.

[searcher]

I have read that pumpkin is good for their digestion. My dog loves cooked sweet potatoes! but most commercial food is loaded with corn and rice meal which is what I believe my dog is allergic to. It could also be the chemicals in the food.
If they would eat the veggies thats good because I am finding this diet to be as expensive as buying the high end organic pet foods. I have read that some find inexpensive meat sources from their butcher or friends who hunt but I have not located that type of source around me yet. I am doing what op suggested, I am buying meat for us and sharing. I watch for managers specials etc. My animals are still being fed some commercial food just because I cannot find a good meat source yet.

[searcher]

I've concidered switching my dog to a raw diet, but right now she eats a mix of grain free food supplimented with cooked meats. I think our one cat would go for it, but the other 2 are to picky so I haven't tried it yet.[/quote

]

One of my cats switched no problem. The other turns up her nose at anything but cat food! She is the one who needs the all natural diet due to skin issues.When I was a kid, we fed our dog table scraps, bones and some dry dog food if we did not have enough table scraps. Our dog was healthy and lived a long life. He was an outside dog so he probably hunted as well. Now, the pet food industry has led people to believe that the commercial dog food is better than a natural diet. Kind of the way they did to us about our food! People are beginning to realize that a more natural diet is best. I can't afford to eat everything all natural myself, so the pets will have to make do with the same! lol! We already joke about them eating better than us!
When you have a high maintenance dog, you look for the least expensive way to keep them healthy. Better food vs. higher Vet bills and health problems.

[Annye]

There are some excellent yahoo groups for raw feeding animals - just search "raw food dog" and "raw food cat" to find them. I'm on rawcat and found it very helpful as we transition. I'm also fortunate to have several friends in my area who raw feed their animals, so we can share tips and good deals.
I shop for the cats as I would for we humans. I have a price point I'll pay for their meat and buy when it's on sale or special, then buy in bulk if possible. I put the meat into bags that last 3 days and freeze those, which keeps it fresh. I rotate what kind of meat - beef, pork, chicken, turkey - as well as my cats will turn up noses if offered the same thing too often. When I started, I had to cook the meat for them, now I only cook the chicken. I'm hoping to get a meat grinder soon so I can grind raw chicken and not have to cook that either.
Again, look for yahoo groups and join those - just reading the archives answers a lot of questions.

HTH,

Annye

[Rene S]

I feed 1/2 raw diet to our three cats. I buy commercially prepared, Nature's Variety nuggets. I like it, though I will no longer buy the rabbit since they started adding pork to it. All the research I've done says that raw pork is not good for animals.

You need to be VERY careful when preparing a raw diet for a cat. They have specific nutrition needs. A "perfect" diet for a cat is a mouse, which includes bones, organ meat, etc. A piece of raw chicken breast, for instance, is not a suitable replacement. It's lacking bones and organ meat. You would need to add supplements to that kind of a diet to make up for what it's lacking.

I recommend spending some time on this web site: Cat Nutrition.Org She has been feeding raw to her cats for many years and has excellent information, including her recipes.