B.A.R.F. Diet

That is one of the large myths of raw feeding. What the vets that gave the salmonella report failed to mention is that kibble fed dogs also shed bacteria in their feces. It isn't limited to raw fed dogs.

As for the therapy dog thing ... Gio is a therapy dog. All three nursing homes that he visits on a regular basis know that he eats raw and they don't have a problem with it. The therapy dog organization that he is certified through knows that he eats raw and didn't have an issue with it.

Here is a great site that dispels many of the common raw fed myths ... http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
 
Thanks, Dayna, that's a great website with a lot of useful information! It's dreadful that a vet would broadcast a report like that. Of course her sponsor is probably a pet food company (cynic that I am...). I am so glad to know that's one less thing to worry about. I love how well my dog does with the raw diet.
 
Samonella and e-coli is also the reason to freeze before defrosting to serve to them

I regularly give Jake a chicken wing and he loves them, I am having a proper diet sheet written up so hopefully I can go the full way with him soon (I know what I can feed him, just not sure how much)
 
Just to clarify, freezing DOES NOT kill bacteria. Freezing will "pause" them, so that the amount of bacteria does not increase while frozen. But once it is thawed again, the same amount of bacteria that was there when it went into the freezer is still there. And once thawed, that bacteria can continue to replicate and increase in numbers.

So don't rely on freezing to "clean" the meat.

As for bacteria being a problem to dogs ... it generally isn't. The digestive physiology of a dog is such that bacterial loads that would cause people to run to the bathroom really aren't an issue to a healthy dog. Dogs have a considerably more acidic stomach than humans do, so much of the bacteria is killed once it reaches the stomach. Additionally, the digestive tract of a dog is quite short and the rate of passage of food through the tract is very quick. Raw food digests in about 5 hours in a dog ... as compared to approximately 12 hours for kibble. The fast rate of passage prevents bacteria from getting a foothold in the intestines.

This isn't to say that dogs can't or won't suffer from bacterial overload. They certainly can. But the normal levels of bacteria found on meat that you get from the grocery store or other reliable source isn't enough to cause a problem.
 
Raw Diet

I began feeding my 10 yr. old Sheltie a raw diet about a month ago. I think she likes it. Of course, she has never turned up her nose on anything that we've fed her in the past. She usually finishes eating her food before it hits the plate. Which leads me to a question. If any of you are feeding a raw diet, are you feeding your sheltie whole raw meaty bones like chicken wings? We have been feeding ground chicken wings as we are concerned that if we fed them without grinding, she make choke as she inhales her food.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who is feeding raw. Not the commercial raw, but raw meat, bones, and veggies purchased from the grocery. I would be interested in knowing what and how much you are feeding.

Stokley
 
Hi Stokley!

My guys get whole RMBs for the most part. The trick with "gulpers" is to feed BIG. If the item of food is bigger than the dog's head, they cannot swallow it whole (no matter how hard they try!) :lol: So try feeding larger things than chicken wings, they are very small and way too small for most dogs, even those smaller than Shelties. Try something like chicken legs, quarters, necks, backs, or even a whole fryer chicken. Get a good pair of kitchen shears and you can get fryer chickens for pretty cheap. Chop them in half or quarters and feed them like that.
 
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