# Raw Diet VS Kibble



## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

Hey all,

I hope this hasnt been posted but I was just wondering what the MAIN differences between feeding a raw diet and normal dry food is?

And what about the nutritions and etc?

Thanks!


----------



## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

I'm just starting to look into this myself but I don't know much about it yet. I do know that there are different types of raw diet and there is controversy over whether or not the dogs need grains and veggies with their meat and bones.

Here are some sites to get you started: 

Jane Anderson's Raw Learning Site

BARF for Beginners - Most Frequently Asked Questions

Ellie, Tannu and Flyer's BARF menu


----------



## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

Thanks! I was just reading Jane Anderson's FAQ page. Good stuff...


----------



## tintallie (May 31, 2006)

Wiggles started out on a kibble diet when we got him and he had cow patty diarrhea poops. It was just nasty trying to scrape it off the grass and pick up in a bag. He wasn't doing well and we put him on a bland boiled hamburger meat and rice diet..it firmed up we gradually put him on kibble again and it didn't work.

We decided to go ahead and try raw and switched him cold turkey. Everything changed for the better. His coat is so much better...it's nice and shiny and soft. It used to be dry, coarse and brittle. Wiggles' teeth are gleaming white with no calculus/tartar. Picking up after him is easy and it's small!

The dogs on raw diet seem to absorb more nutrients and they do grow faster. Wiggles has a very blocky head compared to other puppies of the same age when he was in the show ring. Other breeders thought he was older than 11 months old. We keep a close eye on what he eats though since he gets diarrhea from wheat products.


----------



## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

One notable difference is their stools. Raw feeders have smaller harder stools. 

What this tells me is that more of what they're eating is actually being used in their bodies .... less waste.

Another difference is how much dogs prefer a raw diet. I'm open to debate on this, of course, but having fed my dog both kibble and raw, I can definitely say that she gets much more excited about her raw meals. That's important to me.


----------



## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

How are the prepackaged raw diets?

I've heard they.... suck.


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

I feed raw- wouldn't ever go back probably, unless I was in dire financial ruin. I love it, they love it, everybody's happy. It has saved dogs' of mine's lives- really rough old senior rescues, a young dog with horrible IBS, and it's cured many nasty skin problems in rescues I've had. It also does wonders for the teeth.

Dogs are not meant to eat heat extruded pellets of grain...


----------



## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

ACC, what do you feed? How do you do it? How do you manage the weight? Where do you get the raw food? Many questions.

I'm returning to raw but I don't think I"m doing it right. If you're successful and your dogs are healthy and happy, would you consider becoming my raw food guru ?? Please ???


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

It's been ten years now, with occasional times of feeding Evo or other top kibble because of lack of money or constant travel. 

My Whippet whom you can see under Chit Chat - The Rig is 10 and has eaten raw pretty much his whole life.

I am NOT an expert by any means. I just have played around, gathered ideas from different friends and dog folks, and figured out what works.

I DO use some kibble; I never stick to a set schedule. Lately, it's almost none. Sometimes it's every other day. The reason being 1) I can be lazy 2) It's some reassurance they're getting all they need. I don't worry over this like some do (and maybe I should, but it can't be that hard.)

As for weight, I just watch my dog. If I think my dog is looking too slender, I add another leg quarter... if I think my dog's getting too heavey, I cut out one.

The bulk of my dogs' diets is chicken leg quarters and turkey necks. I also give chicken backs. 

Of course they get organs, fish, eggs, veggies, fruits, organic brown rice mixed in with all that, yogurt, nutritional yeast, flax, and so forth...

And table scraps... 

Hell, I even get them fast food sometimes... but certainly not on a routine basis. 

I can't say give a certain amount for a certain body weight, because in my experience it varies a LOT. Starlite eats a ton. He's huge- but other males I have had his size ate less. He's lazy in my house but I exercise him a lot, and he's young. He eats four leg quarters per day easily, plus all the rest, and he's slim. When I feed him the Timberwolf, he eats five cups a day. That is a TON of Ocean Blue LOL

The puppy eats wings- she's keen for a leg quarter but she's too small yet. She likes drumsticks, too.

The whippet will eat a leg quarter a day... he doesn't touch the veggies and fruits and rice. Because sighthounds tend to be very picky and refuse that type of thing, and because he won't touch kibble either, I make him satin balls with blended veggies mixed in. He eats those. He also loves organs.

I give organic meat whenever possible and I would NEVER feed non organic organs, since livers and so forth process all the nasty chemicals in the body.


----------



## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

That's really good information, ACC. Thank you !!

Right now I'm feeding Daisy ground ostrich neck. It's totally naturally, no hormones, and high in the omegas because the ostrich are free-range grazed. This is ostrich processed in a human food plant. 

That's the bulk of her diet.

I add in a little bit of sweet potato for vitamins. A couple times a week she gets a chicken back and once a week a whole raw mackeral (those are her favorite!). 

Then in the spring and summer, once the water warms up, I take her to the lake and she gets a daily run of sushi .... bluegill and sunfish mostly, some baby bass. These are small fish so I just consider them snacks. Some days though she catches so many, I should probably cut out her evening meal altogether.

Sometimes I order the ostrich with ground heart and liver so she does get some organ meat. But I find it's very rich and she gets kind of gassy if she gets too much.

What do you think? Am I terribly far off base here? 

I wish I could find green tripe !!


----------



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

That sounds awesome to me! Do you give any suppliments?


----------



## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

I feed Nature's Variety Raw Diet. My kids have never looked better. They have shiny coats, no dog breath, no flakey skin, no hot spots, small stools and they LOVE LOVE it. It is easy to do and was highly recommended by my holistic vet. Having lost 3 goldens to cancer I read that cancer thrives on carbohydrates and that is what finally pushed me into the total raw diet. Here is their site. Nature's Variety Raw Frozen Diets for Dogs and Cats


----------



## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm only giving her a Glycoflex supplement. She gets plenty of fish oil.

Gold4me, I'll check out the site, thanks!!

Oh, and she does get some fruits and veggies too .... she loves nectarines. And asparagus.


----------



## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

gold4me said:


> I feed Nature's Variety Raw Diet. My kids have never looked better. They have shiny coats, no dog breath, no flakey skin, no hot spots, small stools and they LOVE LOVE it. It is easy to do and was highly recommended by my holistic vet. Having lost 3 goldens to cancer I read that cancer thrives on carbohydrates and that is what finally pushed me into the total raw diet. Here is their site. Nature's Variety Raw Frozen Diets for Dogs and Cats


My I ask what the cost is per month feeding two Goldens?


----------



## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

I buy the patties and there are 12 patties in a bag. Beau(85 pounds) eats 2 patties a day and Emmy(65 pounds) eats 1 1/2 a day. I buy about 10 bags a month and that ends up being about $202 for the month.(that includes tax) It is very easy to feed and very easy to travel with. Kimm if you have any more questions feel free to email me or PM me.


----------

