Raw Feeding Journal – Some Side Benefits to Raw

[Raw Food Eating Doodles]

Riley and Molly were so young when they started on raw that many of the much touted benefits of a raw diet were not that apparent. Both had lovely white teeth and fairly fresh breath. Their adult coats hadn’t grown in so there wasn’t much change in that regard either. So I had to take it on faith that a raw diet conferred a number of other benefits on a dog besides a healthier more nutritious diet.

It was when Mr. Jake came to us that these other side effects became apparent. For those of you who may not know the story, Jake is a terrier mix of uncertain age – likely 13 when he came here in March of 2009. I was following a heart breaking story on Doodle World where a member was going to be forced to have her long time pet of 10 years but to sleep. You see Jake became a biter, and even with all precautions, he had bit a neighbour child in the face. Not a serious bite more like a scratch, but it was enough.  Cut to the chase, I happened to post that if I lived closer, I would certainly take Jake. We are empty nesters, and while not dog whisperers by any stretch of the imagination, we are very good at training and maintaining alpha status in the pack.

Well I wrote that comment on a Friday in the early evening and by Sunday at around 4 PM, Jake’s previous mom arrived from Philadelphia with Jake.  The introduction to the doodles was difficult to say the least but we managed to get them all settled down in the large kitchen. We sat down for a meal and Jake sat next to his mom the whole time and glowered at DH. Seems Jake didn’t like men. 

We learned all about Jake. The latest episode of biting was not the first; Jake didn’t like other dogs; he was a gassy guy and could clear a room with the smell; Jake had a bad hip and was on meds for that and for his moods – Prozac no less. The friend who accompanied Jake’s mom had been afraid of dogs so her way of dealing with Jake was to feed him tidbits while she worked in the kitchen. I was beginning to get a sinking feeling in my stomach, but I had committed to this so had to see it through.

Jake came with all his stuff: large doggie bed, favourite blanket, huge tub of special kibble, all his toys (Jake did not play with toys but he had them), and all his medications. I initially thought I’d keep him on his kibble and perhaps introduce raw very slowly.

The next morning, I was cutting up some liver for the doods’ evening meal and noticed Jake sitting right beside me. He was used to being fed tidbits in the kitchen so I gave him a few small pieces of liver. He wolfed those down.  He was very hungry as he had not eaten much the previous day. But knowing how raw liver can cause canon butt, I didn’t want to give him too much. I had a chicken leg in the fridge and threw caution to the wind and handed it to Jake. He sniffed and poked it a few times and finally grabbed it up and starting crunching. I was really amazed that he took to raw so easily. But then Jake is VERY food motivated. I can honestly say we’ve not had one issue with Jake regarding his switch to raw. Lately, and I think it’s an old dog issue, his poo is a little too loose. So we’ve been upping the bone content for Jake and taking off any skin and visible fat. Over the last month or so, his poo has firmed up nicely, and he seems fit as a fiddle again.

So has raw made a difference for Jake? Most definitely!!!!  He does not have gas any longer at all. His fur is shiny and very, very soft although he did have a nice coat before but it is definitely shinier now. His breath is much better, and he doesn’t have any doggy body smell. His teeth, while not pearly white, have improved considerably. And best of all his temper is much better. Now that last one may or may not be attributable to raw food. But given how much he loves his diet, I think he’s just in a happier frame of mind.

Over the course of his first year with us, with a vet’s help, we weaned Jake off all the medications he was taking, including the Prozac. It was quite the process and we had some setbacks as far as Jake’s biting was concerned – he bit my son’s girlfriend and then some months later our cleaning lady – but we think we’ve got that under control now. I will never fully trust Jake when people come to the house or when we are on our walks, but I take all precautions. Jake is truly a different dog today than the one that arrived over two years ago. So different that DH is Jake’s most favourite person. He follows Phil around like a little puppy and even when he’s tired, he will always get up and follow wherever Phil goes.

Don’t get me wrong. Jake had the best of everything when he lived in Philadelphia. But he was treated for both physical and behavioural issues from an allopathic point of view. I approach my dogs’ diet and overall health from a more naturopathic perspective. With Jake, I wanted to see if our choice of raw diet, no meds, more exercise, and limited or no vaccines would do just as well. So far it seems to be working out.

Some will say this is all well and good but it is only anecdotal evidence that a raw diet has additional benefits. That is quite true. None of my observations can be taken as scientific evidence for the changes wrought by a raw diet. But the results in Jake are undeniable, and I can’t attribute the changes to anything else.  I belong to a few raw feeding Internet forums with combined memberships in the thousands. We’ve been gathering stories from the members with a specific set of questions concerning before and after comments. In all cases, dog owners have witnessed the same results.

Ok raw feeders, what changes have you seen in your dogs?

Cheers,

Andrea

[LucyR]

What a wonderful story and so happy for Jake that he has found some peace in life.  Ozzie, my boy, has been a raw feeder for over 2 years.  He is now 7.  His coat is definitely better but the problem that we have had is with weight gain.  He should weigh about 45 pounds but is now up to nearly 52.  I have cut him back to 6 oz in am and 6 oz of RMB in PM.  Yesterday we stopped at vet for a weigh-in and I was positive that he had lost weight.  He looks terrific..good waistline, solid as a rock.  He had gained a pound!  So here we are...struggling with the benefits of raw food but also with the weight gain aspect.  He is about  20" at the shoulder and should weigh  45 pounds.  I don't want to cut him back to much less than 12 oz because he does competition obedience and he needs some fuel in his tank.

However, having said all that, congratulations on your success with Jake.  Sounds like that boy got very lucky when he found you!

[2SCdoodles]

Loved reading your story!  What a lucky dog Jake is to be re-homed in such a great environment. 

 

My two doodles have always eaten raw since their breeders had raised them on the diet, but when they came to live with us I had an 8 year old dachshund.  I think the biggest difference I saw when I switched her over and fed her raw was in her was her coat.  I could literally see a demarcation point where kibble (bought at a vet's office so supposedly at the time I thought it was a premium brand) ended and raw began.  Her coat became softer and shinier.  She as a long-haired chocolate, so I could literally see a visible line from where we made the switch. 

 

The other big difference were the teeth.  My two doodles have wonderfully white teeth and they are 3.5 years old.  The dachshund's teeth were not nearly as pristine at 3.5.

 

My two doodles love their food.  They eat raw and I also use some Honest Kitchen dehydrated to supplement the raw and give them carbs.

 

 

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

my kitten came to us with a very poorly tummy - stinky gas and runny poop. He came with a small bag of MediCal which went straight into the garbage. With his stink already, what harm would it do switching his food straight away. none of this 1/4 - 3/4 mix. I gave him good quality grain free kitten food. Now, my other 2 cats were always fed raw, and so was Cooper when we got her, but getting free kibble from work, (which meant working retail, so low wages) we couldnt afford or justify raw 100%. but we made sure that they all got raw a few days a week. The kittens tummy is much better now, but its at its best when on raw! We are moving provinces at the end of the month, so they are eating their way through the freezer. All 3 cats are much less stinky poop wise than when on kibble! So much so that Im going to feed raw all the time when we move, which will mean going to a butchers and chopping it up myself (im vegetarian!). Thats how much i love my babies!