Before and after raw dogs (pics)

[Halo_effect]

I know there's the human before and after shots, but I'm still in the very early stages of learning about raw for humans, so I figured I could share my dogs' before and after raw shots

Akasha, a South African Boerboel rescue who we rescued last winter. When we brought her home, even the very best premium kibble wouldn't put weight on her, and she was already grossly underweight at about 80 lbs. Her previous "owners" used her as a puppy factory and she was covered in calluses, terrified and wouldn't keep any weight on and wouldn't keep a lot of food down. I had been reading about the raw diet for dogs and researching it for about two years and decided it was the thing to do.

Akasha when we brought her home (you can see why I was worried about her gaining weight)
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_3923.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_4057.jpg

And here she is now, 6 months of being on raw.. she's soooooo soft! And she gets VERY excited to eat
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_9239.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_9150.jpg

[Halo_effect]

And here's Chops, our great dane, was always healthy, but I knew raw would be great for him too. He just got so soft and they both lost that "dog" smell, which is great. Although I must admit my favorite part of feeding them raw is that we don't have to pick up as much waste, ha ha.
I don't have a good "before" shot of Chops, where you can really tell the difference it's made, but here's a picture of him now

Uhm, and my face is blurred out because I wasn't expecting a picture to be taken and I was making the stupidest face possible :rolleyes:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_7267.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_4918.jpg

[Whisper]

They look fantastic.

Do you feed the oat mix recipe as recommended by Dr Pitcairn or just meat? I have decided to try his recipes -- starting by adding some of their usual meat to the oat mix and then gradually add the raw meat into their diet. Seems to have been successful so far today. (Got his book yesterday -- so early days!!

Do you add supplements as well? There seems to be a debate about whether this is necessary.

Going to try our cats next!!

Any comments would be very welcome.

Thanks,
Whisper.

[rawxstasy]

They both look so beautiful and happy. They are very lucky to be with you!!

[Halo_effect]

They look fantastic.

Do you feed the oat mix recipe as recommended by Dr Pitcairn or just meat? I have decided to try his recipes -- starting by adding some of their usual meat to the oat mix and then gradually add the raw meat into their diet. Seems to have been successful so far today. (Got his book yesterday -- so early days!!

Do you add supplements as well? There seems to be a debate about whether this is necessary.


We just do mostly meat. Like I said, we have done the veggie mix a few times and it never sat well with them so we pretty much stick to meat and eggs and fish. I like to keep things simple ;)

There really is a lot of debate about supplements... as of now, we do not supplement. The raw feeders that were my mentors, so to speak, have been raw feeding for 20+ years and never supplemented and haven't had problems, so I haven't been. I've been looking into it though and reading more about it, just to make sure it's the right decision.

[spicyfull]

You have a couple of Cuties................

[Whisper]

Thanks Halo-- I fed the dogs the oat mixture with some raw meat and some "normal" cooked meat -- got a mixed response -- think going to head for mainly meat with some oats and a seaweed conditioning mixture I found at the wholesalers when I picked up the meat.

Will see how it goes -- cats are next!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

my dogs LOVE the pulp from my juicer. they all gather round the plate (which i divide into three sections... one for each of them) and they gobble it up.

the tomato mixture is their fav.

they also loooove the veggie (cooked) soup i made this week for the family. LOL

ours were raw and then we ran out of the mix we were buying. so... i have a question. can we just put them on a variety of mixed meats? and let them have their green smoothies and veggie pulp from the juicer?

is that pretty much what you are doing?

[Whisper]

If you google raw dog feeding etc there seems to be a mixed reply on this one --some just jump in -- others say that they have similar detox issues. So i have decided to do it gradually along side their kibble and normal treats and then follow Dr Pitcairns recipe advice -- not necessarily sticking to it 100 % but making sure that they are reacting to it ok.

In the uk I don't think we have the same access to chicken backs etc and most vets seem to carry stocks of the expensive food stuffs like science nutrition -- which is prohibitive in its price, so i don't think there will be a lot of support there!!.

Therefore I am getting freeflow lamb, chicken and liver that the animal wholesaler sells and mixing with oats cooked with hot water -- just poured over the oats and left for 10 mins, with the seaweed conditioner I found today. he recommends adding some veg -- but not an excess -- otherwise the balance may be wrong for them. more important for cats though I believe.

This site is helpful if you don't have the recipe
http://www.dog-spoiling-made-easy.com/home-made-dog-food-recipes.html

Hope this helps -- I am no expert -- you might want to wait for halo's answer. Don't those dogs look fab!! i have Lhasos and a Goldie -- don't think I will have the same shny results!! LOL

Take Care,
Whisper

[Aleesha Sattva]

thanks whisper. i'm looking for a more basic - feed em raw meat - kinda deal. IF i can do that... that's what i'd like to do... as the greens they need can be given via green smoothies and pulp :) both broken down for them already!

her dogs look GREAT! we noticed that our dogs poops were no longer sticking around once we changed to raw... hence why i'd like to continue LOL

[Halo_effect]

ours were raw and then we ran out of the mix we were buying. so... i have a question. can we just put them on a variety of mixed meats? and let them have their green smoothies and veggie pulp from the juicer?

is that pretty much what you are doing?

Yes, that is pretty much what we're doing. A typical meal for them might be something like chicken backs, some giblets, some fish. Then later we might feed some beef, turkey necks and an ox tail. Over a week we try to feed parts of every animal, raw meaty bones, liver, chicken, some pork, fish to keep the coats shiny, rabbit, eggs with the shells broken up, natural plain yogurt, etc.

One of the best things (don't know if you can get it where you live, but I'm sure you can find it somewhere) is raw green tripe, which is unbleached tripe and full of all sorts of great stuff, plus the rubbery texture of it is really great for developing strong jaws and neck muscles. The dogs love it. We either get raw green tripe by itself, or we buy ground up green tripe that also has a veggie mix ground into it. It's REALLY good stuff.

And yeah, the poop thing with raw fed dogs is great, LOL. We don't even have to pick it up anymore, and with two HUGE dogs that's quite amazing ;) Now that it's summer, in a few days it just *poof* turns to dust :D

Someone mentioned gradually switching their dogs over. I have read about that, but one thing you want to be careful of is that I've read kibble digests different (maybe slower, I think) than raw meat which can lead to bacteria in the intestional tract if you're feeding them both for a prolonged period of time.

The way we switched them over was just jumping right into it. We fasted them for a whole day (they were not happy with me! :p ) and then for the first week we fed chicken backs and chicken quarters with the skin and fat cut off. They did have sort of a detox time, but it really wasn't that bad. Only lasted about a day or so. For the first week we did that, then we gradually started leaving more of the skin and fat on every meal until we could just drop the chicken in their bowls. So for the first two weeks or so, it was strictly chicken. Then the next week we added in one more thing. Every time we added something new, we would do a little bit with chicken, since we knew they tolerated chicken well. Then we would add more of the new thing, less chicken, etc. The idea was to add one protein source per week or about every 10 days, depending how they were doing. And when we knew they were okay with that and handling it well, then we'd add in something different. Chicken backs are good to start with because there's a lot of bone in them and it helps keep the poop firm, but I know some people have trouble finding them so chicken quarters also work too!

The order that we went in for adding protein was this: chicken, eggs, turkey, beef, pork. The last was fish, and then organs, and then when we were good with those, we started adding in anything else we could find, LOL.

And as always, this is just my opinion on things and what has worked for us. They say if you ask 20 different raw feeders how to do it, you'll get 20 different responses, LOL.

Phew, didn't mean to be so long-winded! Hope I helped. :) I keep thinking if I do HALF as good eating raw (when I'm ready to start, which I hope is very soon) myself as my dogs do, I'll be in really good shape, ha ha.

ETA: We fast our dogs one meal a week, usually breakfast Saturday, just to make sure everything gets out of their system, so to speak, bones and the like. Just wanted to add that too!

[Aleesha Sattva]

thank you thank you thank you. exactly what i wanted to read!!! may i share your post on my blog?

[Aleesha Sattva]

i posted your post on my blog. if you want it off... just let me know. i'll be happy to remove it.

http://aleeshasrawlife.blogspot.com/2008/06/raw-dog-food-made-easy.html

[Halo_effect]

thank you thank you thank you. exactly what i wanted to read!!! may i share your post on my blog?

Be my guest. You may want to check it for spelling first though ;)

[Aleesha Sattva]

want you real name on it as credit or halo effect?

[Halo_effect]

want you real name on it as credit or halo effect?

Halo effect is fine.. doesn't matter to me either way!

[Aleesha Sattva]

ah i put your name like you suggested in your email ;)

thanks sooooooooo much for allowing me the pleasure of sharing your words!

[Thick]

When a carnivore is eating a truly natural, raw diet they eat herbivores. When they eat the herbivore they eat the greens/fruits/seeds that were the contents of the prey's belly and intestines as well.

[RawDrop]

Okay, couple of things, really quick.

I grew up never giving chicken bones to dogs because of how they might break in the dogs throats. Would that only be cooked chicken bones?!?!

And what about raw chicken and how the majority of society believe that it has to be cooked to within a milimeter of charcoal in order for it to be uncontaminated with whatever the popular bug is at the moment.
Are there any issues with this for dogs?

The reason I ask, I am going to get a dog today!! YEAY!!!! I am very happy! I am a stay at home housewife with nothing to do. So, I thought a dog would be a nice companion to keep me company. I already have an agreement with a local butcher to get all the raw bits that can't be sold to anyone. Along with the bones that are left over.

But, I just want to make sure about the chicken and the bones. I want to have the healthiest dog on the block!

Thanks!

[Aleesha Sattva]

yes only COOKED bones (all bones) are bad for dogs. raw bones completely digest in their system and are very very good for them.


I am a stay at home housewife with nothing to do.

OXYMORON not possible. absolutely not possible. sorry... have to respectfully completely disagree with you there.

[Halo_effect]

Okay, couple of things, really quick.

I grew up never giving chicken bones to dogs because of how they might break in the dogs throats. Would that only be cooked chicken bones?!?!

And what about raw chicken and how the majority of society believe that it has to be cooked to within a milimeter of charcoal in order for it to be uncontaminated with whatever the popular bug is at the moment.
Are there any issues with this for dogs?

The reason I ask, I am going to get a dog today!! YEAY!!!! I am very happy! I am a stay at home housewife with nothing to do. So, I thought a dog would be a nice companion to keep me company. I already have an agreement with a local butcher to get all the raw bits that can't be sold to anyone. Along with the bones that are left over.

But, I just want to make sure about the chicken and the bones. I want to have the healthiest dog on the block!

Thanks!

First of all, CONGRATS on the new doggie, hope we get to see pictures! :D

And yes, raw chicken bones are fine, and actually quite pliable. It's the cooked ones that are the ones that splinter... and actually not just cooked, but heated in any way, is what I was told. Like let's say you forget to unthaw your dog's food, it's better to just let it thaw naturally, because even defrosting it in the microwave is bad enough to make the bones splinter when chewed. And also, I've read some people are squeamish about giving their dogs raw bones in the food so some people pound the meat up (or even totally grind it, which is fine, but then you lose the benefit of the bones acting as great teeth cleaners!) The first time I fed my dogs raw I was so nervous listening to them crunch the bones up, but I just watched them to make sure they chewed them up good enough.

As far as bacteria, we've had no problems with that. I read that dogs' digestive tracts and stomach acids are much more powerful and better equipped to handle stuff like that that us humans. Of course, we get organically raised meat for them so that's eased my mind about things quite a bit. I'd probably be more worried if it was meat from who knows where with animals raised on who knows what.

Good luck with the doggie!!

[foxieroxie104]

Is there a age limit? My doggie is 10 years old now. I also have a cat who they say has cancer. The other cat is fat and doing fine.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i don't think there's an age limit...

sorry to hear about your cat (((hugs)))

[sherilynn]

I know there's the human before and after shots, but I'm still in the very early stages of learning about raw for humans, so I figured I could share my dogs' before and after raw shots

Akasha, a South African Boerboel rescue who we rescued last winter. When we brought her home, even the very best premium kibble wouldn't put weight on her, and she was already grossly underweight at about 80 lbs. Her previous "owners" used her as a puppy factory and she was covered in calluses, terrified and wouldn't keep any weight on and wouldn't keep a lot of food down. I had been reading about the raw diet for dogs and researching it for about two years and decided it was the thing to do.

Akasha when we brought her home (you can see why I was worried about her gaining weight)
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_3923.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_4057.jpg

And here she is now, 6 months of being on raw.. she's soooooo soft! And she gets VERY excited to eat
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_9239.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l209/mopnglo2/IMG_9150.jpg

I only have to say..... Thank you for rescuing that beautiful dog

[rawstrength]

Your dogs are so beautiful! And you have given them the best of all possible gifts - Good Health.

[Halo_effect]

Thanks for the compliments... I love my babies! :) ...and there might be another one coming in our near future, a teensy little puppy! He won't be teensy for long though, as he's a dane. Still thinking of the pros (puppy breath!) and the cons (housebreaking, LOL) but I'd love to add a third dog! :D

[yogashmoga]

your dogs are ADORABLE :).

i have read that dogs, as scavengers, don't really need meat. i keep a ziplock of greens (ends of my zuchinis, lettuce, etc.) to make my baby pates. i also add sunflower seeds, a variety of other nuts, wakame, spirulina, garlic and olive oil. i don't have the time to make all of her meals, so i do feed her solid gold dog food (my FAVORITE brand so far.) i feed her the wolf king variety with buffalo. she is a 47 lb show boxer and is about 50% raw.

amazingly enough, her love of raw foods has increased DRAMATICALLY. i ate on the patio of a raw food cafe the other day and actually shared a salad with her...a SALAD...with CHARD! lol. it cracks me up and makes me very happy. if there's garlic or olive oil on it, she'll gobble it up. she will also eat the pulp from my juicer, like aleesha's doggies. i sprinkle olive oil on top and she goes to town!

i have had many comments from other show dog owners and handlers about stella's coat because it is so shiny and healthy. she really stands out in the ring. i attribute it to the oil and ground flaxseed that i often mix into her food.

[Aleesha Sattva]

we've acquired another dog... who was on really sad dog food... he's so thin and his hips hurt him so much - i think arthritis is setting in for him.

coming here to a 90% raw diet (as once in a while they get a bowl of kibble) his coat looks great, his weight is coming back on gently and he's loooooving his raw food.

now if only my cats would agree to eat raw foods... *stubborn cats*