Why Raw?

(Fair warning:  This post contains photos of dog doo.  For real.  If you are offended by dog waste, you probably don't have a dog, and should definitely not keep reading.)

When people find out I feed my pets raw food, I usually get some strange looks and questions.  "Aren't chicken bones bad for them?"  "What about salmonella?"  "Isn't that expensive?"  "Eww!  Why?"

For the record, cooked chicken bones (or any cooked bones) are very dangerous for pets.  Cooked bones, especially poultry bones, splinter when chewed up.  Raw chicken bones, on the other hand, do not splinter and are relatively safe.  I choose to grind up the bones for my cats, but my Great Dane is perfectly capable of doing his own grinding. 

As for salmonella, I have been feeding my pets raw food for six years and have not had a problem.  Do you worry about your mousers (or wild animals) getting salmonella from their prey? 

As for expense, I have found that feeding raw, especially for my dog, is less expensive than quality kibble. 

Why do I do it?  There are a few reasons, I guess.  After doing a lot of reading, I decided that a raw diet is healthier for my pets.  Dogs and cats, in my opinion, are not meant to eat meat-flavored cereal.  My pets' coats are shiny, they are healthy, and they all have a lot of energy.  My cat, Obie, was over 20 pounds when I got him.  I tried different diet foods, and restricted his caloric intake, but he plateaued at 18 pounds.  I finally tried feeding raw, almost out of desperation, and it worked.  He is down to a healthy weight, though he would very much like to be fat again.  My dog, Langston, is a Great Dane, and so is at risk for bloat.  I feel that a diet consisting entirely of kibble would increase his risk.

Feeding raw isn't always convinient.  When I run out of catfood, I not only have to run to the store, but I have to make it when I get home.  I have a large freezer for storing my dog's food.  The chicken backs I buy for him come in 40 pound cases, and thawing and repackaging that giant brick of chicken is pretty gross.  That is easily my least favorite part of this diet. 

Travel on a raw diet is rather inconvinient, too.  I am usually lazy and just buy a bag of dog food for Langston when we travel.  We were out of town last weekend, and this gave me an opportunity to document one of my favorite side effects of the raw diet.

The mighty kibble poop.  This was a gift from Langston, after eating kibble for a few days.

The raw diet poop.  Another gift from Langston, once he was back on the wagon of raw.

Which one would you rather pick up?

I believe in feeding my pets raw, but I also think it's important for people to do their homework and decide what is best for their situation.  I'm not going to scold people for daring to feed their pets commercial food, which is what seems to happen in forums dedicated to raw feeding.

If you are interested, a good place to start is The BARF Diet by Dr. Ian Billinghurst.  (BARF stands for "bones and raw food" or "biologically appropriate raw food" depending on who you ask.)  He also has a website which explains his feeding philosophy (he is also trying to sell you books, DVDs, and food products).  This is how I make catfood, though I leave out the liver (it makes Obie vomit--A LOT), and I grind all the chicken and bones, and cube up the beef heart.

That's my story.  Actually I was out cleaning up after the dog and was so amazed at the difference between the two varieties of crap that I just had to share.  Charming, I know.