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I have an 85 lb male Siberian Husky, Tex, who will be 9 this year! and a 75-80 lb female GSD, Sammi, who will be 3. Anyway.. Ive had them on Pro Plan for as long as Ive had both of them (they are both rescues) and it's been nothing but great. BUT.. Ive heard tons of great things about putting them on raw diet, how it helps with their shedding, keeps their teeth clean, and helps with their breath too!
Ive had Tex for almost 8 years now, and he was a miracle case.. I found him at animal control, and he was covered head to toe with demodectic mange, and they were going to be putting him down.. It was a total fluke that I had gone there, and I saw him and immediately fell in love.. I felt so badly for him. He was raw and bleeding all over his body, and had patches of skin and fur missing everywhere. He itched so badly from the mange, that he itched right through his fur and skin on his face, chest, shoulder, side, and paws.. He would cry the entire time he was locked up in the kennel, but he'd stop crying when I pet him right between his ears.. (the only spot left with fur, really.) Anyway.. several hours and lots of phone calls later, they finally were given the authorization to release him to me. (they kept insisting their POLICIES wouldnt allow him to be released to me, because he was brought in as a stray.. OOOOMMGGGGGG..)
ANYWAY, thats just a little background so you know about him.. After I got him, I started working with the local siberian husky rescue, and was recommended by another volunteer to feed Texie ProPlan. The dogs I had seen who were on it had beautiful, shiny coats, and no skin problems. Due to his skin and health issues, I jumped on it, so Ive had him on that literally for the entire time Ive had him. (He's gorgeous now, totally healed... it only took 3 years of daily oral medication and lots of skin treatments..!) He has never been a big eater, usually only eating 1 bowl of food every 2-3 days, until we got Sammi.
Sammi, our 3 year old GSD, is also a rescue, but she was abused physically. They tried to turn her into a fighting dog, but she's a lover. Thankfully, she was seized and put into the Orlando GSD rescue, which is where we found her. She will spoon with you and cuddle up on the couch and she just wants to be near you. She has 'stranger' issues now, and gets mad at people when she senses that they are afraid of her.. (it doesnt really help, I know...) She was also emaciated when we rescued her, partly because she has eating issues. She recognizes Tex as the alpha, so if he's around, she'll let him eat her food unless I intervene.. Tex has been an only child for almost 6 years with me, so he hoards as much food as he possibly can, as he never really learned the whole 'sharing' thing. heh
So.. Sammi eats as long as someone is 'protecting' her, or looking out to make sure Tex doesnt try to steal her food. She loves ProPlan too, and literally gained 30-35 lbs in a matter of months with us. I'd love for her to fill out a little more, because shes big for a female, but shes still pretty thin.
With the ProPlan, I probably go through a bag of food a month, so around $35. I'll feed Sammi twice a day, and Tex once a day (or two small meals equivalent in size..) They both gobble it up, and Tex would eat more if I gave it to him, just because he doesn't want Sammi to have it. (Really, they get along just fine, except for the food thing..!)
Sorry for all the writing! but I wanted to give some background on my babies. Enjoy the pics.. And PLEASE!! Raw Diet suggestions? Pros? Cons? Cost?? THANK YOU!!
I don't feed raw. I've got 20 - 30 dogs in the house with my rescue all the time and I"m afraid I'd flub it and miss something important, so I go bagged. Would love to go raw, just not brave enough.
But I did want to tell you thank you for saving them. They're both gorgeous dogs!
I feed raw to my 2 small dogs. I researched it for a couple of months before jumping in. I learned about it mainly from 2 Yahoo! groups dedicated to raw feeding:
EXCELLENT RESOURCES. Many participants on the groups and the moderators do a great job of keeping the discussion on topic. I highly recommend joining the groups and reading, reading, and then reading some more.
Basics: Feed 3% (+/-) your dogs' ideal weight daily to maintain it. About 2% if your dogs are overweight.
You should feed 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% organ (half of the organ must be liver).
Chicken is the easiest protein to digest, so start off with that, don't feed any organ for a couple of weeks so you can get the meat/bone ratio right for your dog. You'll never appreciate a good dog poop until you watch for it! You'll be watching for it a lot! But it's an indicator of how your dog's system is acclimating to the change.
Expect to spend more than $35 a month. You'll learn real fast how to economize and where to shop. I sometimes put up an ad on Craig's List asking for freezer burned meat. I usually get it free or VERY cheap. Yes, it's ok to feed freezer-burned meat to a dog.
Bonus: their poop will be much less and have very little odor.
First off, gorgeous dogs! I do mostly raw (85%), though sometimes supplement with Orijen. I've seen such a positive change in my dog's health, coat, skin, energy, etc. He's a Bulldog and extremely active, lean, and healthy, and I attribute that all to his diet. I was never a fan of reaching into a bag of pellets and calling it a meal, and the major recall of 2007 convinced me to avoid giving my dog commercial dog food as a main source of nutrition.
Here are two sites that are wonderful resources for first-time feeders. All your questions should be answered, especially on the first site. That's pretty much what convinced me to make the switch and I am so glad I did. Congrats on taking a huge step in bettering your dogs' lives through excellent nutrition! Once you see the results, you'll never go back to kibble!
I don't feed raw. I've got 20 - 30 dogs in the house with my rescue all the time and I"m afraid I'd flub it and miss something important, so I go bagged. Would love to go raw, just not brave enough.
But I did want to tell you thank you for saving them. They're both gorgeous dogs!
And you did a nice job on your wood floors too!
Holy psychic or youre just REALLY observant... did you notice it cause the baseboards were missing and the open boxes were all over?? We tore up that nasty blue carpet and put in the vinyl flooring in our office.. Much easier to keep clean, especially with those two! (We bring them to work every day with us..) Props to you for working in the rescue!! That's awesome. Ive fostered before, but only on short term. I have a really hard time with it, especially with how attached I get, and how stubborn my husky is..!
And thanks everyone!! A friend of mine recommended this company as well.. They sell locally at a pet store near us so I think I might give it a shot. Im going to dive into the links you all posted though! I want to make sure I make the right choices for them..
Nature's Variety had a HUGE recall earlier this year, I would not trust that company! In fact, I highly advise you stay away from pre-packaed raw, since it's as good as kibble. It's basically mush, with no real bones for the dogs to gnaw through, and that's the true benefit of raw. Here's are the top 10 reasons you should never feed the commercial, pre-packaged raw.
I was reading about their content and here's what it said for chicken.. it sounded like it fit in with what a lot of people have been saying, no?
Complete and balanced for all life stages
95% chicken, raw ground bone, turkey & liver
Grain-free, with wholesome fruits and vegetables
Made with human grade ingredients
Antibiotic-free, hormone-free chicken and turkey
Reading more about it though... they package their food with a lot of the stuff that the other link says to stay away from.. veggies, flaxseed oil... alright.. NEXT!
If you want to feed raw, feed raw. Raw chicken, beef, pork, turkey, duck, lamb, game hen, goat, buffalo, emu, venison, eggs, fish, etc. Go to the supermarket, butcher, farmer, hunter, whoever. Don't get raw food from the pet store. No point in feeding ground anything, bone in particular. Just toss your dogs a half chicken and see what they do with it. It'll provide them with mental stimulation and exercise their jaws. The only thing you'll need to supplement is omega-3 acid for a healthy dog.
All food must be unenhanced, meaning, no seasonings, broths, hormones, etc. Only residual water from processing, if you get food from the supermarket/butcher.
Check out the links provided to you earlier in the thread and read, read, read!
Holy psychic or youre just REALLY observant... did you notice it cause the baseboards were missing and the open boxes were all over?? We tore up that nasty blue carpet and put in the vinyl flooring in our office.. Much easier to keep clean, especially with those two! (We bring them to work every day with us..)
Yep. We just did new tile in the guest bath, hall and kitchen and still don't have the baseboards back in. And the boxes sat there a couple days. LOL
We were given Natural Balance rolled dog food by the pet store we have our adoption events at. I know it's not a 'raw food' but for us, it's closer than the bagged stuff. Since we only have a dozen rolls or so I decided to use it on the dogs that just came from the shelter that are getting over parvo and kennel cough. They didn't have much of an appetite at all until I added this in their food. They loved it. The little mini beagle went bonkers and gained nearly all the weight he was under in just three days. They seem to have more energy than they did before I was feeding it. I"m sure part of it is the virus is making it's way out of their body and they're feeling a bit better on their own, but wondered if the food made a difference too.
I'm really thinking of trying raw food supplementing for sick dogs at least. I know I can't do it for all of them, especially since hubby's disabled and he does one of the feedings every day. But maybe if I do a couple days at a time and refridge it for him hubby could give it to the sick ones. Think that'll help?
This is what they gave me:
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® Dog Food Rolls (http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/DFRolls.html - broken link)
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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I know nothing about raw feeding. I just wanted to chime in to tell you what you already know: Both of your dogs are GORGEOUS!! Like seriously beautiful.
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and a 75-80 lb female GSD, Sammi, who will be 3. Anyway.. Ive had them on Pro Plan for as long as Ive had both of them (they are both rescues) and it's been nothing but great. BUT.. Ive heard tons of great things about putting them on raw diet, how it helps with their shedding, keeps their teeth clean, and helps with their breath too! 
Enjoy the pics.. And PLEASE!! Raw Diet suggestions? Pros? Cons? Cost?? THANK YOU!!
