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Raw Food for Dogs: Frequently Asked Questions

12/4/2012

56 Comments

 
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There are a lot of misconceptions about raw feeding for dogs, so here are the most common questions that are raised by new raw feeders or interested dog owners!

Aren’t bones dangerous for my dog?
Wild, carnivorous animals have been hunting and consuming other animals for millions of years. Consider the close relation between wolves and dogs, now consider the fact that wolves and other canines will hunt and eat the bones, meat and organs of other animals. Your dog is truly no different! Your dog is physically designed to live a raw food lifestyle.

The only bones you should not offer are cooked bones and weight-bearing bones of large animals. Cooking the bones changes the physical characteristics of the bone, causing them to become hard, brittle and splinter. Cooked bones are harder to digest and so the danger in them causing trouble in the intestinal tract is quite high. RAW bones are safe and digestible. Weight bearing bones, especially from large mammals, should be given as recreational chewing bones only since they are much, much harder than the edible bones canines consume.

Will raw meat make my dog sick? I am afraid of exposing myself, my family and my dog(s) to salmonella and other foodborne illness.
We handle raw meat on a daily basis whether or not we feed our dogs raw. All you need to do is follow your regular cleaning and food safety procedures. Make sure you disinfect the surfaces you are preparing the food on and any utensils you are using to prepare it. Make sure to also disinfect where your dog eats. Feeding your dog in its crate or even outside on the grass can make for easy clean up.

It is important to take note of the fact that dog foods are being recalled all the time for such issues as salmonella contamination. A google search for “pet food recalls” will tell you all you need to know. It is also important to know that more often than not, dogs and cats handle food-borne bacteria well due to the acidity of their stomach and short digestive tract. Bacteria is everywhere and you only have to be concerned if your pet’s immune system is already compromised prior to exposure.

Sanitize and disinfect after handling and preparing your dog’s raw meal, make sure to properly wash the food bowl afterwards and disinfect the place where the eat their meal – you will not have any problems!

My vet says that raw feeding is dangerous and not appropriate for our pets!
The truth is that veterinarians and veterinarian technicians often receive minimal nutritional training during their years of study. The courses they do take are funded and hosted by pet food companies whose agenda is to sell their kibble in veterinarian clinics and hopefully encourage vets to push their kibble brand on clients.

Instead, get second opinions from animal biologists, zoologists and animal nutritionists… you will encounter a very different opinion on raw feeding. These professionals who focus on the physical biology and anatomy of animals, as well as their ecology and nutritional needs, can attest to the digestive system of both wolf and dog, and how they are designed to thrive on raw meat, bones and organs.

Can I feed my dog(s) grains, vegetables or fruits?
Dogs do not need vegetables or fruits to thrive as they are designed to thrive on a carnivore’s diet of meat, bone and organs. Since they are incapable of digesting grains properly, you should avoid feeding grains in general.  Grains are also often the source of food allergies and sensitivities in our pets.

You can, however, provide cooked vegetables if you want to supplement their diet. Treat vegetables like supplements in terms of adding vitamins and such in your own diet – you would simply be adding extra nutrition. For example, I give my dog cooked and mashed carrots for the beta-carotene. He doesn’t need it, but I notice improvements to coat colour with beta carotene. I also give omega fatty acids for skin, coat and brain health.

I am nervous about feeding raw!
Don't be! Raw feeding is as natural for dogs as breathing! If you decide to make the transition from kibble to raw, you're going to experience a wide array of beautiful results. You're going to be able to watch your dog's physical and mental condition improve! I always recommend people about the start feeding raw take before and after photographs of their beloved pets so that they can appreciate the wonderful changes that will happen over time.

Do I have to transition my dog slowly from kibble to raw?
No, you do not have to transition them slowly. You can absolutely switch your dog to raw cold turkey - dump the kibble in the garbage and fill their bowl with real, wholesome raw meat. If your dog is prone to digestive upset when changing food, you can absolutely remove kibble and slowly add raw in replacement over time. A lot of people like to offer chunks of raw meat as treats randomly during the day before transitioning to help the body get used to this new type of food.

What kind of raw food should I start feeding with?
For the first week, it is ideal to feed only raw muscle meat. After having eaten kibble for so long, their digestive system will be a little out of order due to inappropriate levels of stomach acid and an unbalanced gut microbiome. A few days on something like ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken will help them rebuild their stomach acidity to a normal level so proper digestion can occur. I highly recommend including a probiotic to help rebuild the healthy bacteria in their digestive tract!

It is ideal to start with only one protein source. Chicken is a common starter meat, but you can use beef, turkey, pork or even venison. Just stick to one protein source for a few weeks. After you've started them on the raw muscle meat for about a week, go ahead and add some bone and organ. Start with the more softer bones like raw chicken wings or chicken necks. Once you see the stool settle and the volume drop, add variety.

Want to learn how to feed the amazing raw food diet? Visit my diet and nutrition consultation page for more information, or check out my eBook A Guide to Raw Feeding from my web store!
56 Comments
Rachel Coulter
1/23/2013 01:14:55 am

What changes are typical for dogs stool when changing to raw foods? Someone fed Mu dog cooked turkey before and he got really bad diahrea.

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K9 Instinct link
1/23/2013 02:22:55 am

The dog's stool is guaranteed to change! It will be smaller, MUCH less volume, firm, and the smell will decrease. Stool of raw fed dogs turns white and crumbles (disappearing) within several days.

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Katie
1/23/2013 05:25:57 am

Loved what you have to say but one note dogs are omivore's like humans and not carnivores like cats. this means their digestive system can adapt to include vegetables, but in general they are best at processing meats, if you do what to include veg or grain best to start in low portions and slowly increase to give the dogs system time to adapt, which as an omnivore it can adapt to a point over time - still good article :D

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K9 Instinct link
1/23/2013 05:59:57 am

Katie, thanks for your comment! I am glad you enjoyed the read! Cats are obligate carnivores, and dogs are facultative carnivores. Dogs are facultative carnivores because they are biologically designed to derive all of their nutrition from animal sources, but sometimes consume vegetable or fruit. Dogs have trouble digesting vegetable matter, which is explained in one of my other articles.

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UrbanCollieChick
3/8/2013 06:49:17 am

Actually a couple of animal nutritionists will say that amylase is the easiest enzyme for dog's pancreas' to digest. I feed my dog the RMB diet with occasional pulverized vegetation, and no grains.

Facultative carnivore doesn't just mean the do consume veggie matter. It means they are essentially carnivorous by design, true, but do not have to rely solely on carnivory; much like facultative anaerobic bacteria that can switch to using aerobic functions.

There was a scientific study out showing how dogs evolved to make more amylase than wolves. There were a few Qs I had about it, like how some dogs only had 2 more alleles while others have more. It's a 66 page paper so I haven't completed it yet, and it may not mean veggie diets are just as optimal as meat based diets, but it goes to show the topic is not so simplistic.

My trainer's dog has an issue where fats leak from the intestines into the lymph nodes. The dog needs a special diet as a result with almost no fat, so he relies on carbs for energy; veggies and rice. He's a performance dog who has done fantastically on this for two years.

There is no one way, any more than there is for people. I love raw meaty bones but the movement would get more credit if it were willing to acknowledge certain realities and real science.

Note, none of the authors of the study had associations with pet food companies and were from different countries.

renee
12/19/2015 10:14:34 pm

I would like to mention that cats are 100% carnivores. They are in no way obligate, only us humans have made cats and dogs obligate.

Lizzie
3/2/2013 02:05:24 am

Very interesting...just wondering if raw vegetables are ok? I feed my 3 labs raw whole carrots, cauliflower, brccoli and green beans as treats and they love crunching them up. They seem fine, but when you mentioned vegetable matter might be hard to digest, it got me thinking. Many thanks.

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Kate
3/30/2013 10:06:14 pm

From my limited experience, I give raw carrots but the rest I either steam or blanch. I have only noticed that their stool changes color to reflect the carrot. My dogs have not had trouble digesting vegetable matter but based on what I've read, I am re-thinking how I add it to their diet.

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Sonia
3/7/2013 06:00:08 am

wondring about 'how many lbs.' required? 1 meal a day; or divided into 24 hrs? I have 2 at approx. 80 some lbs.; 1 at 67; 1 at 55 and 1 at 45-50.... so just wondering how much to feed? tks. great article!

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JJ White
3/7/2013 07:28:51 am

This is in fact a super article. I don't preach any particular type of diet, although my pack are given a primarily raw diet. If I had to change anything about the article, I'd revisit the paragraph on grains. Grains get a bad rap and I don't believe there is enough evidence either way to support it, or discard it. A small percentage of pet allergies are from grains, and low quaility grains at that. Grains are a convenient scapegoat, which turned into some awesome marketing tool. It has been shown that the undigested portions of the grains are actually beneficial as roughage and fiber to clean out Fido. The other thing I would do is make the potential raw feeders aware of the caloric content of the diet, and ensure they are truly meeting the dogs needs. The 'rule of thumb' guidelines of 2.5 -3% are simply inadequate, especially if you have a performance dog. The various protein sources also have varying amounts of Calcium and other minerals and nutrients. It's not hard to keep it all 'balanced', but there is a bit more to it than just throwing Fido a T-Bone everyday. My pack gets (cringe) Kibble every fourth or fifth day. The reason I do this is to ensure that any nutients, or minerals which may be lacking in my weekly picks for raw are made up for at least once per cycle. This is also my day to get the coconut oil, turmeric, probiotics and other 'additives' down range. I guess the important message here is to really get 'involved' with what you feed your dogs or cats. The author is bang on about the vets too. Knowledge is power, read away and give your pets the life they deserve!!

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Vet
3/7/2013 09:14:01 am

"Grains get a bad rap and I don't believe there is enough evidence either way to support it, or discard it. A small percentage of pet allergies are from grains, and low quaility grains at that. Grains are a convenient scapegoat, which turned into some awesome marketing tool."
- Agreed! Especially corn. Well processed grains (eg corn) are an excellent and cost effective energy source. People that have issues with corn often do because they feeding from low quality sources.

"The author is bang on about the vets too"
- Strongly disagree ;) You need to find a better vet then

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K9 Instinct link
3/7/2013 09:32:07 am

I have had many client's dogs improve dramatically when switched off a grain food, keeping the protein sources the same. In my experience many dogs suffer grain allergies, which is why I always recommend grain-free foods above all others.

Racheal
4/21/2014 04:27:22 am

My dog has been suffering from skin infections and the like from dog food. He's been on and off medication for almost a year and a half and the vet told us it was from the grains and other ingredients in the dog food but she couldn't tell us exactly what. So now we buy a vet prescribed food that costs us a large chunk of money PLUS medication and a special shampoo. I had never had a dog that had issues with kibble before but some dogs just can't handle the ingredients at all. Some of these medications I wouldn't put in my own body but I'm being told my dog has to have them to be comfortable. I heard about the raw food diet before and I think I'd rather spend a large amount of money on fresh meat rather then spend a large amount of money on prescription food, shampoo and pills. If this "vet food" is so good for our dogs then why hasn't it replaced what you find on the shelves at a local super market? Also whats in it that makes it so expensive?

Will
3/17/2013 08:30:55 am

My wife made the statement that Raw fed dogs have a greater chance to bite someone...I haven't found anything to support this but was wondering about your thoughts on it. Thanks

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K9 Instinct link
3/17/2013 08:34:06 am

Will, that is definitely an old wives tale! Dogs to not make the connection between the raw meat in their bowl and a human being - nor do they make that connection between other animals. Raw feeding will not make a dog more vicious or aggressive or more likely to bite, there is no connection made between eating raw meat and aggression.

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Will
3/31/2013 07:51:54 am

I'm wondering since there seems to be a wide range of providers out there for raw food supplies which one would be best for my 2 German Shepards?

alexis
3/17/2013 08:43:26 pm

what about the quantity of food the dog should eat every day? for example if i feed my dog 400gr of kibble per day, how much raw meat would i need a day?

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Lucy Hennessey
4/3/2013 11:10:45 am

My GSD is 80 pounds -10 months old and all I hear is about raw diet and not getting really interested in doing this for Kaiser. He does scratch a lot. I am getting him back on "Blue", but it's puppy for large breed, which they do not have in "grain free" which is what I wanted to put him on. I have no clue though as to how much raw food to give him. He eats about 5 cups of kibble a day. I don't know how to prepare raw food and what to exactly give him. Do you have to add supplements? I am ignorant to this. All new to me.

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Lucy Hennessey
4/3/2013 11:12:04 am

Sorry I made a mistake. I put "not" getting really interested in doing this for Kaiser when I meant, I am NOW interested in the raw diet for Kaiser.

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Lucy Hennessey
4/3/2013 11:16:57 am

Correction: I am NOW interested in raw food. I put "not"

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kail
1/19/2014 07:32:26 pm

I had same problem , with my GSD >. I came to know that I should give about a spoon of Olive Oil in each meal. I give home made food one time and Royal Canin Dog food as the second time meal. I started giving olive oil, and it reduced scratching to a great extent in about 15 days time. Now , its added in daily food . Try this, may it work out , for your pets , too.

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adam
2/28/2014 10:54:33 am

Fish oil pills work great also

Caroline
10/18/2014 10:47:02 am

I am no expert and relatively new to raw feeding so still learning, but one thing I have read is that mixing raw feeding and 'other' is not good. The dogs digestive enzymes are primarily set up for raw and if feed 'other' they 'adapt' but if fed both it can cause confusion and therefore upset the dogs digestion. Obviously some do it and if your dog seems ok with it then thats good, but what may be going on inside may not be so good...hope that makes sense and would love to hear others opinions

Lucy Hennessey
4/3/2013 11:14:01 am

I meant to say that I am NOW interested in the raw food diet for Kaiser.

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Michael
11/3/2013 11:40:47 pm

Hey Lucy, if you haven't already order the E-book from this site. It's really great. I moved my GSD to raw food this summer and she's been loving it, once we got her allergy to grass under control. I started with chicken backs and necks with beef muscle meat and some chicken liver.

When we first started she had no apatite for raw food and that confused me but we found out he excessive scratching and sore skin was from an allergy to common grass. We cleared up the infection and have been controlling the allergy with a steroid. Within 2 days of starting treatment she went absolutely nuts for the raw food.

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viviana
4/7/2013 08:16:56 pm

I just got a GsD :-) and he is 8 weeks old. I wanted.to know if i can start him on a raw food diet now? Or i need.to wait for him to get older?

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Lalo
4/29/2013 11:57:44 am

Been feeding my 80 lbs GSD raw for a month now and he loves it and is doing awesome. He looks strong and we have formed a tighter bond. The ebook tells you the formula to find out how much to feed. I am completely happy with changing my dog's diet and is the best decision I've made for him!!!! Thanks!!!!!

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Rebekah link
5/5/2013 11:33:13 am

I know this is an old post, but I love it! I feed raw, and am delighted to have stumbled upon such a well-written blog on various subjects. I love your treat recipes as well!

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Layne Coady
7/4/2013 12:42:06 am

My GSD is 8. Any issues with switching a dog at this age? What are your feelings about pre packaged raw?

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K9 Instinct link
7/4/2013 12:48:50 am

Nope, no issues at all! Someone I know switched their 12 year old dog over to raw last year and swear by raw making a huge improvement in their dog's well being and comfort.

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Erica
7/18/2013 05:21:35 am

I have three questions. First, what do you do when you go out of town and leave your dog behind with family/friends or like a dog "hotel"? Second, Second, I know all dry kibble is priced differently, but do you have an average cost comparison of how much it is per year for raw versus a pretty good kibble? Third, I've read that you can't mix...as in once you start raw you can't just feed them kibble sometimes and raw other times. True?

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Susan
8/11/2013 03:27:19 pm

I would like to know if chicken leg and things will hurt them. Currently I grind the leg quarters because I was worried they could puncture inside. But I love they way my 3 GSDs look smell act and don't loose as much hair.

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agnes leifi
8/13/2013 02:45:48 am

I feed my german shepherd bitch a whole raw chicken which she really loves there is never anything left and her breath and teeth are amazing her stools are good too, she has never had any problems at all

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Nick
1/10/2014 01:01:24 am

I want to put my pets on a raw diet but am concerned about aggression and behavior after the transition. ??

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sue LeBlanc
2/19/2014 08:44:18 am

So I can feed my dogs raw chicken wings??

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agnes leifi
2/19/2014 04:00:04 pm

I started my gsd on chicken wings when introducing her to the raw foods she loved them

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Linda link
3/20/2014 11:04:18 pm

I have a GSD, 7.5 yrs old, and overweight. She gained the weight about a year ago predisone. Long story made short, she ate something in the snow in Feb 2013 and almost died. She ended up with IMHA - she's now healthy, except very overweight. (she weighs 106lbs) I'd like her in the 80's since she has water on her right knee, and hip dysplasia. I changed her diet 2 yrs ago, and it made a huge difference in her personality - she was on that diet prescription food which made her HORRIBLE! I changed her to Natures Logic, and what a difference!! I then added some Bravo Raw.
I give her just under a cup of Natures Logic, and about 2-3 ounces of raw. She will not eat veggies at all - she'll walk away from her food if you add them, but I need to get her weight down. Is it okay to feed both types of food? I don't know anyone with nutrition expertise - can you help?

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Caroline
10/18/2014 10:53:33 am

I am no expert Linda but I have read that it is not good to mix raw and kibble as the digestion gets confused. I do know that turkey and kangaroo meat are good for weight loss. When you add your veggies how do you add them. I put mine through the juicer then add the pulp and juice back together as dogs dont digest whole veg very well and some people lightly steam them to make them easier to digest. Hope that helps.

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Phil
4/11/2014 12:50:56 pm

I have a question about how to feed my 8 week GSD. I saw in the book I base the amount on her adult weight, is that still true for a puppy or do I feed more or less then that?

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tammy sound
5/10/2014 02:15:16 am

I have 2 yorkies and would like to know if this would be good for them . please email me ..................thank you

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Karla
10/23/2014 05:03:32 am

You said that when transitioning a dog to raw food and giving them bones we start with some soft bones like chicken wing but everybody I know, including my vet, said that dogs mustn't eat chicken bones, turkey bones, or bones of any animal that has feather because they can choke on that. Is that true?

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Tandy
10/23/2014 12:48:30 pm

Cooked bones are bad. Raw bones are fine.

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kassandra
10/23/2014 09:48:15 am

How do you measure how much to feed you dog or puppy

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TANIA SMUTS
10/24/2014 11:01:44 pm

My friend have a pitbul, her skin is very dry, he always add some olive oil, but the dry skin remains, what cause the dry skin, and what can be used to prevent the dry skin, thank you for your advice in advance!

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Tika link
10/25/2014 05:55:50 am

Tania, please invest some time and read up on coconut oil. It's worked wonders with many dogs. Make sure you buy organic, extra virgin. You can buy it at amazon.com

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andria
11/14/2014 01:47:46 pm

I was wondering if it is healthy to give my dog raw meat as well as kibble. Maybe raw meat once or twice a week or would it have to be a complete transition?

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Connie
12/5/2014 06:06:30 am

I have small children in my home and my concern with feeding our dog a raw meat diet is the possibility of bacteria making them (or myself) sick when our pup licks our faces. Do you have any information on this?

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paul minton
12/5/2014 08:52:35 am

I have fed my dogs raw for fifteen year my last two large dogs lived to 15 and 18 on raw beat that

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Ahmed
12/14/2014 12:25:59 pm

I have been feeding my GSD raw food, but i stopped bcoz I cant get fresh raw meet everyday, and my friend told me do not freeze raw food, it will lose its nutrition
any advice?

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vicky lalonde
2/3/2015 10:26:06 pm

Hello. We are in discussions about switching our dogs to raw or homemade and I most likely will purchase all your ebooks. Our rescued 8 month old puppy (large mix, unknown as to what) has had diarhhea for a week now. \we had to put off getting him neutered because of it. No obstructions in his gut. My question is can you feed a combination of raw and homemade or should you just stick to one diet? Thank you.

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Casseu
3/2/2015 05:50:54 am

I've been told not to give my Toy Poodle Chicken bones as they can get lodged in there throats. What are your views on this. My cat adores Chicken Necks and I would love to give them to my Poodle but am concerned ..

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Matt
9/22/2015 01:52:49 pm

What percentage of organ meat should be in a dog's diet?

I've been trying to keep my old bully on a whole foods diet as much as possible. So I ground up a little sweet potato, carrots and broccoli, which he loves. Since I'm trying to keep him off chicken, I cooked some cube steak with beef liver. I think I might have included to much liver in the mixture, about 25 to 30 percent. IS this too much? Is cooked liver harmful? What other organ meats are necessary?

In addition, I boiled some cracked bones on the stove for several hours. I'm not feeding him the bones but rather the broth. Does this have any nutritional value?

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Dan Hetland
2/25/2017 02:34:54 pm

I know this blog is ages old, but what absolutely astounds me is the fact that there are literally thousands of types of dog kibble on the market these days. I'm an old man and when I was a boy there were but a few brands available, Gravy Train, Dog Chow, and perhaps a couple of others. Just the number of choices makes it extremely difficult for a conscientious pet owner to make an informed decision, leaving the raw diet as the best option out of all available. Thanks for an outstanding article.

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Melinda Diefenderfer
3/15/2018 02:14:18 pm

My dog food store told me that your canned dog food was slightly cooked. I am concerned about feeding raw again after the vet told me they have had a few cases of secondary bacterial infections from feeding raw food to dogs. In each case it was fatal. Please advise. Thank you.

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