By Anita Rabidou-Milligan

Contributing writer

      With pet food recalls in the news seemingly every day, more and more pet owners are considering
making the switch to a raw diet. The choices now available in raw feeding have grown tremendously over the
past several years, with nearly as many for raw foods as kibble. The following is an overview of the basics
of raw feeding.

There are four basic types of raw feeding. The whole-prey model of raw feeding involves feeding the dog either whole carcasses or large chunks of various meats, with bone, hair and all. Pre-made dry mixes are also available; those contain vegetables and meat in the form of a meat meal. (An example is Oma’s Pride, see links below.) This requires that you add water, cook, and serve.

There are also mixes, such as Sojo’s – a dry mix, but without meat. You add your own and there is no cooking required. Just add water and meat, then serve. Lastly, pre-packaged meat chubs are available. These contain meat and vegetables, ready to thaw and serve. An example is Darwin’s Natural Diet, a package of meat and other ingredients blended together and frozen. Within each type is even more diversity. You can choose foods with grains (like oats and barley) or without; with vegetables; or just meat.

Of course, none of the above includes recipes. And if you want to start from scratch and prepare your dog’s food every day with fresh ingredients, options abound.

            Proponents of raw feeding say dogs are descendants of wolves and, as such, are meant to eat raw meat for ideal health – because it was what their ancestors did. Those opposed say dogs have become accustomed to eating commercial dog food and have adapted to this form of feeding. They argue that raw feeding is not as good for them as it was for their ancestors.

Want to try it? First, choose the food that is best: The one you feel comfortable with and that your dog likes and will eat. If you don’t like the idea of giving your dog whole, raw bones, then perhaps a brand with ground meat and bone is for you. Others may think that the only way to feed raw is by throwing their dog the whole part of the animal. That’s fine too.

Other factors to consider include the time it takes to prepare your dog’s meals, your dedication to variety, and cost.

Pre-made mixes greatly reduce prep time, depending on which brand and type you choose. A whole meat chub form, for example, only requires means taking it out of the freezer long enough for it to defrost before your scheduled feeding.

Cost varies depending on the product, whether or not it can be purchased locally, and the size and quantity of the dogs you feed. Some find that the cost of feeding raw is equal to dry kibble because the dogs actually need less of it to be satisfied.

One last item to consider: Ensure you can provide your dog with enough variety in its diet to assure that they get all of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals they need. Different foods and food parts provide different nutrition. A common mistake in feeding raw is to only feed one thing. The dog gets sick because it is lacking in other essential areas. Do not feed a dog whole chicken breast filets and nothing else, for example, because while it will provide some nutrition, it will not be complete. Dogs need the muscle meats, the organ meats, the bones, the marrow, etc., to provide iron, calcium, vitamins and minerals they need for total nutrition. Some dog owners also choose to supplement with a broad spectrum supplement.

I admit, I used to be part of the fearful, anti-raw group – until I tried it myself. The whole-prey model was an interesting experience. My dogs looked at it, barked at it, sniffed it, marked it, stared at it, circled it until they were dizzy, ran from it, and looked at me like I had lost my mind. Although it literally provided hours of entertainment for me, it was not the right model for me and my dogs.

I considered the dry mix with a powdered meat meal, and I considered the pre-made meat chubs. But currently, I feed Sojo’s. I like that I can buy the meat for it and therefore know where it is coming from and what it is. It gives me the additional piece-of-mind knowing that if there is a recall on meat, I am more likely to find out sooner.

For more information, check out the links below:

Oma’s Pride www.omaspride.com/index.htm

Sojo’s www.sojos.com/index.aspx?affiliate=4i2robert

Darwin’s Natural Diet www.darwinsnaturalpet.com/index.html

Anita Rabidou-Milligan can be reached at anitaar@juno.com.

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