I was reading an article about dogs and how they are built like carnivores from their small GI track to their lack of enzymes in their saliva to break down cellulose. Then I remember a scene in the movie Shirley Valentine where she feeds her neighbor's vegan dog the steaks she had bought for dinner that night. I was wondering if anyone here buys their dog, or cat, raw meat instead of kibble?
My other previous dogs also used to eat raw meat but my dog right now does not eat one. I remember one time when my husband tried to feed it raw chicken leftover meat together with its regular food. Our dog which is used to eating cooked food never touched the raw meat.
Dogs were basically carnivores before the advent of their domestication. The latter fact did not make them lose their instincts and feeding orientation. Dogs generally cherish raw meat which they can consume in unlimited quantities in the best of times. But the fear is that they might develop a taste for other domestic animals like chicken especially when they develop a slight graze.
Some 5 years ago, there was the hype here for feeding raw meat to dogs. I have 2 dog lover friends who are members of the shih tzu club which discussed raw meat in one seminar. My 2 friends have been feeding their dogs raw chicken meat. But after some time, they stopped giving raw meat because they noticed the bad odor of their dog's mouth. One dog breeder said that the blood in the raw meat causes the bad odor.
We never give our dogs raw meat, we prefer cooked food for them.
My shiba is on a raw diet and it's made such a huge difference in her energy levels. At first we had her on a grain-free kibble, and it wasn't causing any terrible issues, but we just wanted to see if she would prefer raw. Shiba Inus are the closest genetic breed to wolves, and so it seemed like a natural fit.
The important part that a lot of people forget about, is letting the dog eat the raw bone as well. This is where they get a lot of their calcium. Just make sure to never give a dog a bone that has been cooked! Once it's been cooked, the bone is extremely brittle, and can cause a lot of damage if eaten.
I don't really feed my dog raw meat because I think raw meat contains bacteria. I always cook chicken or meat for them to eat it. I think it also depends on the breed of the dog and what they need. We should always consult our vetirinarian before giving foods to our dogs.
I don't feed my dogs raw meat, but I guess it's just fine for dogs, give them a small amount first to see how they react to it before transitioning to larger portions.
I do feed my dogs with raw meat, there are times that they don't want it. I noticed that they do some sniffing and checking first before deciding to eat. Then i realize they are probably checking it's freshness. Dogs have more smelling power than us humans. They probably smell something foul on a meat that is why sometimes they don't eat it.