Raw food.....

[subeeloo]

......does anyone use it, if so, does it improve behaviour, coats, teeth etc?
Thanks in advance 

[elaine.e]

My experience is that it vastly improved William's health when I switched him from kibble to raw about 6 years ago when he was 6 years old. More difficult to say if it made any difference to Louis because he was a puppy then so has been raw fed most of his life. I think anyway that Louis is probably one of those dogs who would do well on pretty much any food!

William had recurring lip fold infections and ear infections, sensitive skin and a very sensitive digestion until I made the switch. He'd been fed on a few different kibbles over the years, such as James Wellbeloved, Arden Grange and Burns. But when I changed him to a raw diet it was like waving a magic wand. The improvement in his health was rapid and dramatic. In the 6 years since then he's had no lipfold problems, one or two minor ear infections and his skin and digestion are excellent.

Before William my previous Cockers had mainly been raw fed over the 17 years I'd been a dog owner. When my very old boy died I had a short period without a dog and when puppy William came to me I was persuaded by his breeder and my vet that raw feeding was old fashioned and that modern kibbles were the only way to guarantee that that my puppy would grow up healthy and properly nourished. I wish I hadn't listened!

[Blueberry]

I switched my puppy onto raw (Nutriment) the day after he came home and have never looked back.  Early days yet, obviously, but I can't see me switching.  I would recommend it to anyone.

[its.sme]

Yes I believe it dose improve all of those things.

Bea's coat was silky, teath white, ear and feet (yeast infection ) cleared.

Her behaiviour didn't change but it didn't need to.

Many people on here are RAW feeders , it's good to do your research but it can be as easy as opening a tub, weighing it out and watching the bowl be cleaned of any trace of food 

[bizzylizzy]

I switched Humphrey to raw when he was about 7 months at the suggestion of my groomer and also my trainer because his coat was thin and dull. The groomer reckoned I'd see a difference in a fortnight, which I considered was rather optimistic, but she was right and after a month the difference was incredible. I believe the condition of the coat is, generally speaking, one  of the indications of the condition of the dog so I was concerned that the food he'd been having previously was perhaps not aswell balanced as I thought. (I should add I live in Germany, so have no idea about the quality of any of the British brands).
Humphrey really enjoys his food and I feel I have more control about what goes in it and can also offer him a much wider variety. The ph values of the gastric juices are apparantly higher than those of kibble fed dogs, which decreases the likelyhood of infestation by worms or other parasites in the digestive system. I also understand that raw fed dogs are less likely to suffer allergies, food intolerance and other diseases. I've no idea how or if it has a direct influence over behaviour but can imagine a healthy happy dog has less issues than an unhealthy one. (Thats not that saying that kibble fed dogs are either unhealthy or unhappy but its often quite a difficult task to find the right one!).
If you're thinking of changing over however, I'd recommend you read up on it so you have some understanding of the concept as its not just a matter of giving just raw meat, the right balance is important. If you gooogle Ann Ridyard, you'll find some good information and there's also a facebook group called Raw Feeding UK which is very informative!

[Briggo09]

This is something that I'm considering myself. Charlie is 7.5months and has done really well on lovejoys puppy kibble. His weight and coat are good, however he had always produced a lot of poo which I can only see being the amount of rubbish in his food that he doesn't need. Few friends of mine swear by raw feeding their dogs and I'm now looking into the raw diets as vets told me to look at taking him off his puppy food at around 10 months or so. My only concern is the transition from kibble to raw- he hasn't always had the best stomach with change of food, have others had a problem when changing over. I did change his kibble when we first got him and slowly introduced it over the course of a week or so- is this the same principle?

[Blueberry]

The advice is not to mix raw & kibble in the same meal, as they are digested differently.  I would try a raw meal once a day to start, and if tolerated substitute a second & third (assuming still on 3x daily feeds).
I put Blue straight on to Nutriment the day after we brought him home, at first had to sprinkle a bit of kibble on top because he didn't initially recognise it as food, but from that day onwards it's been plain sailing.  He went off his food during the hot weather, but was soon back to normal, and has 3 bowls of Nutriment daily (on adult version since age 4 months, as advised by the team at Nutriment, who I have found very helpful).

[bizzylizzy]

There are different trains of thought as to how it should be done. Humphrey went "cold turkey" and coped well with a complete change from one day to the next, but I'd think an with an older  dog or one with food issues it might be better to do it gradually.

[lescef]

I went raw as my two, having been spayed were putting on too much weight eating kibble - too much carbohydrate. No such problems with raw.
They both used to have gunky eyes especially in the mornings,  but that has cleared too. No change in behaviour.
I feed Nutriment.  One pack is just the right size for one days meals for two dogs.

[Maisiesmum]

I can only comment about a puppy on raw but it may help.
I switched Maisie to Nutriment at 12 weeks old (now 17 weeks) and I wouldn't change her back to kibble ever.
There was nothing wrong with the kibble as she was on Orijen but I was filling her water bowl three/four times a day as she was drinking so much and it was obviously coming out the other end at the same rate!! She wasn't putting on much weight and had started to look a bit 'ribby' which was concerning me. Her coat had an amazing shine but it was very fine.
In five weeks the change is very noticeable. I only change her water once a day and that's only because there's a twig and half a worm normally floating in it  Her poo is small and doesn't smell. She is now a perfect weight and she has started to get a puppy fluff coat but the shine has dulled a bit??
But the main thing is she absolutely loves it....the fridge has never been barked at so much 

[BonnieScot]

Bonnie went onto raw as soon as I brought her home, I have two cats and a little border terrier who were already raw, so she slotted right in. I've commented somewhere else about the impact on my little border terrier and have to say it's the same for Bonnie. Bonnie's coat is very sleek and flat, and extremely glossy. She's just been for her first annual check up and I was told she was in fabulous condition. I put that down to the quality of her food. She gets Nature's Instincts or Luna & Me, or just raw food and training treats are usually a mixture of Orijen quality kibble and chopped chicken or cheap steak. I make liver cake for recall too. I think the reason so many animals are suffering from skin complaints, obesity, bad teeth etc is that they don't eat what's biologically appropriate for them.

In terms of behaviour, I've no idea. She's a complete fruit-loop and my first spaniel. I'm guessing from all the wonderful stories on COL, she's absolutely normal in that regard!

[Theo961]

I feed Reese on orijen kibble  in the morning ( its easy to put in one of his brain training toys, which gives me time to have a shower in peace!  ) and he has luna & me patties in the evening. He went to the vet for his 6 month check up and the vet said to carry on whatever I am doing as he is in excellent condition. He had his puppy frizz trimmed of the other day and his coat has a wonderful shine.

[desthomas]

Whilst I feed mine on raw, I agree that there's nothing wrong with a good quality kibble.

The poos are less, can't comment on behaviour change as they haven't been on anything else but people comment on the condition of the coats.

One thing I will say is that you may find vets who discourage you and hear comments about the protein.  The majority of raw food is water, so the % is about the same as most grain-free kibbles.

A good quality complete raw food should be 80% meat 10% bone and 10% offal. The notion of a complete food is a slight misnomer as it's the % that is important.  You can also get some foods that have veg or supplements in them, which is fine too.

It's always best to introduce one protein at a time before introducing a new one, and trying and have a mix of proteins in the weekly diet to reduce the chance of becoming intolerant.

Also, consider the size of the mince; some dogs don't like sloppy minces found in a lot of commercial raw foods. Mine don't and I've moved onto other brands.

Also consider the amount of raw food, I buy from a supplier that provides 1kg bags. That works for me because I have a Welsh Springer and a Cocker, but might be an issue for someone who just has a Cocker.

The final comment is make is to feed the dog in front of you, there is no hard and fast rule. I had to up the % for my WSS when the Cocker puppy came along and the puppy doesn't get fed anywhere near the recommendations on the Internet as he'd be a balloon. [emoji85][emoji23][emoji23]

[Baileyboy78]

Sorry to jump in. I'm interested in feeding my 10 week old nutriment but I don't understand how to work out 4-6% of his ideal body weight? What does that mean. Is that the weight I'd expect him to be as an adult or his weight now? I don't have a lot of freezer space so I'll have to buy little and often.

[desthomas]

Sorry to jump in. I'm interested in feeding my 10 week old nutriment but I don't understand how to work out 4-6% of his ideal body weight? What does that mean. Is that the weight I'd expect him to be as an adult or his weight now? I don't have a lot of freezer space so I'll have to buy little and often.

4-6% of current weight