Misconception about raw?

[adora's mom]

I went to Adora's first puppy training class and the teacher basically chastised me for feeding her raw, stating that it was "poorly digestable, and may cause dogs to become more aggressive". While I know that is a load of you-know-what, based on what I've seen in my own dogs. I'm curious to know if anyone knows the basis of this claim? I have also watched an "Adoption Tales" on Animal Planet where a pit bull rescuer fed her dogs vegan (uh...yum?) since she claimed meat made them aggressive.

Does anyone know if there are any documents out there supporting this or has anyone heard this? I'm fascinated to know what this idea is based on...

Thanks,
Lesley

[franp]

I don't know where that %*&*%) stupidity came from about dogs becoming more aggressive on Raw..

Tell the person who told you to give you proof.. And then you tell her to read Dr Jean Dodds articles and research about how much healthier feeding raw is.

Dr Jean Dodds is one of the foremost Vets in this country. She is at UC Davis and has a private practice in Los Angeles. You can google her and read her articles..

Look at the ingredients on many commercial dog food labels. By products; Ethiquocin (sp) a KNOWN carcinogin.

People say dumb stuff because they are uneducated or because they are afraid.Tell this person to read "The Ultimate Diet " Or "Give Your Dog a Bone".

And to stop diseminating False information.

fran

[franp]

Sorry , I did not answer you question! I just get so dam mad at people's stupidy..Dogs are NOT meant to be vegan or eat grain. They don't even have MOLARS for God's sake to grind veggies..

Ask your puppy trainor to validate her statement; she can't . You can prove the benefits of yours..

Fran whose dog is THRIVING on RAW... appicon

[adora's mom]

Hi Fran,

You're so right. I'm actually taking Adora out of that puppy training class and switching her to a totally different one. That trainer had some weird ideas about training, made the statement about raw making dogs aggressive and then (after asking what kinds of dogs I have) she made a stupid comment about pit bulls. I'm kind of touchy on that subject since I have a rescue APBT mix - now I know that he's not really kissing everyone he sees, he's just tenderizing them to satisfy his raw food induced bloodlust! evilicon

I can't figure out where these rumors come from about raw food...maybe in these people's imaginations? Go figure! :cool:

[franp]

I know this is off topic; but I think it is important.
Amstaffs, Staffordshires or what ever dogs we call Pitbulls are the MOST misunderstood dogs there are..

One of the Frenchbulldogrescue people also rescues Staffies and Staffie mixes. We had a LONG discussion on our rescue list.
Bottom line; when this breed was being developed for fighting OTHER DOGS ; any dog who showed HUMAN aggression was culled (put down) because it could not be trusted with a handler. So this was a breed that was not being developed for HUMAN aggression.
People just do not understand that these dogs are wonderful HUMAN companion dogs..Hard to own in a city (as are dogs like Jack Russels)
when I was growing up German Sheperds were the BAD dogs , then Rotties,
now it is the Pit type dogs.
Do a google search for BAD RAP.This is a site for Pit type dogs, dispelling all the myths. It is a great site.. Informative. Send it to the "trainor"

IMO,they are wonderful animals.

Glad you are taking Adora out of that class. the teacher sounds like a Looney.

Thank you for induling me. Off my soapbox..

(FYI our dogs are in the same family... bulldog...pit BULL..

[Kelly+Manja]

hi guys
i just feel compelled to add my 2 cents worth. My best friends have a pitbull staffy mix (manjas bestfriend) and she is one of the most wonderful, gentle intelligent dogs i know. I dont know why they have such a bad wrap. If you look at the official list of aggressive dogs in Australia the German Shephard and Labrador (yes labrador) are on par with pitbulls! but nobody takes note of this information (this study was made on the basis of number of dog attacks on humans). Pitbulls have just gotten bad press. Perhaps also because of their appearance? just unfortunate.
About the raw diet. Its quite interesting actually as its a myth that has entered quite a few species. i have fish, one of which is a large oscar (from the chiclid family/ they can from over a foot in length) which benefits from fresh meat and yet people have told me "your pet will develop a taste for blood and become more aggressive" its just rubbish.

[Olivier]

I went to Adora's first puppy training class and the teacher basically chastised me for feeding her raw, stating that it was "poorly digestable, and may cause dogs to become more aggressive".
I have never heard of it and it is so stupid as fran mentioned!
Is the dog trainer sponsored by some kibble companies? ;)

Olly

[quinnybear]

dont want to sound dumb. just unimformed. what is raw feeding? am just curious because i feed rocky iams puppy food and he barely eats it. he eats what we eat. he only wants our food. quinn says i spoiled him because i let him eat at the table with us. i give him the meat off the chicken , meatloaf , etc. he really begs for the salsbury steak t.v. dinners ! and he loves oranges too. he,ll sit at my feet, holding one paw up to his chest and be at full attention until i share it with him. he,s very healthy and active. my sister gives me alot of flack about it when she comes over . she tells me "thats why they make dog food". he shouldnt be eating people food. but he doesnt know he's a dog ;) she raises boxers and is always giving me advice. i,d like some advice from people who raise frenchies . so just thought i,d ask about the raw?

[franp]

Raw feeding or BARF (bones and Raw food) is feeding a dog the way they ate in the wild. NO grain and RAW meat and bones.

Commercial dog food is made of grain. Dogs are not meant to eat grain; they do not even have molars (the teeth needed to eat grain)And when they eat foods made with grain they fart and have smelly soft bm..

Dr Ian Billinghurst wrote a book called "Give your dog a bone", the first book about feeding dogs raw food.This was followed by many more books and information sites.

Raw feeding is just that; I give Dari a food made by Bravo. She gets raw chicken; turkey; venison, and duck..Go to www.bravorawdiet.com and start reading.

REad the Ultimate diet. You can get this book from Amazon. It is an easy read and will help you understand Raw feeding.

My dog did not eat before I started to feed raw; her bm was soft and stunk. Now she eats with relish. NO more gas; firm bm.

Tell your sister dog food was made for convienince.Food was made for dogs.

[EmD, MD]

Another argument I've heard against raw is "Dogs have evolved very far from their wild counterparts and their digestive systems cannot handle raw." One could say that humans have evolved very far from Australopithecus, but it doesn't mean we should subsist on Twinkies.

(Penny eats raw thanks to franp's suggestion.)

[Borgan]

Feeding your dog raw is an excellent idea - the proof is in the poo. The moment we started to feed Luna raw, she went from diarhea to stool that was super solid...and turns white after a day on the grass (our grass, not public grass...we pick up!). She also can't wait to eat, compared to before when we had to bribe her.

BUT!!!!! be cautious with table scraps for three reasons:

1) What is balanced for humans is not balanced for a dog (the carb/protein/fat ratio)

2) Frenchies easily pack on pounds if their portions are not properly measured for their weight

3) Feeding your dog from the table will cause behavioural problems down the road (dominance and food aggression). Tell the dog you are master by eating FIRST in YOUR eating area, then tell him he is your subordinate by feeding him LAST in HIS eating area (the food bowl on the kitchen). Those sad eyes are manipulative eyes! He should lay down or go play while you're eating.

Read the book Fran recommended so you understand why to feed raw, and I would also recommend going with a pre-packaged raw diet (like Bravo) because it takes the guess work out of providing proper nutrition. We tried the do-it-yourself raw diet and found it cheaper, but MUCH more difficult to put together (ie, going to the butcher every week and pureeing veggies everyday...pain in the butt).

[EmD, MD]

I'm a pretty busy person, but moreover I hate cooking. I'm not a huge eater myself so I figured "no way" on a raw diet for the doggy. Then franp told me about Bravo which, like Borgan said, is prepackaged. It's as easy as kibble. Five stars, two snaps up.

[EmD, MD]

This thread reminds me of a funny story. Penny's dad has a really dry sense of humor, very deadpan delivery, he jokes a lot but rarely laughs. People always ask us what we're feeding Penny. One day Penny's dad was bringing her inside from her walk, and stopped to talk to the doorman. "Time to go eat lunch, Penny," he said, and the doorman asked, "Oh, what's for lunch today?" Penny's dad said (in his usual unsmiling fashion), "Oh, the usual. A raw porterhouse and a bowl of blood." The doorman looked only slightly suprised and asked, "So, do you mix that together, or...?" :eek:

[adora's mom]

Ok, now that's a funny story. It sounds like Penny's dad & I have a similar sense of humor :)

But, I certainly hope that the doorman was not serious!!!

:D