Cooking BRAVO Raw...and she loves it!!!

[paulabeans]

Hello friends,

I know that everyone who loves the raw diet is going to cringe, but I finally bought the BRAVO ground Venison for Molly and I am cooking it :eek:

I was not an opponent of giving the raw, but both my Vet and the Allergy Specialist that we are seeing say that they don't believe in raw diets. So, since Molly has food allergies, I decided to do a home-cooked diet for her. I bought the BRAVO and I am browning it like I would ground beef and then mix it in with rice. She totally devours her food now!!

I still have to buy the vitamin supplement to add in. I realize that she is losing a lot of the meat's nutritional value through the cooking process, but I will just be happy if her allergic skin condition improves. She suffers so much with the itchiness :(

Thanks for listening,
Paula

[franp]

Paula,
If you use any of the Bravo with the bone in it and you cook it you are going to harm your dog...Cooked bone is VERY dangerous to dogs..

Vets do NOT get any nutritional training in school at ALL..
FBRN has a homeopathic vet that advises us;everyone of the dogs that comes into rescue with skin/stomach problems is switched to raw.NONE have gotten ill.All have improved..
Use common sense;clean as you would for yourself..Give her the raw. I have done it for more than a year and a half and NEVER has my dog gotten sick..

NO ONE I know that has fed raw has ever had thier dogs get sick when they use normal cleanliness..

I bet they have her on steriods as well...

[franp]

FYI,

Vets get a total of ONE course of nutrional training in school..for the entire 4 years they are there..
If they want to learn more they can take post doctoral degrees..
And guess who teaches and sponsors the classes that they get in Vet school?You guessed right;the dog food companies.

let them tell me that they have done research and THEN that they don't believe in a raw diet..

What are the reasons that your vets do not believe in the raw diet.?
(Paula, I am NOT trying to be confrontational; just frustrated)

[paulabeans]

Hi Fran!

I had heard about the danger of cooked bones, so I made sure to buy the Boneless Ground Venison.

And yes, she is also on prednisone, although she is being weaned off of it right now. (You are so knowledgeable about this stuff ;)) She gets a lot of relief from the cortisone, but the long term effects are scary.

Thank you so much,
Paula

[paulabeans]

They feel that the risk of Salmonella or e-coli is too high when on a raw diet.

I got the Bravo from SNAP in Huntington. Have you heard of them? They also said exactly what you did...that most Vets put down the raw diet but really don't know enough about it. They too have been feeding raw for about 15 years and love it.

I myself am not opposed to it, but first I want to deal with Molly's allergies. I think that once her immune system is stronger, I actually will do the raw. So many awesome Frenchie owners can't be wrong appicon

Paula

[franp]

They feel that the risk of Salmonella or e-coli is too high when on a raw diet.

I got the Bravo from SNAP in Huntington. Have you heard of them? They also said exactly what you did...that most Vets put down the raw diet but really don't know enough about it. They too have been feeding raw for about 15 years and love it.

I myself am not opposed to it, but first I want to deal with Molly's allergies. I think that once her immune system is stronger, I actually will do the raw. So many awesome Frenchie owners can't be wrong appicon

Paula

We have dogs that come into rescue so ill and so malnourished that NEVER get E coli or salmonella.This is rubbish.
Common sense cleanliness is what you use.
Dogs digestive tracts are very different than people; the food goes thru much faster.

The food is frozen; that kills much/most of any bacteria. Cleanliness does the rest.Using a product like Bravo that is reputable manufacturer cuts the risk even more..

Ask the Vet IF they EVER treated a dog for Ecoli or Salmonella that was on Bravo raw....I bet they have not.
All I know is the dogs that we take in in rescue that are WAY sicker than your dog (allergies,Collitis etc) THRIVE on raw..

[paulabeans]

Hi Devon...well, we tried IVD Duck and Potato, Eukanuba Kangaroo and Oatmeal and Royal Canin HP. None of these have worked out too well, although I am partially to blame because I had given her "people food" and she became spoiled. She would turn her nose up at the commercial foods if I didn't add in something yummy.

Paula

[gmacleod]

I myself am not opposed to it, but first I want to deal with Molly's allergies. I think that once her immune system is stronger, I actually will do the raw.
The decision abut whether or not to switch to a raw diet is one you'll have to make on your own, but I just wanted to throw in here that feeding a natural diet is actually one of the best things you can do to boost the immune system. It works wonders with dogs suffering from conditions such as demodectic mange - which is the result of a suppressed or underdeveloped immune system. And part of the reason for that is that it offers great nutrition without any of the difficult-to-digest or problem ingredients that put stress on the dog's system.

Raw (not necessarily the pre-made stuff though) is also an excellent way of dealing with allergies if they're food-related. That is because you can do a true elimination diet - feeding a single food souce (eg. chicken) that your dog is not allergic to until all symptoms are gone, and then adding other food items in one at a time and identifying which particular ones cause allergic reactions and which don't. After a little while, you know what your dog can eat and what it can't. That is much more difficult to achieve on a kibble diet, simply because you cannot add different foods one thing at a time.

But with all that said, I think a homecooked diet is still far better for your dog than kibble is. So if you don't want to go raw, that is the next best thing. I don't homecook often at all, but there are quite a few people that do. If you want some more ideas for homecooking, it might be worth browsing the recipes forum on boxerworld (http://boxerworld.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=47) - you'd have to sort through which are treats recipes and which are meals, but I believe there is some good information there. Here's a couple of very popular recipes: http://boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9362
http://boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52775

[franp]

[QUOTE=gmacleod]
Raw (not necessarily the pre-made stuff though) is also an excellent way of dealing with allergies if they're food-related. That is because you can do a true elimination diet - feeding a single food souce (eg. chicken) that your dog is not allergic to until all symptoms are gone, and then adding other food items in one at a time and identifying which particular ones cause allergic reactions and which don't. After a little while, you know what your dog can eat and what it can't. That is much more difficult to achieve on a kibble diet, simply because you cannot add different foods one thing at a time.

Gmacleod,
The really good thing about Bravo (the brand that Paula is using)is that is is a ONE indgredient food.Ideal for those of us who have to do an elimination diet.
They have 2 varieties; with veggies and without.The "exotic" meats ;venison,duck,rabbit etc do not come with veggies.
Regular meat:chicken,turkey;beef;lamb come both ways.
There are several companies here in the States that give us the choice.
My friend Monica went to Oma's (another company) processing plant. She said it was IMMACULATE..
What commercial dog food company will let you come into thier facility?
fran

[gmacleod]

Sounds good :) Not all pre-made raw products come without veggies included though, which is why I said "not necessarily" ;)
With the single meat varieties though, it would be perfectly possible to add your own fruits and vegetables in one at a time to determine which, if any, cause problems - or that your dog just doesn't like.

[carmiesmommy]

I have been feeding Carmine Nature's Variety raw diet for a year and a half now and he has never gotten sick. He had chronic ear infections before I started him on it and I had a feeling it was food related. The ears have cleared up and his coat,energy and muscle tone is outstanding. I also add a few Chinese herbs to his food that also boost his immune system and has natural antinflammatory properties. They are called "Host Defense" and "Baikel Skullcap". They come in capsule form and I just sprinkle it over the raw.

[GigiMcKeehan]

I have been feeding B.A.R.F. (Bones and raw food) raw diet for months now. The BARF food has added veggies, egg, cultured Kefir, flax seed, alfalfa meal, fruits, kelp powder, cod liver oil and vitamin supplements so I really need to add nothing else. The product is sold in frozen patties which are very convenient and my Gigi loved them from day one. I found there was no need for transitioning as she never had tummy problems when switched immediately. I clean as if I were making hamburgers for my family after handling her meal.

When I told my vet what diet my dog was eating she was not at all familiar with the raw diet. No surprise there, they have a large display of Hill's Science Diet.

I must say the raw diet has been great for us. No more wiping her little bum after each movement as the bone meal causes firm, no mess, little odor poos'.
Just wanted to add my experience on this subject.

I warm the food just a bit so it is not refrigerator cold but would never cook the patties. It is raw for a reason.
Deborah

[franp]

Hi Deb
Rather than warm the food; I leave it out on the counter for about 1/2 hour.It brings it to room temperature and Dari inhales it.

fran