I have a little five pound Papillon who is around 8 years old. I have raised her from 3 months old and she was my first baby before my actual baby. Her name is Chili because I love hot and spicy chile peppers. While Chili is a fairly happy dog, she has suffered from awful tummy ‘attacks’ where we have had to take her into the 24 hour vet clinic and sometimes even hospitalize her. I really despised giving her the canned food but it was the only thing the poor dog seemed to be able to eat. She would get better and then 6 months later, BOOM the same thing would happen again. It usually came from stress if we traveled or if someone came to stay at our house but sometimes it would come out of nowhere. I tried many types of foods – organic brands ; organic brands, locally-produced cooked pet food, homemade poached chicken and rice. Nothing worked! She would eat it for a while and just get sick all over again.
Meanwhile, the people in our house were getting all kinds of great real food. Chili hung around the kitchen begging while I cooked. I knew that if I gave her any of the food I was cooking it would be out of her normal routine and she would likely have an episode. One day I was making some veal liver and ended up giving her a piece of the raw liver. She wolfed it down while I watched and waited. What was going to happen? Chili absolutely loved the liver. She did not get sick that night and the next day she seemed quite well actually. I got to thinking and started doing some research. I had heard dogs should not only eat straight meat, but also raw meat. Was this something that could work for my dog?
Organ meats are the most nutrient dense part of the animal and the most easily digestible. This is why lions apparently eat the organs first and leave the lean muscle meat for scavengers. Luckily there is a farmer at our local farmers market that sells raw pet food. I had seen it before but had not tried it. I finally got up the nerve to ask him about it and apparently the food is just ground up chicken livers and hearts, yogurt, and squash. I bought some, and needless to say, Chili absolutely loves this food.
I have had this dog for her whole life and she has never eaten the food I have given her the minute I put it down until now. I pour some kefir on top as well. I put out dry dog food as well that she eats periodically throughout the day (not usually at the same time as the raw food) and this seems to be a great mix for her. I also give her some raw veal bones and she really loves those. Unfortunately she drags them into my bed so I don’t always love that!
Usually very fragile and bony, Chili has put on about a pound and now feels sturdier. Normally very sleepy and lethargic, she now has more energy and wants to play all the time like a puppy. Her coat is soft and silky and thick like never before and her skin is no longer red and itchy. I am stunned. I live and breathe real food but for some reason I had to see results to believe it with my dog.
If you are interested in trying this for your pup, here is a homemade pet food recipe that you can make yourself. Or, check with your local chicken farmer, he may be able to grind something up for you too. This post on raw dog food also has some great information about natural holistic flea, tick and heart worm prevention and for accessing some raw dog food diet communities for support.
Do you feed raw pet food to your dog? What were the results?
Dog also need raw bones and meat, like they would get from a whole carcass. Too much organ meat is possible, as it is a rich item and would only be consumed in small amounts in the wild. Just a caution. I think a raw diet is great though!