My Dog is Happy

[douloijohanna]

So, we did it. We started feeding her a BARF diet.

I have NEVER seen her eat her food so fast!

Last night, I mixed up 1 cup of salmon and a potato in some hot water in my blender until it liquified. Then, I stirred that into about 3/4 lb of fat ground beef.

She approached the bowl cautiously and licked at the food unenthusiastically.

"Come on, Trinity

Comments

[barbarakelley]

I know raw foods are "natural" but so too are the parasites that raw meat carries. my sister's dog ended up with a whopping, debilitating case of tapeworms from just the occasional raw meat scraps from our butchering at home... he doesn't get raw meat at all anymore.

[douloijohanna]

It's my understanding that if meat remains frozen for 14days or more, all parasites are killed. So, I wouldn't give the dog fresh scraps from butchering, but if the meat's been frozen, defrosted, and properly handled it becomes a very appetizing and safe meal for them.

[emchelle]

As terrible as it must have been, a debilitating case of tapeworms is truly rare. The general consensus among those feeding raw is that wild or freshly butchered meat should really be frozen for a minimum of two to three weeks, to eliminate all possible parasites. And, since most dogs will have worms at some point in their life, a yearly dose of dewormer is common even for commercially fed pets. The outstanding benefits of a raw diet would, to me, outweigh the minimal risk of parasitic infection. Dogs are far, far more adapted to eating a raw diet (risks and all) than they are to commercially processed food.

P.S.

[douloijohanna]

Plus, because she contracted heartworm before we rescued her, she's on a rigorous, monthly preventative regimen that protects against just about every parasite she'd encounter in raw meat.

[emchelle]

Glad to hear it's going so well :-) Our cats have absolutely thrived on a raw meat diet, and I wouldn't do it any other way.

[douloijohanna]

I *really* hope she turns around. This year she got more sick than she's ever been and simply lost way too much weight. We felt very helpless fighting flea and food allergies at the same time. I mean, you can only give your dog so much benadryl while watching them keep deteriorating. I HOPE HOPE HOPE this new diet is the turning point.