I have been researching a little on raw food for dogs. What are the pro's and con's? I have a 2 1/2 year old American Bulldog we have had him for a year now, he should be 70-120 lbs. He is only around 50 lbs, you can't see his ribs or anything but I feel bad because he doesn't eat much. I have tried all sorts of dog foods and he never wants to eat them but when we sit down for dinner he is always right there and wants our food instead, when we first got him I just bought the food his previous owners used but wasn't good enough for him. So how do I go about starting him on a raw food diet? Can I get it from Walmart when I go shopping for ourselves? Please no rude answers, I just want him to be happy. Thanks!
Ok first off there is no standard weight for the Am. Bulldog. Just that his weight should be proportionate to his height . (Desirable height in a mature male ranges from 22 to 27 inches) So unless his vet says he's underweight odds are he is actually fine at his current weight.
Second he doesn't eat much because he's picky. Pick a food a STICK to it. Odds are his previous owners had the same issue as well and fed him from the table.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com That said if you're going to feed a raw diet you REALLY need to do your research. Yes you can get his food from the super walmart or any other grocery store. The only thing you CAN'T get is green tripe, since it can't be sold uncleaned for human consumption.
No he doesn't need to veggies unless you choose to feed him.
Here are some helpful links start reading.
http://preymodelraw.com/ http://www.rawlearning.com/ http://www.mypetcarnivore.com http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawch ... http://rawfed.com/myths/# articles http://rawdiettruth.blogspot.com/ http://rawfeddogs.net/ pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com ETA: Do NOT mix raw with kibble as eM suggested. If he's healthy you can do a straight cold turkey switch or start subbing one kibble meal for raw until he's completely on raw but do NOT mix the raw in with the kibble. Causes too much stomach upset and wastes food.
Well you haven't BEEN researching or you would not be asking the question here.
But you would LIKE to research and possibly implement a raw food diet for your dog.
There are lots of books out there that are complete and thorough in their teaching.
Here's the site of a company that sells raw food diet supplies (presumably at a healthy profit!)
http://www.bravorawdiet. com/ Here is a site dedicated to the exchange of information about Raw Food diets.
http://www.rawlearning.com/ Good luck!!!
Have you had him checked for worms or stomach problems? Maybe you should ask your vet about his weight problems before you try to switch his entire diet. There might be an easier solution.
When you are evaluating your dog's weight, forget about the breed standard. With a thin-coated breed like the American Bulldog, if you cannot see his ribs prominently, he's not underweight. It's better for a dog to be a little lean than to be overweight, and you should be able to easily feel his ribs with extremely light pressure. No, he wouldn't need veggies. And yes, you could buy the meat at Wal-Mart or any other supermarket, but it's usually cheaper to purchase cuts like chicken backs and turkey necks and others that are less desirable for human consumption in bulk from a butcher. A large freezer is necessary to make feeding raw cost-effective. Do some more research, and if you decide to make the switch, you will not slowly switch them over. Going from kibble to raw should be a "cold turkey" transition. You'll fast him for 24 hours, then start the raw. For the first few weeks, you will feed only one type of protein (chicken is usually best for this) and then start adding in others if he is doing well.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Here are some sites to get you started:
http://rawlearning.com/ http://www.rawfeddogs.net/ http://rawfed.com/myths/
Never worry about what an ideal weight is for your dog , but always go by the look of him.
I feed raw and wouldn't feed anything else, but you do need to research and read as much as you can.
You can get a lot of it when you shop for yourself, but you can also pick up things from a butchers at very little cost.
