Raw- I don't get it

[OsaBarbosa]

Ok, so I read threads on this site that say the raw diet is the way to go. However, my vet says that beef and poultry are the two highest foods that dogs can have allergies to. So I don't get it? Why raw?????

If a small amount of beef or chicken in Osa's food causes her to itch, I couldn't image pure chicken or beef.

[houndlove]

Not all dogs have allergies. So obviously with a dog allergic to chicken, you don't feed chicken if you're feeding raw, you feed other stuff.

Besides, dogs have way more allergies to things like corn and soy than to animal proteins.

[Dekka]

Do some more reading. Don't believe what any one person (vet or otherwise) says.

But some things to think about.. who ever heard of carnivorous being allergic to meat (yet its ok to feed them all kinds of grains)?

Why are beef and poultry the 2 most common dog food ingredients?

Do you think all of us (or even some) who feed raw have dogs who are sensitive to meat?

Dekka has an issue with grains. And often a sensitivity to a meat can be caused by other things in the diet. Get rid of the crap... the rest digests more readily.

I would say most of the dog people I know either feed raw, or partially raw.

[Gempress]

Ok, so I read threads on this site that say the raw diet is the way to go. However, my vet says that beef and poultry are the two highest foods that dogs can have allergies to. So I don't get it? Why raw?????

If a small amount of beef or chicken in Osa's food causes her to itch, I couldn't image pure chicken or beef.


Actually, I think that corn and wheat have that distinction. That's why there are so many dog foods out there that boast "lamb and rice" or sweet potato instead of corn and wheat. When I fed kibble, I was maniacal about reading labels and avoiding corn for that reason---Zeus gets horrible ear infections when he eats it.

And like Dekka said, if your dog is allergic to a certain meat, you simply don't feed it. Just because your dog is fed raw doesn't mean he/she HAS to eat all kinds of meat.

[PixieSticksandTricks]

All I know is I can't afford to feed a full raw diet to my dogs. The best I can do nice quality kibble and to supplement it with fresh mashed up, fruits, veggies, and either cooked meat, or if im lucky some raw. But like I said I can't afford a full raw diet yet. And honestly I don't think its the only way to feed your dogs a good meal.

[Dekka]

umm no one was implying it was Pixie.. :(

[PixieSticksandTricks]

I didn't say anyone did. It was just my long opinion that got a bit off topic. If someone wants to take it the wrong way..........

[Dekka]

long opinion? I must only be seeing part of your posts then.

I think the OP was wondering how dogs handle the raw diet.. not whether it was the 'best' or an option for them. Maybe I am only getting partial posts (happened on another forum a while back..)

[Gempress]

I didn't say anyone did. It was just my long opinion that got a bit off topic. If someone wants to take it the wrong way..........

Pixie, stop it. Nobody is trying to pick a fight with you. And, honestly, I interpreted your post the same way as Dekka did. Thanks for clarifying it.

[elegy]

Actually, I think that corn and wheat have that distinction.

beef, dairy, chicken, wheat, chicken eggs, corn, and soy. in that order. or at least that was the last i read.

it is the minority of dogs who have food allergies. obviously, if your dog has an allergy to something, you shouldn't feed it. but there are plenty of good reasons *to* feed raw.

[bubbatd]

I guess I'm lucky ..... I've never in 60 years have ever had a dog food allergy .

[GlassOnion]

None of our dogs have ever had a food allergy either, even the dogs my parents owned or their parents owned.

But some things to think about.. who ever heard of carnivorous being allergic to meat (yet its ok to feed them all kinds of grains)?

Erm, you'll never hear of a non-domesticated carnivorous animal being allergic to meat period, because they die. Natural selection.

[Dekka]

yes, exactly.. and it tends not to be as common in domestic animals either. Its really only the last, what 40-50 years kibbles have been made. How many first kibbles were worried about protein sources?

And eating one thing can affect your sensitivity to other things (only concrete exaple I can think of is a horse one. There is a weed (ugg can't remember its name) but if horse's eat it it makes them photosensitive and they get sunburned. This is one of the suggestions as to what happens when a dog seems to be allergic to a protein source, but when gets off cheap fillers, and/or all grains they are not anymore)

Yes some dogs CAN be allergic (lol of course..) but many dogs that are touted as such are not.

[ACooper]

Yes some dogs CAN be allergic (lol of course..) but many dogs that are touted as such are not.

Absolutely. I know from reading and some experience, that MANY dogs who have yeast infections, sensitivities to environmental elements, even dogs that are under exercised and develop problems can and ARE diagnosed with food allergies.

I think if ONLY dogs who ACTUALLY had allergies to food were diagnosed as such, the number would be so small that most of us would never have even heard of it.

[bubbatd]

60 years ago my first dog had a choice of one canned food .... Dr. Ballard's . Then in the 50s Purina was #1 ........

[MoonStr80]

I crave to feed my dog's raw now they're gone over the bridge. My family are totally against raw itself. BUT -- the only thing raw was the fruits and veggies they got

And for the last few months I did home-cooked prepare meals addition with Canidae kibbles for Misty

[PixieSticksandTricks]

Pixie, stop it. Nobody is trying to pick a fight with you. And, honestly, I interpreted your post the same way as Dekka did. Thanks for clarifying it.

Stop what? I end up typing out what I think at the moment. It doesent always make sense. I never was trying to fight with anyone. I have alot of other important things on my mind.



Okay im done derailing ;)

[ihartgonzo]

If your dog is allergic to beef or poultry...

there are PLENTY of easily-accessible meats to feed your dogs, instead. What do you do with an allergic kibble-fed dog? Find a kibble with a meat protein that works for them. And that can often be tremendously stressful, because kibble makes an elimination diet that much harder; there are tons of other ingredients in kibble, to consider. If anything, I know tons of people who switched to Raw because their dog had allergies on all of the kibbles they had tried.

I wouldn't call Gonzo "allergic" to grains, but he does VERY BADLY on a diet with substantial grains and starches. I had no idea how healthy he could be, until I switched to Raw. I thought he would always have problems with his weight jumping around, and he would always be itchy, and he would always have plaque no matter how many Greenies I bought, and he would always shed mountains of hair (now it's more like... small mountains) and he would always have erratic energy, etc, etc.

[OsaBarbosa]

Thanks for the info. It just popped into my head when the vet was telling me this stuff. Osa is currently on Lamb and Rice and thats it for the next ten days. We are tying to figure out what allergy she has.

[2dogmom]

It is a bit more complicated than that. Supposedly dogs can develop allergies if they are fed the same type of food day in and day out. Beef and chicken are the most common proteins used in dog foods and corn the most common grain, so this is the reasoning behind why the allergies develop. It's also the reasoning why you should switch to a lamb and rice formula - it "challenges" the immune system with a meat and a grain which are unfamiliar.
Wellness has a new fish based formula with no grains (it's called "Ocean") so you might want to look into that as an option for figuring out what if anything your dog is allergic to.

[GlassOnion]

It is a bit more complicated than that. Supposedly dogs can develop allergies if they are fed the same type of food day in and day out. Beef and chicken are the most common proteins used in dog foods and corn the most common grain, so this is the reasoning behind why the allergies develop. It's also the reasoning why you should switch to a lamb and rice formula - it "challenges" the immune system with a meat and a grain which are unfamiliar.

I'm pretty sure that's a myth. If anything it's counter-intuitive because your immune system does better with repeated exposure to antigens, not worse.

I've never really heard of it. We feed our dogs the same stuff every day and they don't have a problem with it. Don't really know of anyone who's dog has just spontaneously developed a food allergy unless they're allergic to something new that got added into the food.

[2dogmom]

I haven't seen it myself either, but I keep seeing it on the internet. Just passing it along in case it helps someone.
http://www.homevet.com/petcare/allergy.html
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1664&articleid=143

[Kathy29]

That's actually what my holistic vet told me, too, so because my dog is allergic to chicken and turkey (both of which she'd had for a long time because she was eating the same kibbles without rotation), I was instructed to make sure to switch up her proteins every few days. Just to avoid her body developing new allergies or I'd be looking for exotic meats like kangaroo.

I'm not a biologist or anything science-y, but I trust my vet. She feeds the raw diet to her own dogs and cats (a plus in my books). And if it's really not true, I don't see harm in feeding a variety of meats either way.

[Storee's Mom]

I'm pretty sure that's a myth. If anything it's counter-intuitive because your immune system does better with repeated exposure to antigens, not worse.

I've never really heard of it. We feed our dogs the same stuff every day and they don't have a problem with it. Don't really know of anyone who's dog has just spontaneously developed a food allergy unless they're allergic to something new that got added into the food.

Well... depends on the allergy and the 'dose' of the allergen. Me personally, I'm allergic to an antibiotic, was fine for the first five days of taking it, then broke out in a horrible rash and swelling. Next time I take it I'd have a worse reaction (something about not learning the first time I guess), so I don't even try it.

For dogs, I've seen it many times where a dog is just fed one thing and develop an allergy to it. With raw it's quite common with chicken since it's usually what people feed lots of. It doesn't happen all the time but it does happen.

Lana

[girlbuffalo1]

I moved both of my dogs to raw and then Honey started barfing and breaking out in scabs--vet said probably the beef I was adding--ok next batch no beef only chicken and turkey as meat--same reaction--so I eneded up going back to the lamb and rice (Eagle Pack) that she had been on--and she is fine--she has been on lamb and rice her entire life except for this breif time I tried things out. I wish I could buy me some lamb raw cheap--because I don't know how I feel about fish.

[BostonBanker]

I'm pretty sure that's a myth. If anything it's counter-intuitive because your immune system does better with repeated exposure to antigens, not worse.

But aren't you more likely to become allergic to bees the more you get stung? Would that be the same as feeding one protein forever, and then being more likely to become allergic to it?

Just kind of guessing - I've never had to deal with allergies in either of my dogs; Medley was on basically the same food his whole life, and Meg gets a constant rotation of various raw and high-quality kibble with different protein sources.