# Raw Feeding vs dried dog food



## simonehadland2009 (Oct 27, 2012)

i am seriously considering moving ym dogs over to the raw diet i have a 9wk old puppy and a 4yr old lab x collie i am just wondering if anyone could tell me the benefits of feeding raw and do they still need dog biscuits or is that all they will eat ?


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2012)

Okay so here goes

RAW
Benefits
- Teeth cleaned in diet
- Tiny firm poops
- More natural
- Can be cheaper to feed
- Tastier 
- Soft shiny coat
- Anal glands naturally expressed
- Digest easier

Cons
- Storage can be an issue
- Some may find it gruesome to prepare
- Dogs drag raw meat out the bowl (well most do)
- CAN be a health risk for humans (unlikely though)
- Needs lots of research to be done correctly

Dry
Benefits
- Good price
- Easy to store
- Convinenent
- MAY help clean teeth
- Good brands give shiny coats, firm poos

Cons
- Not natural
- Boring
- Difficult to digest
- Get what you pay for 
- Some dogs hate dry 

No on raw dogs still don`t need biscuits. Raw is balanced over time in the approx ratio of 80% meat 10% bone and 10% organ of which 5% is liver
I gave you some good links on your other thread.
Some add veggies but these need to be pulped for dogs to digest some add supplements like salmon oil if not enough fish in diet, ACV for health benefits etc. Some firmly believe in just meat bones and organ and don`t add anything.

Don`t just jump into it though do lots of research an underresearched raw diet is the worst diet you can feed.


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## Terr (Mar 2, 2010)

Have a quick skim of the raw feeding guide sticky. It's very informative. Aside from that my personal experience is that my dog's weight is much more stable when I feed him raw. He has less flaky skin and itches much less. His teeth are sparkly white and his breath is always fresh. His bowel movements are less frequent and there is much less of it (gross but true.) It CAN be much cheaper than feeding commercial food but that depends on where you source the food from.

I can't comment on shiny coats because his coat is shiny whatever I seem to feed him but many other raw feeders cite this as another benefit.

Have you tried to feed a little raw before? Might want to just give them a couple of chicken wings a few times a week and see if they like it.

I guess the disadvantage is that for it to be cheap it can be quite a hands on process. I don't buy 'complete' food (the kind that has bone, meat, liver and vegetables in it) because it tends to be a little more expensive so everything is mixed at home for him. Others do buy complete though and it's much the same as doing it yourself, just a little more expensive.


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## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

I feed Dillon dried, he has raw veggies as well, he's skin is OK he has a lovely soft shinny coat his teeth are white his breath is always fresh, his bowel movement is fine, easy to pick up.


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2012)

Happy Paws said:


> I feed Dillon dried, he has raw veggies as well, he's skin is OK he has a lovely soft shinny coat his teeth are white his breath is always fresh, his bowel movement is fine, easy to pick up.


He is on Arden Grange if I`m not mistaken? I see the size of the bags have changed, did the recipe stay the same?


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## Terr (Mar 2, 2010)

Happy Paws said:


> I feed Dillon dried, he has raw veggies as well, he's skin is OK he has a lovely soft shinny coat his teeth are white his breath is always fresh, his bowel movement is fine, easy to pick up.


My dog loves Arden Grange, I give it to him as a treat! A really good quality dry food IMO and glad to see that [email protected] have begun to stock it.


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## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

New Puppy Mum said:


> He is on Arden Grange if I`m not mistaken? I see the size of the bags have changed, did the recipe stay the same?


Yes and it's gone up in price, but to be honest I haven't got round to check the recipe yet, I'll have to check it later.


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## bluegirl (May 7, 2012)

They don't need biscuits if fed raw. Benefits are as others have stated. 
My eldest was 8 wks old when I started her on raw and all the others have been weaned straight onto it and have never known any other way. I'm very happy with the results so far, eldest is now 10yrs old and still bouncing around like a young'un.


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## BessieDog (May 16, 2012)

I love feeding Bess raw. Her poos tell me the story. A lot or raw can go in, but very little come out as its all used. When she was on dry she ate less than would keep a hen alive and the poos were enormous. I needed a dumper truck to clear the garden (slight exageration) but to me that meant most of the little she ate was simply going straight through.


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## Muze (Nov 30, 2011)

I started feeding raw to my older dog back in 2007 and have never looked back. Our old family dog really did seem to get a new lease of life from it after years of switching between this brand and that and treating her chronic skin issues (it's not a magic cure by any means but really helped her  ).

I enjoy feeding raw and Diz enjoys receiving it, I find learning about nutrition fascination and am always looking out for ways to improve things.

Diz still has grain free biscuits (Applaws or Orijen) in her treat ball or as training treats and they don't do any harm but aren't a necessary part of her diet IMO.

And certainly agree about the poos, smaller, less smelly, easier to pick up. I can always tell if Diz has had a biscuit meal, no. 2's are very different (be prepared if you choose to raw feed that others may think your interest in your dogs' stool is a little unhealthy!!)

HTH, just sharing my experience


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2012)

BessieDog said:


> I love feeding Bess raw. Her poos tell me the story. A lot or raw can go in, but very little come out as its all used. When she was on dry she ate less than would keep a hen alive and the poos were enormous. I needed a dumper truck to clear the garden (slight exageration) but to me that meant most of the little she ate was simply going straight through.


Can I ask, what dry was Bess on prior to raw? If you don`t want to say thats fine just ignore me lol


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## simonehadland2009 (Oct 27, 2012)

Muze said:


> I started feeding raw to my older dog back in 2007 and have never looked back. Our old family dog really did seem to get a new lease of life from it after years of switching between this brand and that and treating her chronic skin issues (it's not a magic cure by any means but really helped her  ).
> 
> I enjoy feeding raw and Diz enjoys receiving it, I find learning about nutrition fascination and am always looking out for ways to improve things.
> 
> ...


hi thanks for that i think i am definatly going to start feeding raw out of interest whats the best meat to start off with


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## SLB (Apr 25, 2011)

simonehadland2009 said:


> hi thanks for that i think i am definatly going to start feeding raw out of interest whats the best meat to start off with


Ask Sixstar for her 4 week meal plan for beginners  I borrowed it with permission for a guide I was writing and have given it to other newbies when they asked how to start, the guide and the meal plan, but thats on other forums and I have never pretended it was mine. But since she's on here she'll surely give if you ask


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## simonehadland2009 (Oct 27, 2012)

SLB said:


> Ask Sixstar for her 4 week meal plan for beginners  I borrowed it with permission for a guide I was writing and have given it to other newbies when they asked how to start, the guide and the meal plan, but thats on other forums and I have never pretended it was mine. But since she's on here she'll surely give if you ask


ok then great i will most definatly do that i just want to see mainly how much it would cost but then again if it's better for my dogs then i don't really care might just have to buy a new freezer though just for dog food lol


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## SLB (Apr 25, 2011)

simonehadland2009 said:


> ok then great i will most definatly do that i just want to see mainly how much it would cost but then again if it's better for my dogs then i don't really care might just have to buy a new freezer though just for dog food lol


Costs me about £40 a month for 2 Lab x Springers at 27 and 19kg and I have an undercounter 4 drawer freezer and a small chest freezer.

It depends on yours sources and space. I don't get many freebies so it's more expensive, Sixstar managed to feed 6 dogs ranging from a westie to three 40+kg dogs for £30 a month. But then she's a jammy dodger and gets loads of freebies.

It would probably cost me that much a month if I had more space also but I've been banned from freezer searching


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## simonehadland2009 (Oct 27, 2012)

SLB said:


> Costs me about £40 a month for 2 Lab x Springers at 27 and 19kg and I have an undercounter 4 drawer freezer and a small chest freezer.
> 
> It depends on yours sources and space. I don't get many freebies so it's more expensive, Sixstar managed to feed 6 dogs ranging from a westie to three 40+kg dogs for £30 a month. But then she's a jammy dodger and gets loads of freebies.
> 
> It would probably cost me that much a month if I had more space also but I've been banned from freezer searching


lol yup think i am going to have to go in search for a new freezer this week just for the dogs luckily my little lab x collie doesn't eat very much well i say not much she prefers human food lol and my puppy well he only has a little mouth pmsl, do you feed bones aswell to yours or just meat


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## Coffee (Jul 31, 2011)

Have a good read of the sticky at the top of this page "Raw feeding, everything you need to know"... it will answer all your questions and explain everything for you.

This is also an excellent read:

Dedicated to proper carnivore nutrition - Prey Model Raw Feeding for Dogs & Cats


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