Anyway, I’m glad raw feeding has worked for so many and maybe somewhere down the line I’ll tinker with Frankie’s diet again, but for now, I’m satisfied with the kibble/cooked meat & veggie mix I’ve devised. It’s not like I haven’t been putting in the time. At one point I was slow cooking tepary beans from the Tohono O’odham reservation because of their high fiber and protein content, proven to reverse diabetes in humans (then I discovered canine diabetes is type 1 and therefore not reversible). I also appreciate that the commenters here are respectful of others’ decisions. I gotta say that I’ve got a high-quality group of visitors to this blog!

Rod, when Frankie was first diagnosed I took him to a holistic vet who gave us a sample of dehydrated raw food. Not only did it take longer than usual to feed Frankie — he was tapping his little paws waiting for it to reconstitute — but when the food finally reached the floor (in his bowl, of course), he refused to eat it. As one vet said, Frankie is a funny dog (and she didn’t mean that in a ha, ha way). You never know what he will or won’t like. But I really liked your post over at DoggieBytes and suggest everyone else go read it too!

Karen (aka Bloggie Stylish), I would move to Canada in a minute for the health care — as well as the better food control — if it wasn’t so friggin cold there. I had enough winters in the northeast to last a lifetime.

Cyndicat, Thank you, thank you for explaining why Ian Billinghurst didn’t have a problem with the BARF acronym!! I love the term “technicolour yawn” and will go on a personal campaign to try to make it catch on here.

In any case, I feed my dogs raw (and unless you are speaking about Dr. Billinghurst’s particular model of raw feeding, it’s raw feeding and not “BARF” anymore). I feed them raw because for us, it’s a good option in terms of bioavailability of nutrients, ease of delivery, etc. I have large dogs, one who used to have chronic UTIs and the other who has been in renal failure since he was a puppy (we adopted him when he was about 1 year old, unaware of his issue). The one major benefit of feeding my dogs raw is the moisture content of the food. Raw food has a higher water content and for a dog with bad kidneys and another dog with questionable urinary tract, water is great. I do not feed prey model, however. Because my renal dog requires a low phosphorus diet, he gets moderate protein from easily digestible sources (such as egg) and because he cannot have bone or tons of high phosphorus foods (like organ meat), he gets vegetables (cooked and/or blended) and a carb such as sweet potato. I add yogurt, probiotics, and other renal supportive supplements as well as a phosphorus binder which also provides extra calcium.

Anyway, for my situation, raw feeding was good. However, you have to be comfortable feeding your pet and if you’re not comfortable feeding a raw diet, you shouldn’t do it. There are great alternatives available, such as home cooking and high quality commercial diets.

As for feeding Frankie, there is no right or wrong way. Since Frankie is immunocompromised, feeding raw probably isn’t the best choice. There are a lot of good kibbles out there and raw isn’t the only way. I feed Jersey Sojos raw veggie mix and I cook her meat. I do feed her raw beef bones from time to time and she loves it. I’m just not sold on feeding her raw meat all the time, call me a Nervous Nellie, but I don’t want Jersey getting since from Salomnella.

And you should move to Canada so you can get good, wholesome beef. Bovine growth hormone is BANNED here and I’m happy for that. The US is the largest user of BGH no surprise since Monsanto headquarters in the the US.

We switched to BARF because she had ear and skin problems, both of which have disappeared since (well, the ears took a bit more attention, but both clear now). She loves the bones and I don’t worry about salmonella etc as the bones are frozen and thawed when needed and the big ones tossed out when she’s done chawing. Her teeth are fantastic.

On the BARF acronym: the Vet who established the regime is Australian and down under we tend to refer to ‘barfing’ as ‘chucking’, ‘chundering’ or having a ‘technicolour yawn’!

Tom Lindsale, a vet in Australia has a book called Raw Meaty Bones. It is a great read – http://www.rawmeatybones.com. Jim recommended it to me.

Even humans with compromised immune systems can feed Raw – just like those with compromised systems can have cats. They just have to be very sensible about handling, cleaning up afterwards and where you feed. Mine have their own towels they eat on and those towels get sterilized in the wash! I do understand the concern though. I’m constantly wiping up the counters, door handles and every place I think I might have touched. Of course I try to remember that I don’t do that in all the public places I go and I don’t even want to think about that! LOL

Rebecca – thanks for all you do for the dogs! There is a lady I talk to on a GSD forum that just rescued a GSD mom and her 8 puppies! they were at a high kill animal shelter. The mom was so happy looking knowing she and her pups were going to be safe.

Have a great new year everyone!

It’s hard to underestimate the complexity of this issue — but it’s heartening to know that everyone who has commented is working in good faith to do right by their dogs.

You’re right about kibble, and the Merrick recall really threw me for a loop. That’s one of the “good” brands. The feed/pet store that I frequent sells Stella & Chewys. I may check it out. Who knows; I could end up being a convert yet. Sending greetings to and saying flattering things about my dog is always a way to win me over…

P.S. Just checked and realized I’ve been giving Frankie Stella & Chewys Carnivore Kisses as treats for a long time now. Very pricey, but I got the last two jars at a 2-for-1 sale at my local store so felt like I was getting a huge bargain (at ony $5.50 a jar).