Our Tri male has wheat allergies so he is on Allergen Lamb & rice diet by Wysong. He's been on it for several years and does fine but…

My wife was watching Opra and they had a dog expert on (Not Caesar) and she said the best food for a dog goes in this order- Best to Worst

Raw Meat- Lamb or venison, chicken not as good
boiled cooked human/food meat
Canned meat Dog food
dry dog food being last due to it's high grain content.

I remember our breeder telling us about the new trend in raw meat, but dismissed it as disgusting.

Has any one really taken the plunge and how & what do you do?

I remember with the atkins diet reading about how wild predators don't really eat the muscle as much as the animal it kills, organ meat. I saw when Alaskan bear kill & eat salmon they just eat the salmon's skin & fat and leave the meat to fatten up for hibernation.

I guess my point is how does a dog get everything it needs from a raw meat diet?

@Barklessdog:

Our Tri male has wheat allergies so he is on Allergen Lamb & rice diet by Wysong. He's been on it for several years and does fine but…

My wife was watching Opra and they had a dog expert on (Not Caesar) and she said the best food for a dog goes in this order- Best to Worst

Raw Meat- Lamb or venison, chicken not as good
boiled cooked human/food meat
Canned meat Dog food
dry dog food being last due to it's high grain content.

I remember our breeder telling us about the new trend in raw meat, but dismissed it as disgusting.

Has any one really taken the plunge and how & what do you do?

I remember with the atkins diet reading about how wild predators don't really eat the muscle as much as the animal it kills, organ meat. I saw when Alaskan bear kill & eat salmon they just eat the salmon's skin & fat and leave the meat to fatten up for hibernation.

I guess my point is how does a dog get everything it needs from a raw meat diet?

There are many different thinkings as far as the raw diet… and there is a Yahoo group for users of the raw diet... I would think if you are interested you might consider joining that group... and mine are on a semi raw... I use kibble, however with as little grain as possible. Right now they are all on Duck and potatoe.. they get veggies steamed and raw and raw meat.. chicken backs, necks, wings, lamb ribblets, etc...

And there are raw frozen diets available too, that the food is raw, but frozen into patties that you thaw and feed... lots of info on the web too...

Wow that's a lot of work vs opening a bag and dumping it in a bowl.

He's really sensitive to any diet changes (Found out the hard way) so I guess maybe we can try a little raw meat with his dry food that is 50% lamb.

Is there any meat that is better for delicate stomach basenji's/

I know when ever he got sick, our vet had us feed him white rice & boiled chicken, but said that was not enough nutrients for him?

I prefer to ask her first to find out if anyone has had basenji meat experience.

Thanks again!

<_>

Uh…nope...wild carnivores absolutely eat the muscle...they may eat organ meat first, or last, but the majority of calories for carnivores come from the flesh. I can tell you that in my experience Cheetahs will eat rabbit brains before the flesh, and they leave the stomach and intestines...but when my dogs have killed rabbits they only eat the flesh, and leave the heads, and the guts..but usually they haven't been able (or wanted) to finish a whole rabbit carcass._

@Barklessdog:

Wow that's a lot of work vs opening a bag and dumping it in a bowl.

He's really sensitive to any diet changes (Found out the hard way) so I guess maybe we can try a little raw meat with his dry food that is 50% lamb.

Is there any meat that is better for delicate stomach basenji's/

I know when ever he got sick, our vet had us feed him white rice & boiled chicken, but said that was not enough nutrients for him?

I prefer to ask her first to find out if anyone has had basenji meat experience.

Thanks again!

That's why I don't do raw…too much work I don't put that much effort into feeding myself (and it shows!) I can't imagine doing it for the dogs...bad mommy....

If this 'expert' included all dry dog food she's not that well informed-there are various forms out there that do NOT have grains in them-I know, I have to use them. There is also a new one out:
Nature's Variety Instinct - Grain-Free Nutrition for Dogs. I would like to try it, but will have to change the food slowly.

That's Opra for you. Ceasar is not the God of dog training either.

My wife said she meant most off the shelf Purina type dry dog foods

Also, I have been told by many.. that Lamb is not the best for dogs and many dogs do not do well on it…. even the grain free kibble is not straight Lamb...

@Barklessdog:

That's Opra for you. Ceasar is not the God of dog training either.

My wife said she meant most off the shelf Purina type dry dog foods

I didn't see this recent Oprah…but I saw one where she had trainer Tamar Gellar on...I thought it was pretty great. I was happy to see that Oprah dumped CM for a positive trainer.

Lots of people have really strongly held views about dog food. And we have shared our views here before. I pretty much feel like most dogs will do quite well on a decent food that has a high meat to grain ratio and as little artificial preservatives as can be managed.

I guess, IMO, there are far bigger issues in the dog world to argue about than what we feed

Anyone really thinking about raw, check out the frozen raw diets that many places carry. Even Wholefoods out here in Calif carries it their stores.. there are a number and are pretty well balanced…. and there are a number of sites on line that you can check out too.... however, be warned, they are not cheap

I am a firm believer in the raw diet. My 5 have been on it since they were old enough to eat solid food and their parents before them. So do your research and go for it.

Everything I have heard about the BARF (bones and raw food) diet is good, I am just too lazy- and my dogs are pretty healthy on their dry kibble (Innova Evo mixed with a bit of regular Innova), but if they weren't healthy, or didn't love their kibble, I would try it. As Andrea said, I don't spend that much time feeding myself, heck, if they had good quality human kibble, I would probably eat it!

Anne in Tampa

@MacPack:

. As Andrea said, I don't spend that much time feeding myself, heck, if they had good quality human kibble, I would probably eat it!

Anne in Tampa

supplimented with the appropriate amount of chocolate of course.

My dogs are feed Canidae, Evo and homemade muttloaf. Sometimes I'll do a soft poached or scrambled egg (on trial days) or chicken. (In fact, you can see 1/2 of my puppy on the Canidae testimonials page.) I think everyone has to do what they feel is best for thier own dog. All dogs don't do best on xyz diet.

@agilebasenji:

My dogs are feed Canidae, Evo and homemade muttloaf. Sometimes I'll do a soft poached or scrambled egg (on trial days) or chicken. (In fact, you can see 1/2 of my puppy on the Canidae testimonials page.) I think everyone has to do what they feel is best for thier own dog. All dogs don't do best on xyz diet.

Sorry to hijack your picture but this is just adorable

Bwa ha ha ha – Now that would be EL D

Thanks. I love the pic, I just wish we hadn't been in the middle of re-plastering/uncarpetting/re-doing that room at the time. I think there was one or two little pieces of kibble in that bag at the time. Canidae - good to the last crumb!

I used Canidae for years and loved it… I am not so thrill with the senior version however... so now I am using Natural Balance Potato and Duck with some EVO canned duck with some homemade stuff like veggies, potato, chicken, etc thrown in... I do will do eggs (scrambled or poached)... and I agree, not one size fits all...

I haven't tried the senior version of Canidae. I probably won't either. My boyz look great and act younger than they really are. My brindlewonderkid just turned 11 this year and had a great year in competitive agility. Of course, I also suppliment with salmon oil (everyone) and joint supps (the 11y and 10y boys and myself). I did ask the holistic vet about the high protein content of the Evo and we're both comfortable feeding it. If something changes, I'll re-evaluate.

I too am now trying a raw food diet for both my dogs (one Basenji, one Pharaoh Hound/Collie). The lesson that I've learned over the last few weeks is to make dietary changes SLOWLY. I gave Ziggy an entirely new type of food all at once, and his poor system couldn't handle it. He's had terrible digestive problems. I'm now verrrrry slowly working the raw in with the food that he's accustomed to, and he seems much better.

Lori

The Z-Pack: Zen, Zoe, and Ziggy

@agilebasenji:

I haven't tried the senior version of Canidae. I probably won't either. My boyz look great and act younger than they really are. My brindlewonderkid just turned 11 this year and had a great year in competitive agility. Of course, I also suppliment with salmon oil (everyone) and joint supps (the 11y and 10y boys and myself). I did ask the holistic vet about the high protein content of the Evo and we're both comfortable feeding it. If something changes, I'll re-evaluate.

It is interesting to hear the different opinions about protein count for older dogs… as most vets will tell you "low" protein for the kidneys... but then the new way of thinking doesn't support that... so I go with what seems to work best for my old kids... and I have one in renal failure (she is 16 1/2) and has been now for 1 1/2 yrs... she is very hard to find something she will eat... but has done well now for a couple of months with the potato and duck... with the canned EVO.. and other goodies added....