The Real Dangers of Raw Pet Food

Sure I hear concerns all the time about salmonella, bones, unbalanced meals and any other number of concerns about raw feeding but I'm here to tell you that those are not the real risks. Oh no, the real challenges occur during the most innocent seeming of tasks; preparing vegetables.

Allow me to paint you a picture:

Three dogs, 35, 75 and 90lbs respectively and 3 cats are all patiently, well impatiently for the cats, waiting for dinner to be prepared and served. I have weighed out the meaty portion of the dogs diet and added the appropriate supplements for each pup, I now simply have to add the vegetables. I had thawed them earlier, a lovely mix of lettuce, zucchini, broccoli, kale, bananas etc all pureed to a fine pulp, 6 cups in all, ready to dish out. As I reach with the spoon to begin adding to the first doggy dish, Bonze (all 12 impatient feline pounds) jumps up to the serving area startling me and causing the spoon to push the veggie container off the edge of the counter.

Begin slow motion video capture now:

The container falls, open end up, hits the tile floor wherein 6 cups of pureed vegetables and fruit go flying into the air all over the room. The floor is coated, the wall is smeared, even the ceiling is now spackled with veggies. The cats have vegetables in their fur only the dogs were spared due to their patient waiting outside the room. Myself, I am coated, having been the closest victim aside from Bonze. There is puree in my hair, all down my side, all over my face and across my glasses and somehow even in my eyes. I tell you, veggies bits in your eyes are painful, especially three hours later when they still aren't gone! At this point the cats have fled and the dogs break and come flying into the room to check out the commotion, now veggies are being tracked everywhere! It was quite the debacle.

Sigh.

So there you have it, the true, previously hushed dangers of raw feeding.

NB - while this episode seems truly frightening and horrifying the animals are now recovered and both paws and fur are veggie free once more. we now take extra precautions to prevent future recurrences of such horrors.

Ode to Tripe

Hello cow tripe my old friend,

I've trouble sourcing you again,

Because the government tells me

You are related to BSE

And the truth is that you are not a brain

Or spinal cord, but a ruminant's stomach.

O stinky dog delicacy

Enzymes and probiotics naturally

I've so many hungry dogs to feed,

Some who will not eat anything

And you are such a perfect food for them

From a cow, or sheep or buffalo

Pawsitively Healthy would like to thank Simon and Garfunkel for accompanying us in our search for a regular supply of fresh green tripe.

Bad To The Bone

My dogs might be bad to the bone but they're usually quite good for bones. At least until someone steals a second bone and then someone else is left without and then, well, you get the idea. Bones are a great way to keep your dogs entertained, out of trouble and burn off extra energy that they might have. That being said there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Do NOT, under any circumstances, feed your dog cooked bones. They have a much higher rate of splintering and causing severe problems.

2. Chicken necks are great for smaller dogs and cats but larger dogs may swallow them whole. Not necessarily a bad thing but it also renders the whole chewing goal useless.

3. If this is your first time giving your dog a bone, take it slow as there are two potential problems. Firstly, bone guarding, if your dog REALLY likes it he may become very possessive towards people over the bone. If this is the case he needs some work on his behavior before he can safely have bones. Problem number two is just a matter of tummy training, marrow is very rich and can cause diarrhea if your dog is not used to it. The first few times you give your dog a bone make it 15-20mins tops and then you can add 5mins at a time until your dog's digestive tract can safely handle the bone without you having to worry about the back end. Some dogs are simply not able to tolerate bones in their diet, if you are unsure due to a pre-existing health condition in your dog, contact your vet to be sure.

4. A word on bone chewing locations - my favorite places are outside or in a crate with a washable blanket or bed. You can also train your dog to always chew on a specific bed or blanket or if you have a bare floor that you are comfortable washing after bone chewing that can work as well. The floor here in the store is concrete, we chew a lot of bones at work.