Going Raw For Your ‘Little Wolf’

Really, I knew it would happen…it was just a matter of when.  When would I take that leap and ‘go raw’ on feeding my dogs? Right around the time I started my Advanced Canine Nutrition Course, I began reading a book written by Lew Olson, PhD titled ‘Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs'.  It was really a hard book to put down.  I’ve high-lighted, doggie-eared (no pun intended), and post-it marked so many of the pages.  Then as my canine nutrition lessons progressed, I began realizing how important feeding this way is to the health of the dog.

I already home-cooked for my dogs, adding about 25% kibble (dry dog food) to their meals.  The more I read and learn about this dry dog food, the less of it I want to feed to my dogs.  You see, in nature, wild dogs and wolves hunt their prey and eat it…which consists of protein found in the meat, fats, organs, bones and any ‘vegetation’ present in the stomach and intestines at the time of the kill.  So, it only seems reasonable that even though our dogs are domesticated, that this would be a proper diet for them as well.

So, where does one start? I began looking on the Internet and found some suppliers, but they were so far away, and the shipping costs made it rather pricey.  Then you have to know something about the reputation and quality of the product being offered.  You certainly don’t want in your zeal to purchase meat that isn’t quality, as that could have detrimental consequences.  You want to feed raw to help your dog be healthy, not to make him/her sick.  Recently, I was very blessed to hear about a raw food supplier in my area from a friend of mine. 

When you consider, which you probably didn’t know, in the wild dogs and wolves obtain about 14% of their diet from carbohydrates.  Since dog food manufacturers don’t put the carbohydrate content on the bag, unless you know how to derive at that number, you don’t have a clue as to what percentage this food your dog(s) eats provides.  Here’s how to figure it out: 100 minus % protein, minus % fat, minus % ash, minus % moisture = % carbs (ash may not be on there, and fiber is not calculated/considered in the final number).  Example: 100 – 27% protein – 18% fat – 12% moisture = 43% carbs.  I found the high end food I was feeding contained about 50-55% carbs! Yeah, I was a little taken aback.  It was then I started feeding less of the kibble and more meat, realizing this was what my dogs truly needed.  Dogs do not require lots of carbs in their diet; in fact it can cause health problems.  When over-fed carbs too long it can stimulate an internal environment susceptible to disease.

The company in my area is My Pet Carnivore (www.mypetcarnivore.com).  Their website is very informative.  It has a very good article about ‘The Hidden Dangers of Denatured Meat’.  I have read before about 3-D and 4-D meats…which is mentioned in this reading.  These are animals that are diseased, dying, down (non-ambulatory) or dead.  The 4^th ‘D’ is animals already dead upon arrival to whatever processor they are sent to.  Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?  The article goes on to define denaturing.  ‘Beef leaving a USDA plant not intended for human consumption must be denatured.  The denaturing agents can vary a great deal from simple charcoal additives to a cocktail of different chemicals and dyes.’  See, charcoal can still be classified as ‘all natural’.  (Gotta watch out for that!)  The fact that it’s even there, as stated in this article should cause alarm.  My Pet Carnivore (MPC) does not use meats that have undergone this process.

MPC has a wide variety of meats, mainly packaged (frozen) in 1-2 lb. plastic containers.  Beaver, beef, chicken, duck, goat, lamb, muskrat, mutton, ostrich, emu, pork, rabbit, turkey, tripe and a variety of raw treats.  In case you are not familiar with tripe, this is a very beneficial addition to your dog’s diet.  It is the stomach of ruminating animals.  I’ve seen tripe in stores (the local Walmart sells it), however, this type has been bleached and processed to a point where it is of little value…do not feed this kind of tripe to your dog!  The type MPC carries is green tripe (not because it is green in color, but rather referring to its truly ‘natural’ state).  These raw meats, which can be purchased in chunks, coarse ground, or fine ground contain bone and organs as well.  MPC delivers locally (I’m close enough I can pick up from the warehouse in Indianapolis).  They also ship throughout the continental U.S.  Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Chicagoland, Chicago suburbs, Wisconsin, Michigan and Michiana, Kentuckiana and Ohio are all on their list via their delivery truck.  You can also sign up for their newsletter.

I know there are many dog owners out there who feed just kibble to their canine companions.  Any addition of home-cooked or raw supplementation will greatly benefit your furry friend, and provide a more suitable diet.  This is how they are designed to eat.  My dogs have now made that transition, and they are bonkers over it!  It is actually less expensive for me to feed my dogs this way than purchasing and cooking meats from the store as I had been doing for so long.  I want to do everything I can to safe-guard my dog’s health and well-being.  This is a first step in that direction.  Granted, there are no 100% guarantees, but knowing I am feeding them properly is one more way I can give them an advantage against disease.  I will definitely be blogging more about the raw meat canine diet, and adding raw recipes as well.  I hope you will check out MPC’s website and give it a try.  I believe you will see positive results, and have happier, healthier dogs…the way nature intended.