On 9/8/2010 2:18 PM, sighthounds & siberians wrote:
On Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:59:09 -0400,
wrote:


Dry pet foods are also bad because they are dry which is not a natural
way for them to eat. Add to that the fact that kibble is primarily made
from grains which are not natural for dogs to eat. Even the grain free
kibbles just substitute other carbohydrates like sweet potato, many of
which can cause problems like itchy skin, kidney problems and worse.

I disagree with your mantra that all carbohydrates cause problems for
dogs - one of my dogs' favorite treats is dehydrated yams, which I
think are better for them than most commercial dog treats. I also
think that grain-free kibbles may be even worse for dogs than kibbles
with carbs; the protein contents are unnaturally high.

Let me try once again to explain this to you. A dog cannot digest carbs,
gets no nutritional value from them and they cause problems for dogs.
That's all fact so please stop comparing facts to your opinions.


You can avoid all of this by switching to a more species appropriate
diet of real meat, bones and organ meats. You don't have to use flavor
enhancers to get them to eat it, they love it! Cats can be a little
stubborn to switch over but it's totally possible. Dogs usually take to
it right away with little problems.

My cat has flat-out refused to switch. She gets as much canned food
as she wants, so I'm not going to push it.

Cats have to go slower in switching. First the move from kibble to
canned. Then switch to carb free canned, then switch to raw. Some cats
take a week, some take many months. There is an excellent group for
support for moving cats to more appropriate diets at
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/WholeCatHealth/

Rosemary is a genius when it comes to cats.


Three of my dogs have made
the switch and they are definitely loving it. I found chicken backs
for $.49/lb and so am getting ready to switch two more dogs over to
all raw.

What else are you feeding? Chicken backs are high in bone and lack zinc
and iron dogs need. I buy chicken by the case. Got a 40 lb case of
chicken necks for $14 and leg quarters for $15.

I've not had any problems switching the dogs in terms of
reluctance or refusal to accept it, but a friend is trying to switch
her dogs over and one is enthusiastically eating raw and the other is
refusing it.

She needs to try a different meat source or try a little garlic. Last
resort is to sear the meat just a little. Green tripe is an easy food
for switching over. Few dogs can resist it.


One thing that's interesting is that the raw-fed dogs don't head for
the water bowl immediately after eating the way the kibble-fed dogs
do. For dogs prone to bloat, this is a consideration.



That's because eating food with plenty of water already in it is natural
while dry kibble is not.