Anyone feed their pets a "raw diet"?

coasterqueen wrote: I have never heard of this til this morning. My dcp and I were talking before I left for work and I mentioned that I've been seeing her cat more and more lately. For the first 2 years I never saw it. Now I see it every time I drop them off and those days I pick them up. She said that she thought I would think she's crazy but that she thinks it's because she changed the cat's diet. I was like huh? She mentioned that all 5 of her dogs are on a raw diet, that they don't get any packaged food. This means they get raw meat, literally! She said she decided to do that with her cat and she thinks that's why the cat has become more sociable. The cat is even playing with the dogs! Something she would never do before.

I'm not sure if I think she's crazy or what, lol. But I'm really weirded by this raw diet thing. All the way to work I kept picturing these dogs slapping around raw meat in their mouths, dragging it on the floor and my children encountering it getting some type of ecoli or something. I called Dh and told him what I thought and asked him if we should be concerned and he was like "I dunno".

Would you be? Has anyone heard of this raw diet thing?

CantWait replied: I've heard of it....You can go to specialty pet food stores and buy prepackaged and frozen and ground raw meat. It's suppose to be really healthy for them. Dogs are suppose to have a higher immune system and therefore are able to fight off the effects of ecoli, etc..... It's really pricey though. If you really think about it though, dogs are really wild animals and therefore would normally eat raw meat

mom21kid2dogs replied: I've heard of it but never known anyone with that kind of time and money!! Given I just paid $4.29 a pound for chicken (for us), mine will continue to eat Pedigree and Senior 7.

TANNER'S MOM replied: I have heard of people giving there animals raw meat..

I mean butchers choice.. it is usually cut up pieces though.

I will say that I do not buy cheap dog food.. it makes my dog poop in the floor.. lots of waste... the expensive stuff is worth it... for that reason.

I can't afford meat for my family...lol It's so high.. My dog aint getting any

~Roo'sMama~ replied: Yeah I've heard it's supposed to be better for them too. I would probably feed my dog raw meat if I had that kind of money but I don't. As for your concerns about the kids getting sick from being around them, if your dcp feeds her animals somewhere that the kids can't go, or if they eat it up right away and don't drag it around I wouldn't worry about it. The few times I have given my dog a piece of meat he's practically swallowed it whole - so I wouldn't think that there would be any lying around.

gr33n3y3z replied: I'm sure the dogs and cats raw meat is cut up into smaller pieces so they cant drag it on the floor ( Well I hope they do cut it up) But would I be concerned? Yes until I got all the details on it.
Ask her more about it like you want to learn about it and say do you cut it up small and do the dogs and cat fight over it and run around with it so the other cant get it lol

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: My SIL used to have a Mastiffe (sp?) and all he could handle was raw meat. So she would buy steaks and give it to him whole....but if you know what a mastiffe is, they're like a miniature horse! Anyhow, her explanation is that if a dog were out in the wild, they would eat raw meat. Their intestines can handle breaking it down. I suppose far better than they can break down processed dog food that has all sorts of wierd parts in it. Now I give my dog canned food, but when he was a puppy, we made him a ground beef, vegetable and rice mixture. Added cod oil too. Helped his coat. But both the price and the hassle of making it all the time is why it's out the door. Plus, when you have a kid, dog is not the baby anymore!

As far as the kids getting ecoli, I would be concerned too. Especially whether or not your DCP washes her hands when she feeds the cats and then picks up your girls. I would just be straightforward with her and ask. I would be worried about the litter box too. Ick...can you tell I'm not much of a cat person!

Kaitlin'smom replied: never heard about it but it does make sence, and i to would be getting more info, on how its givin and where, course knowing me I woudl ask do you cut it up so they dont chase each other around fighting for it? or askign do they fight for it, that must be an interesting sight.

I know when I give the cats tuna they have to be separated, each in there own room othere wise the youngest is such a bully

NummyMommy replied: You know something ...I would be concerned if your DCP fed their animals ANYWHERE near your child....even if its packaged...just because I have been bitten by a dog (in the face) because I was near their food while they were eatting (and was young enough not to know better). Now I dont mean to start a debate about how most dogs wont act that way or anything....I'm a dog person still....totally love dogs....but young kids have been hurt by otherwise nice dogs of all types of breeds for territorial reasons. Thats just IMHO...I am not a pro dog trainer or anything....just if it were me I'd ask the DCP to feed her animals separate from the areas the kids are in.

coasterqueen replied:
I agree. I am concerned but my daughter has grown up with these dogs being around her since she was a baby. Our sitter keeps them gated up when the baby is around (unless she's sleeping). I used to be very concerned but I've learned to be calm about it. She's licensed and apparently the state doesn't think it's an issue either.

I think I will ask her more about it. I've only seen the dogs out in the yards with bones, not in the house, YET.

NummyMommy replied:
Well good...sounds like she is a very smart and conciderate CG if she realized they should be kept apart for the most part. Every dog training book I have ever read says dogs shouldnt be alone with young children....but then most people dont think about it. Of course there were 2 adults in the kitchen when the dog bit me and didnt even know it had happened until I started to cry...so I guess you never can be perfectly safe. Since she is already being careful about her dogs, maybe she is being careful with the food as well.... I would just gently ask her if she has thought about the e coli. dangers. It probably has already occured to her, especially if she has kids of her own.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: I would be concerned because dogs,pigs,meat eating animals in general will become aggressive once they taste blood! As far as the ecoli and other stuff I think you are right there too!If this has been your child care provider I would openly air your concerns and request that she doesn't feed the dogs around dd! Hope it works out!

I am with everyone else no meat for animals around here it is expensive enough to make burgers for us!

3xsthefun replied: I've heard about people feeding raw diet before. And heard that is really good for dogs. But I know I could not afford it, I've even heard people have cooked for their pets.

I would ask her where she feeds, I'm sure it would be away from the kids. But I would still ask. I would hope that she cuts up the meat too.

Just because a dog is eating a raw diet is not going make them aggressive. Yes, some dogs could, but then again if a person gives their dog a bone or something they sometimes will fight with another dog over that. I would really hope that she would feed the dogs seperate from kids and her other dog. Because some dogs are food aggressive(not all) just some dogs.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: Hey Karen~ I found this info on the net. I am sure there are just as many arguements FOR feeding raw diets but since you were concerned about the bacteria side of things thought you might want to read this! Raw Diet Caution

luvbug00 replied: Enter my vet tech training. It's not smart at all to do this there is a high risk of bacteria and bone choking and so many other things. Unless it's been done for generations of a litter then DO NOT do it. Most dogs system are used to a cirten type of food and their systems can NOT handle raw food.

NummyMommy replied:
Wow...that was a really intense debate they had going....very thorough and thought provoking....thanks so much for that link! I didnt think of this before I read that but isnt it just as dangerous if those dogs get infected themselves and pass it around (by sloppy kisses) as it is for the germs to be, say, on the kitchen floor? Just a thought. Maybe youre just paying her too much since she has money enough for raw meat for several pets!