Raw feeding
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In July of 2001 my first Greyhound, Paulette, was diagnosed with bone
cancer (Osteosarcoma) and had her right rear leg amputated. We went
through 6 rounds of chemotherapy after the amputation, and I think I had
an open bag of every kibble on the market in my pantry trying to find
something that she would eat and she would have none of it. Six months
to the day after her amputation (January 26, 2002), I had an appointment
with Dr. Scott Sanderson, DVM in Columbia, MD and that appointment
changed the lives of every dog in my household.
On the way home from that appointment (recipe in hand) I stopped at the
grocery store to get the makings of Paulette's first raw meal. I fully
intended to feed her raw food and feed everyone else kibble - that lasted a
grand total of ONE meal. The looks I got from the rest of the dogs made
me realize that I had to switch all of them, and we've never looked back.
Did the diet change help Paulette live longer? That I don't know, but what I
do know is that she enjoyed her meals right up to the last day and that
indicates to me that she had an improved quality of life.
I joined an e-mail list called Naturally Grey which is on Yahoo Groups and
that was a big help. I learned things that you don't seem to read in the
books; such as the fact that raw fed dogs don't drink as much water.
Logical, but I wouldn't have thought of it on my own.
I ordered some books to read on the topic and really liked Kymythy
Schultz's The Ultimate Diet and tried to use her methods as a guide to
get me going. Later I discovered Susan Johnson's Switching to Raw
which is a great beginner book. I like it so much, that a copy goes out with
each Whippet puppy I breed when they go to their new homes.
cancer (Osteosarcoma) and had her right rear leg amputated. We went
through 6 rounds of chemotherapy after the amputation, and I think I had
an open bag of every kibble on the market in my pantry trying to find
something that she would eat and she would have none of it. Six months
to the day after her amputation (January 26, 2002), I had an appointment
with Dr. Scott Sanderson, DVM in Columbia, MD and that appointment
changed the lives of every dog in my household.
On the way home from that appointment (recipe in hand) I stopped at the
grocery store to get the makings of Paulette's first raw meal. I fully
intended to feed her raw food and feed everyone else kibble - that lasted a
grand total of ONE meal. The looks I got from the rest of the dogs made
me realize that I had to switch all of them, and we've never looked back.
Did the diet change help Paulette live longer? That I don't know, but what I
do know is that she enjoyed her meals right up to the last day and that
indicates to me that she had an improved quality of life.
I joined an e-mail list called Naturally Grey which is on Yahoo Groups and
that was a big help. I learned things that you don't seem to read in the
books; such as the fact that raw fed dogs don't drink as much water.
Logical, but I wouldn't have thought of it on my own.
I ordered some books to read on the topic and really liked Kymythy
Schultz's The Ultimate Diet and tried to use her methods as a guide to
get me going. Later I discovered Susan Johnson's Switching to Raw
which is a great beginner book. I like it so much, that a copy goes out with
each Whippet puppy I breed when they go to their new homes.
Paulette
Puppies get their first exposure to raw food
between 3 & 4 weeks of age, before they
even have their teeth. Click on the picture of
Ripley at the left to see a short video of Ripley
& Birdie with their first chicken wings.
between 3 & 4 weeks of age, before they
even have their teeth. Click on the picture of
Ripley at the left to see a short video of Ripley
& Birdie with their first chicken wings.