Cats N Dogs

[kopend]

can pet cats and dogs eat raw meat without getting ill ?

[pastafreak]

Yes...a raw diet-if done correctly-is viewed by some as the most natural method of feeding our pets. RATTER,an AB member,feeds his wolfhounds a raw diet if I'm not mistaken.

[maggiebee]

This is quoted from a Vet. However, there may be other views.

"Dogs and cats have consumed living, raw meats for thousands of years.

To this day barn cats catch and kill mice, and no one calls poison control. Farmers also don't call poison control when their dog finds a litter of baby bunnies and pops them in their mouth like little Tootsie Rolls. In these cases, no one thinks to induce vomiting or say, 'Oh my gosh! My pet just ate raw meat!'

The truth is both cats and dogs are designed specifically to consume raw meat. Their bodies are adapted to process raw, living foods."

[ladybirder]

I feed my dog a raw diet and it's the best thing I've done for him, except for adopting him in the first place. No trumping, tiny poos, healthy teeth, healthy dog, he absolutely loves it. I feed him either Nutriment or Natural Instinct which comes frozen in 500g packs and you feed them between 2-3% of their bodyweight per day. Oh and these two dog foods both get 5* ratings. Been doing it for 6 months now and very pleased with the result.

[rsvp]

My beastie (dog) gets a raw chicken carcass about five times a week plus oxheart and other goodies - all 'fit for human consumption' though, not pet's mince.

[pastafreak]

Here's an old thread that may be helpful ....

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Animals-and-Nature/Question946166.html

I've feed Sally a 70% raw diet and the frozen packs of mince mentioned by ladybirder are excellent value. You can also get frozen beef bones,duck wings,etc.

[RATTER15]

Yes they can, its there natural diet, some may get a loose stool for a day or two but they will quickly adapt to a far healthier raw diet. A word of warning, if you do decide to feed raw on a permanent or regular basis, you may need to add some calcium to their diet, either bones to chew or crushed as powder in their food.

[woofgang]

yes IMO a raw diet can be good for both cats and dogs. You need to make sure that they get enough taurine though. IIRC dogs fed on a mostly rabbit diet get problems because the taurine in rabbit meat is less bio available than in other meats. Today’s dogs, however evolved from rubbish bin scavengers who lived in symbiosis with villagers and, were not "designed specifically" to eat raw meat. So far as we know, their diet would have consisted of both animal and vegetable matter including human and other faeces, other denizens of the midden including insects. Contrary to popular belief, most dogs do have the ability to digest starch, although this happens in the gut and doesn’t start in the mouth, as in humans.

[ladybirder]

rsvp, what I am recommending is a lot more than just 'mince'.
http://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0829/nutriment-adult
http://www.edogadvisor.co.uk/DogFood-Review-Nutriment-129

[smurfchops]

Rsvp, you say a raw chicken carcass. I would be very worried about a bone splintering and getting into his stomach. This happened to my dog and he was in agony, he nearly died and had to have a very expensive op to remove the bone. I would cut the meat off the bone and give this to your dog. No chicken or turkey bones!

[Prudie]

I'd second that smurfchops, I always thought it was well known that you should never give cats or dogs chicken bones. Maybe it's a fallacy but I never do, really careful to keep them away from my cats.

[rsvp]

wasn't for one minute suggesting that your recommendation wasn't excellent Ladybirder - I know it is - I was refering to cheap stuff that's just labelled 'pets mince' - it's dreadful.
Smurfchops and Prudie - I'm very happy to give my dog a raw chicken carcass - would never feed cooked bones though.

[ladybirder]

Thanks for clearing that up rsvp;-))
Regarding raw chicken bones, my vet told me to stop feeding them to my dog. As I have said on here before, she told me she'd had to carry out many emergency operations to remove stuck chicken bones from various parts of a dog's anatomy - cooked and uncooked. Shame, he loved a couple of wings to chew on.