More About The Inside of My Dog than You Want to Know

Housemate heard not too long ago that dogfood with corn in it wasn't so good for dogs. They don't digest the corn products very well. We switched to a lamb and rice dogfood. I can confirm from close personal observations that there has been a decided change in my dog's digestive efficiency with this food. There is a lot less poop now. And it's slightly greener. It doesn't smell like flowers, but, well, the odor is noticeably less bad. So we are now endorsing a corn-product free diet for dogs.

Housemate's boyfriend has decided to put his dog on a raw foods only diet. Meaning whole uncooked dead rabbits, chickens, partridges, as well as raw vegetables. (Apparently dogs can eat chicken bones if they haven't been cooked.) He thinks this will lead to increased health and vigor. We're talking about a pretty damn healthy and vigorous dog already, so I'm curious to see what kind of Superdog will result from this new diet. I have requested that, at least at the beginning of the regime, feedings take place elsewhere. But I will report on the results.

Comments

[transmogriflaw]

I'm a fan of the raw diet but we don't do it 100% of the time. We feed partially raw, partially a low-grain-content (no corn, lots of meat) dog food.

Without going into really gross details, let's just say that we have an easier time cleaning up after our dog than most of her dog buddy friends. Eliminating most grain (especially corn!) and adding raw bone/egg/marrow has a, uh, compacting effect.

there is this big raw philosophy out there. I don't know if I buy it. My dog had stomach problems and did his business well on a good lamb & rice food. When he had problems I would give him cooked rice and boiled chicken (no bones). He was also partial to rice krispies. Then again, he'd eat road kill if given a chance (no, that was not the source of his stomach problems).

Sorry to say the raw diet is no good for our furry friends. Dogs and cats need veggies but can't digest raw vegetables very well. It'll provide some, er, firming functions, but in nature carnivores get their veggies and the vitamins that go with them from the stomaches and intestines of their prey. They let the deer/bunny/whatever do the digesting for them. So if you don't want the dog to be vitamin deficient, you have got to use some commercial dog food (or provide it whole rabbits, I guess!)