Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep25 - Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Raw Food? Raw Diets for Puppies - Part One
October 22, 2024 • 21 mins
This week’s episode is a fan request on feeding puppies a raw diet:
My breeder uses and recommended Puppy Culture as a resource for my partner and I in preparation for our Toy Poodle pup that we'll be picking up in a week or so. We've completed your Puppy Owners Course, the Puppy Culture and Attention is the Mother films, and have started binging your podcast- love your stuff!
I'm wondering if you could make an episode on feeding dogs raw food. We plan to feed our pup raw (the breeder currently feeds raw) but it is a bit intimidating for people who are new to this diet! I'm wondering if you could cover a few things:
- The science behind it / health benefits
- Why you feed raw / how long you've been feeding raw
- The dangers of it / how to avoid these dangers (proper practices for purchasing, handling and feeding raw)
- Any challenges you've experienced / seen with feeding raw
- Tips for starting raw diets - where to begin!
- Whether the meat has to be a certain quality / where to purchase ingredients for homemade raw (I've heard that grocery store meats aren't safe because of their allotted salmonella/bacteria thresholds?)
- How to handle raw treats (bones with raw meat) - do you have to clean bedding, etc. every time raw treats come in contact with it? Do you have to wipe down your pup's face/paws after contact?
- Would LOVE if you could share some recipes for homemade raw food! Or other resources/recipe books on feeding raw
- Whether puppies need special recipes or if they can eat the same recipes as adult dogs
I know a lot of this is google-able lol, but I've found that there is a lot of fear-mongering around feeding raw (from both owners and vets) so I wanted to reach out and see what your thoughts are!
There were too many great questions here to fit them all into one episode, so I’m doing this in two parts - In this episode, which is part one, I talk about:
- Why we feed raw to our dogs and our experience with feeding raw for the past 26 years
- The challenges of raw food and why some people are understandably more comfortable with kibble
- Tips and resources for getting started feeding raw without losing your mind - it’s easier than most people make it out to be!
Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I'm Jane Messineo Lindquist
and this is a Puppy Culture
potluck podcast.
You bring the topics,we bring the conversation.
Well, today's topic is on raw feeding.
(00:22):
So here's the question.
I'm wondering if you could make
an episode on feeding dogs raw food.
We plan to feed our pup raw.
The breeder currently feeds raw.
But it's a bit intimidatingfor people who are new to this diet.
I'm wonderingif you could cover a few things.
(00:44):
Number one, the science behind itand health benefits.
Number two, why do you feed rawand how long you've been feeding raw?
Number three, the dangers
of feeding rawand how to avoid these dangers.
For instance, proper practicesfor purchasing, handling and feeding raw.
(01:06):
Number four, any challenges
you've experienced or seenwith feeding raw?
Number five, tips for starting raw diets.
Where to begin?
Number six, whether the meathas to be a certain quality
and where to purchase ingredientsfor homemade raw.
I've heard that grocery storemeats aren't safe
(01:28):
because of their allotted salmonellaand bacterial thresholds.
Number seven, how to handleraw treats, bones with raw meat.
Do you have to clean up bedding, etc.
every time the raw treats come incontact with it?
Do you have to wipe downyour pup's face and paws after contact?
(01:49):
I would like.
Oh, sorry. Number eight.
I would love it if you would sharesome recipes for homemade raw food
or other resources/recipebooks on feeding raw.
Number nine,whether puppies need special recipes
or if they can eat the same recipesas adult dogs.
(02:09):
I know a lot ofthis is Google-able, L.O.L.
but I found that there's a lot of fearmongering around
feeding raw both from owners and vets.
So I wanted to reach outand see what your thoughts are.
Thank you so much.
Appreciate any wisdomyou can share on these topics.
(02:31):
Okay.
Well,
what those questionsare more of an outline
for a courseon canine nutrition than a podcast.
So I'm not going to be ableto tackle in detail
every single thing that she asked about.
But I am going to riff on these questions
because I have a lot to sayabout the topic in general,
(02:54):
and I'm going to break it into partsat least two, maybe three,
because this is definitely goingto run long.
I also want to say at the outset,
if you're a die hard kibble feeder,you may not like the first part of this,
but I encourage you to listen on becausethis is not a kibble bashing podcast
(03:16):
and I am going to lay out the casefor kibble as well.
So first question, how long have we beenfeeding raw and why do we feed raw?
I have been feeding my dogs
raw since 1998and we are currently on our ninth
generation of raw fed dogs and we've hadmultiple litters across generations.
(03:40):
So a lot of dogs for a lot of years,about 26, 27 years.
We wean our puppies on to raw
and they continue with rawas long as they're with us.
Most of our puppy ownersdo continue with RAW as well.
Our dogs are relatively very healthyfor the breed.
(04:00):
They live much longer than the averagefor the breed.
And most importantlyto us, they remain vibrant
and puppylike well into their senior years.
We have never had an adverse event
related to raw feeding of any kind
either for the dogs or for us.
(04:22):
So for what it's worth,our dogs are living testament to the fact
that a raw dietis a healthy option for your pet.
As to why,initially I started with raw it,
it was because it made sense to me to feedmy dogs what they're designed to eat.
(04:43):
I grew up in a familywhere every meal was made
from fresh ingredients, and to this dayI prepare three meals a day for my family.
It's not some kind of food tribeidentification, it's
just that I grew up in a familywhere people made food for themselves.
My grandparentsbrought it from the old country
and somehow we just never lost that.
(05:06):
When I do eat any kind of prepared food,I immediately feel worse.
So that also reinforces my behaviorof sticking
to making fresh foodfrom fresh ingredients.
I tend to go to the local farmstand and use whatever's there.
We are also fortunate enoughto live in an area where local farmers
(05:30):
and fishermen sell their freezer meatand fish at local farm stands.
So that's pretty much all we eat.
Local seasonal meats
and vegetables from the local farm stand.
You know, nowadays if you eat and cooklike we do, you will be labeled
a local vor or a seasonal vor
(05:52):
or a slow foods movement person.
But honestly, it's just food,not an identity.
And it's so strange to me and frankly,concerning to me
that people find this exceptional.
So circling back to the dogs,
it just would have been weird for meto feed my dogs, processed food.
(06:13):
The idea that it would be somehow healthy
is akin to thinking that, quote,
healthy choiceunquote, frozen food would be somehow
more healthy than roast chickenand vegetables that I prepared myself.
And the wisdom of that feeding modelhas been borne out for us
(06:34):
over the generationswith the health and longevity of our dogs.
Okay.
So let's move on to the next question,which is what is the science
behind raw feeding?
And I have to say,
I always find this question amusing
because domestic dogs have been eating rawfor somewhere between 30
(06:57):
and 40,000 years and thriving
and wild Canids have been eating raw for,let's say,
37 to 40 million yearsand they got by just fine.
Commercialdog food was not even an option until 1860
and not popularizeduntil maybe 80 years ago.
(07:19):
It is the most bizarreo logic
that the question always seems to be
What is the science behind feeding raw?
I mean, the science is that'swhat dogs eat.
Somehow all those canids for 37million years
got by until Ken-L Rationarrived on the scene.
(07:41):
It should be assumedthat raw food is good for your dog.
The question should really be,
how is it possible for dogsto survive on highly processed food
without any variety or fresh ingredients?
I mean, if someone said you have a choice,
(08:02):
you could live on processedfood in a tube.
The same exact ingredients and flavorevery day of your life.
Or you could eat a diet of prepared
fresh fruitsand vegetables, meat and fish.
What person given
that choice is going to say, Yeah.
(08:22):
Tell me more about the sciencebehind this fresh food thing.
I'm not sure I trust it.
Any normal person would ask,
How is it possibleto live on food in a tube?
Because it defies common sense.
But that's the power of marketing.
It has literally changedthe sensibilities of humans
(08:44):
and convinced us, despiteoverwhelming evidence to the contrary,
that we are incapable of feeding our dogs
without a commercially prepared diet.
Now, listen,
the science behind dognutrition is fascinating,
but way beyond the scope of this podcast,I recommend Dr.
(09:05):
Ian Billinghurst's book,Give Your Dog Bone
as the best basic treatise on raw feeding
the science behind it and the benefits.
If you want to get started,that is the most approachable,
least intimidating, most commonsensebook written by a veterinarian
(09:26):
that's out there.
But you know what?
You really don't need to knowthe science behind raw feeling to know
what's a healthy way to feed your dogbecause you've got 30,000 years
plus my personal 26 to 27 years
that says raw feeding is a healthy option.
(09:48):
Okay.
And let's move on to health benefits.
As the original poster pointed out,
there is a truly overwhelming amount
that's been writtenabout the health benefits of feeding raw.
And again, I do think that Billinghurst'sbook lays it out pretty well.
(10:09):
And I justI don't need to add to any of that.
So I'm only going to speak to the healthbenefits
that we have observed in our own dogsover the generations.
These are pretty subjective observations.
But the question is directed to me,so I'm sharing my perceptions.
(10:29):
Take them for what they're worth.
I spoke in generalpreviously about the health
and longevity of my dogs,but to put it in context,
a nine year old bullterrier is often, frankly, quite old.
I judge bull terriers quite a bit.
(10:49):
I judge veterans quite a bit,and I'm often shocked
at how old nine year old dogs are.
Our dogs are still running agilityat nine years
old, sometimes into ten years old.
Also, our dogs do not smell like dogs.
You can put your nose into the furof any of our dogs
(11:13):
and they smell sweet like a horse,not doggy.
You can run your hands over our dogs
and pat themand your hands will come away clean.
We almost never bathe our dogs.
The only time they get a bath isif they're going to a show
or they got into something really nasty.
(11:35):
And they absolutely do not smell
and they feel clean to the touch.
Our dogs almostnever have any kind of digestive upset.
Our puppies transition to their new homeswith zero stomach upset.
Neither travel nor routine changes,
nor diet changes seem to affect our dogs.
(11:59):
We do
vary their diet quite a bit,and even if we throw
in the occasional meal of kibbleor cooked food,
they handle it just fine.
Their stool volume
is a small fraction of the stool volumethat a kibble fed dog produces,
and the stool itself breaks downinto a white chalky substance.,
(12:21):
if we miss picking it up.
Once you get used to those clean, neat,raw food
poops, the big greasykibble poops are disturbing.
So vibrant health,
appealing body condition and odor,
youthfulness into old age, long life,
(12:43):
in 26 years of raw feeding
I have yet to see any health
downside whatsoever.
Okay, Kibble feeders.
Now, if I haven't lost you already.
Here we go.
I have a saying that our ability
as a civilization to keep dogsis based on three things.
(13:07):
Number one, they sleep 20 hours a day.
Number two, they can hold their bladderand bowels for 8 hours.
And number three,the existence of the dog food industry.
And I say
that because prior to dog foodbeing commercially available
and affordable, dogs really were not kept
(13:31):
so much as pets by middle class people.
Not in the same way that we do now.
I would venture to saythat the initial obstacle
for most middle class peopleand I'm going back to Victorian times,
you know,when the dog food industry began,
(13:52):
that initial obstacle was probablymore financial than anything else.
But then, you know,
as the generations went by,we also lost our ability to prepare food.
I mean, people have literally don'thave the skills to prepare food.
So having to prepare food for a dognow becomes an enormous chore
(14:14):
that many people just lack
the skill and competence to carry out.
So there is this sizable cross section
of the population that lacks the time,money and ability to put together
a nutritionally viable dietfor their dogs.
And kibble is the answer for them.
(14:36):
They simply could not have a dogif they had to prepare food
for the dog themselves.
I do feel that peoplewho get on a high horse about feeding raw
are a bit like rich peoplewho fill up their shopping carts
with grass fed beef and organic vegetables
(14:57):
and then look down their noses at peoplewho are filling up their shopping carts
with boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese
or Hamburger Helper.
Usually when someone'sfilling up their cart
with those kinds of processed foods, it's
because either they're less affluent,
(15:17):
they're working longer hoursor multiple jobs
have larger families
or are culturally disadvantagedbecause they never
had a person in their lifeteach them how to prepare food.
If you have the
money, time and knowledgeto feed your family fresh,
organic food,you are not morally superior.
(15:42):
You are super fortunate.
And the same thing goes for feeding dogs.
So let me drill down a little
into what it really takes to feed raw.
I would say many of these requirements
would qualify as what she asked about,
which are challenges of feeding raw.
(16:04):
The easiest way to get started
is to begin with a commercial raw mix.
Yes, there are pet food companiesthat make complete
nutrition, dog food that's raw.
However,we also prepare food from scratch.
Three meals a day at our houseand we have a vegetable
(16:26):
gardenand also fruit trees on our property.
I make my own fermented vegetables.
I make my own yogurt and kefir.
We have access to pasteurized eggs.
My sister has chickensright down the street.
We can get raw goat milk and raw cow milk.
So we use the raw mix as
a baseand then just rotate our add ons based on
(16:50):
whatever is in the house that dayor for that matter,
what's in the yard under the fruit treesor in the vegetable garden.
Our dogs forage a lot.
If you are not the kind of personwho cooks from scratch every day,
you won't haveall those nice add ons handy.
So yes,your dog can just get by in the raw mixes,
(17:12):
but optimally you'll be throwingsome extra fermented foods
and a variety of add ons into their dishes
that you'll have to go to the storeand get.
Let me just say,this is not a cheap proposition
unless you live right nearto where the raw food companies are.
(17:32):
The shipping is crazy expensive
and you also need a huge freezerto store the raw food in
and you have to pay for electricityto keep it frozen so it adds up.
You candefinitely do this much more cheaply
by buying the ingredientsand divvying it up into portions.
(17:55):
But that is an intensely timeconsuming pastime,
especially if you want to grind the food
first to avoid any choking hazard.
And then you're going to have to havesome knowledge about balancing nutrients.
And that can quickly becomean atomic vortex of fussiness.
(18:17):
Seriously,when you join some raw feeding groups,
it becomes incomprehensible
how anyone can accomplishfeeding their dog.
They will quibble about 1% moreor less of an ingredient,
fire off at each other about the amount
of secreting organ versus muscle meat.
(18:39):
There are several differentfeeding models.
It's crazy.
But, you know, I just don't thinkit really has to be that difficult.
At one time, I belonged to a co-op
that sourced chickenas a base for raw feeding.
And then I used to go meet a truckon the New Jersey Turnpike
once every few monthsand get some pre-made raw mixes.
(19:02):
And I also went to a meatpacking plant in New Jersey that sold
dog food, you know, and beef endsthat they ground up for dog food.
It was worth it to me.
But the fact remains, it was a lot of workand it's not for everyone.
For what it's worth,my dogs got by at one point in my life
(19:23):
extremelywell on a diet of mostly chicken necks
with the occasional alternate proteinwhenever I had a chance to get it
and whatever kitchen scrapsI had each day,
but it was mostly chicken necks.
I do think they do much betteron the commercial
balanced mix that we use now, but they didpretty darn good for about a decade
(19:48):
on chicken necks, beef and tripefrom the butcher and some kitchen scraps.
And no, I didn't measure anything.
They got whatever I had on hand.
I'm not advocating that diet.
I'm just saying that
if you're ina group and you're starting to freak out
because you're seeing,you know, what looks like a Michelin
(20:09):
starred restaurantoffering for each dog every day,
and people are arguing about percentagesand ratios..
it, trust me,it doesn't have to be that hard.
Don't be intimidated.
Again,if you want a nice, approachable entree
into feeding raw and preparing ityourself, you can't go wrong with Dr.
(20:32):
Billinghurst's book Give Your Dog a Bone.
It's approachable, easy to follow,but be aware
that it does involve morethan opening a bag of food.
And that's not for everyone,which is fine.
This is a no judgment zone.
Okay. Well,I feel like that got us started
(20:52):
on this topic,so I'm going to leave it here.
But next timewe're going to pick up with Avco
and what completeand balanced really means.
If you
liked thispodcast, you'll love our puppy course.
Available at madcapuniversity.com.
(21:13):
Breeders.
We have a course for you tooat madcapuniversity.com.
Are you new to Puppy Cultureand just want to get acquainted.
Check out our get started bundlesfor breeders
and get started bundles for puppy owners
at puppyculture.com.
Well that's it for this time.
(21:34):
Thanks for listening.
Bye bye.
I'm Jane Messineo Lindquist
and this is a Puppy Culture
potluck podcast.
You bring the topics,we bring the conversation.
Well, today's topic is on raw feeding.
(00:22):
So here's the question.
I'm wondering if you could make
an episode on feeding dogs raw food.
We plan to feed our pup raw.
The breeder currently feeds raw.
But it's a bit intimidatingfor people who are new to this diet.
I'm wonderingif you could cover a few things.
(00:44):
Number one, the science behind itand health benefits.
Number two, why do you feed rawand how long you've been feeding raw?
Number three, the dangers
of feeding rawand how to avoid these dangers.
For instance, proper practicesfor purchasing, handling and feeding raw.
(01:06):
Number four, any challenges
you've experienced or seenwith feeding raw?
Number five, tips for starting raw diets.
Where to begin?
Number six, whether the meathas to be a certain quality
and where to purchase ingredientsfor homemade raw.
I've heard that grocery storemeats aren't safe
(01:28):
because of their allotted salmonellaand bacterial thresholds.
Number seven, how to handleraw treats, bones with raw meat.
Do you have to clean up bedding, etc.
every time the raw treats come incontact with it?
Do you have to wipe downyour pup's face and paws after contact?
(01:49):
I would like.
Oh, sorry. Number eight.
I would love it if you would sharesome recipes for homemade raw food
or other resources/recipebooks on feeding raw.
Number nine,whether puppies need special recipes
or if they can eat the same recipesas adult dogs.
(02:09):
I know a lot ofthis is Google-able, L.O.L.
but I found that there's a lot of fearmongering around
feeding raw both from owners and vets.
So I wanted to reach outand see what your thoughts are.
Thank you so much.
Appreciate any wisdomyou can share on these topics.
(02:31):
Okay.
Well,
what those questionsare more of an outline
for a courseon canine nutrition than a podcast.
So I'm not going to be ableto tackle in detail
every single thing that she asked about.
But I am going to riff on these questions
because I have a lot to sayabout the topic in general,
(02:54):
and I'm going to break it into partsat least two, maybe three,
because this is definitely goingto run long.
I also want to say at the outset,
if you're a die hard kibble feeder,you may not like the first part of this,
but I encourage you to listen on becausethis is not a kibble bashing podcast
(03:16):
and I am going to lay out the casefor kibble as well.
So first question, how long have we beenfeeding raw and why do we feed raw?
I have been feeding my dogs
raw since 1998and we are currently on our ninth
generation of raw fed dogs and we've hadmultiple litters across generations.
(03:40):
So a lot of dogs for a lot of years,about 26, 27 years.
We wean our puppies on to raw
and they continue with rawas long as they're with us.
Most of our puppy ownersdo continue with RAW as well.
Our dogs are relatively very healthyfor the breed.
(04:00):
They live much longer than the averagefor the breed.
And most importantlyto us, they remain vibrant
and puppylike well into their senior years.
We have never had an adverse event
related to raw feeding of any kind
either for the dogs or for us.
(04:22):
So for what it's worth,our dogs are living testament to the fact
that a raw dietis a healthy option for your pet.
As to why,initially I started with raw it,
it was because it made sense to me to feedmy dogs what they're designed to eat.
(04:43):
I grew up in a familywhere every meal was made
from fresh ingredients, and to this dayI prepare three meals a day for my family.
It's not some kind of food tribeidentification, it's
just that I grew up in a familywhere people made food for themselves.
My grandparentsbrought it from the old country
and somehow we just never lost that.
(05:06):
When I do eat any kind of prepared food,I immediately feel worse.
So that also reinforces my behaviorof sticking
to making fresh foodfrom fresh ingredients.
I tend to go to the local farmstand and use whatever's there.
We are also fortunate enoughto live in an area where local farmers
(05:30):
and fishermen sell their freezer meatand fish at local farm stands.
So that's pretty much all we eat.
Local seasonal meats
and vegetables from the local farm stand.
You know, nowadays if you eat and cooklike we do, you will be labeled
a local vor or a seasonal vor
(05:52):
or a slow foods movement person.
But honestly, it's just food,not an identity.
And it's so strange to me and frankly,concerning to me
that people find this exceptional.
So circling back to the dogs,
it just would have been weird for meto feed my dogs, processed food.
(06:13):
The idea that it would be somehow healthy
is akin to thinking that, quote,
healthy choiceunquote, frozen food would be somehow
more healthy than roast chickenand vegetables that I prepared myself.
And the wisdom of that feeding modelhas been borne out for us
(06:34):
over the generationswith the health and longevity of our dogs.
Okay.
So let's move on to the next question,which is what is the science
behind raw feeding?
And I have to say,
I always find this question amusing
because domestic dogs have been eating rawfor somewhere between 30
(06:57):
and 40,000 years and thriving
and wild Canids have been eating raw for,let's say,
37 to 40 million yearsand they got by just fine.
Commercialdog food was not even an option until 1860
and not popularizeduntil maybe 80 years ago.
(07:19):
It is the most bizarreo logic
that the question always seems to be
What is the science behind feeding raw?
I mean, the science is that'swhat dogs eat.
Somehow all those canids for 37million years
got by until Ken-L Rationarrived on the scene.
(07:41):
It should be assumedthat raw food is good for your dog.
The question should really be,
how is it possible for dogsto survive on highly processed food
without any variety or fresh ingredients?
I mean, if someone said you have a choice,
(08:02):
you could live on processedfood in a tube.
The same exact ingredients and flavorevery day of your life.
Or you could eat a diet of prepared
fresh fruitsand vegetables, meat and fish.
What person given
that choice is going to say, Yeah.
(08:22):
Tell me more about the sciencebehind this fresh food thing.
I'm not sure I trust it.
Any normal person would ask,
How is it possibleto live on food in a tube?
Because it defies common sense.
But that's the power of marketing.
It has literally changedthe sensibilities of humans
(08:44):
and convinced us, despiteoverwhelming evidence to the contrary,
that we are incapable of feeding our dogs
without a commercially prepared diet.
Now, listen,
the science behind dognutrition is fascinating,
but way beyond the scope of this podcast,I recommend Dr.
(09:05):
Ian Billinghurst's book,Give Your Dog Bone
as the best basic treatise on raw feeding
the science behind it and the benefits.
If you want to get started,that is the most approachable,
least intimidating, most commonsensebook written by a veterinarian
(09:26):
that's out there.
But you know what?
You really don't need to knowthe science behind raw feeling to know
what's a healthy way to feed your dogbecause you've got 30,000 years
plus my personal 26 to 27 years
that says raw feeding is a healthy option.
(09:48):
Okay.
And let's move on to health benefits.
As the original poster pointed out,
there is a truly overwhelming amount
that's been writtenabout the health benefits of feeding raw.
And again, I do think that Billinghurst'sbook lays it out pretty well.
(10:09):
And I justI don't need to add to any of that.
So I'm only going to speak to the healthbenefits
that we have observed in our own dogsover the generations.
These are pretty subjective observations.
But the question is directed to me,so I'm sharing my perceptions.
(10:29):
Take them for what they're worth.
I spoke in generalpreviously about the health
and longevity of my dogs,but to put it in context,
a nine year old bullterrier is often, frankly, quite old.
I judge bull terriers quite a bit.
(10:49):
I judge veterans quite a bit,and I'm often shocked
at how old nine year old dogs are.
Our dogs are still running agilityat nine years
old, sometimes into ten years old.
Also, our dogs do not smell like dogs.
You can put your nose into the furof any of our dogs
(11:13):
and they smell sweet like a horse,not doggy.
You can run your hands over our dogs
and pat themand your hands will come away clean.
We almost never bathe our dogs.
The only time they get a bath isif they're going to a show
or they got into something really nasty.
(11:35):
And they absolutely do not smell
and they feel clean to the touch.
Our dogs almostnever have any kind of digestive upset.
Our puppies transition to their new homeswith zero stomach upset.
Neither travel nor routine changes,
nor diet changes seem to affect our dogs.
(11:59):
We do
vary their diet quite a bit,and even if we throw
in the occasional meal of kibbleor cooked food,
they handle it just fine.
Their stool volume
is a small fraction of the stool volumethat a kibble fed dog produces,
and the stool itself breaks downinto a white chalky substance.,
(12:21):
if we miss picking it up.
Once you get used to those clean, neat,raw food
poops, the big greasykibble poops are disturbing.
So vibrant health,
appealing body condition and odor,
youthfulness into old age, long life,
(12:43):
in 26 years of raw feeding
I have yet to see any health
downside whatsoever.
Okay, Kibble feeders.
Now, if I haven't lost you already.
Here we go.
I have a saying that our ability
as a civilization to keep dogsis based on three things.
(13:07):
Number one, they sleep 20 hours a day.
Number two, they can hold their bladderand bowels for 8 hours.
And number three,the existence of the dog food industry.
And I say
that because prior to dog foodbeing commercially available
and affordable, dogs really were not kept
(13:31):
so much as pets by middle class people.
Not in the same way that we do now.
I would venture to saythat the initial obstacle
for most middle class peopleand I'm going back to Victorian times,
you know,when the dog food industry began,
(13:52):
that initial obstacle was probablymore financial than anything else.
But then, you know,
as the generations went by,we also lost our ability to prepare food.
I mean, people have literally don'thave the skills to prepare food.
So having to prepare food for a dognow becomes an enormous chore
(14:14):
that many people just lack
the skill and competence to carry out.
So there is this sizable cross section
of the population that lacks the time,money and ability to put together
a nutritionally viable dietfor their dogs.
And kibble is the answer for them.
(14:36):
They simply could not have a dogif they had to prepare food
for the dog themselves.
I do feel that peoplewho get on a high horse about feeding raw
are a bit like rich peoplewho fill up their shopping carts
with grass fed beef and organic vegetables
(14:57):
and then look down their noses at peoplewho are filling up their shopping carts
with boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese
or Hamburger Helper.
Usually when someone'sfilling up their cart
with those kinds of processed foods, it's
because either they're less affluent,
(15:17):
they're working longer hoursor multiple jobs
have larger families
or are culturally disadvantagedbecause they never
had a person in their lifeteach them how to prepare food.
If you have the
money, time and knowledgeto feed your family fresh,
organic food,you are not morally superior.
(15:42):
You are super fortunate.
And the same thing goes for feeding dogs.
So let me drill down a little
into what it really takes to feed raw.
I would say many of these requirements
would qualify as what she asked about,
which are challenges of feeding raw.
(16:04):
The easiest way to get started
is to begin with a commercial raw mix.
Yes, there are pet food companiesthat make complete
nutrition, dog food that's raw.
However,we also prepare food from scratch.
Three meals a day at our houseand we have a vegetable
(16:26):
gardenand also fruit trees on our property.
I make my own fermented vegetables.
I make my own yogurt and kefir.
We have access to pasteurized eggs.
My sister has chickensright down the street.
We can get raw goat milk and raw cow milk.
So we use the raw mix as
a baseand then just rotate our add ons based on
(16:50):
whatever is in the house that dayor for that matter,
what's in the yard under the fruit treesor in the vegetable garden.
Our dogs forage a lot.
If you are not the kind of personwho cooks from scratch every day,
you won't haveall those nice add ons handy.
So yes,your dog can just get by in the raw mixes,
(17:12):
but optimally you'll be throwingsome extra fermented foods
and a variety of add ons into their dishes
that you'll have to go to the storeand get.
Let me just say,this is not a cheap proposition
unless you live right nearto where the raw food companies are.
(17:32):
The shipping is crazy expensive
and you also need a huge freezerto store the raw food in
and you have to pay for electricityto keep it frozen so it adds up.
You candefinitely do this much more cheaply
by buying the ingredientsand divvying it up into portions.
(17:55):
But that is an intensely timeconsuming pastime,
especially if you want to grind the food
first to avoid any choking hazard.
And then you're going to have to havesome knowledge about balancing nutrients.
And that can quickly becomean atomic vortex of fussiness.
(18:17):
Seriously,when you join some raw feeding groups,
it becomes incomprehensible
how anyone can accomplishfeeding their dog.
They will quibble about 1% moreor less of an ingredient,
fire off at each other about the amount
of secreting organ versus muscle meat.
(18:39):
There are several differentfeeding models.
It's crazy.
But, you know, I just don't thinkit really has to be that difficult.
At one time, I belonged to a co-op
that sourced chickenas a base for raw feeding.
And then I used to go meet a truckon the New Jersey Turnpike
once every few monthsand get some pre-made raw mixes.
(19:02):
And I also went to a meatpacking plant in New Jersey that sold
dog food, you know, and beef endsthat they ground up for dog food.
It was worth it to me.
But the fact remains, it was a lot of workand it's not for everyone.
For what it's worth,my dogs got by at one point in my life
(19:23):
extremelywell on a diet of mostly chicken necks
with the occasional alternate proteinwhenever I had a chance to get it
and whatever kitchen scrapsI had each day,
but it was mostly chicken necks.
I do think they do much betteron the commercial
balanced mix that we use now, but they didpretty darn good for about a decade
(19:48):
on chicken necks, beef and tripefrom the butcher and some kitchen scraps.
And no, I didn't measure anything.
They got whatever I had on hand.
I'm not advocating that diet.
I'm just saying that
if you're ina group and you're starting to freak out
because you're seeing,you know, what looks like a Michelin
(20:09):
starred restaurantoffering for each dog every day,
and people are arguing about percentagesand ratios..
it, trust me,it doesn't have to be that hard.
Don't be intimidated.
Again,if you want a nice, approachable entree
into feeding raw and preparing ityourself, you can't go wrong with Dr.
(20:32):
Billinghurst's book Give Your Dog a Bone.
It's approachable, easy to follow,but be aware
that it does involve morethan opening a bag of food.
And that's not for everyone,which is fine.
This is a no judgment zone.
Okay. Well,I feel like that got us started
(20:52):
on this topic,so I'm going to leave it here.
But next timewe're going to pick up with Avco
and what completeand balanced really means.
If you
liked thispodcast, you'll love our puppy course.
Available at madcapuniversity.com.
(21:13):
Breeders.
We have a course for you tooat madcapuniversity.com.
Are you new to Puppy Cultureand just want to get acquainted.
Check out our get started bundlesfor breeders
and get started bundles for puppy owners
at puppyculture.com.
Well that's it for this time.
(21:34):
Thanks for listening.
Bye bye.
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