Reagan was switched from raw food to kibble about 1 and half months ago and she looks fantastic! I am so pleased with her progress. Her hair is growing back, her coat feels soft again, and she is back to an ideal weight.
As you know, in April, I
noticed admitted Reagan was
losing hair. She also did not have stools
consistent with other greyhounds fed raw food. I have fed a raw food diet to my greyhounds for the last decade and could not have been happier until my problems with Reagan.
At this point, I think that it is safe to conclude that raw food was all wrong for Reagan. As you know, I sought cooked diet advice from a
holistic vet who recommended that I feed a high quality commercial food rather than try to cook. I know that many raw diet fans were appalled that a holistic vet would do such a thing, but I was truly relieved. I really do not want to cook a homemade diet. I think my time is better spent enjoying my hounds than slaving in a kitchen.
You may have noticed that I did not post many picture of Reagan over the last couple of months. The truth is that I was embarrassed. It is hard for me to admit that a dog I acquired as a picture of health would decline my care, but I aim to educate, so I am going to share some of the awful pictures.
Taken June 21, 2009.
The rest taken June 10, 2009
I mostly want to share this information because I think it presents a clear problem with raw food written by someone who loves to feed raw food. Most of the negative material written about raw food is inflated and simply incorrect in my opinion. Its written by someone who has never fed raw food. I feel my education has come full circle. I have seen kibble miracles and I have seen raw food miracles. One diet does not fit all and I would be quicker to try kibble if I encounter this situation again.
However, I do want to emphasize that this is not an anti-raw food post. I have seen several dogs make significant improvements when switched to raw food. One of my first raw diet greyhounds, Teresa (see below), was very prone to problems with bacteria. Horrible oral health (much worse than a typical
NGA greyhound), skin infections, urinary tract infections, and anal gland infections. These problems literally disappeared on raw food.
I have also seen dogs suffering from kibble caused digestive disasters cured with raw food. I would strongly suggest trying a few days of raw food before switching your dog to one of the irritable bowel foods. You may see a huge improvement in just 12 hours.
And if you already feed raw food, keep an open mind. I was lucky that my vet did not think skin scraping and biopsies would be telling. That an intestinal scope and biopsy would be a waste of time. Those tests would have been expensive and awful to put Reagan through. Just know that one day, you may encounter a dog that just cannot make use of the nutrients in raw food and requires the food to be cooked first.
Lastly, if you happen upon this post due to searching about raw food problems, click here to see all of my posts about Reagan's problem.
