Raw not for everyone

[KeeperBoy]

I know we have a lot of passionate raw feeders on here, but I wonder, is raw for everyone? We are feeding raw in the PM, usually kibble in the am. That being said we ebb and flow with the diet thing. Sometimes all kibble sometimes all raw. We rarely feed whole bone. Our little one is known to swallow bones whole and Keepers has next to no teeth. Many passionate raw feeders cringe when I say we feed only ground.

Also, we have many friends with boston terriers, and many simply don't do well on raw. Boo herself actually doesn't always do well on high protein, so she gets more veg in her diet than Keepers.

Don't some dogs simply thrive on kibble? Some with more veg, some with (gasp) grain? I'm just seeing so much info on raw lately, I'm wondering if all the raw feeders think it is ok for some dogs to eat ground/or even kibble. I know with kibble there is no argument that one food would work for all dogs, is it the same with raw? Or is the judgement that raw is always best.

I'm not trying to start a fight, just honestly wondering.

[whitedaisy]

Most dogs will do just fine on a good kibble. Here is my analogy that hopefully isn't an uncomfortable one for our men and single women......
I believe breast feeding babies is best. It's what nature intended, just like for raw and dogs, but lots of babies get fed formula and thrive and become healthy perfect children.
Now, my 4th baby was breast fed too and she had tummy aches and spit up for the whole 11 months I fed her. My dh always said your milk is bothering her and I said "no way" breast is best. At 11 months when I weaned her she got totally better. Hmmm..... Apparently for her it wasn't.
Generally raw IS best, but that may not be true of every dog. I love to promote raw but I won't cram it down anyones throat. We all need to find out what is best for our own dogs.

[AussieGirl]

I have heard elsewhere Bostons don't do well on raw. Look while I feed raw and am happy to answer questions on raw I try not to shove it down peoples throats (I will respond if an untruth about raw is being thrown around though, like causing worms etc), when asked about what to feed I usually give all the options - visit dog Food Analysis and aim for 4 star or higher, or try home cooking or raw, unless specifically told "I want to feed raw, what do I feed". I would't like it if someone had a go at me about what I fed my family so I try to show the same repsect I would like . That being said if someone is feeding a really poor quality food I will say you should look at a different food but never recommend a specific one or specific diet BECAUSE - there is no "one size fits all". I sometimes give kibble too, when we go away, when I forget to defrost something or if one of the younger kids wants to feed her (they would just get meat and stuff all over the place if I let them feed the raw) but that is not something I would tell all raw feeders because of some of their reactions . If a diet, treatment, training method does not work for you, do what does.
Just wanted to add I don't have any choice with feeding raw, the only good quality kibble we get over here is the Nutura range and ALL in chicken, I can not get ANY red meat high quality kibble - so that would mean she would be on chicken kibble her whole life! Also it is sooo damn expensive over here. Oh and I give ground at times too. I am just trying to give the best quality diet I can with the resources I have available and without spending excessive amounts of money. I rambled a bit didn't I. If you're doing what suits your dogs needs and keeps them at their best then keep doing it you know them best and know what works for them best.

[AussieGirl]

Sorry I posted before I had finished - having internet issues and realised I had to get the kids to school.
I wanted to let you know I refer to my raw feeding experiences as "my 10 year battle with raw" because I found if confusing, sometimes the information was contradictory, everyone had a different opinion on how to do it/how not to do it, everyone had a different opinion on why it was good or why it wasn't good. So I found myself going from raw to homecooked to raw to commercial food etc, etc, and I found that some did badly on commercial but did good on homecooked and even better on raw, others would not eat what was required to keep a raw meal balanced but did great on commercial food, Ruby was on commercial food when we got her and she had dry flaky skin, itching & eye goo so we changed to raw and she thrived (have to say I don't miss the smelly poop and dog smell) but our last dog (who was a toy breed) did much better on kibble and high quality table scraps (roast meats, veg, rice) than raw.
I prefer raw for Ruby it seems to be best for her and most of the dogs I have transitioned (4 out of 5) but I can't say that for every dog I have fed raw to.