Making Progress! Tried Duck today

We’re almost 2 full months into the Raw Diet with our German Shepherd. There have been some rough patches, but we seem to have cleared the transition stage. (The transition stage being less about him adapting to the new foods and more about me learning what, how much, and when). I’ve found the packaged options are incredible… and although it’s not exactly the “prey model” as I’d intended to follow, the ground up food is working the best for us at the moment. We are supplementing his ground up meat and bones with large raw bones on the weekends, but feeding him the full raw chicken quaters everyday was a bit messier and he didn’t seem to enjoy it so much.

I’m still compelled to give him whole Raw Meaty Bones though. Why you ask? Here are two of the many reasons:

Clean, sharp teeth (this is seriously amazing.. the change happened almost overnight)
Actual satisfaction. A meal should be WORK and PLEASURE… and when it takes him an hour to get through a beef knuckle he’s tired.

These may sound trivial at first, but trust me they’re not. To learn more see: “Prey Model” below in the links area.

Now, large bones aside, we have seen some significant improvements in his health with raw, species appropriate food. The anecdotal “great coat” and “movie prop poop” (read that again) are immediately evident… but with the calendar we’ve been keeping we’ve found he’s actually putting on weight. GAINING weight. It’s as if the food is actually feeding him, remarkable!

Today he weighted in at 59lbs. Thats up a pound from last Friday’s 58 which was up two pounds from the previous Monday’s 56. (I am weighing him at the same time each day to limit variables… I know a pound here and a pound there doesn’t sound like much, but it’s huge for Gunner). So, the variable? FOOD… and more specifically Columbia River Natural Food’s. I hope this isn’t starting to sound like a commercial – I receive nothing from them. This is simply the brand we’re having success with.

Back to this mornings breakfast…

Two days ago we tried Columbia River’s Pheasant blend of raw dog food… with great success. Today, we tried duck.

Everything about it looked similar to the Pheasant, except for the packaging of course. So I assumbed he’d like it just as much. I don’t think he did though. He actually walked away from it twice (and went immediately back)… but his lack of enthusism is enough for me to skip it next time around.

Quack

That said, not all meats are for all dogs, and it could just be an off day for him… or I’ve added too much variety. Small lessons.

eh, I'll eat it.

On another note I hope to post our transition calendar in the coming week or two (once I find a suitable format). Keeping the calendar has been the most encouraging proof that what we’re doing is the right thing. If you’re still questioning the idea of Raw Feeding, I think this will build your confidence.

At this point all doubt has left my mind that a balanced raw diet for your dog is the single biggest action you can take to improve the health and vitality of your animal. It’s also remarkably convenient when you utilize some of these packaged brands. I’ve been on the Columbia Natural Foods selcetion for almost 4 weeks now and we’ll stay there – but there are many other options abound.