should I feed my dogs cooked or raw meat?

Question

we feed our dogs (chihuahuas) cooked meat (mostly boiled chicken and pig meat) and dog food norm. however, quite recently on the web I read articles on feeding dogs raw meat.

I tried giving my dogs some raw chicken once but they just licked it bit but didn't eat it. I wouldn't feed my dogs raw meat from supermarket though as it probably contains chemicals n' stuff, specially pig meat (though my dogs seem to like pork more than chicken)
oh and I am correct as to never give my dogs cooked bones right?

people I know who own dogs give them cooked meat norm, they say I shouldn't feed my dogs raw meat.
what do you say?

Answer 1

Many dog owners are into the "fad" diet of feeding raw, and many have great luck with it. Be careful about raw bones, especially if your dog has bad teeth. I've had dogs break molars on raw meat bones and the vet bills were horrendous. Contrary to what you hear, dogs are not prey eaters and the line from the wolf is so convoluted that when dogs emerged, their whole nutritional requirement is different. Keep up with the newest nutritional experts, not anyone that just throws bones, raw meat, and the occasional veggie and calls it a balanced diet. Dogs can get salmonella from uncooked chicken, but not as often as a human can, and unless you are aware of where the meat is coming from, ecoli can also be a problem.

Dog Food Manufacturers have spend millions on researching dog nutrition and even with the occasional recall (usually due to origin of the protein source) they have a pretty darn good record or they would not be in business very long. Homecooking is another method of feeding, but as with the raw method, needs a great deal of study on canine nutrition to be a safe way to go. There is a gal in Canada, Monica Segal, that has written several books on how to do all different methods of feeding, along with information to help you feed a nutritionally balanced diet. Her web site is

www.monicasegal.com and all her books and her various pamphlets (with recipes) are on her site

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Usually working dogs are fed raw meat and domestic dogs (such as yours) are fed cooked meat. Although really it is up to you, there isn't a massive right or wrong as long as you keep their weight right and go for the healthier options (avoid chemicals as much as possible), local butchers some times have their own slaughter houses they should be pretty chemical free as well as being cheaper.



You're right about not giving them cooked bones. Also you need to be careful with which bones as some will shatter (such as chicken bone).

Answer 4

The risk of salmonella and stuff is very low if you prepare the meat safely and it is perfectly fine to feed your dog raw meat. Plenty of people feed their dogs a well balanced raw meat and bone diet. The people who believe raw food for dogs is bad haven't put much thought into it, or how properly handled and prepared meat will generally be free of salmonella or e. coli, or that canines are carnivores built to eat a raw meat diet. They are also scavengers and can and will eat something that's been lying there dead for who knows how long. I'd be far more worried about what they can get from THAT!



And yes, never ever feed cooked bones. Raw bones are fine, especially if they have some meat on them. Marrow bones keep 'em busy for hours at a time, and I'm sure you can find something that isn't outlandishly huge for your chihuahuas that'll keep them equally busy.



Don't listen to the "I would never feed my baby raw meat so I won't feed it to my dog" people, they've clearly no notion of safe handling of raw foods. Raw meat is PERFECTLY SAFE to feed your dog. The risk of worms is higher, but guess what, it costs $10 to fix that and your dog's overall health is one benefit that far outweighs the likelihood of parasites. Also note that the rate of infection from salmonella or e. coli in raw fed dogs versus dogs fed cooked food and/or kibble is only slightly higher, and likely due to being fed improperly handled meat.

Answer 5

While veterinary medicine wasn't officially established in the U.S. until 1895, many self-styled experts were already giving advice on dog diets. Many believed that dogs needed to be "civilized," and since wild dogs ate raw meat, domesticated dogs should not. this advice has influenced the pet food industry for decades after. Maybe you should take their advice to heart on this one,

Answer 6

Really sorry but it is me giving the TD to the answers that state that you must cook the meat first and that dogs will get deadly infections, worms or the usual comment - salmonella.



No they won't. THOUSANDS of us feed raw meat diet every day and have done for years and years.



Dogs need meat to be raw to get the goodness they need from it. A dogs digestive system is just designed to take raw meat - ours is not.



What you MUST NOT do -- however -- is to feed raw meat AND kibble. This is really bad for your dogs and puts a huge strain on internal organs like the pancreas, owing to the two different environments needed to digest raw and kibble.



Have a read firstly of Tom Lonsdales site



http://www.rawmeatybones.com/



this is an excellent site to start with.



If you are interested in looking further then there are dozens of sites to help you.



Add on -- ok here we are again about to have the raw versus non-raw arguments --- all I can say is search the net and you will find lots and lots of raw feed websites.



Try these for a start.http://www.rawfed.com/ (RawFed)http://www.rawlearning.com/ (Jane Anderson's Raw Learning Site)http://rawfeddogs.net/ (Raw Fed Dogs) http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ (Raw Meaty Bones)http://canine-carnivore.com/feeding-your... (Feeding Your Dog a S.A.R.F./Raw Prey Model Diet) http://rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html (Raw Prey Model Diet Vs. BARF Diet)http://community.livejournal.com/rawdogs... (Raw Dogs Livejournal Community, excellent raw feeding information on the profile page and overall helpful community for raw feeding questions.) http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html (Myths About Raw Feeding)

Answer 7

Raw meat is best for them, cooking it takes out most if not all of the nutrients. And yes, never give them cooked bones.



I give my dogs raw meat from the store and never had any problems. You can try a butcher though, as they will sometimes sell their scraps for cheap (I've seen as cheap as 10 cents a pound).



Oh for the love of Jesus Christ! Dogs stomachs are made to digest raw foods, they are decedents of wolves. Wolves, guess what, EAT RAW MEAT.

Answer 8

Did you already tried using Eating for Energy (120 raw food diet recipes) mechanism? Proceed on this page : http://www.StayEatingRaw.com/Free . This may probably support anybody!

Answer 9

raw meat have still chemicals and bacteria in it.

so do not feed your dogs with raw meat.

It is still better to feed your dogs with dog food and cooked meat.,.

Answer 10

good to hear that you feed homemade food to your doggies!!!



yeah you have to cook it, jst dont throw away the stock water, it has many vital nutrients

raw meat can cause deadly infections





here is a great link on more homemade complete dog food recepies



http://b71cd5mi6kv-yb5px5z1awez2p.hop.clickbank.net/





sorry its not free but it is real stuff