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| Spring 2007 Newsletter |
| The "Raw Deal" - a look at raw feeding By CCO Contributing Editor: Michelle Harrington |
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| Jill Hillman (Indiana) Have you always had your dogs on raw? If not, what inspired you to move away from a commercial to a raw diet? Please be as detailed as possible. I had never heard of the Raw Diet before we got our first puppy. Our breeders, Wendy and Victor Sanchez asked that we try it. I was willing to give it a chance and found it to be easy and cheap, so I've kept with it. What was your starting point with information? Did you have a mentor? Was there a book(s), an article(s), seminar, that prompted you to research the raw alternative? Besides the guide that Victor and Wendy gave me, I researched on the Internet and read what I could find and I also bout some BARF burgers and tried those. The raw diet is centred on different philosophies. For example, some people follow the �BARF� diet and some follow other raw practitioners. Is there a specific diet that you follow or have you adapted your own diet after digesting other sources? Please be as detailed as possible. I follow Wendy and Victor's guide the closest - although I know I should be feeding a little more of the veggies, fruit and vitamin supplements. What were the top three things ( name more if desired) that you noticed overall after implementing the raw diet? 1. Less poop! 2. Less pee! 3. Less poop! 4. Less pee! Are there any supplements, if any, that you use to enhance your Canaan�s diet? What do you feel are the most significant supplements that your dog should not do without? I use Omega 3-fish oil capsules the most. When traveling ( on vacation, showing, performance trials) do you modify their diet? Or do carry out the same regiment that they would when dining at home? Same old. I take a cooler full of frozen chicken when boarding. It makes all the other dogs jealous! Do you change your Canaan�s diet according to season? No. Do you have a veterinarian that supports your decision to go �raw� or did you have to convince them? Did you have to switch veterinarians? He doesn't like the bones-he would prefer that I ground them. Other than that , he hasn't complained. He says her teeth are picture perfect and clean as a whistle. How do people react when you mention that your dog(s) is on a raw diet? Curious? Leary? Supportive? People are amazed! They always have lots of questions. I had a woman tell me yesterday she switched her dog to raw after talking to me. She says her dog has more energy, is shinier and seems happier since she made the switch. I was amazed she did it after just talking to me. What advice would you give to someone who is contemplating the �raw way�? Are there ways to modify a commercial diet to receive some of the benefits of a raw diet. From what I understand, grains slow down the digestive system and raw foods have more bad bacteria. Feeding all raw moves things through the system very quickly so the bacteria is not a problem. Mixing in grains slows down the process and creates a problem. So I wouldn't mix in raw meat. I would think adding raw veggies, eggs and vitamins would be good. If you have children, how do they feel about the raw diet? They think it's gross. How many meals do your Canaan(s) get on a daily basis? Can you provide a sample of what a typical daily �raw diet� consists of for your Canaan(s). Please be specific as possible. As a puppy, 2 meals a day. Grown, 1 meal a day. I feed mainly raw chicken backs that I get from a small grocier that trims out his own boneless breasts. They have the skin, necks, organs and sometimes a wing still attached. He sells me this scrap for 15 cents a pound -t ry to beat that! Then about every 4-5 meals I feed them a mushy meal that is ground beef, ground veggies and fruit, cottage cheese and ground eggs and shells. I make up several patties at a time and freeze. I also add Vitamin C, E and omega oil to this. Please feel free to list resources that you think would be helpful for others learning about the raw diet. I wish my breeders, Victor and Wendy Sanchez of MidSummer Canaan Dogs would put their diet on their website! BACK |
| Jill's shiny Canaan crew "Shani" the red gal and "Raizel in the foreground |
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