With the sale of Natura Pet Products to Proctor & Gamble I was left with the chore of finding a new food for The Three Jacks. For many years they had thrived on EVO, I was devastated with Natura’s sale. That was then …. Now I think of it as the best thing that ever happened for The Three Jacks!
I spent days researching foods, I even switched them over to a different kibble for a week or so, all the while I was still researching raw. Finally, because the cost of the new kibble was just too much I decided to switch The Jacks to raw. It is something I have thought about many times, but thought it was just too much of a hassle. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Now three weeks into their raw diet, I have gotten into a routine and find feeding raw no more of a chore than feeding kibble. What exactly do I mean when I say raw? Raw meat and bones, the prey model. No vegetables, no cooking, just raw meat and bones.
The first raw meal was interesting… We started off with chicken which is what is generally recommended as the first meat you introduce when feeding raw. The recommendations are 2 – 3% of the dogs ideal body weight in food each day. I chose to feed this in two meals, since two meals a day is what they were used to. So here we go, scale to weigh meat, chicken breasts, meat cleaver, cutting board. Each little pile of meat put onto a paper plate for each dog. Petey being the hunter of many things and having just enjoyed a freshly killed rabbit meal two days previous ate away at his chicken with gusto. Maddie, being the little prima donna she is, I thought would look at me like “um, excuse me, what’s this”, Oh, how wrong I was! She was thrilled and gobbled it up, crunching away through the bones. It was Beanie who was confused. He picked up his hunk of chicken and held it in his mouth, like okay mom I killed it, shall I bury it now? Being 12 years old and a lifetime kibble eater I can understand the confusion. So with a little help and encouragement, my holding the chicken and him ripping and biting it, he devoured his first raw meal.
Three weeks of raw feeding behind us now, The Three Jacks have been enjoying chicken, chicken liver, chicken gizzards, and this week pork. I am so am amazed how excited they are to eat their “real food.” They crunch through the bones like little wolves! I have noticed some improvements in a few little health issues, Maddie has always had a runny eye, and it’s pretty much cleared up. Beanie has/had a sinus condition where he would sneeze big boogers – yuck!, well that problem seems to be gone! I wasn’t one of those that would have believed such claims of disappearing health issues, but I have seen the results for myself. Another big difference with raw feeding is what I call the “Poo Factor” – so much less poo, and a lot less stinky! And no more stinky dog breath – I am truly amazed!
Raw Feeding is not for everyone, but if any of you have even given it the slightest thought, let me say Go for it. I can’t imagine feeding The Three Jacks kibble ever again. Of course they still enjoy their organic dog biscuits from Three Jacks Dog Bakery. I feel so good knowing that Beanie, Maddie and Petey are eating totally nutritious meals and treats.
