Raw Food Diet- Day 1

Recently, my human and I evaluated a bunch of information on the raw food diet for dogs. After a bit of convincing, he finally let me abandon my kibble for a steady diet of raw chicken wings, raw lamb, bloody oxtail, femur bones, and turkey necks, supplemented with raw spinach, carrots, garlic, and other veggies. You see, I'm a 1-year-old rescue cocker-spaniel who has never really had a stomach that was quite right. I have accidents in the house (sorry dad!) and my poo is, well, a little less than solid most of the time. My human's motivation for putting me on the raw meat diet is to clear up my gastro-intestinal problems, improve my overall health, and let me live years longer than the average cocker spaniel. This is fine with me because the healthier I am, the better chance I'll have of catching a squirrel, pigeon, or rabbit. And the longer I live, the more feasting I can do.

I have to tell you that Day 1 on raw meat has been delicious. For breakfast, I ate two full chicken wings, bones and all. I crunched those bones down and swallowed them. Later on, I puked a little because I forgot to fully chew the bones. No reason to be alarmed though, I ate my puke up no problem, it was like two meals for the price of one. For dinner, I had ground raw turkey with raw veggies that my human blended up to resemble the stomach contents of a kill. I could barely contain myself when this sort of feast came out of the fridge. I scarfed that feast down faster then a plate of pierogies, my all-time non-raw favorite food. As for my nighttime poo, I'm feeling a bit constipated and I haven't let it loose yet, but I'll let you guys know about its consistency tomorrow.

With that, I say goodbye forever to my kibbles and various other non-raw snacks. It's sad to have to put my pierogies back in the fridge, but it's worth it for this raw meat thing, especially when I start to get into the real bloody meats my human picked up at the meat packing store.

Bark at you tomorrow,
Stanislaw

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notes from stan's older, wiser brother:
Tell your human to do their homework before starting the BARF diet. It is important that you get the nourishment you need to be a strong, healthy dog, and so education is a must. While it may seem very overwhelming at first, (I know my mom was a mess with worry), it gets easier over time as they get into the swing of things. My mom found it unbelievably helpful to join a Yahoo! BARFing group in her area and talk to a very knowledgeable person that is experienced in both the raw diet and cocker spaniels. Check that out. They helped her get started, saw her through some of the tougher times, and gave her a heads-up on places to buy meats for wholesale prices.

As with any major alteration, it is important to make sure that you are healthy enough to adjust to the change. Your human should check with your doctor to make sure all is well and you're ready to get feasting on some delicious necks and wings. As with people, a dog with a compromised immune system or other health issues might not do well on this diet, or may need to modify their phosphorous, fat or calcium levels. And also, a pup with teeth troubles may have issues properly breaking down bones. All of this must be addressed before proceeding with the raw diet.