Hi, New Member, Raw Feeding

Basil1985 said:

Hi roboboyo,

I think a lot of people are now turning to raw food diets as a view point of being a better diet for dogs, this is a split view and not unanimous.
To satisfy a dogs nutritional needs with a raw food diet is very complex and challenging, not to forget time consuming.
I think this has to be a personal choice for any dog owner as if you get it wrong and your puppy does not get the vital nutrition it needs it can have severe consequences.
Cheese is made from milk which contains lactose. Science tells us canines are lactose intolerant.
If you are sure of this diet for your puppy and have researched thoroughly the requirements needed, good on you.
I would advice against the cheese and try a small spoon of probiotic yogurt which i have used myself and a proven winner. Dogs love it just as much as the cheese and a far safer alternative.

Let me know how the yogurt goes down.

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You are right that the view on raw feeding is not unanimous, but as a raw feeder I disagree that it's difficult to get the nutrients that our dogs need. I raw feed Bandit with the PMR diet and preparing it at home takes about 2 hours a month and he has never been healtheir. Also I believe that OP is getting this from a raw food company, which means they are under the same nutritional guidelines as kibble brands so I wouldn't worry much about that.

I completely agree with you to try yogurt instead of cheese though! I would also try peanut butter (although there is an ingredient called Xylitol that is toxic to dogs so check and make sure your peanut butter is safe) peanut butter is the easiest way for me to get Bandit to eat anything, and I only have to use a small amount. You could also try pumpkin (canned 100% pumpkin, not pie mix) and I've also heard of many dogs that are on a frozen raw diet where things are softer enjoy having things like raw carrots mixed in to give it a bit of crunch.

Of course if none of things work or if you just have a picky pup, I wouldn't fret too much about a small amount of cheese, just be careful with how much you are using.

Basil1985 said:

You can disagree with yourself regarding it being " Difficult "
I said it was complex and challenging to feed an adequately nutritional diet to a puppy.
Their is an element of ignorance surrounding raw food diets, a lot of people are jumping on this as the new fad and hopefully it wears off soon. !!!
To understand a puppies nutritional diet needs threw to adulthood is very complex, I assure you more than two hours a month is required. You should really research this subject thoroughly or i would suggest a kibble diet.
It might not be difficult to change a puppies diet to raw food if your not factoring in the quickly changing needs of that individual.
As for cheese in general, stay away from it, the cheese you are using is full of wood pulp and highly likely cotton.
I would strongly suggest considering this diet if your pup is already being a picky eater. I said to start this is not a unanimous vote, the argument is favourable to both sides if educating yourself in facts is important.
By the way i have used raw food diets, currently using kibble as its generally less time consuming.
Would be great to hear others views on this.

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I'm not sure what you mean by disagreeing with myself.

Two hours a month is the time I need to prepare Bandit's food. Since I am on the PMR diet, most of his food stays intact and all I need to do is individually bag it. The OP is feeding a frozen food from (I assume) a raw food company so I'm sure that it isn't very time consuming either and also has to follow the same nutritional guidelines as any dog food company so even then nutrition-wise it's really not something that needs to be worried about in this case.

I obviously disagree with you on the fact that there is ignorance with raw feeding, as every person I have talked to that raw feeds, myself included, has done hours upon hours of research before we made our decision to switch. And I don't understand why you would call it ignorant when you said that you've tried it yourself and use kibble because its less time-consuming. Raw feeding is also not a fad, and definitely not "new" considering kibble has only been around since the 40's when grain and meat companies had leftover product that they could not legally sell to humans and decided to make a profit off of it.

I'm not sure what kind of cheese you're talking about but I am highly skeptical of tableside parmesan containing wood pulp and cotton and while I agree that cheese isn't great for dogs it isn't going to make a huge difference in the long run.

Anyways I'm sorry to have derailed this but OP I think parmesan is fine however I would try some of the other things suggested like pumpkin, yogurt and peanut butter.

Edit: I wanted to tag some members that would have some helpful advice and are more experienced raw feeders then me. @gnosticdog @annageckos @naturalfeddogs

@jagger Sorry I didn't add you to the list of mentions, I was trying to get back to the post before my edit time expired. Thanks for adding your insight! I honestly had forgotten that parm was low in lactose, I don't eat much cheese.

I also agree with you on not letting the pup get used to a topper for every meal. I think I would use it sparingly and start to wean off of it over time and then only use it in instances that you have to. For example, I used yogurt to get Bandit to start eating raw meals, I didn't use much and basically stopped as soon as he was eating it on his own. However, I frequently switch up my proteins for him and I've learned that there are certain foods he needs a bit of a push with (aka, goat lung and chicken liver) and those I put a thin layer of peanut butter on to coax him on. The problem I find with putting it on every meal is it lowers its perceived value, so when you run into a food that he doesn't prefer, it won't sway your pup to eat.

On a side note, I hope we get to see pictures!

Basil1985 said:

Your think. ?

Should OP give his 4 month old puppy Parmesan as a top up, to encourage it to eat it's raw food diet.?
What about when OP takes Parmesan out again. ?

This forum is ok for debate and discussion about dogs, in all manner of speaking.
If in doubt though, you should consult a specialist as a responsibility.
Especially where health and feeding issues are at play.

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Yes. If that is what they need to do to get their puppy to eat their food then it's fine. I do suggest eventually trying to wean it out HOWEVER I really do not see a problem with a small incentive when it is helpful to a better diet.

This is not a dangerous food. This isn't even the style of raw-feeding I use. This is a commercial dog food, set to the same nutritional standards that any kibble you feed your dog is set to that whether or not you believe is the best diet is still just as safe as kibble.

I understand that I take some risks with the diet I feed Bandit. I do a lot of things to minimize that risk, and the health benefits he has received has made me a believer in the PMR diet. But there is no risks in this puppy food that wouldn't be present in any other store-bought food.

Edit: @timber, same as Jagger sorry I didn't add you I was on a time crunch!