Smokey Does It Raw

When Smokey reached a year in August of 2010, it was time to wean him off the puppy kibble and segue into an adult dog food. When I started to mix an adult formula into his puppy food, he started to lose interest in it. I tried samples of several different holistic brands and he wouldn’t eat, even going back to the puppy formula he’d grown on with no success. After rejecting his food for a couple of days (but still eating treats), I started to get very nervous, and Smokey started to get lethargic.

I had certainly heard of the raw diet for dogs, and even read a book about it, but I was apprehensive. I had heard of tremendous success stories about dogs on a raw diet who never had to go to the vet except for requisite inoculations. I thought about the other side of the argument, most specifically about the cost and time investment in providing a dog with a raw diet. A healthy raw diet for dogs is time-consuming to prepare and can cost at least twice that of commercial dog food, which is comparatively dirt cheap and designed for convenience. But after learning that some dog food manufacturers fund veterinary schools, my natural skepticism couldn’t help but wonder if those same manufacturers who put veterinary students through school might also integrate elements that would help the graduates “get more business” down the road. (I have absolutely no proof of this. This is my own natural distrust of large corporations.)

Since Smokey wasn’t eating any of the commercial dog foods I tried (7 different brands), the raw option was ripe for a go. I have absolutely NO veterinary training. This is only my experience with my dog…

At the end of Day Two of Smokey’s hunger strike, I went to my local doggy daycare place, desperate to buy some tracheas, bully sticks and other natural animal treats that Smokey loved so that he would at least eat something. The owner, who knows me and Smokey, happened to be there and saw how frustrated I was. I needed help, and I explained the situation. His sage suggestions restored my sanity and serenity.

First, he refused to sell me any treats. “No treats for a week.” Instead, he suggested I go to the pet store for something called NutriCal, a high-calorie nutritional supplement for dogs and cats, to maintain Smokey’s energy and caloric intake. I heeded his further suggestions to the letter and prepared steamed chicken for Smokey for a whole week, starting with just chicken (soupy poop) then gradually weaving in sweet potato (orange poop) and brown rice (disco poop). He ate the chicken like it was going out of style. Apparently all dogs love chicken.

Then, at the end of the steamed chicken week, I started to integrate a prepared raw frozen dog food called Primal. This specific formula is chicken-based, which makes sense since Smokey is part Lab, i.e. a bird lover. The ingredients are amazing:

Chicken, Chicken Necks, Ground Chicken Bones, Chicken Hearts, Organic Kale, Organic Carrots, Organic Yams, Chicken Livers, Organic Broccoli, Organic Apples, Organic Ground Flaxseed, Cranberries, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Parsley, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Kelp, Alfalfa, Mixed Tocopherols (source of vitamin E).

I almost wanted to eat it myself. The ingredients are essentially pulped and frozen into nuggets or patties, depending on one’s serving preference. Based on Smokey’s weight, he gets twelve nuggets per day (six per meal). I could not have been more thrilled with the result, and Smokey absolutely LOVES it. When he started to devour his food, I sighed the biggest sigh of relief I can remember. And let’s be frank: some days the little fucker is eating better than me.

Today, his energy is abundant, his coat is shiny and gorgeous (people comment on it all the time), and he just generally seems like an extremely happy and healthy dog. And his poop? Rock star. Solid, dense and easy to pick up.

Of the many ostensible benefits of his raw food, it is very nutritionally dense. He poops about half the amount he used to because he’s actually using most of what he eats. And the oils and moisture naturally present in the raw food keep the moisture in his body up, which means he drinks less water.

As I mentioned before, the raw diet is certainly more expensive than the dry or canned foods. There is a certain cap that people may be willing to hit in terms of feeding their pet. It costs me about $30 to feed a 33 lb. dog each week. To me, that’s nothing. I’d pay twice that. He’s my boy. Here’s the why…

When I saw the little eyes on this helpless creature looking at me through the bars of his crate on the adoption truck, I made a promise. I promised him that I would take care of him. I promised him that I would feed him, keep him warm and make him feel safe. I promised him that I would give him the best life I possibly could. I promised him that I would love him. And I do.

I invited this dog to live with me and share my home, which means he can lie on my couch or any of my chairs and sleep in my bed with me. (Yes, we have very definite rules in the apartment, but the moment I put him on the floor of my home, it became his home, too.) The joy I’ve gotten from this whole journey so far with Smokey is positively immeasurable. And when it comes to his well-being, I will go to great lengths and I won’t skimp on anything. He’s not just a dog. He’s my dog. That’s how we roll.

I must emphasize, though, that the raw diet may not be for every dog or cat. And there are other frozen raw brands on the market. This is just what happens to work really well for Smokey.

Link:
Primal Pet Foods