On Dec 10, 2006, at 9:22 AM, Don Hogan wrote:

> I've seen comments regarding raw dog food. I'm currently feeding   
> my 2 dogs  a (commercial) raw  meat/vegi mix dogfood. I remember  
> seeing a comment that stated   the vegetable  portion , carrots for  
> example, just runs through. I suspect that paleo dogs were probably  
> 100% carnivorous. Are there dog owners out there that just feed  
> their dogs raw meat and fish only?  Anyone see any benefit to the  
> vegi portion or is it just a waste and maybe even harmful to the dog?
> Don


Yes! Many dogs can eat occasional plants without big issues, but,  
just as with humans, there are some plants with a lot of lectins that  
cause most of the issues. Certainly grains are among those. The big  
problem is that no dog possesses enzymes to break down cellulose and  
carbs, so they do pass straight through. In the case of kibbled grain  
foods, they sit in the gut and ferment, and cause all the same sorts  
of allergic reactions and yeast overgrowth that would occur in us,  
too. But you knew that:), so on to your question: Since they cannot  
reliably convert the compounds in vegetable matter to usable  
fractions, the veggies - not talking grain here -  offer nothing,  
nutritionally. They can cause allergic issues. They can take up  
useful space in a dog's diet that should be filled with meat items.  
And, when you feed a commercially-produced mix, you have lost control  
over what, exactly, is in your dog's diet, depending on some bogus  
nutritionist who has profit in mind to tell you what dogs eat.

The studies we look at involve wolves, in nature and in captivity,  
the closest relative - in fact, genetically identical - to dogs.  
Other wild canids eat the occasional plant as well, but they are  
further removed genetically. Wolves eat carcasses. They remove and  
shake out stomach contents, except in the case of very small  
carcasses. It is vital to feed the whole animal, meat and bone, and  
nice to feed hides and feathers if your circumstances allow it. We  
try for a large variety of animal parts when whole prey is not  
feasible, rotating among species, and looking for balance over time  
of the proportions one finds in prey: about 10-15% bone, and the same  
of organs, with emphasis on liver but excluding nothing, and the rest  
meat and bone, fed together in a chunk. Eggs are fine, and some of us  
supplement with a bit of fish oil to make up for the poor diet of the  
"prey".

Now, you'll find other viewpoints out there, but if you're here,  
you'll know that harking back to nature does trump all the silly  
science. There's a list, about 6500-strong, of folks who have fed  
this way for many generations, and ever so many more "closet" raw  
feeders who don't need the support. One nice thing about feeding this  
way is that it's much less expensive, and downright fun to be your  
dog's hunter, rounding up deals from wholesalers, butchers, ethnic  
markets, hunters, or even raising your own small animals.

Please visit [log in to unmask] There are really great links  
and files as well as years of archives covering every conceivable  
ramification.

ginny, and Tomo, happily raw fed for seven years, and just turned 11.

All stunts performed without a net!