As I mentioned before I have done a great deal of research and have decided to switch my dogs from dry kibble to Blue Ridge Beef raw dog food. I have been interested in doing it for a while and after hearing the effects it had on one of my client’s dogs I have decided to give it a run. I purchase my food from Scot Rucker at Rucker Pet and Wild Bird. He has been guiding me through the process of transitioning them over. The Ruckers are a wealth of knowledge on all things dog food. I wouldn’t go anywhere else for my pet food needs. In this article I will give you a short bio on each one of my dogs and discuss my initial thoughts on the transition.
We will start with the dog most of you know, Jackson. He is a 4 ½ year old Belgian Malinois. He weighs around 60lbs and is extremely high energy. I have always had a hard time keeping weight on him. He has eaten a variety of dog foods from Science Diet on the low end to Taste of the Wild on the higher end. If there is something better going on he will pass on food every time. About six months ago Jackson started having seizures. They typically happen in the morning every three to five weeks. Blood testing and physical exams have been conducted with no conclusive evidence as to why he is having them.
The next dog we are feeding is my 9 ½ year old German Shepherd Lab mix, Tucker. Tucker is the opposite of Jackson. He is big, 90lbs, and lazy. I have had Tucker since I was in college and he sparked my passion for dog training. Tucker has always eaten dry food and typically eats whatever the other 2 eat. He likes food but is not crazy about it. He has had dirty ears his entire life. He gets the occasional infection but for the most part it is just a black build up. Tucker has arthritis in his hind quarters and has issues with his back. We have tried a number of supplements and some therapy. He also has “dog breath” and some build up on his molars.
The final dog we are switching is our Chihuahua, Martini. She is 9 years old and weighs 13lbs. Martini is food crazy! When I say crazy I mean CRAZY. She will often bark at meal time to get Jackson to investigate, leaving his food unattended. Her 2lbs of excess weight are a result of her antics. I know that does not sound like much, but when you should only weigh 11 lbs it really shows. Martini is generally healthy. Her main issue is bad teeth. She has had several pulled and a few others fell out on their own. Of all our dogs she is the most sensitive to food changes. She seems to have a grain allergy and I notice personality changes depending on what she is eating.
As I stated earlier I started feeding the raw food a little over a week ago. Unlike dry food, when you switch to raw you can just start feeding it with no mixing. At the suggestion of Scot we started with Turkey. I chose to purchase a chest freezer to keep in the garage so I would have a place to store the food frozen. This is only necessary when you plan on buying large quantities at a time. The food comes in 2lb frozen rolls. I let the rolls partially thaw, and then I sliced them into portions for my dogs based on their weight. The portions are then put into plastic containers and stored in the fridge. I handle it just as I would any other raw meat product. Proper clean up and sanitation is necessary. It took me about 30 minutes to prepare 4 days worth of meals. I have gotten my prep time down to about 15 minutes now.
The first time I fed them Martini woofed it down like it was the best thing she had ever tasted, Tucker was a little slow to eat it but ate the entire serving, and Jackson refused to eat. This continued for 2 more meals. I then mixed some canned chicken in with Jackson’s food and he ate it all. From then on out he has eaten the raw by itself, and he eats fast!
After the first week I have noticed several changes with the dogs. The most obvious is that the volume and consistency of their waste has changed dramatically. They now produce a much smaller, dryer, and more compact stool. It is also almost odorless. It appears that Tucker and Martini has started to loose a small amount of weight. This can not be confirmed until we get them on a scale. All three dogs’ coats have gotten noticeably softer. My wife and I both agree that Martini seems to be more loving. I know this sounds strange but as I said we see differences in her personality based on what she is eating. There have been no significant changes in Tucker or Jackson’s personalities. Jackson is still high energy and Tucker is still mellow.
I will post another update in 2 weeks.
