My best friend Kelly has decided to switch her dogs to a raw food diet. This is a huge step for her, especially since she has worked in the animal industry since the age of 16 and has very definate opinions on pet care. When I switched Basil to raw, she was supportive but skeptical. When I started alternative medicine, I could tell she thought I was crazy but she didn't say anything. Basil was sick, it looked like he might not make it, why quibble over food and medicine, when she knew I had tried everything and spent thousands of dollars trying to find out what was wrong with him? He was't getting better, and it didn't look like he could get much worse. So to her credit, she supported me, but thought I was crazy on the side.
I however, was determined to get her to at least start looking at a different kind of pet care, so here and there I would email her a web link, or send her a book. However, the real turning point was when she attended the ADPT conference, and much of the conference focused on natural pet care. After that she started bombarding me with questions, and I loaned her a whole bunch of books to read. Kelly then started her Pit Bull Mix Chauncey in agility and weight pulling. During these classes she met more trainers, and found out that many of the trainers she really respected fed raw.
Kelly has now gone raw, and I smile and laugh when she calls me everyday worrying about bones and choking, what kind of meat to feed, and how much to feed. Mostly because I remember myself being the exact same way. Worried about every little thing, and fearing I was going to kill or hurt Basil in the process.
For myself and Basil the raw food has paid off. People can't believe he is a sick dog when they see him because he looks to robust and healthy. His fur is soft and glossy, and his skin supple and smooth. His ears and teeth are clean and fresh, and he has no signs of "dog breath". For 10 months, he was the only one of my five dogs on a raw diet. I guess you can say I was experimenting with him since I really had nothing to lose, but about a week and a half ago I switched the other dogs to raw and they have never been happier. Emma Lou, who has always carried extra weight I could not get her to lose, has started to slim down quite nicely, and unlike other times I have tried to get her to lose weight, does not act like I'm starving her. Buddy, who has always been my picky eater, loves every meal and finishes everything, even his veggies. Curly, who has started to have quite strong "doggy breath" in past few months, crunches down his chicken necks happily, and I've already noticed his breath becoming sweeter.
Does the raw diet work for everyone? No, it doesn't. It takes commitment and extra time everyday. Feeding raw is not as easy as dumping dog kibble into a bowl, it takes some imagination, and some planning ahead. However, my dogs are reaping the benefits of their new diets, and though there are nights I would rather go to bed then make the dogs' dinner, I think about all of the benefits and haul my lazy ass into the kitchen to make dinner.
Will Kellys' dog reap the same benefits? I believe so, and I also think she will see a reduction in the health problems some of her animals have been experiancing. She is determined, has done her research, and once she sees the positive changes in her dogs, I know she will come to be a believer like me.
