What inspired me to feed raw?

I decided to post why I started to feed raw and what sites helped me along way.

Before I got Saya I got Bella and before Bella we had Dink our old catahoula mix she was 14years old at that time.

Our other two dogs one a boxer other boxer mix or badly bred pure boxer either way doesn't matter..

Pearly the female boxer had to be put down due to her brain tumor she had seizures which were controlled, but eventually it got to bad so we took her into the vet. Junior got depressed and we took him in turns out he had leukemia or something else I forgot. He did good with some meds, but eventually he got worse so we took him in too.

Dink was depressed, but thankfully she started to eat better and did fine

Dink left, Pearly middle, and Junior on left behind Pearly

Our past dogs were fed purina, iams, beneful we switched around to different ones not sure way maybe due to it being cheaper I dunno. They also got cooked eggs in morning and caned food of same companies..

I sometimes wonder if they were fed better quality kibble from pups to adults would they have done better? I dunno..

Pearly died at 13 years old and Junior 7.. 7years old so sad. :\

Three dogs were good off leash

Dink lived up to 16years old before we had to make the decision to put her to sleep she got so feeble she couldn't walk to go out to potty and was in visible pain.

rewind to half year Junior and Pearly died dad wanted another pup. Me and mom wasn't ready we wanted to wait bit more to recover from the lost of the two so fast and Dink had some growths on her.

Coarse being the impulsive man he is he pawns a gun my mom bought for him for Christmas and to get Bella a white boxer from an kijiji ad

She is from a backyard breeder I won't lie about it my dad didn't want to wait for a good breeder and do research he wanted one now.

Bella's sister left and brother left

I doubt it was his best decision coarse Pearly came from a hobby breeder too though her breeder kept the puppy area much cleaner at least maybe that was why Bella had hard time potty training..

Junior came who knows where he looked more like a boxer mix and had some behavior issues..

Anyways back to how I got into dog nutrition..

Call me popeye!

When we were getting ready for Bella's arrival I did research online and were shocked how bad food like beneful and stuff was! Dink and past dogs being my mom's dog me being little kid I never put much thought into it.

I started going to stores reading labals and learning. I picked wellness puppy to feed Bella and she did pretty good on it and liked it.

We got Bella in January sometime and then Saya in jun 20th or so.

Saya was on chicken soup for puppy lover soul so I got a big bag of it and once it was almost out switched her to wellness puppy.

While Saya was on wellness puppy I'd gotten grizzly salmon oil and solid gold seameal to give with her meals which she loved. I also started to add caned sardines, salmon, cooked egg or cooked meat to her kibble once week.

Bella turned year old in November so we switched her to wellness core chicken kind. We then switched Dink to it too. I did it very slowly due to her sensitive stomach and once fully on it she still had gas and some runny poop.

I had mom get the wellness core ocean and switched both to it and Dink did much better poop wise.

This pic shows growth on her body that we wanted to have checked before getting another puppy.

She also gained a lot of energy wanted to go on walks and got up quicker to go potty before she would need help!

I think switcher her to better kibble extended her life some. People always says their dog is fine on such and such kibble well you don't really know till the dog gets into old age and then show it.

Dink is a good example of that coarse not all dogs are like Dink and still are fine on low end kibble at old age, but still.

Oh Saya!

Saya ate her puppy kibble and at age of 6months I had switched her to wellness core ocean she also been getting a raw egg once a week along with her caned fish, and sometimes cooked meat for training.

7months I started to give her lamb ribs plus the caned fish and egg once week and at 8months I switched her to raw cold turkey well chicken. I bought packs of chicken thighs and drumsticks.

First time having raw egg

She didn't crack it herself I poked hole in it then she got it was food.

Lamb ribs yummy This was her first raw meaty bone type item she loved it.

One reasons I switched her to raw is due to her spinal injury as puppy happened when she was young dunno how since she had it since before I got her.

Second reason is I feel feeding a raw diet is more natural type food to give to a dog home made too.

I mean what did dogs eat before kibble was invented?

I love variety raw brings I'm lucky Saya is OK with the variety. I love how much moisture the raw food has compared to kibble. She doesn't drink as much due to it she drinks, but not as much as Bella.

Poop is another advantage it degrades much faster then kibble poop eventually it vanishes into the ground. I leave her poop there unless she goes where people walk, dog park or in public area.

Flies don't seem gather on her poop compared to Bella's I see a few here and there, but not much compared to kibble fed poop.

Easier to pick up too unless she has loose or rocket poop luckily that doesn't occur often.

I learned a lot on raw from various blogs, sites and forums.
Here's list of places I've learned about raw
They are what they eat Has lots info on nutrition, kibble, treats, and raw diet

Masakado shiba inu which is now on wordpress Masakado shiba inu

Nihon ken forum Various members fed raw or half kibble and raw
Dogster raw forums Members can be helpful they follow prey model 

So you are interested in feeding raw Nice thread with useful info helped me a lot 

preymodel.com how to get started Nice guide on how to start up on prey model raw 

Beginner's guide to prey model raw This was made before I got into raw, but I thought I'd post this.

What dog food is right for your dog I don't know really. I feel raw works best for Saya she does get some cooked items for treats which she enjoys.

Some dog owners rotate between kibble formula so they get different proteins, fruits and veggies, some give a raw meaty bone once or twice week some feed kibble am and raw pm. Some feed home cooking and so on.

Which ever you feed be sure it's good quality and has all nutrients they need. Also don't let your diet suffer! :)

I always hear how people feed their dog's better which I think great they worry for their dog's health, but it's important for the owner to be healthy eat good and exercise too!

I haven't drank coke in almost year and I feel much better if I want something sweet I make tea or crancherry drink..

Saya working on 5lb shoulder roast was 9lb at first.

I guess one reasons why I feed Saya raw is I want her to live long as she can and a good diet might give her a good chance at having a good quality of life at old age.

My past dogs ate bad kibble and didn't love to well I mean Dink lived to 16 years, but her body wasn't well so it was hard, but seeing how much energy she gained from eating beneful to wellness core I do believe feeding better diet of food will help extend Saya's life even more. I guess we'll see when she gets old how she is doing.

She looks beautiful and healthy in this picture huh? :)

Her coat is very fluffy and her color is very nice and her energy is great she is alert and loves messing around in the backyard.

She is also a night owl wakes up at 12pm and then by night she is ready to party shiba 500 and wanting to play! I just love her. hehe