The Natural (Raw) Diet
RAW! 4 Paws And More wants you to know that feeding your animals raw is healthy, convenient and well worth your time and effort. If you’re reluctant to feed your animal a raw diet, find someone who feeds raw to their companions. A number of online groups will be glad to give you their reasons for feeding a raw food diet to their animals. Talk to them and find out what made them decide to stray so far away from the mainstream culture, a culture that monetarily supports fast foods for everyone, even our companion animals. And then, we invite you to do your own test and experience the difference! Let us show you how.
3 EZ Steps to Feeding a Meal
- Thaw frozen raw meat and vegetable meal in refrigerator
- Add two ounces of water (distilled or purified) per pound of food
- Add supplements and mix well
Why Feed Raw
Cats and dogs have survived through the ages with paws and teeth that are designed for ripping, catching, and tearing of the animals upon which they prey. These, of course, are attributes of a carnivore. The digestive track of both cats and dogs are essentially identical to the species from which they have descended through the ages, allow for the rapid elimination of that which is digested, so the food moves through their systems quickly. Because they have the physiology of a meat-eater, the caregivers of cats and dogsshould treat them like the carnivores that are found in nature. No matter how much we try we cannot change or improve on what comes naturally to our pets. It makes sense to duplicate what nature has designed in the interest of natural health for our companion animals. Raw food gives them what they need to thrive, which is just the opposite of the so-called “nutritious food” that comes in a can, bag, or pouch.
Raw Food Diet for Cats and Dogs
For most cats and dogs transitioning to raw should be done gradually at first. This would be a good time to read the “I’m thinking about putting my dog and or cat on a raw food diet” section of the FAQS. You should take the time to figure out how your animal is going to respond. We don’t want you to potentially sabotage a successful transition to a raw food diet by suddenly putting down a plate of raw food for your pet without a gradual phase-in period.
Benefits of feeding Raw Food Diet
Revitalize your animals’ organs and immune system; Dramatically reduce or eliminate plaque build-up on their teeth; Read more
Myths of feeding Raw Food Diet
Agression- There is no truth that a cat or dog becomes more aggressive after tasting blood in raw meat. In fact, just the opposite is true. Your pet will have a better attention span and will be calmer when maintained on a raw food diet because they will not just “exist” on a high-in-grain/low-in-protein diet. Read more
The Different Approaches
There are several different approaches to the feeding raw diet philosophy. One is called BARF, which stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. This comes out of Australia from a veterinarian, Ian Billinghurst, whose philosophy includes using raw meaty bone as a large portion of a dog’s diet. Read more
Getting Started
Present day medication protocols tend to make a cat’s or dog’s “gut” unable to tolerate raw food and therefore if your companion is on medication then you will have to make efforts to heal the digestive track before or when starting to feed raw. Read more
Things to Consider Before Transitioning Your Animal to a Raw Food Diet
Ask yourself, “How important is this to me and my animal?” Is it important enough to commit to it for three weeks, three months, or three years? Is it important enough to step out of my comfort zone and ultimately improve my companion’s quality of life? Converting your companion’s diet is not for the faint of heart. Read more