This blog post was originally published in January 2017, it has been updated with new information and republished after my dog was diagnosed with EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) in December 2019. Please keep in mind that I'm not a veterinarian. If you...
I transitioned my dogs to a raw food diet in 2013 and began DIY raw feeding the following year. To some pet parents, raw feeding seems complicated; for me, it became easier to formulate a diet that meets my dogs' nutritional needs without supplementation as I learned...
Can dogs eat broccoli? The obvious answer is yes, but not everyone agrees. I received an email from a passionate pet parent warning me about feeding broccoli. “Everyone knows that broccoli is toxic to dogs.” I respectfully disagree but was intrigued. Is...
The myth that garlic is toxic to dogs has persisted despite the abundance of information highlighting its benefits. Garlic has long been praised in natural health circles for its medicinal properties in humans, and when used correctly, it can offer incredible benefits...
When we switch our dogs to raw, we expect a lot of changes beyond an improvement in our dogs' health. I expected shiny coats, less doggy smell, no issues with fleas, and no grass burning when they go potty. Raw feeding held up to the hype. But urine grass burns are a...
For years, I believed that bone barrow was too rich for dogs. All that fat in one (or two) meals can't be good. It'll lead to digestive upset, diarrhea, and possibly pancreatitis. Plus the thick raw bones that are chock-full of bone barrow are weight-bearing bones, so...
As a blogger, I've been introduced to several subscription boxes. I love the idea of filling out an online form and having cool products curated for me. Yeah, it's a great theory, but these companies are working with what they have, which lead to me being disappointed...
This is a question that many dog owners ask at one point. The answer is obvious, but I've been feeding raw for years. For someone new to the diet, trying to envision how much food to order and how much it'll cost drives this question. When I think back to when I...
I've been feeding my dogs a raw food diet for years. And despite how long I've been feeding raw, I still learn something new about raw feeding and my dogs. I thought it would be fun to go back to the basics and explore the WHO WHAT WHY WHERE and HOW of DIY raw feeding...
One of the benefits of feeding raw is the smaller, less smelly poop created by our dogs. According to some dog parents, their raw fed dogs also poop less. I looked forward to this gift from the Raw Feeding Universe, and after four years of feeding my dogs a raw...
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food is not simply fuel—it's medicine. TCM emphasizes food energetics, which refers to the inherent energetic qualities of ingredients and their influence on the body's internal balance. This ancient approach doesn’t count...
When it comes to raw feeding, diet alone isn't enough for me. I need to confirm that what I'm doing is actually working for my dogs and I do this through nutrient testing with ParsleyPet. This is something I do every other year; the first time I sent in hair samples...
Real Dog Box offers a monthly subscription box, which includes air-dried bones, chews, and treats. I've been a customer longer than I can remember, and my experience has been 100% positive. Each month, I receive three bags of air-dried treats and three bags of...
If someone were to give you 100 pasture-raised, certified organic, and humane eggs, would you take them? If you had asked me this question a year ago, I'd say no. I'd try to find a few friends who can help me out by taking some of the eggs, but I'd know that I'd have...
So, why exactly don't veterinarians support raw feeding for dogs? With all of the information that we've learned, combined with thousands of firsthand accounts from pet parents, I expected that the days of veterinarians taking a strong stance against raw feeding would...
I'm a passionate writer in the Pacific Northwest who loves all things dogs. I share what I'm learning as I attempt to crack the code to longevity. Keep the Tail Wagging is a blog dedicated to the dog who inspired this journey: Rodrigo Gauthier - March 2010 - September 2023.