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I'm excited to announce that my second book has been published and is now available on Amazon.com: Keeping it Raw™, 100 questions pet parents ask about raw feeding for dogs, Volume 1. I came up with the idea for this book a year ago when I began to notice the same questions being asked again and again. I get them via email and private message, in blog comments, and I see them in raw feeding groups.
Keeping it Raw™ is a series of books with questions commonly asked about raw feeding for dogs. I'll be answering questions through my experience as a raw feeder to four dogs and one cat. The books are perfect for people new to raw feeding.
Keeping it Raw ™ Introduction
I began feeding my dogs a diet of raw meat, bone, and organs in April 2013 after finally giving up on looking for a solution to their allergies, skin issues, joint pain, and digestive issues. For many of us, raw feeding isn’t something we intuitively know how to do. We don’t wake up with the thought “Yeah, it makes sense that dogs should eat raw meat,” and then proceed to feed a balanced diet to our dogs. Instead, we start reading books we find on Amazon, follow blogs we discover online, and we join a few raw feeding groups.
Raw feeding groups are Facebook communities that serve as amazing FREE resources for pet parents who want to learn how to feed their dog a raw food diet. These groups may also be filled with self-proclaimed “experts” on the subject of raw feeding and wanna-be animal nutritionists who silence anyone with an alternative point of view with public shaming where people will “tell it like it is” in an effort to “teach” you how to feed a dog they’ve never met and will never meet. Many times, I have excitedly joined a group only to find myself unceremoniously banned or quietly leaving because I asked a “silly” question.
There’s no such thing as a silly (or stupid) question!!!
Yeah, right? Now that we’ve enjoyed that brief trip to Everyone-Here-is-Nice land, I think social media has been around long enough that we can all recall a silly question. The one that is on repeat in my head is “can I feed Cheerios if I ran out of dog food?” Despite how “silly” a question may seem, I celebrate the fact that someone is trying to learn. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve blindly followed someone’s advice only to realize later that they were wrong. And I was wrong for not asking more questions.
What is Raw Feeding for Dogs?
When we think about what animals eat, it’s not a surprise to see lions taking down a gazelle, a snake swallowing a rodent, or a bird capturing a worm. We recognize that with these, and other animals, their diet is species appropriate. Raw feeding is an attempt to feed our dogs a diet that is appropriate for the species. Kibble is a highly processed food made from mystery ingredients that are derived from questionable sources and baked multiple times until a hard pellet is created. When a kibble brand trademarks “species appropriate” and “biologically appropriate,” this is reflective of a kick-ass marketing department and nothing more. Don’t get it twisted; kibble is NOT natural or organic.
Raw feeding is comprised of many things, but the foundation for many raw feeders is raw muscle meat, raw bone, raw liver, and raw offal. Offal consists of (but isn’t limited to) the secreting organs like pancreas, spleen, and kidneys.
What is a Silly Question?
Despite what others may claim, silly questions do exist. What makes a question silly is that the person asking isn’t interested in seeking knowledge. For instance, when I ask my boyfriend what he thinks of my hair, it’s a silly question. Because the answer is, “Your hair looks fabulous! You look younger every year. I am such a lucky man.”
Sadly, when it comes to raw feeding, many of us think that our questions are silly because we’re in the company of more experienced people. So let me clear something up for you—I don’t care how long someone has been feeding raw, we can all learn something new. I’ve been feeding my dogs a raw food diet for more than five years, and I learn something new about my dogs and raw feeding every week. Every time I think I have their diet down, I learn something new. And if I get another dog, I’ll learn even more.
That being the case, the only silly question is the question that isn’t asked. And that’s the inspiration behind this book. As a dog nutrition blogger, I see the same questions over and over again from raw feeders and my readers. I’ve compiled those questions into one book, organized by sections, for your reading pleasure. The answers are mine, with the help of friends who are smarter than me. However, these aren’t the only answers to each question because each dog is different.
My goal with this book is to take away the fear of raw feeding while also sharing my knowledge and sparking a conversation in our community.
I hope you enjoy it.
A Warning about this Book
This book is a compilation of questions I receive about raw feeding. While the questions aren’t repeated, the information shared is repeated. For instance, someone asked me if it was safe to feed raw meat to a dog, and someone else asked me about the bacteria in raw meat—my response to these questions will be similar. Please be patient with any repetitiveness you find; this book is being written for people new to the concept of raw feeding.
You will notice that there are very few brand recommendations in this book. The reason I don’t recommend brands is because raw feeding is a fluid experience; the brands that I like this year will change as I learn more about feeding my dogs or as I bring home new dogs with different needs. Therefore, I find it easier not to mention brands. However, if you are looking for my opinion on a brand, I will be happy to share (contact me via Facebook) if I have an opinion.
About My Dogs
I’m not a veterinarian or a canine nutritionist, therefore, when someone asks me a question about raw feeding or dog nutrition, I respond with my four dogs in mind. Many of the answers in the book will be of a personal nature, and they’ll only make sense if you know more about my dogs:
Rodrigo
- Mixed Breed
- Born 3/31/2010
- Weighs 57 pounds; currently falls in the “Ideal” range of the body conditioning chart.
- Has an intolerance to chicken, beef, turkey, guinea hen, and pheasant. Has a mild intolerance to lamb.
- Has environmental allergies.
- Rodrigo is an active dog with a high metabolism and eats 15-16 ounces per meal.
Sydney
- Mixed Breed
- Born 3/31/2010
- Weighs 73 pounds; currently falls in the “Heavy” range of the body conditioning chart.
- Sydney is our least active dog and eats 9.5 ounces per meal.
Scout
- Mixed Breed
- Born 10/31/2014
- Weighs 75 pounds; currently falls in the “Ideal” range of the body conditioning chart.
- Has an intolerance to chicken, turkey, guinea hen, and pheasant.
- Scout is our most active dog and eats 15 ounces per meal.
Zoey
- Mixed Breed
- Born 10/31/2014
- Weighs 64 pounds; currently falls in the “Heavy” range of the body conditioning chart.
- Zoey is a moderately active dog, preferring long walks to fetch, and eats 8.5 ounces per meal.
100 Raw Feeding Questions Answered
People are now sending me emails to check to see if their question is in the book and my response is “maybe.” The book wasn't written to answer one question; I wrote the book to answer 100 questions because I believe that we have a lot to learn about dog nutrition. Often, I don't know that I have the question until someone brings it up.
Learning about raw feeding isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. I learn something new about my dogs and dog nutrition every week. Don't be afraid to ask questions and don't apologize for your lack of knowledge.
As a professor once told me, the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked. I kind of agree, except, I did read a stupid question a few years ago. A pet parent wanted to know if it was okay to feed her dog children's cereal because she ran out of dog food. Ummm, no, I don't think this is a good idea.
