Raw Food Success Stories
"We switched Sammy (Great Dane puppy) at 10 weeks old to a raw diet. We got him at 6 weeks from the breeder and at 8 weeks old he started with horrible skin issues and allergies. They put him on antibiotics and steroids and nothing worked. He was digging himself literally raw. His belly was bleeding and he was miserable.
We went through several high quality kibbles to try and find something that worked to no avail. I finally found out about raw feeding from another Dane owner. I then contacted Natalie who answered all my questions and lead me to the light! We started stocking up on raw foods and made the switch cold turkey at 10 weeks old. I have to admit it seemed so overwhelming at first but it was sooooo easy!
Within 6 days he looked AMAZING! I was in total shock at how fast he turned around AND he LOVED the raw diet! We will definitely never go back to kibble with Sammy. He is now 7 months old, weighs 125 pounds and is 33 inches tall! He loves meal time and we are so happy with the transition."
Melanie
"I'm 5 months in with GImli to the day, and I am really, REALLY glad I found PMR. Five months ago, my dog had brutally awful, dirty, stinky, yeasty ears. After many medications, special diets, daily cleaning, NOTHING would soothe the inflamed ears that he scratched literally BLOODY. I've had to (with massive guilt) cone him several times, and after a shaming from a horrible, misinformed vet, I started looking into alternatives. I'd heard of cooking meals for dogs, and so I looked into that. Which eventually led me to PMR. The first attempt was horrible, I over fed, used ground, and he wasn't fasted. Once I started looking further into it, I discovered the people here who showed me the proper way to do a raw diet. Once Gimli was transitioned, he was doing rather well, slowly increasing meal sizes, less bone, new protein. All was well, and within a week on raw, his ears were clearing up. My boyfriend and I were shocked but pleased, so I kept going with it.Unfortunately, Mr Sneakypup had some bumps along the way with sneaking kitty kibble (bad mix with the raw, which lead to some nasty midnight messes that smelled like death), but once I got him cleared out, we were back on track after adding some organic pumpkin to his meals.Now he happily chomps on turkey necks, beef heart, salmon heads, and some veal liver. Chicken still seems to make him itch more, so I've rotated that out and now I'm looking into adding quail, and maybe a little pork here and there. No matter what I give him, he happily destroys it (except the salmon heads, which take him about a half hour, as he hasn't really figured out how to hold the meat with his paws). I had half a cup left of his kibble and let him sniff it, and he turned up his nose. No going back! Too bad the cats aren't as easy as he is! LOLAnyway, we are fully converted to raw, and couldn't be happier. Even my boyfriend remarks often on how much better he seems on this diet. I can't say thank you enough to the people here who've helped me through the hiccups, all I've learned, I've been able to tell others and hopefully they'll make the right choice for their dogs, too."
Deb
"I started Jemma on mid-grade kibble, which she constantly had loose stools on. I switched to a higher grain-free kibble, and she did better but still had an unpredictable stomach. By one year old, she was starting to get tartar built up on her back molars. Finally, after much research and support I took the plunge and switched her to Prey Model Raw. She NEVER once had loose stools during the transition. That was the biggest sign for me to know that I had done the right thing. Her teeth look like puppy teeth again, and she looks amazing and better utilizes her energy. I feel so good feeding my dog what she was meant to eat."
Amy
"At only one year of age, my Pembroke Welsh Corgi was on month seven of constant diarrhea and misery. He was in and out of the vet’s office multiple times a week during the whole thing, and nothing seemed to work. We tried antibiotics, probiotics, limited ingredient kibbles, isolation from other dogs, fecal exams, (a total of 8 actually) x ray, and the “rice and boiled chicken” approach. Nothing seemed to work for more than two or three days, and each time the diarrhea seemed to come back with an angrier vengeance. It got so bad that he was having to go multiple times throughout the night, and could not hold his bowls for more than an hour or two. He had lost over four pounds, which for a dog that is lean and healthy at 20lbs, is one fifth of his body weight.After trying everything, my vet came to the conclusion that Grissom’s body is unable to handle the carbs in his food. He recommended “steroid therapy” in which I would bring him in every two weeks for a steroid shot, as well as the highest does of antibiotics he could give a dog of his size, a dose so high I would have to watch for lack of coordination, ability to walk straight, and dragging of back legs. These treatments would be needed for the life of the dog. (a 1 year old PWC with a life expectancy of about 14 years) He also wanted to put him on a VERY expensive, low quality Hills RX food.I was not comfortable with all of these chemicals and drugs being pumped into Grissom’s little body, all for the sake of dealing with the high amount of carbohydrates found in all commercial kibble. I decided to put Grissom on a prey model raw diet, which he started on November 2nd, 2009. After 7 months of total liquid diarrhea and extreme weight loss, two days into raw feeding, Grissom had solid stools, and as of Feb. 2010, has NEVER had liquid stools, or even less than solid stools. Two days showed signs of great improvement for seven months of damage.I am happy to say that just three months into raw feeding, Grissom no longer has a doggy odor, has pearly white teeth, and has every bit of his enthusiasm for life back. His stools are solid, and tiny. His coat is so soft and shiny, and his body condition is amazing. He loves meal time and handles every kind of meat we give him just fine. I truly believe that a prey model diet saved my Corgi’s quality of life, if not his life itself. I guess that’s what happens when you stop pretending your dog is an omnivore, and feed him like the carnivore he was created to be."
Linsey
"My old lab/shepherd mix, Kati got hit by a car when she was 1 1/2 years old. She managed to pull through with three broken legs and the vets told us that she would have kidney problems her whole life and probably only live another 7 years. They put her on Hills Prescription Science Diet K/D to help with this. During the next several years, her quality of life dropped drastically. She limped horribly from the broken legs, which was to be expected. However, she also had random bouts of vomiting and diarrhea so her weight fluctuated every couple of months from being overweight to underweight, it never seemed to be at the healthy marker. Her fur started falling out in clumps, she had a raging yeast infection in her ears, her stools were always very soft, and her teeth were mostly yellow and brown by the time my mom put her into my full-time custody in February 2008.Miraculously, she had made it to be 10 years old by this point.I had done enough research on dog food by this point to determine that the prescription food she was on was total garbage and probably the cause of most (if not all) of her problems. I switched her to a mid-grade food and the only thing that got even slightly better was her stools, but not by much.I finally took the plunge and switched her to prey model raw in September of 2008 and boy did I notice a difference! Her fur got super soft and shiny, it stopped falling out all the time (though she still sheds seasonally, being a GSD mix). Her energy levels shot through the roof and she now loves to do the “Kati dance” whenever she sees her leash, she loves to go for walks and can even out-sprint me. Her stools are now consistently nice and firm and she hasn’t had any vomiting or diarrhea since she was switched. Her ear yeast infection is finally starting to clear up, and her teeth are nearly pearly white again with no traces of brown and very little yellow. Prey model raw has literally saved her from a life of misery. She is now a happy, spunky old 12 year old gal!"
Rachel
"For the first 8 months of Cali’s life, that poor dog had virtually constant diarrhea. Even if we were lucky enough to have days where it would be a little more firm, she was still going 5-6x/day, and in large amounts. It was hard for her to gain weight. The vet kept telling me she needed at least two pounds–and she looked it. There’s trim and athletic, and there’s skinny and unwell looking. She was often the latter. Something was just not right with my dog.
While on kibble, she was on Wellness, Evo, California Naturals, and Orijen–using tiny little bits at a time to change from one food to another. NOTHING worked. She pooped constantly. Fecal sample after fecal sample–7 total–at $43/pop were adding up. We ended up on some crap Rx food not knowing where else to turn, and that did nothing.
After months of the pudding poop or looser, stench that would nearly knock me over (Orijen was the worst), and 5-6x/day voids, I switched to raw with the help of the wise people here. Her poops have been as perfect as can be from the second day after the switch to now–5 weeks into it. Raw-fed dogs have a certain look, an intangible “something” the people comment on. Cali now has it, with everyone commenting how incredible she looks, how her eyes and coat shine. I swear her jaw muscles and her shoulders are more built up. She looks buff! Her poops are small and formed. The quantity is a fraction of what it was, and she only goes 2-3x/day in much smaller amounts. Every time she goes I still tense up waiting for the mess. Finally, I’m starting to relax.
If people want to stay on kibble, certainly one has a right to do so. But, in the end, I am thankful her intestinal issues led me to raw feeding–and breaking me free from the corporate dog food marketing machine. I know I’m never looking back. It is so gratifying to feed your dog real food. And once you do so, and see how they respond, you know it’s the right thing. I just wish Cali would not have had to endure those many months in intestinal, gurgling, discomfort."
Linda P
"Our Success Story starts with my girl Casey. Casey is the main reason why I decided to take the time and read up on RAW feeding. I knew she had to have an allergy to kibble. The vet was always saying, FLEA ALLERGY! I didn’t buy it, not when she didn’t have a flea on her.
The poor girl dug herself raw every day, all day. It was horrible to watch her suffer as I continually fed her kibble.
Then one day, I got sick of it and thought, there has to be a better way to feed this dog. I found this place and broke google trying to read everything I could. About 3 weeks later, I decided that I would go for it and feed Casey and her sis Ava a whole chicken fryer cut in two. Poor DH was devastated thinking he was going to get a stuffed chicken for dinner and here I am, feeding it to the dogs! lol
I waited, and waited and waited for her skin to heal. It was a long, slow recovery but well worth it! In the last few months, she has finally healed and now she looks healthy. She doesn’t stink and her hair is so soft! I love touching her butt now and her energy level is through the roof! I love telling her what a pretty girl she is!
She loves RAW and is patiently waiting for me to open her swimming pool so she can go swimming!"
BGBY
"I have been raw feeding since November 2008. Before I started feeding raw, I was feeding Wellness. My dog, Tiger, was doing okay on that, but he was still shedding heavily, didn’t have that much energy, and his coat was kinda dull. He was always like that on commercial foods.
Then, I heard about this thing called a raw diet. I thought it was crazy… your dog would choke on bones and get salmonella, right? But I was wrong. After doing some research, I found that many successful dog people feed this diet and their dogs thrive. So I looked into it some more. After awhile, I bought some raw chicken legs and started feeding!
A few weeks later, my dog’s coat was shining, his teeth were MUCH whiter, he was hardly shedding, and he acted like he was only 2 years old! (He was 8, I think, when I switched to raw).
I love this diet, and what it has done for my dog!"
rawfeederr
"My boy, Jake, was a happy healthy pup until he reached the age of 7 months. then, back in November 2009, he started to lose the fur around his eyes, and he developed a really bad ear infection. he was given ear drops which helped, but his eyes just got worse. he lost more fur, and started losing it around his muzzle too. he also developed sores around his eyes and muzzle, that would bleed and cause him loads of pain.
We spent 6 months going back and forth to the vets, achieving nothing. the vet was adamant it was a mite of some sort, but even after using stronghold it was still here! so she eventually admitted it was an allergy (i said thats what i thought it was back in November!). he went on an elimination diet, and we soon discovered he is allergic to wheat and grain. he was put on a hypoallergenic food, but i didnt want him to be on that one kind of food for the rest of his life, so i researched feeding him raw (i did back in December but it seemed so daunting so i didnt take the plunge). it seemed so great, so i decided to just go for it. and boy am i glad it did! he is doing great, his teeth are amazing, his coat is shiny and people are always commenting on how great he looks.
He couldn't be happier with his diet, and gets excited when its dinner time (something he never did when he was on dry food)! and i love the benefits! i also thought it would be really expensive, but it isnt at all!
so we are happy raw feeders."
lozzibear