Maybe Raw Food Isn’t Always the Answer
As you may know, when I adopted my second Greyhound, Charles Hobson Booger, III, I wondered if he should be a vegetarian. He had the Big D from day one, so I thought his food was the problem. Luckily, my homeopath recommended I feed him the same raw diet I feed Violet Rays, and I did, but that didn’t solve the problem.
After a trip to the regular vet for a stool test (the homeopath is 45 minutes away and the regular vet is 1/2 mile away), I discovered he had like a zillion hookworms. After that was treated, his poop still didn’t go back to normal. This meant I had a dog for almost two months, and he had normal stool for exactly zero days.
Not good.
I decided–and don’t try this at home–that maybe raw food
wasn’t the answer, so I consulted some Greyhound experts. The people at greytalk.com (all about Greyhounds) and at Naturally Grey (raw food Greyhound people) can’t get enough of poop. They can talk about it all day.
And in case you thought that because they’re all Greyhound people they might agree on how to handle two months of the Big D, think again.
Advocates of BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, or, Bones and Raw Food) insist that any physical ailment can be successfully treated with the right mixture of meat, bones, greens, and supplements, and that raw is the most appropriate diet for dogs, as they descend from wolves. (Click here for an article about how dogs are carnivores that descend from wolves.)
Anti-raw people, like many on greytalk, think the raw people are fanatics, and that high-quality kibble is just fine.
My conclusion–once again–was that every animal is unique, just like every person is unique, and some do better on raw diets than others.
My homeopath recommends exactly three kinds of kibble, and suggested I work my way through the list:
- Innova’s Evo (raw)
- Wellness (holistic)
- PetGuard (holistic)
Evo didn’t help the runs, probably because it is raw and has no grains, and I think my boy Charles needs some grains.
I bought some Wellness and within 24 hours, my poop problem was solved. I’m sure the raw people would just say I wasn’t doing raw the right way. But Violet’s been raw for almost two years, and she’s never had the Big D.
Perhaps there isn’t one diet that is appropriate for all dogs.
