How to feel about raw feedings?
I don't have a problem with raw feedings as long as they are a balanced meal. How do you handle them?
3 Answers
I only use the food my clients provide and I'm ok with raw food. I have a couple of clients on raw food diets and I keep a separate plastic box in the fridge to store their food during stays. I'm fortunate that they prepackage their meals for me and I always wash their bowls after each feeding.
Going on context, I assume "feelings" is a typo and you're asking about raw food diets? Whatever you choose to feed your dog, it's important to make sure the diet you wish to feed is balanced and complete. There are many who claim that raw food is the best option for dogs, but if you accidentally omit essential nutrients or overdo it on fat or protein, the dog's health will suffer. Many pet supply stores sell complete raw diet packages that can help owners learn how to safely build a custom diet for their dog's needs.
Comments
Thanks! Darn auto correct! ??
Then to answer the edited question, I haven't had any personal experience with them - I haven't tried it with my dogs and none of my client's dogs have been on them. I'm with you. If they're balanced and complete, no big deal. If I had a concern about a dog's health, I'd politely address it with the clients.
So long as the client provides the food and are aware that my dog eats kibble (high quality and grain free, but still kibble), so their dog might unearth a piece or two of "lost" kibble in the house, it's not a big deal to me. I've had a client who did a full raw diet, and they just bagged everything up in individual servings so all I had to do was dump the baggie into the bowl and ask for a sit. Nothing all that different from any other dog. Maybe fridge/freezer space might be a concern for a long stay, but for the 4 days I had him, there was plenty of room to store his nums in the fridge.
Personally, I feel that it's not my place to judge what my clients feed their dogs. If they ask about what I feed my dog (and the client with a dog on a raw diet did...and then said they had tried the same food and, while they felt it was a good food, their dog gained a lot of weight on it, so it wasn't the right choice for them (i.e., if their dog found a stray piece of kibble...NBD!)), I will tell them and tell them how I decided on that food. Otherwise, it's between them, their vet, their budget, and their preferences. I supervise meals so that my dog and my client's dog eat what they're supposed to.