Molly has been diagnosed with IBD and the vet is recommending changing her diet and to consider feeding a 'raw' diet.
Does anyone currently feed a 'raw' diet and if so, what are you feeding?
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Valerie
I do hope that Mark (with Snowman) pops in here and gives you and update on him and Snowman. I believe Snowman (his raggie) suffered with it for years, and he has only recently started using the raw diet and found that it has really impoved Snowman and his IBD
well i dont feed a full raw diet.
but titan loves his chicken mince..or any kind of mince as well.
but depending where ur situated i understand that is not viable?
Australian raw meat is pretty good.
what about some fresh fish?
we feed titan chicken mince at dinner as well as a free roam of biscuits during the day. but boy does he hold out for htat chicken mince LOL
Be sure to understand the status of the raw meat available. In the US, the raw meat supply is accepted to be contaminated and needs cooking to relatively high temperatures to make it safe. There are many dietary alternatives to try before accepting the risks of raw meat.
Firstly, I'm sorry Molly is having IBD symptoms. I hope you find a solution soon.
Teddy's breeder and a number of the breeders in my area (western Canada) are big proponents of raw food diets. If I could get Teddy to eat it, I would give him raw food, but he's super picky.
There's an excellent U.S.-based web site that dispels a lot of the myths about raw food diets, gives important information on how to supplement raw food diets, and where you can get raw food. You'll find it at
http://www.catnutrition.org
One company that prepares raw food diets is Nature's Variety. You can buy their frozen patties and then defrost as needed. This is their web site:
http://www.naturesvariety.com/raw_QandA
Coral
Look behind these sites for any scientific studies. They are absent. Fortunately, the Winn Foundation is funding a study of a raw meat diet. So far, all of the studies indicate dangers and do not confirm any benefits. What IS known is that the raw meat supply is accepted to be contaminated. Ask yourself if you would feed any other food that was accepted to be contaminated in the form you offered it to your cat.
Watch the claims for the benefits of these diets. They are across the board preventative for ALL health problems, just like snake oil was. ; ) Yet none of these claims have been confirmed by scientific research and feeding trials. And that is an indication of the underlying truth of the claims. Be very doubtful.
When you have a known contaminated source, then the LEAST you can do before deciding to feed it is make sure the claimed benefits have been confirmed by scientific study. Do not turn your own cat into a raw food experiment lab rat.
An open mind is a wonderful thing, and it sounds like Molly's vet is open minded and progressive.
Valerie - I would talk to people who have successfully helped their cats overcome IBD and use their knowledge and experience as your guide.
As Teresa mentions in her post above, Mark would be a great person to connect with. You may want to PM him at Mjl1297 about how Snowman is doing.
Open mindedness? I think you are confusing that and gullibility when it comes to feeding raw meat. If there are benefits, then they need to be identified and explained - and that will take scientific research. THEN, and only then, one can go about getting the benefits without the risks of feeding a contaminated food source, unless one believes it is the contaminants that are providing any benefit.
We feed our German Shepherd a partial raw diet. He is so healthy and beautiful. We get our food from a company call AFS (Animal Food Services) out of Wisconsin. I am not sure if they have cat food but you could check.
Thanks for the feedback and comments. I'll continue researching and will check the various sites that were recommended.
BTW - I am in Arizona, so I would be dealing with the meat in the US.