Morphine Kiss
Question;
I have an 11 year old cat who was an outdoor/indoor cat, and recently now only an indoor cat.
Would it harm her in any way to let her now eat only raw? (Gradually) (we also have 4 other cats, 2 of which are hypoglycemic and on special vet diets. Our vet doesn't recommend raw foods for pets. What'd be the idea for my hypoglycemic cats?)
I won't pretend to be an expert on cats but I can't see any good reason why your cat couldn't do well on a raw diet if he was very gradually switched onto it. I would hazard a guess and say you would see an improvement in her oral health [chicken wings can bring up even nasty teeth bright and white] at the very least. I won't make any suggestions for you hypoglycemic cats as I'm not familiar with kitty health.
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Second Question
I have some thick headed in-laws who don't believe "People food" should ever be given to pets.
They also have told me that pork should never be given to any animal.
Is this true?
Raw meat, bones, organs and whole furry animals have been the food of carnivores for as long as those species have existed. Moth Feathers is right- those raw foods are more appropriate for our domestic carnivores than they are for us.
There are several issues associated with pork.
Historically:
This pork issue is an old one that became established before the modern standards of meat inspection and quality control. Consumption of raw pork used to carry a relatively high risk of tapeworm infection, however the quality control associated with pork production today ensures that pork is a much safer product- at least in the Western world. I won't speak for elsewhere. Pork is also notorious for going bad quite quickly-I have found this to be true. It does go bad fast. I buy bags of fresh pork bones and I have only six days to use them before they go off. Any longer than that and they are naaasty, whereas I can keep lamb and beef bones in the 'fridge for twice as long.
If your pork comes from a source which has stringent quality control and you can use it quickly then these two issues are of no great concern.
Fattyness: Some cuts of pork are just downright fatty and can trigger Pancreatitis in dogs. Many cuts have more fat than meat. I don't feed any meat cuts, but I do use pork bones and trim any fat off.
Cured pork products: Ham, bacon and any other 'cured' pork product is typically loaded with salt and should be avoided for dogs, cats and ferrets alike.
So basically, you have to use discretion when using pork products. I don't bother with it except for the pork bones, which I make sure are fresh and have all fat trimmed off.
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Third Question, same as the first, but with a 5 year old dog that has an uneasy stomach, and a 3 year old chihuahua who is picky about anything he eats and gets diarrhea or throws up easily.
Do you know what it is that causes their digestive upsets? What do they eat at the moment and what have they had a bad reaction to in the past? It could be that fresh raw food is just what they need and I would almost certainly try it if I was in your situation...but I would take it slow and be very aware that animals with sensitive stomachs may need quite a while to adjust and can get upset bellies in much the same way a person does if her/she eats something wildly unfamiliar...
I would check out a raw feeding forum for dogs and see what people are using for their sensitive canines.
3nodding