Just like humans, eating a healthy, balanced diet can greatly affect your pet’s well-being, however dogs don’t really get a say in what they eat. Whatever YOU pick up at the store and place in their bowl is what they are going to get.
Dog nutrition has quickly become a controversial topic. I don’t know about you, but we’ve seen some pretty heated debates on what type of diet is best for dogs. While these conversations can get a bit awkward, it helps prove that pet parents are increasingly looking for better options to feed their pet. Also, this demand for better products has caused the pet food industry to create better quality food–which is great!
Last February we began transitioning Navy to a fully raw diet. We started working with an amazing brand we had loved and enjoyed since Navy was a puppy, Vital Essentials Raw. Zach and I were drawn to Vital Essentials because they are such a reputable brand and what you see on the front of the bag, is exactly what is on the ingredient list. Zach and I wanted to share the changes we noticed in Navy right away, but we wanted to really give her a chance to fully transition to a raw diet and also give ourselves enough time to truly see the differences.
If you want to know why we decided to transition Navy to eating raw, take a look at our YouTube video we posted last spring. Instead of repeating ourselves in this post, we wanted to simply discuss a few benefits we’ve noticed from feeding Navy a raw diet for one year.
Smaller, cleaner poops, and improved digestion
This may be TMI, but ever since we started feeding Navy raw, her stool has been (a lot) smaller and solid. In addition, Navy has become more regular. She only poops once a day, maybe two if we are training and she gets a little too many treats.
Shinier coat and less shedding
One of the first things people comment on when meeting Navy is how shiny her coat is. If they are lucky and get to pet her, they comment on how soft her fur is too. Before we transitioned Navy to raw, she still had some puppy fluff on her coat, but she had patches of coarse hair along her back. She would also shed like it was her full-time job. Now, Navy only really sheds seasonally. We’ve noticed significantly less hair on our clothes, the carpet, the floor, and in our cars.
Increased energy
Increased energy? More like nonstop energy! Every since transitioning Navy to a fully raw diet, we’ve noticed she has nonstop energy. We can take her on 8 mile hikes and she will still be ready to go again. We laugh when people say that she must be exhausted after play dates. No, Navy is only charging.
No allergic reactions from food
If you saw from our YouTube video, Navy was extremely picky when it came to kibble. After allergy testing her, we realized she had intolerances to several key ingredients in many brands of kibble. After eating her kibble she would get a little pink around her mouth. We really didn’t think anything of it until the vet pointed it out. Now, Navy doesn’t get pink around her mouth and she will eat all her raw food.
Consistent weight
A fear I had when getting a corgi was maintaining its weight. Low-rider dogs have an easy time putting on weight and have a hard time keeping it off. Though we’ve always been careful with feeding Navy, we would have to add treats or cheese, or something else yummy in order to get her to eat her kibble. Now, she will eat all her raw meals in less than 60 seconds (go ahead, time her 😉 ).
Are you interested in transitioning your pet to a raw diet? Take a look at some of our tips to raw feeding below. Want to try Vital Essentials out for yourself? Their store locator will show you the closest retailer.
- Talk to your vet! A raw diet is not for everyone. Your vet knows your dog better than anyone and can provide you with appropriate feeding guidance.
- Don’t change your pet’s diet overnight. Because Navy was still a puppy and her gut was not the strongest we took things very slow. We transitioned Navy to a completely raw diet over the period of 3 months.
- Whether you are feeding your pet thawed raw meat, or freeze-dried raw meat, make sure you clean your bowl regularly and give your pet access to plenty of fresh drinking water.
- Eating raw doesn’t just have to be about the meat! We like to occasionally add fresh vegetables or fruit to Navy’s bowl to keep things interesting. Navy loves baby carrots, blueberries, and cucumbers.
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