I feed my dogs a completely balanced raw diet, specifically the Vital Essentials Raw Meat Diet and Oma's Pride. This decision came from very careful consideration and was driven from the fact my dogs weren’t thriving on the kibble they were being fed. The decision to switch my dogs to a raw diet was also a gradual one. My mentor around diet (canine AND human), is Judy Hetkowski of Boulder Vizslas. I was exposed to the raw diet and the concepts about why it is the most natural diet for a dog as I became better acquainted with Judy. She explained how dogs evolved and how raw diets most closely mimic the way they would eat if they were wild and hunting prey/scavenging for their meals. Sounds way too simple and logical but understanding a raw diet is not easy for most to understand. Just as understanding the healthiest foods we as humans, should be eating, most of us don’t understand the healthiest ways our dogs should be eating. In part, this is because of our “fast-food-addicted-to-carbohydrates” culture and the ease of pre-packaged food.

Please see the links at the bottom of this page to learn more about feeding your dog a raw diet and the undeniable health benefits of a raw diet. Those far more educated than I have written volumes on this subject and should be the resources you rely on when researching raw diets and canines.

Back to my first-hand experience and why I hope to feed my dogs a raw diet their entire lives.

Remus was my first Vizsla. He came from “breeders” who don’t meet the “responsible breeder” guidelines found on the Rocky Mountain Vizsla Club’s website. Because these people were only breeding dogs for monetary gain, they never made a single attempt to remain in contact with us to follow Remus’ life, health, temperament, or accomplishments. They don’t even know Remus’ registered name (CH Shakin’ My Booty Rezzamatazz CGC). Given they fell completely away as soon as payment for Remus was handed over, they provided zero guidance about how to care for and train our brand new puppy. So, I went to the nearest PetsMart and bought one of the most expensive bags of dog food on the shelf (thinking it must be high quality because it was more expensive). From the beginning, Remus was a finicky eater. He was painfully thin, eating only the few bites he needed to maintain his energy. And, it wasn’t terribly unusual for him to throw-up his undigested kibble after eating. I researched, posted to chat groups, and asked others for ideas about how I might get Remus to a healthy weight. I changed foods (always to another kibble) several times, tried a number of “tried and true” recommendations to feed cooked chicken and rice, home-cooked chicken soup (minus the salt and other ingredients not recommended for dogs), “satin balls”, etc. I carried the high-calorie Nutri-Cal dietary supplement everywhere, liberally squirting amounts into Remus’ mouth several times a day. None of this worked to get and keep weight on Remus. Once, a judge at an AKC conformation show even scolded us for Remus being so thin.

I added Kosmo, my second Vizsla, to the family when Remus was 2 years old. Sarah Barr of Derby Vizslas helped me learn about quality kibble versus the “junk kibble” I had been feeding Remus. Feeding a quality kibble was one of the requirements I agreed to if Sarah were to give me Kosmo. I readily agreed because I *wanted* to feed my dogs a healthy diet.

At least now I was on the right track with understanding the HUGE difference between quality kibble and the junk kibble sold in most grocery and pet supply chain stores. Remus was doing a little better with the quality kibble but getting him to eat was still a struggle and he was still too skinny. Although he rarely ate it, I was feeding Remus 5+ cups of food each day.

Meanwhile, Kosmo had the complete opposite problem with weight. The poor pup barely looked at food and he gained weight! I kept cutting his food back and he kept gaining weight meanwhile he seemed to have an insatiable hunger. Mind you, Kosmo will *always* work to convince you he needs more food but his hunger while on a kibble diet was almost desperate. Exercise wasn’t the issue because my dogs get hard, off-leash runs at least 4 times a week. I tried different brands of quality kibble but couldn’t find the blend that was right for Kosmo or Remus (the high-protein/grain-free kibble blends didn’t exist at this time).

When Kosmo was 1.5 years old, I added a girl, Lola, to the family. A complete balanced, raw diet was what she was weaned to and a diet Judy *strongly urged* we continue. It was at this point I really delved into learning about feeding raw and why it is a diet most natural for dogs. I agreed to switch to raw which meant a considerable financial sacrifice since I would be feeding 3 Vizslas a raw diet instead of a $45 dollar/40 lb bag of kibble. Considering I had an adult male I couldn’t keep weight on and an adolescent male I couldn’t keep weight *off* of, I figured we had nothing to lose and only healthy dogs to gain!

I saw an immediate difference in Kosmo. He finally seemed satisfied with the amount of food he was getting and his muscles became more defined. On kibble he always looked “soft” regardless of the amount of exercise he got. His coat darkened and gleamed with new shine.

The improvements in Remus were more gradual. He didn’t readily embrace the raw diet but was less finicky. I believe after years of not feeling well after eating, he needed time to learn this raw diet would not make his stomach/GI upset. At 3.5 years old, he was “learning” to eat healthy for the first time in his life. He was still too thin but was actually putting on weight and looking healthy.

I’ve been feeding an AFS Raw Meat Diet for 5 years now and hope to always be able to feed our dogs this diet. It is a financial commitment, costing us hundreds of dollars per month in dog food. This isn’t a decision we came to lightly but we made a commitment to raise our dogs in the healthiest manner we can afford. Given the undeniable health benefits we see in our dogs, it’s a financial sacrifice we’re willing to make.

You can go to John Hendershot’s and Diann Yandrich’s Two Bears Dog Training website to learn more about feeding AFS, a complete, balanced, raw diet.

Issues on Nutrition by W. Jean Dodds, DVM 
Two Bears Dog Training (AFS Raw Meat Diet) 
AFS - Articles On Natural Animal Health
Colorado Carnivores- Yahoo Email Discussion Group
Raw Meaty Bones (Prey Model Raw Feeding by Tom Lonsdale, DVM)

Articles from The Whole Dog Journal (must be ordered but SO worth the read!):
How Dog Food Has Changed Due to The Pet Food Recall
Commercial Frozen Raw Dog Foods
A Homemade Dog Food Diet
Raw Dog Food Diet Recipes 
Home Prepared Dog Food Recipes 
Create a Nutritious Raw Dog Food Diet 
Ongoing Pet Food Recalls
Dog Food Reviews Follow-Up
Home-Prepared Pet Food Diets
Changes in The Pet Food Industry
Pet Food Disaster
Angry Over The Recent Dog Food Recall
Wake-Up Call
Canine Allergies and Your Dog's Health
Dog Food Recall 2007 Update
In the Dog's Kitchen
Is Cancer Prevention Possible?
Holistic and Natural Dog Care
How to Maintain Your Dog's Health