Raw Meaty Bones: Promote Health

The scare-mongering review by Michelle McAllister is way off the mark, as is Erin's (but then she admits she hasn't read the book, so no surprises there). Sure ANYONE or THING could choke on a bone, but by and large, animals are used to a diet that involves chewing and gnawing, and the soft foods marketed by the commercial pet food industry come nowhere close. The plain truth is somehow, along the line, a massive industry has evolved to cater for our (not our pet's) every whim when it comes to feeding our so-called best friends. So-called, because if you knew what REALLY went into a can of dog food (visit www.purelypets.com/articles/whatsinfood.htm for an appraisal of what's in the average can) you'd never feed it to your best friend! Commercial pet food is a lazy alternative pressed upong us by mega corporations who have convinced us it is the best way to keep family pets healthy and happy. They make a massive income from companion animal ownership, and sacrificing precious consumer dollars to the local butcher is the LAST thing they want to happen. To the silly people who say raw meaty bones are not good for dogs or cats - I suppose you think these animals are vegetarians? And I suppose you would be personally happy to never eat a fresh meal again and switch to canned soup, spaghetti and baked beans instead? Educate yourselves and spare your pets the poor dental and general health they are no doubt suffering because of your ignorance. Give them a meaty bone! To Dr Lonsdale, I hope it's only a matter of time before your peers eventually catch up to you.

This book is a true eye-opener and paradigm shifter. For years I fed my dogs the "expensive" dog food from the vet, but they still had horrible skin problems, disgusting breath and nasty teeth. I felt so guilty about not feeding my dogs the 'natural' way (blending, cooking, mixing, grating, chopping veggies and meats every week, yuk!), that I had all but resigned myself to overpaying for bags of grain and sugar(aka:kibble) for my dogs. After doing research on canine diets throughout history I discovered a new book,"Raw Meaty Bones" by Dr Tom Lonsdale. "This is it!", I thought. How could it get any easier? Buy a chicken at the store, throw it on the ground, let my dogs enjoy. They loved it, I loved it, and they haven't had to have their teeth cleaned in over two years. The vet keeps patting me on the back for brushing my dogs' teeth. Are you nuts? No way, I just feed them their natural carnivore diet of meat and bones. And to the people who start screaming hysterically about not feeding dogs bones--who are you kidding? Honestly, what do you think companion animals have eaten since they were first domesticated? Huh? Whatever they were given, found, or killed themselves. Kibble is a modern invention, just like processed human foods, and both are high dollar industries with much to lose should we all wise up. Do yourselves and your animals a favor--read Tom Lonsdale's book, and give your dog (and cat) a bone (a big, raw meaty one) today.

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Dr. Tom Lonsdale while he was teaching his "Raw Meaty Bones" seminar at Emory University. Tom gives excellent information that gives you very logical and scientific reasons to feed a natural diet, much like the dog's wild ancestors ate. This book will open your eyes! It will teach you to feed your animals in a way that may have never occurred to you before. You'll be surprised how efficiently your animals will consume their meals, and how completely your animal can digest bones. The most noticeable improvement you will notice when feeding this diet, is that "doggie breath" eventually disappears. Feeding fresh raw carcasses has an extremely beneficial effect on oral hygiene in pets. There are many, many internet support groups for feeding your pet a "raw meaty bone" diet. You can buy this diet in any grocery store, or you may prefer to buy in bulk through a buying co-op or at a wholesale meat supplier. This is a very cost-efficient way of feeding, because your animal will consume a lot less food overall. Try to avoid the pre-packaged raw diets if you can. Although they have many benefits, they do not provide proper oral stimulation, and will not clean your pet's teeth. They also do not support local growers and businesses, which is so important in the current sluggish economy.Tom Lonsdale is a long-practicing veterinarian, who has dedicated his life to promoting a natural way of feeding pets. I thought that Dr. Lonsdale was a very sincere, compassionate man, whose goal in teaching his diet principals, was to truly promote the best interests of our companion animals.I will hope you will read this book, and apply the knowledge gained from it to your own animals health and well-being. I highly recommend his book!

Dr Lonsdale has a long history in studying dogs. With a phD in canines (not just a a degree), he is one of the few vets who can really be seen as objectively analytical.This book is thoroughly researched, and is able to refer constantly to the research done by the pet food companies themselves which show the harm their own products do to our animals.In effect, what we read in this book, is the pet food industry is really no different from the cigarette industry, except it is possibly worse. At least cigarette manufacturers have to now put on their labels the damage their products cause. Unfortunately, our governments are still hoodwinked by the pet food companies, particularly where there are large amounts of money on offer.This book takes you down what is similar to the Erin Brockovich story. At the end of reading this book, you will undoubtedly be repulsed and disturbed by the problems caused by commercial pet foods. You will learn what to feed your dog and cat. After all, if we can feed ourselves and our families successfully, feeding an animal is really not that hard! It doesn't take rocket science to feed an animal.What you will learn is that pet food companies take rubbish, poison, and degraded products, and attempt to turn them into a product our dogs will eat. Dr Lonsdale has done an excellent job on this book and is to be congratulated. This book should be fundamental reading to anyone who still believes the myths of pet food company ad campaigns, and the lies of the most senior of their executives. They don't care about our pets - they simply care about their wallets and profits. And it is our pets who suffer most.

I'm a professional trainer. While the previous reviewer has your dog's best interest at heart, she is incorrect in several statements. I am NOT a veterinarian, but I have an OPINION based on my experience with the raw food diet and I am in the "dog world" where many, many other professionals swear by this diet. It is COOKED bones that are brittle and may cause intestinal damage by breaking and lodging in the dogs' intestines. Dogs/Canids/Wolves in the wild eat raw meat and bones. It is a natural part of their diet. Also, my Golden retriever had constant skin infections and inflamed joints due to the grains (usually #1 ingredient) in commercial dog foods. While salmonella and ecoli are issues to be concerned about if the raw food is mishandled, equally worrisome is kibble which has been associated with bloat which can twist a dog's intestines and may cause death, or such treats as rawhide, which may swell in the intestines and block them. In addition, I looked on the bag of what I had been feeding my dog and the main protein providing ingredient wasn't meat or meat by-products, but BLOOD. Even with so called prescription diets, the main ingredients include grains like wheat and corn or at best, rice, which canids do not eat in the wild in large quantities. Their teeth are made for meat and their guts are made for the digestion of a mainly meat diet. Dogs are predators. Predators eat meat! If you, as a normal pet owner are concerned about how to feed a natural diet, there is a wonderful BARF food supplier in Maryland, which guarantees its product, has all natural ingredients (no anti-biotics and it's ALL organic,) the bones are GROUND up preventing splintering, the company provides pro-biotics to help your dog digest the product and ships it frozen guaranteeing you will receive it frozen. All of the products they offer are guaranteed and manufactured by persons with Masters Degrees in Animal nutrition. Therefore, the average dog owner, afraid of harming their pets due to lack of nutritional savvy, can look to companies such as these for help. I am not affiliated with this or any other dog food company, but my Golden is now 81/2, infection free, her joints are no longer inflamed, she is off of Rymadyl and steroids, has had no need to visit the vet other than routine vaccinations, she still performs demonstrations and she behaves like a puppy whereas before the BARF diet, she would go lame. Also, my mentor in training is a breeder who feeds all of her show dogs the BARF diet. Many more of my breeder friends have all switched to this diet, so PLEASE! get all of your facts STRAIGHT before scaring people. All dog food purchasers, please educate yourselves on this topic. You don't have to be an expert to find a company that is. It may save your dog's life and/or increase the quality and length of it. At least give the BARF diet thoughtful investigation before you issue a blanket statement of disapproval, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVEN'T READ