First, I'd like to point out that contrary to many opinions, my dogs are still alive. They have not subcumbed to parasites, perforated intestines, blockages, or a nutritional deficiency..

I've learned many things this year. The biggest is *I* know the best for my dogs. No one else can tell what is going on inside them as well as I can. I AM capable of taking care of my dog's diet, it isn't rocket science, it's COMMON SENSE. While you must understand how dog's work and are made, along with their nutritional requirements, it's not impossible by any means. Any responsible pet owner can certainly read books, surf the internet, and talk to people to be able to improve their dog's diet.

There are many things I've seen happen on this diet. Here's a run down:

No stool pick up. The stools are tiny, turn white and crumble in a day. No need to pick up the yard!

No vet visits. We went through the entire year with no need to visit the vet.

Reduced shedding. The dogs are holding their coats longer, and rolling as opposed to blowing it out every 6-8 months (average for the girls.)

Better Pigmentation. All the dogs have improved color, specifically spectacles & masks.

Better energy. All dogs are active & energetic.

Better muscle tone. They remain in hard solid condition, with less work on my part :)

Better coat. Coats have lengthened out, and are much denser than what they were.

Better understanding of nutrition. I now have a broad base knowledge on general nutrition. It's led me to improve my own diet though not as much as I'd like to.

Individually I've noticed the following things:

Breezy:

Breeze has always been healthy EXCEPT for seasonal allergies (so therefore not really healthy right??) . When I lived in Missouri, these took place from June through September. In Seattle they were March through November peaking May - September. The first year on BARF she did slightly better than normal (while I used Prednisone the first summer I now will NOT give it to her ever.) This year her allergies have been amazing. While she occasionally reacts to something, it goes away and coat loss has been MUCH less.. She has also grown an amazing coat, density wise. Along with this she's been a dog that blows every year May & Nov like clockwork. Imagine my surprise when she skipped the November blow last year and then only blew half the amount in May! Her energy level is high and she has more stamina than she used to.

Legend:

Legend has never had any health problems whatsoever. He has been a nortoriously picky eater though. Keeping him up to show weight was always a battle. It often entailed handfeeding him, and mixing in lots of goodies. A major pain! I switched to BARF just before he finished his Championship. Right after switching he gained up to his correct weight (and has stayed there!) and grew lots of extra undercoat. Quite unexpectedly I might add. I neutered Legend in October while he was in glorious coat. Probably due to hormonal changes he blew all his coat out (even the guard hairs!) and has spent the last months growing it back in. His coat is now twice as long as it's ever been, and he's doing his best to grow in ruff and lengthen his undercoat. I'm betting in another few months he'll look fantastic!

Sabre:

Sabre was still a young adult dog when I switched (not even 2 yet). While he was so young he had already had a brush with death (no, I'm not exaggerating!) due to commercial preservatives. As a puppy he had off and on diarrhea which we could never figure out. When he was 11 months old we figured it out but it almost cost Sabre his life. Sabre has been a major food stealer his entire life. One day he stole a bowl of noodle soup (preservatives abounding in it). He started vomiting that night and continued projectile vomiting for 2 days. The vet couldn't find an obstruction, and managed to stop the vomiting. After 2 additional days of fluids and medication he recovered. After much deduction we finally figured out it was preservative related. He can not have anything with BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin and a few other things. The raw diet has provided him a 100% preservative free diet. While many foods are supposedly preservative free, if THEY don't add it (but the meat plant or middle man does) they don't have to place it on the label. We've proven many foods have preservatives when Sabre's had them as a treat. Sabre's energy increased and while he detoxed some, and also changed coats (probably due to age, not the diet) he is looking outstanding now.

Shady:

Shady has probably had the fewest changes. She has experienced some though. She blows coat much less, both in quantity and frequency. Her coat is also denser and healthier than it ever was in the past. Her muscle tone is amazing and she is always fit and active. She's my energizer bunny. While Breeze likes to play with people (primarily Frisbee) Shady torments the boys and keeps them busy. 

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