Why I Switched to Raw - My Dog's Health Transformation

The Kibble Days

I spent the first two of my dogs' lives feeding them high-quality, super expensive kibble. You know, the kind that’s supposed to make you feel like you’re doing the best for your dogs. I was paying $95.99 for a 26-lb bag of Fromm’s Salmon À La Veg. With my two large dogs eating 6 cups a day, that bag barely lasted me about 17 days. So I was spending around $274.79 a month or about $5.54 a day on kibble alone.

And yet, despite the cost, Arya, my Doberman, had the worst coat. Like, seriously terrible. But everyone reassured me with, “Oh, Dobermans just have bad coats.” Really? That’s it? I’m just supposed to sit back and accept that my dog’s itchy, flaky, dandruff-covered skin and stink are normal? Her coat was so waxy, and she smelled awful. No one wanted to touch her. Even I didn’t want to touch her sometimes, and that’s saying a lot!

I’d always had my eye on raw feeding, but what I saw at the pet store was ridiculous. A 4-lb box of Big Country Raw Beef Dinner (which wasn’t even complete and balanced) was $23.99 before tax. My dogs eat 3 lbs a day, so that would've cost me around $18 a day just to feed them, or $540 a month. Uh, no thanks. That was just not happening.

Then, by some miracle, one of my boarding clients introduced me to Canino. I checked them out and thought, “Wait, is this real? How is this so affordable?!” Honestly, I was a little skeptical at first, but after visiting their store and meeting the family that runs it, everything clicked. They’re able to keep prices low because they do everything in-house.

Canino’s food is 100% human-grade and all-natural, and their most expensive recipe, Premium Mix, is complete and balanced. It’s only $90 for 40 lbs, which means I can feed my dogs for $6.75 a day. That’s about $200 a month. I was blown away by the savings compared to other raw brands, and my dogs are getting top-notch food.

The Switch: Detox Drama and the Glow-Up

I’ve gotta be real with you—when I first switched my dogs to raw, things got worse before they got better. Detoxing from a processed, high-carb kibble diet takes time, and it wasn’t pretty. Their symptoms flared up at first, but I’d done enough research to know this was normal. After about a year of feeding raw, they’ve completely detoxed, and the difference is unreal.

Arya, my "Dobermans just have bad coats" dog, now has a coat that feels like silk. It’s shiny, smooth, and she’s not itching or flaking anymore. No more waxy coat, no more stink. And Skyla, my Belgian Malinois, had ear infections constantly while she was on kibble. We were feeding them Fromm’s Salmon À La Veg, but no matter what, her ears were always gross. After switching to raw, her ears are so clean that I literally never have to touch them. It’s like a complete 180.

And let’s not forget the teeth. On a high-carb kibble diet, plaque builds up and leads to some gnarly dental issues. Since switching to raw, my dogs’ teeth stay naturally clean. I haven’t had to do a single cleaning, and their breath is so much better. Their poops? Half the size, way less frequent, and they decompose super fast. Watching the transformation has been so cool—it’s like their bodies are finally functioning the way they should.

Saving Money and Keeping My Dogs Healthy

Switching to raw hasn’t just improved my dogs’ health; it’s saved me a ton of money. I’m all about holistic remedies now, which means way fewer trips to the vet. I’m not spending money on prescriptions, flea and tick preventatives, or any of those “normal” issues like ear infections or itchy skin. I’ve even cut back on vaccines (within reason, of course).

All in all, raw feeding has been a total game-changer for me and my dogs. They’re thriving, and it’s made me realize just how not normal those “normal” issues actually were. If you’ve ever thought about switching to raw, I’d say go for it. You’ll save money, and your dogs will thank you!