Mika’s Story: How it All Began
EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is a continuation of our guest author series. Mika’s Story follows Mika and her health as she switches to a raw food diet.
Mika at the annual SPCA wiggle waggle walk
Our journey to Raw has been and still is an interesting one. Firstly when my husband first told me he was going to get me a puppy I started vigorously reading up on the special care she would need etc and looked at food especially as one of the most important needs. Each manufacturers site was different but all had one definate similarity: they all said never feed your dogs bones. So off I went and bought her what my vet and her parents owners had recommended, Hills Science Diet for large breed puppies. Mika ate that for a year (it cost me an absolute fortune) and I was having to mix cooked chicken breast with it as she got bored of the plain pellets.
While chatting on a topic in one of my facebook group a bunch of spirited Americans got very upset with me for feeding kibble, I got scared almost by their passion and was quite taken aback, I mean they were talking about feeding bones. My head was realing and I felt I didn’t know who to believe anymore. This was after all South Africa and I had never heard about feeding Raw before.
Mika in the water at Park Island
The subject was swept under a mat unti Mika reached 15 months and developed a rash (hot spot) on her hind leg, it took a while to heal and still looked inflammed. At this point I started reading up about the natural way of feeding Raw and looking for a supplier here in Cape town. Well we found one and started her off on their minced up free range chicken meals, they also told me I could give her whole chicken pieces. I can remember that first time, I offered Mika a chicken leg and she accepted it. I don’t know why but I expected her to daintily bite the meat off the bone, instead she crunched that whole leg between her molars, 3 chomped later and a gulp and there wasn’t a trace of that chicken bone to be seen. Believe me I checked, the shock made me actually open her mouth and check.
That was it, we were both hooked after that, the amazement and respect I had to see what her natural capabilities were still to this day baffles me. She is a carnivore and there’s no two ways about that.
That Hot spot healed right up on about a week after switching to a Raw organic diet. Her breath smelt great, her poop was firm and much less in volume, it didn’t stink anymore and turned into white little droppings and my Mika love love loved it!!
And that was the start for us.
