My Dog is a Raw Foodist (and SO CAN YOU!)
* What’s New?: NOW I’m Back
* Feature Article: My Dog is a Raw Foodist ( and SO CAN YOU!)
NOW I’m Back
Hey gang! Here’s my little niece, Jet, rockin’ out in her brand-new fairy dress on her 5th birthday:
Jet Jammin’ on the Drums
As I mentioned last time, my big sis, brother-in-law, and niece came to visit for a few weeks recently. It was so, so great seeing them again. My Mom and I are actually planning to go visit them for a week or so this fall in Southern California.
I’m so excited! I’ve never been anywhere west of Arkansas!
Anyway, my hiatus is fully over so expect lots of quality content to come. Speaking of, enjoy the following article and some cute and cuddly animal pics. 
Swayze
My Dog is a Raw Foodist (and SO CAN YOU!)
I have a dog named Bean Dip. That’s right, Bean Dip (long story). She’s a 12 year old Border Collie and she’s the best dog ever. She’s super intelligent, really sweet, and just an all-around great furry friend.
What else makes her totally awesome?
She’s a raw foodist (3 years this November) and a fruit lover just like you and me!
Check it out:
Bean Dip Noshin’ on Some ‘Nanas
She absolutely loves bananas and eats them mashed up like this every day. She also really enjoys other calorically dense fruits like persimmons, when they’re in season, and grapes.
I know what you’re thinking: “I struggle so hard to eat enough fruit and stay raw. What does this beautiful border know that I don’t!”
Slow and Steady Wins the Race!
When Bean Dip first started eating bananas (she begged me for some while I was having lunch one day), she could only eat about two at one time. Slowly but surely, I began increasing the amount I gave to her. I would give her little bites at a time and she would eat about 5 bananas or so.
Then I realized it was much easier for her to eat if I mashed them up a little bit in a bowl for her.
Using this method, she nows eats between 8-10 bananas every afternoon, along with raw meat for breakfast and some other fruits during the evening. That’s almost 1000 calories from bananas, the amount I eat during my own fruity lunch meal!
Take it from Beanie, you don’t have to go 100% low fat, high fruit, salt, spice, and condiment-free right away. If you absolutely cannot get enough calories from sweet fruit right now, for WHATEVER reason at all, it’s no big deal.
Simply eat as much fruit as you can and slowly increase your intake as you feel comfortable. Allow yourself time to play with recipes, find out your favorite fruits, and get used to the flavor of simple raw fruits and veggies without having to worry about being 100%.
You can even start the fool-proof way by having all the fruit you want for breakfast, while eating whatever you normally eat (cooked, high-fat raw, whatever) for lunch and dinner.
This is exactly the technique I recommend and explain in The Fool-Proof Transition to Raw, a free 5-day mini-course that you will receive by subscribing to my list.
If you haven’t subscribed, just fill out the form below:
Bottom line: If my dog can ruff it raw and fit in the fruit, I know you totally can too!
Go rrrr-aw and be rrrr-it,
Swayze
P.S. My cats are also raw and have been since 2007, but they stick to meat. That said, here’s a pic of my maine coon, McGuirk:
McGurik Lapping Up Avocado
He also likes tomatoes, cantaloupe, grapes, and ASPARAGUS, of all the foul things. 
12 comments
Glad to have you back Swayze!! And love the pics of your dog and cat.
I feed my dog Gatsby dog food, but he also LOVES lettuce and sunflower sprouts!
Swayze Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Gatsby, what a cute name!
What a wonderful family you have – lots of work!! My friend growing up raised raccoons, but not for long. I think they are not safe. I was going to say maybe raw food makes a difference, but what else would they eat!! You have a gift
Swayze Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 7:51 am
You’re right raising raccoons is not a good idea, especially if you have other pets or children around. They are super cute, but they have not been bred to be domesticated and cannot be tamed. And yes, they truly will eat anything!
Hope you enjoyed your break. Welcome back.
Swayze Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 7:52 am
Not really, I missed you guys!
Welcome back Swayze! I tried a lot of fruits with my neighbors dogs and they both really like dates and only the big one will eat bananas. Bean Dip is a cute name : )
Swayze Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 7:56 am
Oh man, Bean Dip LOVES dates. I ordered about 50lbs worth for myself last fall from The Date People and she ate at least half of it.
So glad you’re back, Swayze!
Our dog is raw too, but mostly raw meat, though he loves raw fruit and green smoothies (when he hears me getting ready to make a smoothie, he comes right into the kitchen for me to toss him pieces of banana and other fruit…he loves the spine/rib of romaine lettuce too). What does your dog weigh and how much raw meat does he eat daily (if you don’t mind me asking)? I’d love to figure out how to do less meat and more fruit for our dog. Do you think they can be 100% raw vegan? I’d love to drop the raw meat altogether…
Swayze Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 11:30 am
Bean Dip weighs between 45-50lbs (a little heavy for a female border collie…she’s big-boned like her mommy!
She typically eats about 1 pound of raw meat in the morning and then bananas in the late afternoon. I actually tried her on all fruit earlier this year for almost 60 days and she did terrific. Better than on raw meat alone, actually. But she still really missed her meat (since the cats still ate it everyday). So now she eats the meat in the morning and fruit in the afternoon.
I thought fruit was toxic for animals!? I grew up being told you can’t feed a dog grapes, apple and oranges.
We have a pure bred staffy. She’s black with brindle coke coloured markings. Her name is Faith. The neighbour that gave her to us at a very low point in our life, named her that. I laughted when the ladies daughter came round and asked if it was o.k to call her that. I said ‘Sure, you got to have Faith to get out walking!’ So the name stuck. And no. We hadn’t gone out that often walking, in the past but we are now.
And she is a sook for grapes. That and strawberries.
I had been feeding her raw chicken necks and meats for 5 years now. She had a skin condition from when ever she ate canned foods. She’d get a really nasty weeping rash that itched her crazy. Vet told me to get her off all canned and go raw.
So we did. Funny thing is. I never once thought how beneficial it would of been if I went raw with her back then. Me eating fruits now. Her skin condition cleared up in a matter of 5 days after going raw and vet says she looks so healthy. We’ve had her for 10years now. So is that 70years in human years?
Anyhoo. She is so beautiful.
Swayze Reply:
August 9th, 2010 at 7:54 am
My dog eats grapes all the time without any problem. That said, it’s a small amount at a time (maybe 1/2 a pound at the most).
Really, your veterinarian told you to switch her to raw?! You’re really lucky to have such a great vet!