Took Levi to the vet today...he is 10 weeks old. She said he only has one testicle that has dropped so far. Should I be worried? Also, gave me a crapload of lecture about feeding raw chicken due to Salmonella and e-coli. Also, about giving bones to dogs. She says, "Sure, wolves eat this way but they don't live very long in the wild either." I did anticipate this but now I am all freaked out again. She says if I have to feed people food the make sure and cook everything and gave me a menu of sample foods. What do you guys think?

How many cases of E. Coli and Salmonella has your vet seen that she could directly attribute to a raw diet?

Every so often I have second thoughts about feeding my dog raw. Then I look at her. She looks and acts GREAT, she loves her food, and her grass allergies were far milder this past summer compared to the year before. And I read about the results others have had.

You take chances with any food that you feed your dog. There is no food that you can feed that is 100% safe. And I would much rather take my chances with something that I have seen such good results when feeding.

Most vets have nothing to back up what they say about feeding raw. If there was something to back up what they say (not just generalized statements), I'd be a little more inclined to heed what they say. Until then, my dog is going to enjoy her raw food!

Robbin
One of my males got the other testicle to drop by the time he was 10 months of age.Yours is 10 weeks! very very common, don't even stress over that.
As far as the raw I have feed raw for a long time I went 100% raw 4 months ago , before I would do kibbles on the week-ends but now 100% Raw..I have 4 children, and never a case of an bacteria infections due to raw feeding, not to mention I was raised with parents that fed raw to our dogs from the time I was born and never heard of E-coli or salmonella and I was born long ago..
You have to go with what you want to do and not what others want to to do, dread this on raw you'll enjoy reading it and find some answers you may have.
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm#fast

The benefit for me out weighs the risk, and I have 4 dogs to feed raw, a bit costly but I see such a change for the better that I rather spend it on healthy foods for them then to spend at the vet.I had spend hundreds of dollars trying to figure out why my male had the "runs" so bad when I got him, we did all kinds of tests.He was fed kibbles all his life and his digestive system did not agree with that feeding , he had never had a normal stool until I switch him to raw ,that's a fact! Had I done that with him from the time I got him I would have saved $600.I will never go back to kibble, you do what you feel comfortable with but do a bit of research for yourself.You'll see that first of all wolves don't die younger due to the fact that they eat Raw and that's a fact.

I'll jump on the cryptorchid topic...one testicle dropped. As you prolly know, this is something that need not concern you unless of course you plan on breeding. My dog was this way and I waited for quite a while. I believe he was pushing 2 years when I finally did have him neutered.

Good luck with raw. It seems to me this is a very personal choice and quite necessary for you to trust your own judgment based on your own research.

Oh, and I will add if the testicle hasn't dropped by then, neuter is necessary because of the possiblity of the dog developing cancer in the retained testicle.

 Quote: RobbinMann

..... Also, gave me a crapload of lecture about feeding raw chicken due to Salmonella and e-coli. Also, about giving bones to dogs. ....

http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm#vet saves me a ton o' typing!

But you type so well

By what age should I consider neutering him due to them not dropping? I didn't want to neuter until 1 or 2 yrs to achieve full development...? Don't they have until six months or so to drop?

Hi Robbin. I think the two issues you raised - testicles both not dropped by 10 weeks, and a vet not supporting raw feeding are probably very unrelated, at least for now (or maybe never.

On the testicles - is there a reason why this is such a concern at 10 weeks? I'm personally very inexperienced, but our intact male wasn't fully dropped at 10 weeks, and it wasn't a concern. I can't even recall exactly when #2 dropped - that's how much of a non-concern it was. But my guess is at least 12 weeks, and probably a bit longer.

On vets and raw feeding - most vets I've worked with do NOT support raw feeding. I look at the results in front of my own eyes - the improved health of my 4 dogs. They include different breeds, and are different ages. ALL of them are showing improved health since we made the switch. Our regular vet of 8 years can't even argue that one. While he isn't a "recommender" of raw feeding (yet) he cannot argue the health improvements he's seen in my own dogs that he's been treating for years - and the improvements he's seen in other customer dogs who feed raw.

Thankfully, I got a referral to a Holistic vet. I'm taking my female GSD on 1/29 for a consultation, and to check out the vet amd see what I think. I will have a VERY long list of questions in hand.

Enjoy your puppy - that puppy time passes SO fast (well, or at other times it seems like it's taking forever...but that's a different topic LOL!). On feeding, I prefer to trust what is before my own eyes over trusting Pet Hill Products or Purina (or insert other pet food company here).

Best wishes!