Raw Food

Puppies:

When you bring home a new puppy that was not raised on raw, don't be intimidated. Often times puppies take to raw easily and eagerly There are just a few guidelines to follow to avoid digestive upset as your puppy transitions from kibble to raw food:

1. Start off cold turkey.
Kibble requires a different pH in the gut to digest, therefore it will make your puppy more susceptible to the bacteria in the raw meats. It is safe for a puppy to eat raw but because of this difference between kibble and raw food, it is not recommended to mix them in one. Giving raw bones to puppies is totally safe when providing the appropriate size cuts for the size and age of the dog. Smaller bones are recommended to start with and work up to larger bones as your puppy grows. Never give weight bearing bones of big animals to your dog (i.e. marrow bones, knuckle bones) to avoid potential damage to their teeth. If you have a puppy you are weaning from the mother, raw grinds with bone mixed in is recommended in the beginning until the puppy can begin chewing whole foods.

Important things to remember:

• All puppies, especially young puppies, should begin eating total balanced meals (muscle meat, bone, liver, and organs) on daily basis. Puppies cannot regulate vitamins and nutrients like an adult dog can. Additionally, puppies have a higher amino acid requirement during their crucial growth period. The most important note to remember is to provide muscle meat and bone daily to ensure healthy growth.
• Make sure that any protein was in freezer for at least for 3 days before it is defrosted. Give it at least 3 weeks for pork and wild game and 1 week for fish.
• Even though a puppy's maintenance percentages and feeding frequencies are higher than an adult dog's requirements (adult dogs eat 2-3% of their weigh vs. 3%-10% puppies depending on their age, see the chart below), the recommended percentages for muscle meat, bones, organs and veggies/fruit is the same: 70% meat, 10% organs, 10% bone and 10% veggies/fruit.

When puppies are four to six months old, they will need a lot of food and a good amount of calcium because they are building their adult teeth. If they don't get enough calcium in their diet at this critical stage, they will pull the calcium from their bones which can cause bone or dental deformities. So, give a few extra bones to your puppies at this age. Remember - give only raw bones, never cooked ones as they split and can damage puppy's digestive tract.

If your puppy doesn't eat all the food, it is not a reason to be concerned, you need to weigh what is remaining and save it for the next feeding. It is important to keep a close eye on the puppy's body condition during this period. Percentages and feeding schedules may need to be adjusted depending on the puppy's requirements, these are starting guidelines.

Young puppies are known to contract parasites after birth. If your puppy is showing constant signs of GI upset, it is advisable to visit a vet and be tested for possible parasites and protozoa which is a common cause of frequent diarrhea in puppies.

2. Start with one protein source.
It is always best to start with one protein source and give it for about one week. If there are no signs of GI upset you can start giving your puppy another source of protein.

3. Introduce organs slowly.
There are instances where a puppy cannot tolerate organs and red meat initially, resulting in GI upset. In these cases, start introducing red meat and organs slowly. Wait until you see a good two or more weeks of solid stools before you introduce organ meats. However, if diarrhea persists, please use a more conservative approach and introduce raw proteins slower (see information on transition for dogs).

4. Include supplements (whole vitamins only).
Even though 70/10/10/10 diet is supposed to give dogs everything they need, we shouldn't forget that agricultural soils have been seriously depleted for decades, and this deficit affects the whole food chain and also your fury kid. Also, conventional vitamins are synthesized from ingredients such as crude oil and coal and, therefore, are not as beneficial and sometimes even damaging to our pets. Therefore, you should consider adding whole food vitamin supplements to your dog's diet.

The following supplements can be included on daily basis and rotated throughout a month: 1 week 2-3 of each kind and next week to switch to other 2-3.

• Nutritional herbs - spirulina, alga calcarea, alfalfa, dandelion root and leaf, and organic apple cider vinegar.
• Phytoplankton - whole food nutrition that contains nearly every nutrient your dog needs
• Coconut oil - antibacterial, anti-fungal
• Probiotics - good bacteria that improves or restores the gut flora
• Colostrum - helps to build a strong immune system

Adult dogs

It may be a bit trickier to switch to raw for adult dogs. Dogs as people love fat, sweet and salt - something they should not eat but processed pet foods (i.e. kibble) contain those addictive ingredients to cover up the taste of the poor quality ingredients and dogs have a hard time giving them up. There are a number of tricks to help dogs to switch. One of them is to mix their favorite food with food you are trying to introduce. What important to remember though is that kibble requires a different pH in the gut to digest food so dogs eating kibble have lower acidity in their stomachs. Therefore, you should not mix kibble and raw for the same feeding. The safest way would be a gradual switch from kibble to cooked meals (preferably made in slow cooker to preserve more of nutritional value) and then from cooked meals to raw. Some pets may take three days to transition and some may take three weeks.

Week 1-2:
Once you stopped giving kibble, you can start with your fist raw protein. There are a lot of options for starter protein but it is recommended to use white meat, i.e. chicken, turkey or rabbit. It is also recommended to add extra bones to the first couple of meals to help firm stools if they are loose. Remember never give a cooked bone to a dog! Cooked bones split and can damage your dog's digestive tract. Also always feed meat and bones appropriate to your dog's size and eating habits. Feed small dogs chicken wings, drumsticks, necks. Medium to large dogs can eat leg quarters, backs, or half breast. If your large dog is not a gulper, it is ok to give them chicken necks and chicken legs as well. If you see that stools are firm for a few weeks, it is ok to go to the next step. If you see that it doesn't stabilize there are a number of herbs to use ( i.e. Slippery Elm Bark) as well as probiotics to firm dog's stool.

Week 2-3:
It is time to add another protein. Red meat is very important to a raw diet and should be introduced following a successful week on white meat. You can add beef, lamb or goat to your dog's diet. Introduce in small amounts and gradually increase over a few days. If stools remain firm and regular, you can move onto the next step.

Week 3-4:
Now you can introduce organs to the diet. Organs are very rich. Therefore, start small and gradually increase to requirements. If stool is firm and dark, that is ok and to be expected. If stool is loose and dark, then you've fed too much organ. Decrease organ content and add a little more bone to firm up stools.

After week 4:
From now on all you need to do is to follow the recommended ratios of 70/10/10/10 for your dog's dietary requirements to ensure your dog is receiving the essential nutrients needed. Recommended amount of food to feed is 2-3% of dog's weigh. If your dog is very active, you may need to feed a little more and if your dog is more of a couch potato, you may need to feed a little less. To help avoid a guessing game, you can choose to make each individual meal properly portioned out and balanced. Our team is here to assist you with this task.