Starting a new puppy on raw?



Prayers please
Barked: Sun Oct 7, '12 5:32am PST 
I'm planning on picking out a cattledog puppy in the next few weeks. The breeder will most likely be feeding kibble and I'm wondering the best way to switch to raw?

I fed my last dog raw I bought from a rough collie dog breeder (whole turkey, eggs, vegetables and whole chicken all ground up into a sausage type roll) but I'd prefer to make it myself this time around. Karma did well on it, but my question is, how good a diet is it? Is there missing something important? I would prefer not to feed red meat because of all the beef recalls this month, and I heard it is best to start with chicken anyways.

Also, does anyone have any blender recommendations? I'm not sure which ones and grind up bones or not.

the chi-weenie
Barked: Sun Oct 7, '12 7:14am PST 
A lot of people switch cold turkey no matter what the age of the dog, you should probably give him small bite sized pieces of raw meat to see how he handles it first and to prepare his system. He's a puppy so he should transition easier than a dog whose been fed kibble his whole life.

chicken is only recommended at the beginning because it is not as rich as red meat (easier to digest, although some dogs can have allergies to chicken). Also because it has lots of edible bone. You feed this whole, don't grind it up.

Once your dog seems to be doing fine on raw chicken, you can start on the actual diet: prey model raw is not what you've described, but instead it is 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other organ. (veggies and things are not necessary in this diet, but can still be fed as extra if you want).

Red meat is actually preferred because it is going to be the most nutritious for your dog. (more vitamins, protein, and stuff).

Feeding ground is still better than kibble, but consider feeding whole pieces because a diet of whole pieces of meat and meaty bones is going to keep your dogs teeth and breath amazing.

Do you even- lift?
Barked: Sun Oct 7, '12 7:39am PST 
Bone-in chicken is a good starting place because it's fairly bland and bone helps to firm up stool. Young puppies usually adjust quickly because they haven't been on kibble for more than a few weeks. I didn't really have a chicken only period with my eight week old pup, other than his first meal. As long as stools are looking good, you can start introducing new proteins. Organs should be incorporated slowly and fed with boney meats, as they're very rich and tend to cause loose stools.

You definitely need to include red meat in your pup's diet. Once he's switched over, you'll want to feed at least 50% red meat, as chicken isn't very nutritious, and your pup will be growing very quickly and need the nutrition.

The only thing most prey model diets is missing is omegas, unless you'll be feeding mostly grass fed meat, which can be replaced in the form of fish oil or by feeding oily fish like sardines.

Whole foods are preferable to ground. Bones are the part of a raw diet that keep teeth clean. They're especially great for puppies because it keeps them busy, and gives them a physical and mental workout.

I'd definitely recommend giving Chance's Beginner's Guide To Prey Model Raw a read through for all info you should need on feeding prey model.


Cry cry cry!
Barked: Sun Oct 7, '12 1:49pm PST 
First night Ridley was here he ate nothing but canned pumpkin- didn't want to deal with the poops.

From there I switched to what I was going to feed. He had some kibble, but for the most part I cold turkey switched him over to raw/Honest Kitchen with edible bone meals (mostly frozen turkey necks, as anything else he swallowed whole) given intermittently.

Shouldn't have a problem switching a younger pup over, though I was pretty happy with the results of doing a one-day pumpkin fast first.