Transition A Puppy From Kibble To Raw Food Slowly
Puppies are more likely to have an easier transition to a raw food diet than an adult dog. But, we still recommend that you transition slowly.
Depending on the puppy, it could take upwards of a few weeks for them to adapt to their new diet.
What to Look For in Fresh Food
Most fresh food services are offered by subscription and delivered to your door. The best ones work with veterinary nutritionists to formulate a plan customized for your dog. They offer options in recipe choices, portion size, and frequency of delivery. They also provide easy-to-understand information about ingredients, feeding schedules, and how to keep the food fresh.
Raw dog food can be homemade, store-bought, freeze-dried, or dehydrated. A raw diet usually includes organ meats, muscle meat, whole or ground bone, raw eggs, dog-safe fresh fruits and vegetables, and a dairy product such as yogurt. Advocates of raw food diets site these benefits: shinier coats, healthier skin, improved dental health, increased energy, and smaller stools.
Some veterinarians warn that raw diets are not appropriate for dogs who share their homes with young children or people with compromised immune systems. Meticulous care is required in the handling, preparation, and sanitation of raw food. Dogs with pancreatitis, cancer, or other diseases may require cooked food. Puppies are also better off having cooked food.
The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes the unregulated feeding of raw foods and discourages “the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens, because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs, as well as humans.”
Starting Your Puppy On A Raw Diet
It’s not wise to mix your puppy’s raw food with kibble.
Because kibble requires a different pH in the gut to digest, it will make your puppy more susceptible to the bacteria in the raw meats. He’s capable of handling this bacteria just fine. But once you add in artificial foods, the meat will sit in his digestive tract twice as long. This means there’s a much greater chance of harmful bacteria building up.
Raw Feeding Puppies | Do’s & Dont’s
If you’re new to raw feeding and thinking about making it your puppy’s nutritional regimen, it’s important to do your homework. In this article, you’ll learn what a raw diet is all about, the benefits and risks, when and how to start feeding raw puppy food, and if and when you may need to add supplements. To get the facts, we consulted with Dr. Jacqueline Sehn who heads MercyVet, a full service holistic veterinary hospital in the Puget Sound region.