I have commenced the raw diet, and i have questions!

This is a dedicated place for all of your questions and answers about Raw Diets. There are also some really cool groups like "Raw Fed" on the topic you can join. This forum is for people who already know they like the raw diet or sincerely want to learn more. Please remember that you are receiving advice from peers and not professionals. If you have specific health-related questions about your dog's diet, please contact your vet!

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Member Since
05/23/2012

Barked: Wed May 23, '12 5:36am PST


	Hey guys, i have started my 9 week puppy on a raw meaty bones diet. For the first day, i gave him drumsticks, and with some lamb mince. I have now started him on chicken quarters as well, and i am striving to feed him about 3% of his projected adult weight ( which is about 34 kgs). Overall, he seems to love this diet. The breeder recommended Supercoat Puppy by Purina, and i bought a bag just to ease the puppy in slowly. I noticed that his stools were smelly and not so firm on the kibble diet. Once i changed it to raw, his stools became alot firmer. However, i notice that some parts of his stool will have a reddish hue to it. It certainly looks bloody to me. I am guessing its either his reaction to this new diet, or perhaps the bloody marrow from the bones. I am really not sure, and i am preety worried about this. Could any seasoned feeders here enlighten me on this? Much appreciated!

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Saya

I want to play!

Barked: Wed May 23, '12 9:03am PST


	Happened to Saya once or twice when new to raw she didn't do it anymore once used to it. How does the poo look white or chalky or normal? Too much bone will cause this in Saya too. I dunno.

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Trigger

*Blackdog*

Barked: Wed May 23, '12 11:35am PST


	What sort of research did you do before you stared? What breed of dog do you have? What do you intend to feed him once he gets acclimated? You need to offer nothing but bone in chicken for two weeks give or take. Try to feed pieces bigger than the dogs head, chicken quarters or whole chickens work best for most breeds. After that acclimation period if stools are solid you can start SLOWLY adding in other proteins. Once you've got a good variety established you can then SLOWLY add in your organs (which should ideally be 5% liver, 5% secreting organ).

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Member Since
05/23/2012

Barked: Wed May 23, '12 3:08pm PST


	I thank you all for your responses thus far. He is a Labrador Retriever. This morning, i checked and his stool this morning and it contains a lot less red, if any at all. I have begun feeding him chicken quarters, and he gets half a chicken a day ( 3% of his projected adult weight.) Can i actually feed him chicken primarily on this diet. I would add organs and some raw vegetables like twice a week. Since dogs are opportunistic eaters, they obviously eat what's available to them for that period of time. I hence only aim to give him vegetables like twice a week. The same goes for organs. Do you guys think this would form a solid diet? I am open to any criticism, as i want the best for my dog Edited by author Wed May 23, '12 3:10pm PST

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Latte

Fetchaholic

Barked: Wed May 23, '12 4:17pm PST


	You've got a good plan. I've been feeding my dogs raw since 2006 and they are doing great. If I had a puppy and was new to raw, I would start with pre-made raw (Nature's Variety, Primal, etc.) and/or raw mixed with a supplement like Sojos or Honest Kitchen. Why? I'm more concerned about my dogs getting a perfectly balanced diet during the growing years and their later years than I am during their middle years. If you research and make 100% sure you add in the right balance of muscle, bone, & organs, you will be fine.

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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Wed May 23, '12 4:19pm PST


	Glad he is feeling better. I think you need to do more reading about feeding raw. Chance wrote an excellent primer in how to, you can find the link in this thread- "Beginner's Guide To Prey Model Raw". I bumped it for you. If you just feed chicken with some liver and veggies the diet will be super high in calcium and phosphorus and low in most other minerals and even some vitamins. We suggest getting as close to 10% bone in the diet as possible and a whole chicken from the market is about 30% bone. Red meat is where it is at for canine nutrition. Beef, lamb, pork, venison, rabbit are all great. At a minimum feeding half chicken and half assorted red meats with 10% organ is fine for many dogs. For now plain whole chicken is great. As soon as you see a couple days of good poop start introducing a new protein, pork or beef is usual. Don't just plop a big bit into his bowl. Start with just a bite of the new meat and take away a bite of the chicken, just removing some skin counts as a bite. If that is fine with his gut give him 2 bites the next day - always weighing the meal and do not reduce the amount of bone he is getting just yet. Pups may transition very easily and smoothly but don't jump ahead, stay the course and increase new stuff while decreasing the chicken a little each day. Every dog is different. Max is a senior dog and I had him on red meat in about a week and he was on a good variety including organs in a couple months. It did take about a year to get his bone intake down to 10-15% however. Other dogs might take 6 months to get to that point. Trying to rush is only going to backfire as each time pup has a set back it is best to go back to the basics, plain chicken!

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Member Since
05/23/2012

Barked: Wed May 23, '12 6:06pm PST


	Thanks for the detailed responses guys. Maxwell the link was very helpful! I have did some reading. My plan is to basically feed primarily chicken with organ meat. Once a week, i would add in another animal, for example beef. I am aiming to strive for 2 animals in his overall diet. I am thinking chicken and pork or chicken and beef. Something like this. Do you guys think this is fine? Also, i plan to start him on fish oil when he reaches 3 months of age. How often do you guys supplement your dogs with fish oil and with what quantities. Thanks !

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Jackson Tan

Lad about town

Barked: Wed May 23, '12 9:08pm PST


	Guest, I get the impression you're in Australia and have read either Billinghurst or Lonsdale? If you are interested in premades the only one I know of here is the barf patties.

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Crash- Dynamite

Live up to your- Name!

Barked: Thu May 24, '12 12:14am PST


	We started Crash out on RAW at 4 months and he is a big strong healthy Dog! I would recommend that you get in as much variety as possible. Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Pork, lamb, fish, etc etc. The richer the variety the better nutrition your dog will get. I have access to Salmon, Moose, Caribou from the hunters here as well as the typical store bought meats. Typically the RAW diet is best started out on something plain like Chicken for the first 2 weeks to allow your dog to acclimate to the change in diet. After 2 weeks, we then start adding in organs and / or other proteins slowly one at a time. Good luck!!!

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UCH Onyx TT

Do you even- lift?

Barked: Thu May 24, '12 12:54am PST


	Like Crash said, the more variety the better. If you have access to chicken, beef, and pork, feed some of all three rather than just choosing two. I wouldn't feed over 50% chicken if you can help it so you'll probably need to feed red meat at least 3 days a week. I give a small quantity of fish oil every day unless I'm feeding an oily fish that day, like sardines. But balance over time is what's important so it doesn't really need to be given on a daily basis. The amount will depend on your dog's weight. Make sure you introduce fish oil gradually.

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