Should I start on raw?

[givenalias]

I've got two dogs, one 10 weeks and one 15 years and they're both just on kibble right now. I've been researching raw and I've already called butchers in my area and gotten prices and all of that. I'm just worried that perhaps my old dog is too old for the change. Does anyone have experience with that? She's had a relatively weak stomach her whole life though I feed her eggs and raw chicken on occasion with no problems. Would her diet need to be special because of her age?

And on to the puppy. Do puppies need a special diet? I'm concerned about effing up her growth and things like that, things I assume her kibble is getting right. Any information is greatly appreciated.

[malinois_16]

My friend has his 10 year old Dalmatian on raw and his 14 year old Dal was on raw to before he died. He fed them what I feed minus the organs. Dals cannot eat organs as they are high in purines. They need a special supplement as they are the only breed with a higher uric acid thus stone formers. So he feeds a veggies mix instead.

I have never started a pup on raw so hopefully someone will chime in on that.

But I can say, my dog has a terribly sensitive gut and raw has helped him so much with that. You want to switch over slow. Nothing but chicken quarters for a few weeks to let them adjust. Then add in other sources SLOW. At least thats what I did with mine

[lhczth]

I have never had to switch an elderly dog to raw. I have fed a lot of puppies, though. It isn't hard, but does require some thought, preparation and research.

Switching Puppies to Raw

This would be a good place to start.

[onyx'girl]

I transferred my 12 year old(golden/borderx) onto raw and she was fine with it. Lived to be almost 15 and she had a better coat, teeth and eyes were brighter after the switch. She use to get hot spots, which didn't happen after the change and her coat ended up getting really long...that wasn't the best thing, I had to trim her toe fluff more often. But she seemed to have a rebound and did pretty good into her last year, when her arthritis ended up causing her to lose balance in her rear.
As long as you do your research and do the diet right, it may be ok, but a 15 yr old's teeth may not be strong enough to crunch bones, you may need to invest in a grinder or buy the commercial raw grinds.
I fed turkey necks and chicken often to Clover, though she handled small pork necks ok.
This was her coat on kibble at 12 yrs

and on raw(right when she turned 14)

[Vinnie]

Within the last year or so I've switched my 14 yo (Malamute/Golden) to raw and she's doing great on it. Coat looks/feels good, activity level up and she eats (which before was questionable).

I really hesitated switching her because of her age but she was so interested in the other dogs' food that I had to give it a try.

Her diet is a bit different then the boys but not much. Her breakfast is mostly ground. And then for dinner she will usually get the same as the boys but I break up the bones a little for her. She receives a lesser amount (less calories) as she's at a lower activity level and also has some weight gain issues. We also do add some additional supplements for her joints.

I did do a lot of research first and would recommend that you do too. If nothing else it helps put you more at ease feeding this diet if you understand it more.

[aubie]

I switched Dunc to raw two years ago, so he was about 11 ish? He's done wonderfully on it!

[Wild Wolf]

Puppies do very well on raw, they grow beautifully and much slower then they would on kibble - which means their bones are developing at a proper rate. Just make sure you know exactly what you're doing, because puppies need good nutrition or they pay for it as adults. So know your muscle meat, raw meaty bones and organ meat - and give a good variety! Never hurts to add fish oils, too!

My puppy does amazing on raw.