Switching Back To Raw

[ingsd]

Hi guys. My girl, Drama, was started on a raw diet by her breeder when she was weaned from momma and until she came to me at 8 weeks. Then, I switched her to Taste of the Wild and she's been doing pretty good on it, but with all of these recent recalls going on it's getting pretty scary. I was wondering what do I have to do to get her switched back to a raw diet? How can I make it as easy on her stomach as possible? Tell me everything I need to know about switching her back.

[lone Ranger]

I converted three of mine... It is easy really... You just introduce the raw as mixed in with the kibble, like a "topper"...

I would start with about 25%, and watch his poo. If OK then go 50% a week later, maybe 75% a week later, and so on.

Mine went through a little time period where the raw came out as black short sausage stubs, but the kibble came out brown and a bit runny.

That lasted a week or so, and the conversion was complete. It seems that the very young, under 12 weeks, have a little trouble with the different digestive rates, but now there is no problem. I still mix kibble and RAW as a backup, and I would estimate 80% raw. Interestingly, it just comes out black then brown sausage....

I am absolutely convinced that the kibble causes cancer, and general health problems, and the RAW/BARF diet can greatly extend their lives. In that RAW/BARF section I have a Testimonial about my 10 y.o. that the diet saved...

Kind regards, GSD Lover in Oz

Out on the "Last Frontier" doing "Dances with Wolves"

[ingsd]

So what types of raw would I reintroduce to her first?

[jourdan]

You can visit Laurie's website rawdogranch.com it has a great amount of good information about feeding raw. If you are still in touch with your breeder maybe you could also as them for info. From what I've read in previous posts most people; myself included, started feeding chicken backs for the first week or two and then added turkey necks in the mix for two weeks and so on. I switched my guy at seven months cold turkey but like a previous post mentioned it might be harder on the stomach for a younger pup.


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[ingsd]

I definitely want to switch her back slowly, as she sometimes gets a sensitive stomach to even the kibble that she's on now so I am naturally very leery of switching her cold turkey. I know that is what most people recommend when switching, but I want to avoid as much stress to her digestive tract as possible. I'm going to grocery store again this afternoon so I might pick up some chicken backs there from the meat department. Also, should I maybe pick up some livers or gizzards while I'm there? Or do I need to wait until she is fully switched to raw before adding in organ meat and such?

[jourdan]

I'm not 100% perfect at feeding raw but I will say that liver is very rich and if too much is fed it can cause her to get the runs. What I feed my dog is a premade mix from a company local to me in Germany so I've never had to worry about organ meat.


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[lone Ranger]

Hello Again O.P.

Chicken is mild if she will eat it.. Try chicken thighs, raw, bone in... Organ meat is TOO RICH.. Like 5-10% of diet only...

I would slowly progress to lamb and beef, the cheapest here in Australia. Lamb cut pieces and Brisket bone, $3.50 kg here. Sort of $1.50 a pound...But easy for me to talk, I am starting to slaughter my own beef so I have most of it covered...

Read in the RAW/BARF diet category, but try a week or so on chicken and if she will eat it then progress.. I think the red meats are the best..

Kind regards, lone Ranger

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by ingsd

I was wondering what do I have to do to get her switched back to a raw diet? How can I make it as easy on her stomach as possible? Tell me everything I need to know about switching her back.

I advocate doing a complete switch - stop the kibble, let the puppy miss one meal, then start the raw.

You can use premades (cheap now but will get expensive as the amount you feed increases) or DIY (more work but less expensive).

When I'm feeding young puppies raw I start at 5-7 % of their 8 WEEK OLD weight. If you don't know what that was I would start with 5% of their CURRENT weight and see how they are after a week.

When I'm feeding raw to puppies I weight them EVERY WEEK (either at home or a quick trip to the vet). I use that and a hands-on exam to tell if they need more or less food, or are doing fine for that week.

Puppies go through growth spurts at different times. One week their food amount might be perfect, the next you might need to increase it alot.

There's no set formula to determine the exact amount YOUR puppy needs every week. You can get a basic starting point and then go from there.