Switching to a raw diet

[jtrippps]

Do most puppies get diarrhea when switching to a raw diet? I was thinking of going with chicken quaters for one meal and a couple of kibble for the other. Any other ideas of an affordable raw diet?

 

[angelbears]

It is suggested that you pick kibble or raw. If you try to do both it is too hard to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition from their food.

 

[angelbears]

Forgot to add. Puppies usually have an easier time switching over to raw than older dogs but there is always the possibility of some runny butt.

 

[jtrippps]

LOL, my friend feeds his dog chicken quarters and that's it..hard to believe a dog can get all he/she needs from just that.

 

[angelbears]

Your friend's dog is not getting a balanced diet and will more than likely suffer the consequences later in life. They must have organs in their diet and they should have variety.

 

[DennasMom]

Ditto what AB said.

Some dogs do OK with a mixed raw & kibble diet (there are some here who do it successfully), but it is much harder to tell how well-balanced the diet is, and if there's ever an issue with allergies or 'runny butt' - you will have a harder time figuring out what the cause is.

The best, most affordable raw diet, would be to make friends with hunters... help them clean old food out of the freezer, and take all the "parts" of their animals when they cut them up.

You want a diet that's 80% muscle meat, 10% bone (wrapped in some of that muscle meat), 5% liver, and 5% "other organs" (kidney, pancreas, spleen, brain, etc.). That's what we aim for, anyway - it's the "Whole Prey Model Raw" basis if you want to google it.

 

[QY10]

You might even be able to strike up a deal with a local butcher by agreeing to take their leftovers or parts they don't typically sell for a discounted rate, if not for free if it's something they would throw out anyway.