Thank you all so much for the replies. This raw thing is really fascinating, particularly the different types of raw - in a tube, frozen meat with bones, freeze-dried. LOL, very interesting. Thanks for the link to the Prey Model Diet thread as well.
My pup is on a probiotic right now, a powder we sprinkle on his kibble. I don't plan to do any switching immediately, maybe in a month or two if I end up doing it at all (like Amandawash and Ladymom suggested), but I'm trying to give myself plenty of time to research the options before it's time to make any decisions. Raw is the option I know the least about, so I figured I'd start there. :-)
By the way, I saw awhile back on another thread that you can give your dog raw (not cooked, I know!) bones, whether they are on the raw diet or not. Good for chewing, good for teeth cleanliness, good nutrients maybe too I guess? Do you think this would be safe to give a teething puppy, after I'm 100% positive he's done with the parasites, and assuming he's otherwise healthy? (until then we are being really pretty strict with what he eats, and not introducing anything new). ALso, I think it was a specific bone... some kind of round one? Shank, hank, maybe I'm making this up, uggh I don't know my meat terms very well - I'm more of a boneless skinless chicken breasts kind of person for my own meals, lol. There's so much info on this forum, my brain can't seem to remember everything well enough... :-)
I can't tell you all often enough how much I appreciate all of you who take so much time to post on this site, and share what you know.
Thank you!
Lauren & Nikko |