[pookybear]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

They don't have the right things in there systems to digest it yet and that's straight from a vet darlin. That said nothing about puppies and raw.

and you believed him????

Simple Facts and Advice About Raw Feeding

One of the most frequent concerns I hear from individuals who are not familiar with feeding dogs a raw based diet (meaning a diet based mainly on raw meat and raw bones) is a worry of bacterial infection, such as Salmonella or E.Coli. Having done extensive research on the topic of raw feeding before I decided to switch my own dogs to this type of diet, I feel the need to debunk some of the paranoia that society has about dogs consuming raw meat – which is what they were designed to do!

DogAware.com Articles: Homemade Raw Diets for Dogs

Dangers of Raw Meat?

Many people are concerned about the dangers of bacteria and parasites when feeding raw meat, eggs, and dairy to our dogs. Remember that wolves and dogs evolved to be able to cope with bacteria found in carrion and meat that has been buried for long periods. Their digestive systems are designed to move food through quickly, before bacteria has a chance to proliferate or cause problems. Bacteria such as salmonella are found in the digestive systems of as many as 40 percent of healthy dogs, including those fed only commercial foods. While these bacteria can affect dogs, it would be unusual for a healthy dog to have any problems with the bacteria found in raw meat and other products considered fit for human consumption.

There are a few parasites that might be a cause for concern, though freezing meat for a period of three weeks will destroy most of them (freezing has no effect on bacteria).

You may want to consider feeding a cooked diet to your dog if you’re concerned about the possibility of problems from raw meat, your dog’s immune system is compromised due to illness or medication, or your dog just doesn’t seem to do well on a raw diet. See next month’s article for more information on cooked diets.

For an excellent, unbiased overview of the arguments for and against feeding raw diets to dogs, see Love Me Tender ? .... Or Should My Pet Be Eating A Raw Meat Diet? by Ron Hines, DVM, PhD.

Making the switch

The first time we feed raw meaty bones to our dogs is always frightening. We’ve been told so many times to never feed bones to dogs that it’s hard to believe they won’t drop dead when we do. It’s important to remember that the warnings are about cooked bones, not raw, and that eating bones is natural for dogs.
Most raw feeders can empathize with my friend, Mindy Fenton, who says, “The first time I fed one of my dogs a raw chicken wing, I followed her around for three days, terrified that I was going to kill her, and waiting for that darned wing to come out whole because I was sure it would. Of course, she was perfectly fine, but it took some time before I became relaxed about feeding raw meaty bones.”

The choice of what to start with can vary according to your comfort level, and how likely you think your dogs are to gulp their food. Many people advocate feeding pieces that are too large to be swallowed, requiring the dog to chew on them first. This doesn’t always work, since large pieces become small pieces as the dog eats them, and he may still try to swallow pieces too large to go down easily.

I am most comfortable with feeding chicken necks and backs to my dogs: the bones are soft and easily chewed, and the pieces are small enough to be swallowed even if the dog does not chew them well (small dogs may have problems with chicken necks). Others feed chicken wings or leg quarters. If your dog is not protective of his food, you can try holding onto one end while she chews on the other, to help her learn to chew rather than gulping, but watch your fingers, and don’t try this if it makes your dog anxious.

Many people worry that their dogs may be too old to switch to a raw diet, but in my experience, older dogs do as well as younger ones with the change. My oldest dog was 13 years old when I switched him overnight to a raw diet, and he had no problems.

Most dogs do just fine when switched “cold turkey” from commercial food to a homemade diet, but a few will experience digestive upset from a sudden switch. The longer a dog has been fed the same food with no variation, the more likely he is to have a problem if his diet is changed too quickly. Dogs that are prone to digestive upset may also benefit from a slower, more careful approach.

To make the change gradually, start by adding small amounts of fresh food to the current diet, then gradually increase. If problems develop, return to the prior diet and make the change more carefully once your dog’s digestive system is back to normal. That may include feeding the new food separately from the old (at least a few hours in between meals), or feeding only one new food at a time, to see if your dog reacts to any of the new ingredients.

The one exception to mixing foods is when you feed raw meaty bones. I find that the consumption of kibble interferes with the digestion of bones; digestive problems are more likely if you mix the two together. If you are feeding whole raw meaty bones, feed them separately from kibble, at least a few hours apart.

It’s fine to start with limited variety until you see how your dog does, but don’t feed just one food for long periods of time. Sometimes people will start with just chicken parts, for example, but this may lead to constipation if there is too much bone in the diet. While you may want to feed just chicken at the beginning, be sure to feed plenty of meat as well as bone, and don’t feed such a limited diet for more than a week or two.

If your dog has any problems with the new diet, back up and start again, making the change more slowly this time. Do not blame problems on “detox.” If your dog develops diarrhea or other forms of digestive upset, it is because his diet was changed too quickly, or because he is reacting to one or more of the ingredients in the new diet.

In that case, again, go back to what you were feeding before (or what you know your dog can tolerate without a problem), then add new foods one at a time in order to identify which one(s) are causing problems. Also, while most dogs improve when fed raw foods, a few cannot tolerate it for some reason and may need a cooked diet instead. There will be information on cooked diets in next month’s article.

Puppies

For the most part, puppies can be fed the same diet as adults, though young puppies will benefit from the addition of goat’s milk to the diet. It is even more crucial that you get the proportions correct and feed a wide variety of foods when feeding puppies. It is also imperative that you feed an appropriate amount of bone, neither too much nor too little, especially to large- and giant-breed puppies under the age of six months, when they have less ability to regulate their uptake of calcium, and both calcium deficiencies and excesses can lead to serious orthopedic problems.
Raw meaty bones should comprise around 30 to 50 percent of the diet -- use the higher percentage only if you are feeding parts with a lot of meat, such as chicken leg quarters, not those that have more bone, such as chicken necks and backs. Be careful if you supplement with cod liver oil or another form of vitamin D. Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium, so if you feed high amounts of bone and vitamin D, you increase the likelihood that too much calcium will be absorbed. Never add calcium to a diet that includes appropriate amounts of bone.

Remember that high-protein diets will not cause excessive growth or lead to orthopedic problems in puppies. These problems are caused by overfeeding and by improper calcium amounts (either too much or too little). In order to avoid orthopedic problems, keep your puppy lean and slow-growing by limiting the total amount fed.

Most pet owners choose to make the switch “cold turkey,” while others may introduce raw meat at intervals. Be aware that these two types of food are digested quite differently and should not be fed together. For example, raw meat digests rapidly while kibble will take much longer. It would not suit the animal’s digestive system to feed kibble and then serve raw meat shortly thereafter. In addition, as it may take several weeks for the bowels to become consistently stable on this diet, patience is required.

Switching to a Raw Diet

Switching puppies to a raw diet is just as simple, if not simpler! Most puppies take to raw food very readily. You can either switch them to raw food once they get home, or you can give them a few days to adjust to their surroundings before switching food.