Questions about switching to a raw diet
 

Hi everyone! I've been reading a lot of the threads having to do with making the switch from dry/canned food to raw but I still have a few questions I thought someone could help me out with...

Ringo just turned 9 months old and has been eating Wellness for puppy Super 5 Mix and has been doing really well on it (dry with canned mixed in). But after reading about all of the benefits of feeding raw I'm thinking about switching him. I would like to start with Nature's Variety raw frozen medallions. Does anybody else feed this?

Also, I'm not sure if Ringo is too young for the NV food. Is there such a thing as a puppy raw diet? One other thing - should I alternate between the raw diet and kibble/canned? Is there any benefit to that?

I feed the NV Medallions and just love it :). You can start puppies on it right away, so 9 mths is just fine. If you go their website, naturesvariety.com, there is a spot where you can enter your baby's weight and activity level - so you can see how many medallions per day to feed, which is helpful.

I don't alternate - I really like to just feed raw since I think it's the best food for my guys. It's great if you can alternate btween flavors of raw, though - since variety is always good for dogs.

When switching to raw, most people just do a hard switch - meaning they just switch cold turkey to raw. Some dogs may have poo issues for a couple day, some have none at all (mine had no issues at all). As far as flavors, maybe buy a couple bags - like lamb and the organic chicken (not the regular). :)

Nature's Variety also has a starter pack they call "Taste of Raw" ask your local retailer if they have the sample pack, that way you can try different ones to see which one your pup prefers. Charlie loved Nature's Variety, but I recently switched him to Primal and he loves that even more. Primal also sells a starter pack with (12) 1 oz. nuggets to try. I switched Charlie without a transition to raw and he had no issues at all. Wylie's Mom is awesome and she can really answer a lot when it comes to raw. Good Luck!:thumbup:

All 5 of my pups are on raw but when I started out I think it is better to start with the meats that aren't so rich and fatty and then work your way up. This will eliminate some of the loose stool problems. I gave mine a week of chicken to start, then a week of lamb, then a week of rabbit, then venison and then finally beef. Good Luck, your pup will love you for it!!

I feed a prey model raw diet. I did start out with NV but since I also have a larger dog, it was just not cost effective. I have to say that it's not nearly as hard as I thought it would be and I could go on and on about the benefits! Lets just say I give it a big thumbs up and feel free to pm me if you have any questions!

My pets, (2 cats, an older lab & my yorkie), have been on PMR for about 4 months now and I just brought a new member into the fold.

An 8 month old morkie. He arrived last Wed night and was started on PMR Thursday Morn.

He loves it and hasn't given kibble a second thought. In fact a put a few kibbles on his plate because I thought he'd eat those first and then try the raw.

Nope. He dove straight into the raw and left his kibble in the dust.

Took him about 5 days to really give the bone crunching a go, but he's all good now.

Thanks!
 

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Ringo takes to the Nature's Variety. Wish us luck!

Update
 

So, I started Ringo on the NV raw medallions (lamb) last Saturday and he LOVES them! I have never seen him so excited about his food. When he first came home with us I was feeding him Purina Puppy Chow (what the breeder had been feeding), then switched to Iams Small Breed Puppy on the vet's recommendation, and then switched again to Wellness puppy after reading up on good quality food. He handled the changes well, but was never really excited about mealtime and would sometimes pick at his food or just ignore it. But with the NV, it doesn't sit in the bowl for 5 minutes before he completely scarfs it down. I'm so happy I tried this! I feel like I finally found something he really likes AND is really good for him! :thumbup: :thumbup:

Thanks again to all YTalkers for your advice!

So glad your baby is loving raw..it is the best thing!! my 3 girls are on raw and they love it and they are thriving from it. I switched them to raw cold turkey with no problem. I actually started my youngest on raw as soon as I got her at 16 weeks with no problem. I rotate between NV and Primal. Also, I rotate between protein source as well so they wont get bored. :)

NV Raw diet.
 

I feed my yorkie and maltese the nv medallions, these are so convienient to feed I just get them out one meal ahead in a baggie and let them thaw in the fridge. I am currently alternating rabbit, lamb, venison (dax has never been an eater but he scarfs down the venison), and pheasant (a primal brand). I am trying to keep a variety going and stay away from chicken as I think dax hax a problem with chicken. My maltese would eat anything I think...... but the yorkie has always worried me with his eating.... he would only eat a really good size meal about every 2-3 days and the rest of the time he just picked. Now he eats every meal and licks the bowl clean. The greatest thing to me with the raw diet is their enthusiasm. I love to see them get excited when the food comes out.

I also have Nolee on prey model diet and he loves it!!! He never enjoyed his food as much as this!! Thanks to everyone that helped with this!! It is great!!:thumbup:

re: chicken
 

If I am going to start this diet Do I have to buy Primal products or NV? Or can I just get the food myself? Also I want to start Daizy on chicken...is there a danger of letting her eat on the chicken legs? And if I didn't get organic is that bad for her? Didn't know about the organic chicken....

Thanks Tammy
:confused:

I started with NV and switched to Primal - but you can use both. I preferred Primal because I am partial to supporting an organic company, but both are good.

If anyone has any trouble with stools, a great solution I learned about here on YT is canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix - plain pumpkin). A few tablespoons settles things down!

If you want to feed raw meat and bones (i.e. chicken legs) you are talking about Prey Model Raw Feeding! I just switched myself to prey model, so make sure you do your research. But, I will say, my dogs have accomplished an even greater degree of vitality then on the pre-made raw!

I buy organic whole chickens, cornish hens and beef marrow bones and beef hearts and rotate. Its important to feed organs 2-3 times a week and make sure that the organs are organic. Also, if you feed chicken organs, feed them with chicken meat and bones, beef organs go with beef and so on.

I am making contacts with some farmers and am hoping to get a hold of some duck and rabbit parts to feed as well. The sky is the limit!

The raw bones don't splinter and my dogs teeth are sparkling from the chewing activity (added bonus - they are EXHAUSTED after mealtime!) I also love watching them chomp away and they have a great time too! :D