BARF (Raw) Diet for 5-Month-Old Puppy?
 

I have a 5-month-old Yorkie puppy. I have been feeding her the Innova brand puppy food since she was 7 weeks old. I started her with the canned food and introduced the kibble when she had enough teeth. I have been feeding her both ever since (even though she doesn't like the canned anymore).

I have been trying to find a solution to the red tear stains on the fur of her face. I keep her face clean and trimmed, I give her distilled water to drink, and there is no wheat in her diet.

She has blindness and dry eye in one eye. That eye has the worst stains. She needs tear stimulating eye drops daily for her dry eye. So, that eye often has excessive tearing that can't be helped. We have reduced the dosage of that medication as much as possible without eliminating it.

I have also been trying my best to get her to take a powdered diet supplement for tear stains called Tearlax. I think the Tearlax has been helping, but she dislikes the taste of it and it is very difficult to get her to eat it. She would rather be hungry than eat canned or dry food mixed with the Tearlax. I would like to find a food that she really likes that I can mix Tearlax in and that she will eat reliably (she just picks at the kibble). She is at a normal weight but I think she is on the thin side--another reason I want to find a food she likes.

Even though Innova is a very high-quality food, it is still processed (although minimally). I have read that some people have found success at ceasing tear stains by switching to raw or homemade diets. My parents' adult dogs have been doing great on the BARF raw diet for a long time. I have tried not to let my puppy eat the BARF because her immune system is still developing. But, she has managed to swipe some while at my parents' house a few times and she loves it.

At 5 months of age, is she old enough to switch to a raw diet? Do you think the immune system is developed enough at that age to handle a raw diet? Since she is still growing I want to make sure she gets all of the nutrition she needs as a puppy. If I were to put her on the BARF diet, should I add anything to it to make it more suitable as a puppy food?

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.

I suggest waiting until a year old.

She's too young.

A year old is my preference.

Started with a premade dehydrated raw is best and then after 3 months to whatever raw you chose.

BARF should only be introduced after 6 months of raw feeding as it changes digestion ability to make eating bones safe.

Starting with only allowing bones to be chewed helps and supplimenting with bones after a meal cushions.

Not all dogs can tollerate bones.

Mine eate a BARF diet but remember any type of raw or homecooked feeding requires you to be well versed on nutrician balance vitamin supplimenting and or following a preset proven diet.

I prefer barf diet because I can isolate specific foods and tailor each of my dogs diet specifically to their individual needs.

Tear stains can be from food or water. Grainless is best for reducing eye boogies all grains not just wheat, distilled water lacks vital vitamins and miners so have her intaking them somewhere.

Also eye boogies can be a sign of allergies, internal ir external irritants.

Tear stain removal recipe.

1 tsp each
Milk of magnesia
corn starch
3% hydrogen peroxide.

Make a paste apply to any stained area careful not to get directly into eyes hydrogen peroxide can irritate eyes.

Leave on over night not beyond 8 hours repeat several times and as needed.

Also called beef staining as red meats are a well known culperate along with yeast (be sure its not a yeast or bacteria infection first!!!)

If yeast treat with raw cold pressed (organic) coconut oil applied to skin on infected area do not used tear stain recipe for 7 days or until infection is fully cleared.

If bacteria infection get antibitics from vet and use coconut oil as above to prevent treat seco dary yeast infection from antibiotics...then 7 days or infection gone sometimes it take 10-14 days then use tear stain recipe.

Good luck.