Raw Feeding 101

Why Would You Consider a Raw Food Diet:

🐾Better breath 

🐾Shinier coat

🐾Improved digestion 

🐾Reduction of “allergy” symptoms or food  sensitivities 

🐾Weight management 

🐾Smaller, more powdery stools, resulting in less yard clean-up 

Handling Raw Food:

🐾Handle raw food the same way you would handle any raw meat. Ensure you have washed your hands, and any contact surfaces including bowls. Do not allow children to handle raw meats, unless they have been strictly taught safe food handling practices. 

What are Some Other Important Considerations:

🐾An appropriate raw food diet will contain meat, bone and organs. Fruit and vegetables are optional but can provide extra nutrition, and act as great prebiotics for feeding the “good bacteria”-probiotics, in the gut. In the case of extreme sensitivities, or an extremely yeasty dog or cat, they may be best to avoid, especially if practising an elimination diet. 

🐾 To ensure adequate nutrient intake we strongly encourage rotation of proteins within the diet. Chat with us for the best way to do this. We very strongly believe that a poorly fed raw food diet is no better than a high quality kibble.

🐾Raw food can be fed frozen or thawed. Larger dogs may enjoy it frozen, but often we find smaller dogs do better with it thawed. Also take into consideration the pets dentition, and temperature preferences. If a dog throws up immediately after consuming frozen raw food, it may have been served too cold. 

🐾It is normal to notice weight loss within the first couple of weeks of feeding a raw food diet. Oftentimes, this is a result of reduction in water weight and bloating, and the weight should stabilize. Be reminded that feeding guidelines are just that: a guideline. You may need to adjust the amount being fed if the weight loss is too severe. You may also need to adjust serving sizes after periods of increased or decreased exercise, for example, when we see higher activity in nice weather and more sedentary activity in the winter time.

When Switching From a Kibble to Raw Fed Diet:

🐾While evidence is suggesting there is actually no issue in feeding kibble and raw at the same meal as we once thought, we still prefer to err on the side of caution and suggest keeping them fed at separate meal times. You may consider introducing kibble in the morning and raw food at night, and slowly changing over. You can also consider maintaining a half kibble, half raw diet. Some animals switch right over with no complications, as we ourselves have been lucky to experience in all our dogs. 

🐾Senior pets may need to be introduced more slowly if they have been fed a predominately kibble-fed diet. It is best to speak to your trusted pet-care provider on the best way to manage this.

🐾While adult dogs may not need to have a complete and balanced diet at each meal (nutrients “balance over time”); a puppy or kitten does. Please make sure to consider that, and again, speak to your pet-care provider about that before jumping right in. This is a critical time of development and it is imperative nutrients are being adequately consumed. 

🐾Cats are the hardest to transition to a raw-fed diet. This can take time and persistence and often involves mixing wet food and raw until the raw becomes the dominant food.

🐾It is normal to see some loose stools for the first day or two. This is the body adjusting and is not a cause for alarm. Pumpkin can definitely help. If there is excessive drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or loss of appetite discontinue immediately (though after years of selling raw food we have yet to see that).

🐾As a raw food diet provides a lot of hydration, and much less sodium compared to a kibble , you may notice your pet drinks substantially less water. As long as your pet is still drinking water, this is also not a cause for concern. 

Feeding guidelines can vary depending on the professional you speak to, but this is a rough guide:

2% of body weight for a lower activity adult dog, or weight management protocol 

2.5% for an average adult dog

3% of body weight for an active dog or cat, or a dog or cat that needs to gain weight

6-10% for a puppy or lactating female

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