The purpose of those who choose to give their dog a diet based on raw food is to provide them with completely natural foods, in order to replicate the natural diet of wild wolves, the ancestors of the domestic dog. By forgoing commercial dog treats and choosing instead a combination of bones, meat, small amounts of vegetables and fruit (optional) and organs, raw food advocates believe dogs can achieve better overall health than other animals. fed commercial foods.
Steps
Step 1. Weigh your dog to calculate how much raw food to feed each day
The amount of ingredients in any raw food diet is based on weight. Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a veterinarian who sponsors the raw food diet for dogs, suggests giving servings that amount to about 2-3% per dog's weight, or about 200 grams for every 10 pounds of body weight. Puppies should receive no more than 10% of their body weight or 2-3% of their ideal adult weight. Remember that more active dogs will eat more than sedentary ones. Many raw food lovers follow this guide:
- Approximately 80% muscle meat with fat
- Approximately 10% organs
- Approximately 10% raw bones. (Also to be used as rewards during the week).
- Green tripe can make up 15-18% of the overall diet.
- Eggs - Once a week, preferably raw, the white and the yolk.
- These proportions are not to be respected on a daily basis, but can rather be balanced over the course of the month. Variety is key.
Step 2. Get the freshest, most organic meat and organs available to base your dog's daily diet
Recommended meats include poultry, bison, beef and pork, but you can give them anything you have access to: quail, ostrich, fish, duck, venison, ox and even guinea pigs. The flesh of the organs, such as the spleen, brain, kidneys, eyes, ovaries, testes, liver (especially the liver) or other secreting organs should be included. Organs such as the heart, lungs or other non-secreting organs are classified as muscle meat. Green tripe (not the "cleaned up" one found in supermarkets) is certainly the most nutritious part of a raw food diet and it is very important that it is part of it.
Step 3. Set aside enough meat and bones for 3-5 days
Pack the remaining quantities and freeze them for later use.
Step 4. Grind or finely chop 450 grams to a 1.4 pounds of fresh, low-glycemic vegetables like spinach and carrots
A little fruit is fine too, try to find it organic. This step is optional - if you think dogs are just carnivores you can choose not to give them vegetables and fruit.
Step 5. Food
Many dogs manage to change their diet from day to day: crunchy in the evening, raw food the next day. You can try it too. For others, a transition period of 1-2 days is required; there is never a need for more than one puppy meal. Do not mix kibble and raw food, as the time it takes to digest kibble is much longer than raw food, which often results in stomach upset. 100% organic canned pumpkin is great to have on hand to solve any stomach problem.
Step 6. Continue to use the same protein source for as long as necessary and monitor the droppings
If the first raw food your dog gets is chicken, for example, keep feeding him chicken until the droppings are back to normal: small and hard. Some dogs have stomach upset at the beginning but it is normal, do not be frightened. The dog will survive, it just takes a little time to get used to it. Remember that he had been used to eating treats from birth.
Step 7. Add a second source of protein
And then a third. Remember to be patient every time you add a new source of protein and make sure your dog's stool is regular.
Step 8. Monitor your weight over time and adjust your food portions accordingly
You will know that you are giving him enough to eat if you are able to slightly glimpse your dog's ribs and an hourglass shape at the bottom of the rib cage. To make him feel good, vets suggest keeping a dog slightly skinny rather than overweight.
Step 9. Detoxify it
Your dog has eaten kibble all his life. They are products full of unnatural and useless ingredients: wheat, preservatives, flavors, dyes, fats, oils, added vitamins and minerals etc. When you start following a natural and complete diet, your body begins to purify itself. Don't worry in this case either: it's a natural thing.
Step 10. Keep learning
Keep learning about the raw food diet, and learn from experience as you go. Keep looking for cheaper options for buying meat: slaughterhouse scraps, expired supermarket meat, butcher's leftovers, freeze-burn meat from neighbors, a hunter's scraps, etc. Meat that has expired a few days ago or with a freeze burn is not harmful to the dog.
Advice
- Check for dog droppings. You will notice that they get smaller and harder. They may turn white as they dry out - this is completely normal!
- Raw dog food should be given twice a day to promote healthy digestion. Divide his food allowance into two parts, one in the morning and one in the evening. Puppies should eat 3-4 times a day. Your dog's size determines how long a puppy can be considered.
- To set up the most beneficial raw diet for your dog, work with the help of a holistic professional veterinarian who has experience in dog nutrition.
- Canned (pure) pumpkin works great for diarrhea and constipation as it provides the fibers necessary to promote the expulsion of stools that are too hard as well as to form fairly compact excrements.
- For smaller dogs, whose intestines may have difficulty processing large chunks of vegetables, the vegetables should be pulverized and lightly cooked.
- There are essentially two types of raw food: in one you add vegetables, fruits, supplements and sometimes dairy products and eggs to raw meat. Usually the whole is ground. In the other, we try to recreate what the dog would eat if he lived in the wild. So no dairy products, vegetables, fruit, wheat or supplements (except fish oil, used by some raw foodists) and no minced meat. Foods are given whole, as far as possible.
- The pulpy bones can be given separately between meals, but always keep an eye on your dog while he eats them.
Warnings
- Never give him cooked bones. The molecular structure of animal bones changes with cooking, which causes the formation of splinters that could cause obstructions in a dog's intestine. All bones given to a dog should be raw.
- Never feed the following products: avocado, onion, garlic, mushrooms, grapes / raisins, tomatoes, many types of hazelnuts, fruit that has not been stripped of leaves, stems, seeds or pits, raw / green potatoes or rhubarb.
