Okay!! So we’ve looked at ‘
How much? ’, and now we’ll look at ‘How to’!
Confused? Don’t be! We’re talking about how to transition your dog to a
raw diet. And if that worries you as a pet owner, then let us at
BARF India help. It’s understandable that you’re worried; after all our dogs are just like our babies.
With all the health issues being created by feeding kibble it was just natural that we would go back to our basics and thus raw feeding came back to the fore. No one wants to have to deal with a sick pup; it’s distressing, not to mention heartbreaking too.
Let’s look at some things to keep in mind before you move your pet over to the raw diet and to have healthy dogs.
We’re all aware of the fact that what’s poison for one might be perfect for another. In the same way, different dogs might not adapt to the move from their regular diet to the raw diet in a similar fashion. Some might be able to accept the raw diet immediately; yet others might take days, while others will take a few weeks to adapt.
You might have people telling you different things; that the move should happen overnight; some might say “
take your time and go slow” Their opinions are based obviously on their own experiences, but again, your dog isn’t their dog.
Question: What are the benefits of moving to the raw diet overnight?
Answer: Not too many complications. It’s pretty simple and straightforward.
If you have a pup or a young dog, it might work pretty well to transition fast; You have to be sure that your pet can and will accept the change overnight or you might end up dealing with illnesses like diarrhoea. This depends on how your pet has been reacting to different foods before making the transition.
If you’re sure of it, you make the change and it works well, then nothing like it and you can pat yourself on the back and do a little jig.
If your pup does fall sick after a while, don’t go berserk immediately. Wait and watch; it’s just the change of food that’s causing a slight hiccup.
The ‘
slow and steady wins the race’ move
This is the other one: it doesn’t happen overnight. You let it happen slowly and over a period of time. Time here for some dogs can mean 1-2 weeks and for others, it may mean a bit longer. It depends on the situation and the dog.
The weird thing is some people will advise you to mix raw meat with kibble, and trust me; you don’t want to ever do that. It’s like mixing the natural with processed foods and that’s asking for a whole lot of trouble.
Pic Credits: www.vetsupply.com.au
If your dog is not eating natural, healthy food, they probably suffer with low immunity already and if we're going to mix foods or switch to a new diet suddenly, it is possible that your dog might not be able to handle the change and the pressure of digesting the food might be too much.
So, just like someone who's been put on a healthy diet and needs time to get used to the change of food, your dog too will need to be introduced to the raw diet slowly and steadily.
Additionally, as an owner you will be able to monitor any allergies or intolerances that your pet might suffer from because you're getting the time to observe.
There are a
'few more methods' you can try to help your dog move to the raw diet:
The '
trick and treat' approach:
Dogs love treats. Give them a little at first and see how they handle it. Watch their poop when you take them out. Then increase their 'treats' over the next few days. Feed them at regular intervals. Keep watching their stools. If you do find that their stools are or have been normal, give them one entire meal of raw food.
After 8-10 days you can discontinue their old diet altogether and start with the raw, new food.
Although this sounds easy, be prepared for minor stomach upsets due to changes in quantity i.e. you will suddenly give them one whole meal or meals instead of the much loved 'treats'
Try this method with puppies and dogs who are not sickly or unhealthy.
Pic Credits: www.topdogtips.com
The '
mix and mingle' approach:
With this strategy, you will serve your dog
home made food and raw food at the same time while decreasing the amount of
home made food as the days go by.
Here's what you can do.
For instance on day 1: You can give your pet only water and no food OR only a percentage of the new food; maybe
1/4th and the rest in the form of the old food. You could also use a higher percentage of the old food depending on what you deem right.
The next day: You could try 3/4th of the old and the rest will be the new food.
Day 3: Try half and half of both
Day 4: Now go vice versa. Give your pet a higher percentage of the new food and little of the old.
On the 5th day: Increase the percentage of the new food substantially
And finally: Give your pet 100% new food
We'll let you decide on the number of days you wish to take to complete this cycle or change. If you think your pet will need longer, give him that leeway. Some pet owners grumble a little about the inconvenience of this method because it requires a bit of effort like measuring the food but remember that it's only for a while whereas the benefits are long lasting and life changing.
This method is suitable for all dogs especially dogs with weak stomachs that are also highly sensitive.
The '
apportioned' approach:
To apportion is to divide into shares.
What this means is that you will feed your dog
home made food and raw food but separately and at different times in the day; for instance once in the morning and once in the evening.
Follow the same chart as above but feed the food separately. This method is again suited for all dogs.
- So you initially cook the food and give her.
- Switch to partially raw food. Like leave the food 1/4th raw.
- Increase the rawness of the food. On the 3rd day, cook the raw food only halfway.
- Then you cook the food only a quarter
- And finally give you can give your pet 100% raw food
Dogs that are sick and unhealthy; who have many digestive problems or very old dogs will adapt well to this approach. But it may take longer for them since they're old ( in the case of senior citizens) Healthy pets will handle this change well anyway.
Puppies are the best. These little fellas will suck it up pronto!! Their stomachs are the healthiest and can handle change most effectively if you compare them with the other dogs in various stages of the life cycle.
Question: What happens if you own a dog who is already suffering with gastrointestinal diseases?
Answer: Well for starters, you don't worry or panic. It is natural that these dogs will need extra care and support while making the change.
- Make sure that you grind the food completely initially and avoid bones. This is only initially.
- The cooked food option can continue longer for these dogs as compared to the healthy ones; maybe for a few months.
- As your dog gets healthier, you can add ingredients and nutrients to help build up their immunity.
Withdrawal symptoms
Have you ever heard of withdrawal symptoms?
If you haven't, do a little research. A synonym for this is detoxification which in simple words means withdrawing from an addictive substance.
Why are we mentioning this?
Well, because your dog might display the following withdrawal symptoms which look scary but in actuality are good because he's getting rid of the unhealthy substances in his stomach.
You might notice:
- Watery eyes
- Poop lined with mucus
- Increased skin issues which will last for a short while only; maybe even dry skin and more than normal shedding
While this might upset you remember that these are just steps towards a healthier pet.
How can you help?
You can ensure support by:
- Providing lots of fresh water and exercise
- Pamper your pet a bit by grooming their coat and cleaning their eyes and ears.
- If your dog chooses not to eat for a while, leave them alone. They need time and space too
Something good to watch out for is:
From poop to ash: Your pet’s stools will be much less smellier and firmer. The poop may turn to a consistency of ash too if you go back and check after a few days.
Pic Credits: www.barkpost.com
I would also recommend, as an added measure, that you introduce your dogs to probiotics, if you haven’t already.
Simply put, probiotics are friendly bacteria and giving your dog a portion or a supplement of probiotics will help him digest better.
If you remember, in the mix and mingle approach, we mentioned that you can feed your dog only water on day one and no food. While this might make you nervous, it's actually beneficial. They'll be hungrier and more accepting of the change the next day when introduced to the raw food.
For a hassle free transition:
A hassle free transition involves the introduction of a variety of things in a phased manner, be it Organs and Offal, edible bones, or proteins.
Split them up over a period of weeks because your dog will take time to get used to the taste and variety.
Types of food:
Feed your pet small amounts of different things; start with chicken for 1-2 weeks and then try to move to beef, lamb and other red meat. It also is important to feed single source proteins initially so that you can keep a watch for any
allergies that can crop up.
Edible bones: You have to be careful here before introducing your dog to bones because there are a few things to take into account like the size of the bone for instance. Heavy Knuckle bones must be avoided as they can fracture the teeth of the dogs.
Organs and Offal: These can be heavy on the stomach so go slow (@5% of the total diet) with these but don’t leave them out.
Pic Credits: www.rawfeedingmiami.com
Before we wrap up lets recoup:
- Don’t rush.
- Dont Panic.
- Start and stick to it.
- Give it time.
- Be patient and factor in small 'accidents'.
Last but not the least, don’t back off. Your pet is a part of your family and you wouldn’t give up on your family, would you?!!
We’d love to hear from you about your experiences with changing your pet's diet. Happy RAW Feeding!!!
More Questions?? Visit https://barfindia.com/contact-us/
