Feeding Your Dog Raw

Have you just switched your dog from a commercial food diet to a raw dog food diet? Have you noticed loose stools and vomiting in your dog? It could be going through a detoxification period.

Detoxification happens because your dog's body is being cleansed from its previous diet. It's a normal part of switching from commercial kibble to raw food. How long it lasts can vary depending on how many toxins your dog has in his system. But typically it starts within 1 to 2 days of switching to a raw food diet and lasts a few days. In some dogs, detoxification has been known to last for a few weeks, although I would advice having your dog checked by a vet if vomiting and diarrhea persists for more than a week.

Signs of detoxification

• Earwax build up


• Foul odor


• Vomiting


• Loose stools


• Itchy skin


• Increased bowels


• Bad breath

Did you know that you can choose to have your dog detoxified even before you start him on a raw dog food diet? Some pet owners do this because of the benefits associated with early detoxification.

One benefit is that your dog's body is cleansed of toxins beforehand and so his body is ready to absorb the nutrients from the new, healthier diet that you're going to be introducing to him. Another benefit is that since your dog is going to be hungry once it's been detoxified, it'll be easier for him (and you) to get used to the new diet. This is a great bonus, especially for owners with picky eaters.

If you plan to detoxify your pet before introducing him to a raw food diet, here's what you do. Over a period of 2 to 3 days, you fast your dog or put him on a liquid diet. You stop feeding him the old diet. And then for the next couple of days, you only give him water. You may also give broths if you're concerned about a lack of energy. This will allow your dog's body to get rid of the toxins lying in there. After this fast, you are now ready to introduce him to a raw dog food diet that's healthier and better for his body.

Whether you decide to detoxify your dog before your introduce him to the raw food diet or to let detoxification take place while he is being switched, the important thing is that his body is able to flush out the toxins in there. This will allow him to get the most of out his new diet, which in turn will help him become healthier in the long run.

If you're looking for help on how to introduce a raw dog food diet to your adult dog or puppy, a good resource that you can check out is Maggie Rhines' "Going Rawr! Dog Lover's Compendium". It's a well-written, well-researched book about what pet owners need to know to get the most out of this type of diet for their dogs.

Starting dogs early on a raw dog food diet will allow them to gain the most benefit from this type of diet. If you can get them on this type of diet from puppy-hood, that would be the best. That will make sure they get all the nutrients they need in a form that their bodies are fully equipped to handle. That is why I strongly advocate weaning your puppies to a raw food diet as soon as this becomes possible.

When you wean your puppies, you actually start off with milk meals to wean them from their mother. This means puppies as young as 2.5 weeks old can already be started on this type of diet. If you prefer to wait till your puppy is 3 to 5 weeks old, that's fine too.

When preparing milk meals, you want to use raw or fresh milk when you do this. Goat's milk is preferred because it's easier for the puppies to digest it, but if that's not available, other kinds of milk like cow's milk are suitable as well.

Aside from goat's milk, you would need to mix in some other ingredients into your puppies milk meal to make sure that it gets all the nutrients essential for it's growth.

Typical things to add include eggs (without the shell), unprocessed honey, flaxseed oil and yogurt. Some pet owners also add vitamin c and vitamin b supplements just to make sure. Put all of these ingredients in a blender and mix them well together before serving to your puppies.

When they're just a few weeks old, you will need to feed your puppy on demand, which is usually 4 to 5 feedings in a day. Take your cue from how frequently they nurse from their mother.

When your puppies are around 6 weeks old, you can begin looking for indicators that they are ready for solid food. You may notice the mother regurgitating her food and feeding it to her puppies. You may also notice that your puppies now have teeth.

When you see these signs, you know you can start introducing some solid food into your puppies' diet. An ideal first food would be a vegetable mush that has 50% protein content.

Here are some key things to remember when starting your puppies on solids:

Make sure to puree or to mix the food together very well. This will make sure that your puppies get all of the nutrients that they need from the meals that you serve them.

When serving vegetables, avoid greens from the cabbage family as they can give your puppy gas or thyroid problems.

Avoid serving grains at all times. Puppies cannot tolerate grains and you may end up giving them allergies.

Serve one kind of vegetable or meat at a time for about a week, before moving on to another kind of meat or vegetable. This is to help you identify potential food allergies. Once you are certain that your puppies are not allergic to a selection of vegetables and meat that you have served them, then you can go ahead and mix those food together to serve to your puppies.

You want to strive for balance and variety over a period of time. You can achieve this by alternating the meals that you serve your puppies.

When starting your puppies on solids, make sure that you still continue to serve milk meals.

Animal offal or organs are a good source of protein and other nutrients that your growing puppies need. But make sure that these do not make up more than 10% of your puppies meals.

Introducing the raw dog food diet to your puppies will require a lot of attention to details. A great resource on this topic can be found in Maggie Rhines' book called "Going Rawr! Dog Lover's Compendium". I strongly recommend it for anyone who is seriously considering putting their puppies or adult dogs on a raw dog food diet.

To get some dogs to switch to a raw food diet will challenge your creativity. But you know you need to persevere because it's for the good of your dog. Fortunately, there are some tips out there that will help you help your dog adjust to this new and healthier diet.

Here are 7 tips from Maggie Rhines' "Going Rawr! Dog Lover's Compendium" to help you encourage your pick eater onto raw food:

1. Adjust your feeding schedule.

Some dogs are more open to trying new food when they are on a set feeding schedule. Other than being used to being fed and eating at a certain time, you are also certain that they are hungry by the time you give them food.

Another way to improve your dog's reception of raw food is to schedule his feeding after a vigorous routine activity - say after his morning walk or a jog around the block. A good run will help him work up an appetite.

2. Regulate how much food your dog is getting.

If your problem is getting your dog to finish his serving of food, you may want to re-examine how much food you are actually giving him. It may be too much for him to consume.

One way to help your dog finish his food and finish it quickly is to set a certain amount of time for him to eat. Say you only give him 20 minutes to finish his food. After that, take away his food bowl. That way, he'll be encouraged to eat his food and to finish it quickly.

Another reason why you want to do this is because with a raw food diet, you don't want to leave food lying around. This will allow bacteria to grow on your dog's food, which could cause stomach upset when your dog consumes the contaminated food.

3. Lay off on the treats

If your dog is often disinterested in his food, it could be time to examine what food your dog is getting outside of his meals. Does he get to eat when he comes to you while you are preparing his food? What about when the family sits down for dinner, does he get a bite as well?

Treats are meant to be rewards for good behavior and should not be something you routinely give your pet every time. That will turn treats into snacks, which will only spoil your dog's appetite during meal time. So if your dog seems full during meal times, check if unscheduled snacking could be to blame.

4. Variety is the spice of life

When feeding your dog raw food, variety is key to keeping him interested. If you are feeding him the same kind of food all the time, it won't be a surprise if there comes a time when he's just not that interested in the same old thing.

Planning a varied meal doesn't have to be complicated. You can rotate his meals every 3 days. Serve different kinds of meat or different kinds of fruits and vegetables to keep him excited during meal times.

5. Make it fun

Just like with little kids, sometimes dogs need a little stimulation to encourage them to try and to eat new food. You can experiment with various activities and different kinds of toys that dispense food. Or you can take his food (for example, raw meaty bones or whole carcasses) and dangle it a bit in front of him. That could work to get his attention to try the new food.

6. Maybe he's not feeling well

When you've tried different methods and your dog is still not eating, it could be a sign that your dog is not feeling well. If his lack of appetite is accompanied by a general lack of interest in any activity, you would do well to have him checked by a vet.

7. Do the slow switch method

Some dogs just need more time to adjust to raw food diet especially after being so used to a different type of food for a long time. To facilitate his adjustment, you might want to consider doing the slow switch method. What you do is you mix his old diet with the new diet, gradually increasing the proportion of the new diet, until such time when you are feeding him just raw food. This will allow him to acquire a taste for raw food at a less stressful pace.

Introducing the raw food diet to your dog isn't always as easy as just giving him raw meaty bones to munch on. There are a lot of things to consider, especially if your dog is the sensitive/picky eater type.

A good resource to check out though would be Maggie Rhines' "Going Rawr! Dog Lover's Compendium". If you have a dog or a puppy that you want to raise on a raw food diet, her expert tips and guidance will go a long way in helping you make the transition as easy and as pleasant as possible for both you and your pet!