Switching to raw food advice please

[Mammaaof]

Hi, so I'm just looking for some advice on switching to raw food. Mainly which brands you recommend? I've been looking at nature's menu? Does my dog need any other vitamins while on raw food? Also how much do you give? Is it the same as wet food portion? He weighs 2.8kg if that's any help! Thank you

I moved my puppy onto nutriment and she’s doing brilliantly. Really healthy and digestive problems disappeared. The guideline is 5-6% bodyweoght for pup and I think 2-3% for adult, but I’m sure each brand give their own guidance.

We're using finer by nature "complete" range so pup gets a balance of meat (80%), offal (10%) and veg (10%). It makes life so much easier that we don't need to spend time measuring, balancing and adding to food to make sure pup is getting everything she needs. We're also using their 100% natural training treats made completely from fish and potato and pup loves them. The difference in her behaviour since switching to raw is remarkable and her coat is noticeably softer and shinier. So pleased we made the switch to raw.

We did prey model raw, so no veg, just the balance of meat and bone and organ that would be typical if they were eating prey. I think it's 80 meat, 10 bone, 5 liver and 5 other organs. In reality, he does better with more bone, refuses organs except dried liver, and only eats minced beef/pork and chicken pieces. We tried hard to have variety in the early days, but he's settled into what he likes.

Re the ratios, again i was strict at first, bought food in the correct proportions, but now I wing it, to be honest. He's a picture of health, mind. Never had fleas or worms. Doesn't smell of dog.

Mine has Poppies which he does really well on. There has been a huge improvement in his behaviour since switching to raw feeding. Took a little while to work out how much to feed but he now has 140g twice a day. He’s 16kgs.

We did a lot of research after we realised that our raw food provider was not registered by the PFMA. There was also a rumour that they might have been linked to some cases of campylobacter locally. I have no proof of this but we wanted to be safe.

So we checked the list of PFMA approved companies and checked them out.

We ended up using a company that did a complete food but some do just the meat and you can do your own veg and supplements.

@Coffeeandcakee I think this is the range I have been looking at, do they come in nuggets and on the website you put in your dog's details and it tells you how many nuggets a day they should have? Really like the complete range as I know he will be getting everything he needs and right amounts

I used complete when he's on holiday, at the kennels or a friend's, just to make it easier for them. It's very easy.

Just use one flavour when you start- chicken based, I'd suggest. Then introduce new ones I'd he's doing ok. It helps if his tummy is upset for example, to know whether it's a specific food.

Re quantities, it's usually suggested to feed 2-3% of his adult body weight.
Is he an adult at that size? It's 40 to 60g a day in that case.

@picklemewalnuts thank you for your advice it's really helpful! He weighs 4.5kg at the moment. When I put his weight into the calculator on one of the raw food websites it says he should have 342g a day does this sound about right to you?

@picklemewalnuts sorry I know I said he weighs 2.8kg in my original post but I took him to be weighed yesterday properly rather than guessing

Mine has Naturaw. Weighs 5kg and has 120g a day (as per the product guidance). With small dogs just a little bit extra can make a huge difference to their weight so I weigh it out every time rather than eyeballing it.

We keep it at the lower end of the guidance so he can have chews and training treats without negatively impacting his weight.

It's the expected adult weight you use to calculate. So a Great Dane pup will need more than a spaniel pup.

342g is in the ball park for a dog that's going to be 15kg as an adult.

To be honest, I stopped weighing a long time ago and feed to my dog's appetite. He isn't fat, so I feed him what he asks for. 'Dog food' is the equivalent of Macdonald's and it's easy for them to eat more than they need. Raw food is less 'moreish', so they tend to eat the right amount.

What kind of dog is he, and what does he currently eat?

@SatsumasOrClementines I thought that 342g a day sounds slot for a 4.5kg puppy! Surely that must be wrong 🙊

@picklemewalnuts omg no he's only a toy cavapoochon so he would have stopped growing by next month (7 months) I doubt he would get any heavier than 5kg 🙈 he currently has burns kibble (only small amount as a mixer) and a large spoonful of Harrington's wet food. He has this twice a day with treats like carrots, pigs tails, cows tails, necks ect but obviously that isn't one day maybe one of them every 2 or 3 days

My dog is 5kg at an adult though OP. If yours is nearly 5kg now as a puppy what is his expected weight?

I would trust the product guidelines, they’re there for a reason. Maybe check a few different brands to see if they give you a similar outcome?

Xpost about weight.

Check a few different brands and see if they give you a similar answer.

I'm so confused 🙈 I've tried 3 different websites now and feeding guides range from 110g a day, 160g a day and then 342g a day

It does depend what is in the food, which is why it varies.

2% of 5kg is 100g. 3% is 150g.

So start there and adjust. He may be hungry at first if he's used to bulkier foods that stay in the tummy longer, so give him a little more.

Raw treats are good- good for teeth, good for staving off hunger pangs, good mental exercise.

Keep an eye on his weight- he should have a waist when viewed from above, and one or two visible/feelable ribs.

His poop should be reasonably easy to pick up. If it's very soft he may be over eating- assuming he's ok with the food.

Try not to worry too much- they are pretty hardy! Commercial dog food is a very modern invention, they've got by perfectly well on whatever people have available to feed them for centuries!

@Mammaaof it comes in 1kg bags and we weigh it out per meal. We just defrost the bags as we need them and keep the food in a Tupperware in the fridge.

Finer by nature are really good. They didn't have stock of our usual chicken complete this time round so offered us another more expensive meat as an alternative at no extra cost and sent it to us DPD next day delivery which was great.

@picklemewalnuts thank you so much for your advice it's really helped! I think ill do what you said and see how he goes!

@Coffeeandcakee thank you, can I ask how heavy your dog is and how much you give? As you can see I have a range of different amounts and it's confusing 🙈

@Mammaaof we have a rottie puppy who is growing quickly (currently 14kg) so we're regularly increasing the amount but we feed to about 5% of her weight for meals then she gets treats on top of that as well as an occasional chicken wing or two (she really enjoys the process of eating them).

It's difficult to guage at first as raw food really doesn't look like much in the bowl. We're going with the guidelines re percentage but keeping an eye on her shape to make sure she keeps a visible waist and that her ribs don't become too visible or hidden.

@Coffeeandcakee brill thank you, I think I'll start off with 150g then see how he goes on that as the food I was planning on using says he needs 342g I just think that is such a lot for a tiny dog 🙈

@Mammaaof best of luck🤞 hopefully the raw is a success.