tortoise

My puppy had raw and Orijen with the breeder. I fed Science Diet Small Breed Puppy for 1 - 2 weeks, then changed over to Blue Buffalo Grain Free Puppy.

I used to feed raw and I take it very seriously. I use Small Animal Clinical Nutrition text to help check diet periodically and keep everything safe.

I saw neck bones at the grocery store and could not resist! When I fed raw years ago, the advice given to start dogs on raw was to give yogurt for a week, then raw egg every other day for a week, then start with a meaty RMB. Is that still the advice given?

I don't think I will do the yogurt thing. It's unlikely that the probiotic survives to make it into the intestinal tract. When I last fed raw, people were trying to figure out how much probiotic survives and if it's effective. It was not looking good for probiotic.

I was going to give him a RMB tomorrow morning and then see what happens. Feed kibble at night. 2 - 3 days and see what poops are like.

CharismaticMillie

I've never heard of that way of starting raw! The way I started was pretty simple - kibble one day and raw the next. My dogs did fast overnight as usual and then started with raw chicken backs and quarters the first week. I added a new protein each week and also built up slowly to an appropriate amount if boneless muscle meat. I really don't ever deed my dogs yogurt unless they are dying for a snack!

Best of luck in the transition.

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Happy tailwags from Peckerwood's Thoroughly Modern Millie, CGC and Ch. Safari's Specter, CGC!

fjm

I've not heard of starting with yoghurt and eggs either - mine don't like yoghurt, and raw egg is hell on poodle ears! I slid into raw from home cooking, so I knew they were fine with a range of proteins. I started with RMB with plenty of meat to bone, and the rest cooked, and then tried all the rest raw. Poppy eats practically anything; Sophy doesn't like raw organ meat or fish - so they still have some meals cooked, at as low a temperature as is feasible. A good mix of protein sources, the right balance of muscle, organ and bone, and the diet seems to more or less take care of itself. I do add a few veg - they seems to reduce the self supplementing with rabbit berries and sheep poo!

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To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace.

~ Milan Kundera

CT Girl

I think you will be glad your dog is back on raw. Swizzle can't wait for meal time and his teeth are pearly white and his coat is shiny. I followed C. Millie's and FJM's advice and basically went from kibble one day to raw the next and Swizzle had no issues at all.

tortoise

The RMBs ended up in the freezer last night. (oops) I gave a raw egg and shell this morning. He ate the shell first, but didn't eat the egg. I put some kibble with it and then he ate it all.