Puppies And Raw

[SoL]

Do you or have any of you put your pups on 100% raw from an early age? If so, what were the results, especially regarding pasterns, bowels, coat, growth rates and general health and well being?

I have 4 11wk old pups who I feed a mixture of dry and raw (not in the same meal). Our adult dogs are now fed 100% raw with good results so I'm wondering whether the pups would do well on this kind of diet or whether their mineral/vitamin, protein etc requirements are too complicated to cater for to ensure their healthy growth into adulthood. If unsuitable at this moment, when would a good changeover age be? 6 months, 8 or 12 months?

[Aziah]

I've just raised a litter of 8 on totally raw and when I took them for vaccination the other day my vet was in awe :D they look amazing and I'm thrilled to bits with them.

Previously I have switched puppies I am keeping on to raw at 8 weeks and they've adjusted and grown on beautifully without any issues.

[Sandra777]

I have raised pups on totally raw and (depending on circumstances) on a mixture for 30 years. It's really NOT that hard with medium sized puppies - I would hesitate to recommend it to someone without a lot of support raising giant breed or heavily boned pups (thinking Bassets for example).

Variety and thought and the rest takes care of itself. IMO you have to have access to a much wider variety than you can get a way with with adults.

Feet/pasterns can be a nightmare for commercial-food raised pups so not a starter IMO. If you see them getting sloppy increase the bone % and decrease the meat % accordingly. Don't feed generous quantities of liver thinking it's great - it's not, it's bad for calcium absorption.

ETA: regardless of whether I can do totally raw for that litter, all my pups are weaned on to raw, commercial food is never introduced until they're 6 or 7 weeks old.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Sandra777

[SoL]

So can you pls describe, for this particular numpty, the range of foods you would feed pups other than the usual chicken frames/wings, lamb off cuts, fish and eggs? Do you use any fillers such as rice/oats at all?

[Sandra777]

Assuming a normal litter, mum managing well, I offer solids at around 3 weeks & 4 to 6 days.

First meals, scraped beef - moderate quality steak scraped with a serrated knife so you only get the meat, no sinew or fat as you find in mince. 3 meals of this (golf ball sized each) 12 hours apart

Then finest human grade minced lamb/beef/chicken in similar quantity 3 x day, including each species at least once bringing them to a touch over 4 weeks.

Then they get mince for one meal every day, alternate types including minced chicken frames, roo, anything I can get.

Other meals:-

Chicken nibbles, rip the skin and remove the lumpy bits of skin & fat the first few times. Graduate to wings, timing depending on the size and enthusiasm

Lamb neck chops make sure mum doesn't get hold of them

Ox tail, make sure mum doesn't get hold of them

1/2 chicken carcases

chicken drumstick

small chicken thigh with some of the meat cut off & kept for another meal

If I can get them on special, whole chooks cut into big lumps

mutton flaps

beef ribs (smaller ones)

roo, rabbit, hare, anything else I can get is included in lumps

lamb ribs

brisket bones I have a hatred of but will give them to small puppies, always paranoid about mum getting them.

Pork or mutton offcuts sold in the supermarket are always interesting shapes and have varying degrees of gristle, cartilege and hard (inedible for puppy) bones

Pig trotter if you can find them - usually bash them a fair bit with a cleaver.

liver & kidney in small amounts - any species including chicken or duck (never seen a chook kidney or I'd do it LOL)

1/2 a sheep's heart in a single lump

any sort of tripe I can get - a mission in Australia, not so much in NZ. chicken giblets included

Canned oily fish, usually they hate it so go figure

Egg including the shell - generally 2 between 3 pups 3 or 4 times a week

Frankly - anything in the meat section at the supermarket/asian store/pet food place is fair game IMO. One litter lived happily on lumps of whole beef rump (not their whole diet!), they were rejects from a store next to OH's work after some freezer malfunction. Yep - they were yummy on the BBQ too And our dogs liked us more when we kept sheep and a cattle beast for our own freezer

The pups at Christmas time this year even got a little nibble at some prawn casings and tails. Were big prizes but not so much worth eating was their opinion.

Cheese when they're a bit older (6 or more weeks)

Over 6 weeks they'll get some sort of dry food, generally whatever has arrived from a show recently. Not fussed about it being puppy food. Will add some ordinary milk, no lactose free rice milk sourced only from yaks in the Andes here

2x4 biscuits keep them amused for hours, but again only for the slightly older ones.

Some dog roll and canned food after 6 weeks, but not for a complete meal.

Older pups & adults get table scraps here - could range to a small amount of bread (stale crusts etc) to cooked & raw vege of any sort, gravy, left over casarole, soup, burned bits not uncommon!

I include commercial food because you've got to be realistic and the pups will get this food in their new homes, so need to be introduced to it early IMO.

Edited June 8, 2010 by Sandra777

[SoL]

Thanks Sandra See, we are of the same mind regarding weaning - mine get scraped beef as well but I've always tended towards weaning them on mostly commercial with at least one raw meal per day when fully weaned. They have also had roo and chicken mince, as well as wings, oily fish (mine love it ) and they devoured half a carcass each today, but do you bother with any vegies as well or just table scraps?

I think I'm on the right track, it's just making that transition to complete raw that I'm having trouble with

[WreckitWhippet]

Brett was raised on all raw from 8 weeks. he grew beautifully, he never splayed in the feet or knuckled over. I was very happy with how he's grown and now starting to mature.

[W Sibs]

My breeder started feeding Emmy raw from 6 weeks old. She loves anything chicken.

Charlie was on raw food from 8 weeks old... he loves beef.

[Bow Wow]

Georgea is fed totally raw diet. Chicken necks, chicken wings, lamb flaps, liver. But tonight I noticed her the feet look a bit splayed. She is 9 months. Is there any thing that I can add to her diet to help this. Georgea is a Cavalier.