Why Raw Food

Raw dog food comes with numerous benefits to dogs’ health. Digestive health is one of the main benefits of a raw diet. Raw food allows dogs to eat the way nature intended, by having the dogs take their time on the raw meats and bones, which helps their gastric acid release and its overall easier on the body system compared to hard, smaller pieces like kibble. The new, digestible diet will also cause less waste and a healthier stool. The diet also influences their teeth. Because raw food takes more time to chew and process, their teeth are cleaned naturally, improving dental health in dogs. One of the first changes owners will see after putting their dog on a raw diet will be their skin and coat. Because of the vitamins and natural properties found in raw food, dogs tend to develop shinier coats and their skin becomes less dry. It will also cause a decrease in odor and give your dog a cleaner aroma. Raw food also has been linked to a decrease in disease like food allergies, skin conditions, cancer, and obesity. In a time where more people are straying away from processed foods, your dog should be no exception.

Introduce Raw Slowly to Your Dog

Don't make the mistake and introduce your dogs to too many proteins and other ingredients too soon. This may result in diarrhea so what we suggest is introducing a dog slowly.  Don't worry about creating a balanced; balance doesn't mean the same thing it did when we fed kibble. Raw feeders balance over time; for now, you want to focus on introducing your dog to raw. 

The purpose of feeding your dog this way is to allow their system to adjust to his/her new diet. Start by gradually incorporating the raw food with kibble and see how your dog does. Monitor your dog's stool because it tells you how your dog is reacting to the change in their diet. 

Feeding Guidelines…

A general guideline is:

• Feed 2% of a dog's body weight to help them lose weight or for low activity dogs.
• Feed 2.5% of a dog's body weight to help them maintain weight.
• Feed 3% or more of a dog's body weight for active dogs.

 

What you want to see is small, solid poops, however, this isn't always the case. The following are what you might see and how to correct correct their diet.

• White, Hard Poop:  too much calcium; increase muscle meat and/or organ meat.
• Soft Poop: too much organ meat; add more raw meaty bones.
• Diarrhea: reaction to a new protein; scale back and slow the transition to the raw food

Some Dogs Go Through a Detox

Some dogs experience a detox period once switched to raw food.  You may see your dog start shedding a lot, have mucus covered stool, and other mild symptoms that can make you nervous about raw.  These symptoms can last a few days to a couple of weeks.

• mucus coating your dog's poop
• dry skin
• excess shedding
• runny eyes
• skin conditions may worsen before improving

While this may be unnerving, a detox period is the system's way of ridding excess toxins and other unhealthy things after being on a kibble diet.