How old do you start giving raw????

[Storm da bull 7]

Hi I'm just wondering how old shall my be before giving her raw. I shunt have her yet realy as she only 5 weeks but due to accident with the dam Ive had to take her early. I'm still giving her lactol throughout the day and have her on dry but I want to get her on raw ASAP advice will be very welcome and I'll try and get pics up soon she a 3/4 whippet 1/4 bull cheers all.!!

[collie/grey 238]

[rapidjenky 97]

when i had a litter a few years ago i had them on FRESH minced lamb heart as soon as they would eat it. very small amounts at first to get them used to it. i minced it myself and had removed it from the lamb myself a few hours earlier.

 

just make sure its very fresh and clean.

[lowry 48]

if you can get calf legs and good meat.. mince it fine and put it down to pups at 3 weeks of age.. it make it easier on the bitch as well. just make sure you lift any old mince and put it down fresh every morning..plenty good milk and fresh clean water..

[skycat 6,174]

Absolutely DO NOT feed a tiny pup on dry food: dry food expands in the stomach, puts the whole system under stress and means the animal has to drink much more than is normal to cope with the expanding food. If you must feed dry food then soak it well first: then you'll see just how much it expands!

 

It is fine to give a young pup minced meat. I like to start off with minced chicken as it is easier to digest than minced beef, but I would think that your pup would be fine on minced beef if she is managing to cope with dry food.

 

Daily menu could go like this:

Breakfast: scrambled egg and 1/2 slice of brown toast with butter on. (protein from egg, carbs from toats, fat from butter for energy) OR a couple of large dollops of natural whole milk yogurt followed by a meaty bone with no sharp splinters so she can pull the meat off with her teeth: a couple of ribs from a breast of lamb is great for this, and will keep her occupied for a good while. If she struggles with it, cut into the meat with a sharp knife so that the meat is all ragged and she can pull it off the bone.

 

Mid morning: as much minced beef or chicken as she can eat in one go: if she leaves any, reduce the amount next time around. To the mince you can add a dusting of bone meal (calcium) or a well smashed up chicken wing: smash with a hammer or pulverise with a pestle and mortar so there are no lumps of bone remaining.

 

Mid afternoon: tiny bit of cooked liver: (teaspoonful) ground up with more mince, pinch of kelp seaweed powder. If she can eat raw liver that is fine, but some pups find it a bit strong.

 

Supper: same as mid morning, but you could add a tiny splash of cod liver oil. Twice a week half a tin of sardines or mackerel in oil (NOT brine) together with either boiled brown rice or brown bread or a handful of porridge oats. Don't be afraid to add extra fat in the form of hard lamb or beef fat if the pup is having a job keeping the weight on at the same time as growing very fast. Too much fat can give them the runs.

 

NOTE: for died in the wool BARFISTS I know that this isn't a totally raw diet, but I find that pups do better on this type of mixture than if they aren't getting any carbs at all: eggs if fed frequently should be cooked as raw they can affect the absorption of biotin.

 

Hope this helps.

[rapidjenky 97]

please use goats milk not cows milk.

[newcomer88 86]

any pup ive had , as soon as i get them , mince beef / lamb , scrambled eggs , goats milk , and plenty of fresh water i just mix it up a b it really

[Storm da bull 7]

Start her now mate, my pups were weaned onto raw from 2 weeks old and thriving, mine get minced beef/lamb/chicken/rabbit/tripe alternately aswell scrambelled eggs and goats milk thrown in. It's what they would be weaned on if int wild

 

 

Thanks c/g and I'm sorry to hear about ur bitch was that the one that was at the show I was at

[Storm da bull 7]

Thanks for ur replies they r a great help and skycat when I say dry food I don't mean complete dry I do soak it in boiling water 1st and I gonna make menu for her to getfrom butchers so thanks for thatyour a star!!!

[DogMagic 461]

All the pups iv had have been 6 weeks or older but they have all been on raw diet from the word go. There is always a bowl of kibble in the kitchen in case they want more but it lasts for months because the raw is enough. Chicken is good and easiest for them to deal with but red meat is important too in order to balence the diet out. Also they do need a sourse of calcium so make sure they get a bit of bone. The occaisional boiled egg is good. So is tins of fish (sardines, tuna, kippers). As has been said not in brine. The tins of fish in tomatoe sauce or oil are fine.