Let’s start with what’s not great about a processed pet food diet.
Even if a commercial pet food claims it "meets nutritional requirements", it is designed to be a convenience food that lasts longer than fresh food.
Think about processed food for humans: we know they are not the healthiest choice for us, yet we tend to buy it because it's quick, easy and lasts longer on our shelves.
Same goes for processed pet foods.
Kibble tends to be full of preservatives and grain additives, which compromise about 50% of processed pet foods, which leads to an excess in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates create sugar and dogs are more than capable of producing all the glucose that their body needs without any dietary carbs. That’s why carbohydrates aren’t considered essential nutrients for dogs, while proteins and fats are.
When a dog eats a high carbohydrate, low protein meat diet, the acidity in the stomach changes. A dogs stomach acidity should be acidic, like 2. The low acid pH prevents them from getting sick from eating things they shouldn’t, from garbage diving or eating dead animals in the yard etc.
There are two ways to transition your dog to raw.
- Fasting. If your dog is young or a healthy adult with no medical conditions you can feed them their last kibble meal at night and after 12-18 hours offer a full raw meal.
- Gradual. This is what we would recommend for a senior dog or one who has health concerns.
We suggest starting with a protein such as Turkey, chicken or rabbit as these are the easiest proteins to digest. Take the thawed food out of the fridge for 20 minutes to allow it to reach room temperature before offering it to your dog. Icy food can cause your pet to vomit and room temperature also enhances the food aroma.
Adding a probiotic with the addition of digestive enzymes or raw goats milk can help with digestion. We also recommend adding a scoop of pumpkin purée which is a bowel modulator.
Most dogs will have no problem switching over but if your dog is picky and refusing raw here a few tips you can try:
- Sprinkle on Etta say’s or Crump’s liver sprinkles.
- Mix in dehydrated raw food moistened with goats milk or bone broth. K9 Naturals is our number one dehydrated raw food, it has incredible ingredients and sourcing!
- Sheer the meat in a frying pan for a couple seconds per side, you do not want to cook it because of the bone content but heating allows the aroma to release.
- Mix raw green beef tripe, beef green tripe is very stinky but very good for your dogs digestive health plus they love the stinky smell!
- Let the dog get hungrier. Fasting is a regular thing for dogs ancestors and is totally healthy for dogs to do from time to time.
You know as a pet parent that you are doing the best thing for their health so, sometimes you have to show them tough love.
If all else fails, switch proteins. Protein rotation is very important one reason is avoid food boredom, dogs should have a mix of 3-5 proteins a month.
When a dog switches from kibble to raw you may notice they act hungrier, that is because similar to us when we go on a diet, their stomach needs time to adjust, it may seem like you’re feeding them less but you are giving them the only nutrients they require, which means more of it will be absorbed by their body which equals smaller stool!
Here at Poochie Moochie Edmonton we can show you how to give your dog the best thing for their health while not breaking the bank!
Let’s say you have a 15 pound shihtzu. According to Big Country Raw’s cost and portion calculator you will need to feed 0.30 pounds a day. Depending on which proteins you rotate it will averagely cost just $1.14 per day! Which equates to just $34.26 per month! When you have a big dog that’s where things can get a little more pricey. For a 75 pound dog you’d be feeding 1.50 pounds per day, which on average would cost $5.71 per day, Which equates to $171.30 per month.
Which is similar in price to the best brand of kibble out there, keep in mind that you will be saving substantially more due to the fact that your dogs health will be improved, leading to less vet bills.
Any complete balanced raw food is better for your pets health than the best kibble out there.
One of the best selling brands for our customers with large multi dog families is Doggy Moggy which we get in Pork, Turkey and the best selling which is beef bison! Available in 40 pound boxes, beef bison sells for $90, for a 75 pound dog that would last 26 days!
Take into consideration that feeding different brands is highly recommended as each brand has different sourcings of their meat, and some include other natural ingredients such as Nature’s premium which contains Elk velvet antler in every recipe. Alongside the 3 already mentioned we also carry, Carnivora, Bold by Nature, Courtlyn Customs & Complete k9.
If you’re local, Come and see us for a meal consultation, we would love to help you get your pet started on a natural species appropriate diet!