[jess6905]

First I have decided to start feeding a raw diet to my boyfriends dog, and have been researching for several weeks now. At the moment my only questions are-
1) Is it better to switch him cold turkey or a slow transfer?
2) What is the best food to start him on first(I was thinking chicken or turkey)?
3) There seems to be a lot of debate on if vitamin supplements should be given or if they are completely unnecessary?

My other question is about my sisters dog. He is currently eating a kibble diet, but seems to have lost a lot of his appetite in the last few months. I already know that she is not willing to transfer him to a raw diet. He has not lost any weight yet, but i was wondering if you guys/gals might have any tips on getting him to eat better.

[rosemaryninja]

Originally Posted by jess6905

First I have decided to start feeding a raw diet to my boyfriends dog, and have been researching for several weeks now. At the moment my only questions are-
1) Is it better to switch him cold turkey or a slow transfer?

Cold turkey. There are actually some dangers involved in feeding both kibble and raw at one meal, because the two types of food are digested at different rates. Some people still do it, but honestly, there's no real reason to do a slow transfer.

2) What is the best food to start him on first(I was thinking chicken or turkey)?

You definitely want to start him off with at least two weeks of nothing but chicken. It's a very bland meat, so this will give him a good amount of time to get used to it. Chicken meat and chicken bones only; no organ meat. After those two weeks, you can add some turkey to the mix; still no organ meat. If his stools are firm and his stomach isn't displaying any signs of trouble you can start introducing new protein sources (beef, lamb, pork, fish etc) ONE BY ONE each week. Remember, little by little. Too much too fast and you're in trouble.

3) There seems to be a lot of debate on if vitamin supplements should be given or if they are completely unnecessary?

I think this is really up to the individual. You're right, it's a pretty controversal topic. Honestly, a well-designed raw diet will provide your dog with all the vitamins he needs. When I feed Spunky kibble she takes fish oil capsules every day, glucosamine supplements for her joints, brewer's yeast...when I feed her raw she doesn't need any of that except fish oil once a week. I do give her Solid Gold Seameal as a supplement though.

I didn't see where in your post you mentioned an older dog, but I just wanted to add that you really shouldn't have anything to worry about. I started contemplating a raw diet for Spunky at the start of this year (she's 10 next week) and shared the same concerns about her system not being able to handle it. She switched cold turkey with absolutely no problems, and she did great on it. Make sure his teeth are in decent condition and can chew down the bones. That's really all I would worry about. Don't fret if he vomits or if his stools are out of the ordinary for the first couple of weeks -- this is normal.

My other question is about my sisters dog. He is currently eating a kibble diet, but seems to have lost a lot of his appetite in the last few months. I already know that she is not willing to transfer him to a raw diet. He has not lost any weight yet, but i was wondering if you guys/gals might have any tips on getting him to eat better.

What brand of kibble is he on?

[RawFedDogs]

Originally Posted by jess6905

1) Is it better to switch him cold turkey or a slow transfer?

Cold turkey definately.

2) What is the best food to start him on first(I was thinking chicken or turkey)?

Chicken for 2 weeks, add in some turkey the 3rd week. A week later try pork, then fish a week later. Then add beef. Don't feed organs for a couple of months. The order of these particular meats is not real critical but the dogs I know of that began each in that order seemed to have fewer problems. You are beginning with real easily digested meat/bones and gradually increasing difficulty in digestion.

3) There seems to be a lot of debate on if vitamin supplements should be given or if they are completely unnecessary?

After you have been raw feeding for a couple of months, you should be feeding a variety of animal parts from a variety of animals. If thats the case, then no supplements are needed.

I already know that she is not willing to transfer him to a raw diet. He has not lost any weight yet, but i was wondering if you guys/gals might have any tips on getting him to eat better.

If your sister won't listen to you then there is not much you can do.

[jess6905]

Thanks both of you. He is on Natures Recipe Farm Stand Selects. Her reason for not switching them to a raw diet is that she thinks it will be too expensive for her two dogs. my hope is that if all goes well with my guy she will see the improvement hes making, and be more open to raw diets. Til then what would be a good kibble to recomend to her that isn't too costly?

[briteday]

In the moderate price category I like Taste of the Wild (when the dogs are not on raw, like with a petsitter) and it runs me a little over $1/pound.

Ironically, I spend way less that $1/lb on raw even when I don't have any great resources besides the grocery stores.