hi, We have an 11 week old Labrador cross called Chester. He was already started on a raw meat diet when we picked him up and we've tried to continue it but the more I've read about it, the more I get confused about what to include and when? Could somebody help please. We just want him to be healthy!
Hi and welcome to the forum Have a read of this article (below). It also contains links to other useful articles on raw feeding. http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-health-information-about-raw-feeding/ If you don't want to feed raw food you don't have to. Don't feel any pressure to continue exactly what the breeder did. Or you can just make raw food a part of your pup's diet, like a chicken wing with his breakfast, with the bulk of his diet being kibble. You can definitely feed both raw and kibble, and cooked food is totally fine as well. If you're unsure about exactly what to feed in a raw diet then a decent quality (ie not a really cheap brand) kibble might be a good option as you'll be confident then that your pup is getting all the nutrition he needs. Once you've read a bit more and feel more confident about it you could branch out into the raw food world later I myself feed a variety of things including raw (most of my dog's diet) and cooked food, and some kibble.
Thank you Rachel. We were told by the breeder to feed kibble (1 cup of biscuit in water) and 1/4 raw meat (we get from pets at home, defrost it) but then pets at home told us not to give both together?
Hi and welcome from me and my girl Ella ☺ Ella has had a mix of kibble and raw from day one without an issue. If you're concerned then speak to your vet to ensure that Chester is getting the right amounts of each nutrient in his diet. However, as the article that Rachael directed you to mentions, people can be quite opinionated when it comes to raw vs kibble and vets aren't excluded from this (we actually have two vets within the same practice that have differing opinions). If you're still interested in feeding all or some raw, I found this one of Pippa's articles very useful in giving me ideas of what to feed http://thehappypuppysite.com/9-great-ideas-for-natural-raw-dog-food/ What colour is Chester? Feel free to post some photos for us to swoon over ☺☺
What your breeder was doing sounds good - a mix of kibble and raw. If you are comfortable with it I'd just keep doing that. You may like to experiment with the occasional piece of chicken or duck on the bone. If you do, don't be alarmed if your pup swallows it whole. And possibly then regurgitates it and eats it again. That is normal until they get the hang of it (not that lovely to watch unfortunately!!). Pets At Home are mistaken if they say that kibble and raw can't be fed together - that is a myth. And, yes, we'd love to see a pic of Chester I'm sure he's gorgeous.
Your breeder is probably your best source of information, she's been feeding raw for years? She has successful, healthy dogs? You chose to buy one of her dogs? Most breeders send their puppies home with some food, detailed feeding instructions and ask you call them for any little thing that worries you. Yes, the idea that kibble and raw in the same meal is dangerous has been pretty well debunked by scientific studies of digestion rates that you can find if you google. Good for you for questioning that advice. If that's how your puppy was weaned then he's already on the way to being able to handle it. Does your Vet support raw food? If so your Vet might be a good source of information. Our Vet is who got us started feeding raw. You might look into one of the raw feeding Facebook groups. I'm on one that has people from all over the world. I warn you, there are some wonky ideas on it, if you're just starting out it might be hard to tell good advice from bad. That's why your breeder is probably your best bet for information.
Thank you all for your helpful advice and making me feel so welcome to the forum! Chester is a chocolate lab X springer (Springador) but looks like a lab. He's almost dark chocolate! When I get the hang of this I'll be able to show pictures, he's very handsome and cheeky! I may sound silly but how do we get meat on the bone or is it just like we would get it? Yes our breeder sent food home with him and instructions so we just carried on from what she did but the girl at pets at home then told us not to mix the two so I did research and it said there's no problem with it. That's the problem when you get advice from different places but the majority are saying it's ok so we're ignoring pets at home. He has the occasional upset tummy like today but like any pup he eats everything in sight even though we try to stop him!
Yes, it's tricky when there are so many options and opinions! Finding the actual facts is not always easy. So meat on the bone would be things like: Chicken or turkey wings Chicken thighs still on the bone Chicken necks or turkey necks Whole quail Basically any part of a chicken, duck, pheasant with the meat left attached to the bone Slices of lamb neck Pieces of oxtail Lamb ribs Pork ribs Whole fish (start small, like sardines. You can feed tinned sardines too) Apart from tinned sardines, all of the above should be raw (cooked bone can splinter). You can feed offal (liver, kidney, heart) if you want to which obviously has no bones. Because it has no bones you can cook offal if you like. Just avoid leg bones or weight bearing bones from mammals (so, no lamb shanks, beef marrow bones...). These can wear down and break teeth if your dog is a somewhat serious chewer who won't stop when the going gets tough. If feeding raw meat make sure you dog is up to date with worming, including tapeworm
