What is a raw food diet for dogs?
While most people think of raw meat when they think of a raw food diet, there are actually a long list of other types of food that are considered raw food. Typically, a raw food diet can consist of any of the following foods: raw meat, bones, eggs, fruits and vegetables, cheese, and yogurt.
Many dog owners prefer to feed their dogs raw food, as there are many benefits associated with feeding your dog that diet. Below we will review the top benefits.
Benefits of feeding your dog a raw food diet
Benefits of feeding your dog raw food include:
- Better oral hygiene (cleaner teeth and better smelling breath)
- Easier to digest
- Healthier skin and fur
- Increase in energy
- Healthier stools
How to transition dog from dry food to raw food diet?
If you are transitioning your dog from a dry food to raw food diet, we recommend doing it gradually over 2 weeks. This allows your dog’s digestive system to adjust to the change. If you switch your dog from dry food to raw food too quickly, it can cause diarrhea or vomiting in your dog.
How much raw food to feed puppy?
The amount of raw food you should feed your puppy can vary based on your puppies age, breed, metabolism, and other medical conditions. Puppies do require more raw food than adult dogs because they are growing and have a higher metabolism. In general, you should feed a puppy around 6% of its body weight on a daily basis. We recommend splitting this in half between a morning breakfast and an evening dinner. For example, a puppy that weighs 20 lbs, should eat around 1.2 lbs of raw food a day. This means your puppy should eat 0.6 lbs for breakfast and 0.3 lbs for dinner. If you are switching your puppy from a dry food to raw food diet, your puppy might experience some weight loss in the first 2 weeks, but this is normal. However, if your dog is still losing weight after three weeks, you should consult a vet or switch back to a dry food diet. Additionally, you should never force a dog to eat a raw food diet if they don’t want to. If they are refusing to eat the raw food, then you should just switch to a dry food diet.
