what raw food do you give young puppies? - Page 2

Jenni, crate the kid while the dogs are eating.

Yes I agree VM, lock up the kid while the puppies are learning to eat. 

OK Jenni:  which HK are you going to use?  I read all ingredients, Thrive seems to be the cleanest unless you use Zeal which is only fish;  I don't think puppies should get only fish for their first proteins??  What do you think, other than the new Love formula which is beef all others have flax and I won't use it.  2 of my 4 itch with any flax, oil, seed, etc.  Don't think pup's need that to start off do you.  I will be interested to see how they are going to do on the HK.  Have you weaned with it before?  Just curious.  I read somewhere about someone using it but be damned if I can find it now.  My friend expecting the litter said it sounds good and easy to use, and believe me she needs easy; but does not have time to do her own research; so told her I would try to help.  We'll see. 

I feed all of my dogs a raw diet with some Canidae All Life Stages here and there. Chicken leg quarters are a staple, as are beef hearts and turkey necks. I also use fish for the dogs who will eat it, some won't. 
I also use some Blue Ridge Beef products, ( Natural Mix which has organ meat), Green Tripe, and Breeders Choice, ( a coarse ground bone in) as well as really nice Out of date meat I get from our local butcher with like today's date for free. We like that a lot.
for puppies I usually use Blue Ridge Beef, Puppy Mix and soaked Canidae dry in about a 40/60 mix. They *(*&^&*- LOVE it. I will add a bit of Natural Mix and start giving them chicken necks or wings at about 4-5 weeks. Nothing more fun than watching them get started on raw. By the time they are 7 weeks odl they are devouring leg quarters.

I have never had any problems with flax. I use the Embark. I also use some of the grain free canned formulas when I don't have access to everything raw I need cheap enough. That way, I can start them on leg quarters,  etc. while not worrying too much about balance of nutrients and missing anything. I sometimes a bunch of stuff in a blender for the first few meals.

Thx Jenni:  Well I will say this;  I am looking for the easy consistency for my friend that needs the weaning formula;  want it healthy and fresh and somewhat raw.  I like the hamburger which anyone can get at any time; buttermilk and cottage cheese.  That sounds good as I have used hamburger for years with great results on weanlings.  I also don't think, other than raw hamburger that she will go with any raw chicken/JMO.  That is why I thought THK would maybe work.  Thanks for the Embark  info;  have you tried Thrive for weaning in the past?


Well we will see and thanks for any info.  Nan

For those feeding raw. Is the adjustment period different from puppies than adults? Nans, you along with a couple of others answered some of my previous posts. But if I supplemented, NOT completely flipped over to raw...... How long til they (guestimate) stop "blowing" the mess ? How long giving them small portions til complete portions? Or is it just a do and watch/trial and error thing?

Melba, are those pups totally on raw at that age? Hmmmmmmnnnnnnn.

Alboe, I have never had the runs from any raw. Can you tell me exactly what you did and I can see if I can pinpoint what caused you the problems? Email me; I don't want to hijack this thread. Jen(at)vomeisenherz.com

Nan, I have never used Thrive...it didn't even exist the last time I fed THK to young pups. Sorry. Why buttermilk? I try to stay away from milk except goat's milk.

My last litter didn't eat kibble until they went home w/their new owners...and some still haven't.

I introduce soft raw foods beginning at 2 weeks, chicken quarters by 5 weeks.

Yep, I would probably go totally raw but it is not my litter.  I am pretty sure with her long days gone and someone helping to feed puppies;  82 year old mom, neighbor, etc. that she won't go with raw early on.  Maybe later??  I have my doubts.


Jenni:  Buttermilk has wonderful probiotic properties, is not rich and very easily digestable.  Goats milk is good also.  Anything but cows milk in my opinion, and maybe just hamburger and yogart.  We'll see.  Whatever it is it needs to be convenient to get, and easy to put together and fast to put together. 


Thx to all.

Alboe:  I would just start out with chicken wings.  Maybe it was the organ meat mixed with kibble was too rich,  you have to be careful with organ meats until they get used to the change;  my sister's bitch ate too much liver one time and had blow out diaherria (SP sorry).  And she was in her crate so you can imagine the mess.  So anything new, start with a piece the size of your palm of your hand;  then if all goes well, proceed with more of the same.  I would try to wean off the kibble though, possibly kibble and raw doesn't work.  Is OK later for most I think, but maybe too much for your guys.  If you to give kibble, give it at a separate meal, raw only, kibble next meal.  AM/PM.  See how that works.

In otherwards Alboe, feed raw one meal say 3-4 wings to each with nothing else except have fresh water available.  It is the bone/meat ratio that makes the difference in stools.  The wings have a fair amount of bone so they should not have any trouble.  Maybe start one dog at a time one meat at a time.  If all goes well proceed ahead to the next dog, feed the same thing and so on.  Also DO NOT overfeed at first.  You can adjust later.  I am presuming your dogs are 60-80 lbs, etc.  So 1.5 percent of their body weight to start should be OK.  So for the 80 lb dog would get about l l/4 lbs for one meal.  YOu can adjust later.  So that is about l large leg quarter or maybe 4-6 wings depending on how big everything is.  That varies.  You will learn to eye ball it later, but maybe for now get a small scale and weight meat then adjust for next meal if it is kibble.  Good luck  Hope this helps.  Nan

Thanks. Going to give it another try.