# Possibly switching from raw, need advice



## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

I would love opinions and advice about this. 

My breeder does prepared raw. (chicken, bones and veg) She sent me home with some. My puppy ate the first three meals for me and then stopped. She told me he was picky. Today I caved (cuz he has only eaten one scoop since Thursday Breakfast, and he is suppose to have 6 scoops a day) and bought some Nutro Puppy from Petsmart. (canned) I didn't want to buy kibble/dry or whatever cuz I thought it would be too different for him. And I was in sort of a rush and didn't want to break the bank buying everything without asking you all. This brand has wheat gluten in it so I don't think I will stick with it. The good news is he ate half of it right away!

So I figure I don't want to keep messing around with the raw, with thawing it out, leaving it out hoping he will eat it, wondering how long it can sit out, how long it can be dethawed and refroze, etc etc. I figure if he won't eat it maybe I can mix and do some raw with some prepared. 

I know I want to avoid grains and fillers. Two of my three kids have severe food allergies and we've dealt with food intolerances and I can't go through it with a dog. It already affects my everyday life enough.

Please tell me what I should feed him....???


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Be sure to do a slow switch or you may see digestive upset. The stress of switching to a new home alone is enough to bother the GI tract and new food is an added stress. I would suggest feeding the food his breeder sent for at least a few weeks (time to settle in) before switching to a new food.


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

But how many days can I let go by without eating? One scoop in four days? That is 1/24 of what he should have eaten.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Agree with Charismatic. But if your puppy hasn't eaten since Thursday, I would also be concerned. My breeder feeds the puppies twice a day, AM grain free moistened kibble and raw chicken necks at night. The kibble is a pita to acquire, so I won't bother with the name. It's a holistic sweet potato and turkey. So she basically does one raw meal and a kibble with some raw for interest. As it happens this litter likes their kibble plain. (Good dogs!)

I would call the breeder and ask for her suggestions. She may suggest a brand of kibble that you could add her raw formula to, or a commercially prepared raw that's close. Good luck!


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## MichaelJ (Feb 10, 2013)

I would try to stick with the food your breeder sent, but make it more appealing. Add milk or cheese or peanut butter,…. Just play with it until you find something she can't resist. 

As for later, no grains is my #1 concern. I feed Calder my spoo Taste of the Wild kibble and a raw topper (Instinct or Stella and Chewys). Some say not to mix raw and kibble but Calder doest have a problem with it. I am going to try and make my own raw this winter.


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

This little puppy needs to eat. I would try some canned maybe. I don't know what you have available in your area, but some of the canned brands I use for my dogs are: Precise, PetGuard, Ideal Balance, Nature's Domain (costco), Now and Go (petcurean), Fromm, Weruva, etc. 

Some of the kibbles I use are Precise, Petguard, Now!, Fromm.

Oh, and for my picky poodle, I fed him Purina Beyond for a while because that was the only thing he would accept. It's better than not eating. 

Bil-Jac is also very tasty to dogs, not a great food, but it might get him eating.

Good luck. I dunno, though, if he doesn't eat soon, I'd take him in to the vet, you don't want to be dealing with blood sugar issues or dehydration!

Let us know how he does.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

shelhey said:


> But how many days can I let go by without eating? One scoop in four days? That is 1/24 of what he should have eaten.


Your vet wasn't concerned at this point, right? And you know he's a picky eater. How many days did vet say to go? I think id be giving some yogurt or cottage cheese or nutrical but keeping the diet the same for now. But if you found a food he likes, just stick with that, but don't feed a full amount to avoid stomach upset.


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

I can't do nut products or milk products due to my children's anaphylaxis food allergies. But thanks for trying.  I did try an egg, and I read somewhere coconut oil. He did eat some of that but the next day his poop was just coconut oil with some poop around it. ????

I don't want to cater to a picky eater. But it's so stressful to have all this time go by without him eating. I did give him a couple snacks, which he mostly didn't want either. But in no way were they substituting for meals. He ate like 3 snacks in these five days. 

I am going to try Kiwipeak. It seems more up my alley as far as being neat/clean/easier yet it seems to produce the same good benefits as raw feeding does. I hope he likes it! I'm also going to try some raw chicken necks.

I just feel such a sign of relief that he has food in his belly right now. Maybe it's more my issue than his, as I mentioned in the vet thread I have going on, the vet (two of them I consulted!) isn't concerned. 

I appreciate this forum and you lovely people so much for being there to listen, support and help!!!!


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## rubymom (Apr 24, 2010)

Maybe try goats milk? At least it would be some nourishment.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

There does not seem to be a definitive right answer for you. I think your choice of giving canned food was a good one even if you decide on a different brand later. Mixing raw and cooked or commercially prepared might not be the best idea.

Wouldn't a good compromise be to feed canned in the morning and raw chick necks in the evening? That way if she doesn't eat the raw, at least she ate the canned in the morning. You might also want to give her a daily vitamin pill for puppies during this transition.


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Whatever you decide to feed, I would definitely get some NutriCal on hand. If he is not eating and he is a Tpoo I would be very worried about hypoglycemia. Keeping NutriCal and kayro syrup on hand would be a good idea just incase. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Just get whatever good quality of food you can find, canned and kibble, and mix them. Raw is a relatively new trend with a group of extremely devoted followers but dogs have been living long healthy lives on Purina for heaven's sake. A good quality grain-free food will be just fine. And he's a puppy, he needs to eat because he's small and needs regular nutrition. So don't feel guilty; feed him what is best for you.


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## shelhey (Jul 16, 2014)

Can't do goats milk, my son can't be around it. (very allergic to all animal dairy)

Why isn't it okay to mix raw with commercial? Just curious.

I don't want you guys to worry that he is weak and on the brink of death. A vet saw him Friday and a different vet saw him this morning. His weight only went down .3 ounces. (I do know some scales vary though) He has energy and is active. Today he took a couple chicken meatball treats also. So today he definitely ate more than previous days and so I think he is coming out of it. I hope he is. 

I know raw isn't the only way. But I know humans who have done it and I did myself for a couple weeks a couple years ago and I never felt better or had more energy in my life. (not raw meat, raw fruit and veg) And the poop being less and not stinky is a huge attraction to me because I am very disgusted by dog poop. I have a very weak stomach and a VERY sensitive nose. 

Thanks again guys! Appreciate it.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

You can google mixing raw dog food with kibble and find more info. See url below. I believe raw food digest at a different rate than cooked food. So many recommend feeding raw and cooked at different meals.

BARF Diet - Mixing Kibble with BARF, Raw Food Diet


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