# Feeding Young puppies raw?



## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

That's not too young. My future spoo breeder weans her puppies to raw. You do need to make sure you know what you are doing so your puppy will get proper nutrition as he/she grows. Work with an experienced raw mentor if you can, I've found that to be very helpful.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

You can also search older threads on PF for tips on raw feeding. A big freezer and a snood come in handy.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I agree with both of the above posts!

Definitely be careful that you feed a nutritionally adequate diet. In a recent thread where we have had a discussion about raw vs. cooked vs. commercial food opinions of two vets with mostly very polar opposite viewpoints agreed on just one concept, that the best possible diet is a well balanced homemade diet and that the worst thing to feed is a poorly balanced homemade diet. I don't feed raw, but I do home cook and I did a lot of research to make sure that I came up with a good balanced diet that would satisfy the needs of all three of my dogs.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I think the popularity of feeding a raw food diet and getting away from the detriments of commercial food has_ itself_ caused a very potential imbalance between a rushed enthusiasm to do what's best and the care, caution and research needed before going down the road. It's better to give a "good" commercial food than to feed an imbalanced, non-researched home made diet. (raw or cooked) It is very dangerous, in fact to feed an imbalanced diet of any kind. So, anyone taking on this endeavor needs to be very cognitive of the concept of reading from good, reputable sources, asking questions of those more experienced, who may have been feeding raw, home made diets for years with success and taking plenty of time to prepare and plan before rushing into it. 

Jokerfest...I think it's great that you're planning on switching over to a home prepared diet. And how you've been reading about the health benefits. If you have any questions, there are some good links in those stickies at the top of the page. Also do a search like Mfmst mentioned. There are loads of informative threads. I had lots of help and questions while I was researching and read a ton of stuff before taking the plunge. I still am learning and trying things. Good luck in your research. 

As far as puppies...yep, many people have started their babies on a raw food diet. Just be extra diligent in your research first. I imagine there are people out there who don't go on forums or the Internet deciding to feed raw and only feed their dogs muscle meat and leave out vital nutrients. That will, over time kill a dog. So, good for you that you're looking into it.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Great choice. Mia was only a few weeks older when we started raw, and she had no issues. I, the vegetarian, struggled a bit at first, however.


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## Jokerfest (Mar 23, 2017)

Thank you everyone! I've also been reading how to do it for a bit over a year aswell and I didn't switch sooner because I didn't feel I knew enough to give it a shot until now. I'd just never read anything on puppies so I wasn't sure if anyone had experience feeding puppies or if it'd be a bad idea.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Jokerfest said:


> Thank you everyone! I've also been reading how to do it for a bit over a year aswell and I didn't switch sooner because I didn't feel I knew enough to give it a shot until now. I'd just never read anything on puppies so I wasn't sure if anyone had experience feeding puppies or if it'd be a bad idea.



You're going to be fine then. I thought about it a looooong time ago and started to try it with my Chihuahuas. One of them gagged pretty darn badly on a chicken wing that it freaked me out and I gave it up. That was probably about 10 years ago. I read and read back then. But that was the end of that. Then off and on through the years a renewed interest would creep in. I knew it would be so healthy for them if I did it right but I was _chicken_. I've lost track of time, but about a year or more ago, I really _beefed_ up my research, sunk my teeth into it and read everything I could get my hands on and joined a pmr diet forum and asked questions, got support from those people and people here...and got on my way. These dogs have been doing super ever since. I love how clean their teeth are, how much energy and vitality they have, how healthy their coats are, how much they really love their food instead of leaving it half the time. But I didn't start them as puppies unfortunately. They were close to 3 I think... and now they're approaching 4 mid May. 

So good luck...keep reading and you might like this forum: Prey Model Raw - PMR dog food Or you might prefer a diet that includes vegetables. It's personal preference. They really don't need them. But I'm finding with experimentation that a teensy bit may (a little early to tell) help in the way of fiber...not nutrients. They're not eating whole prey...no hair which, while not _technically _fiber, acts like fiber...not that they eat hair on purpose but it gets swallowed. I see it in coyote poop all the time. So anyhow, you can find out more and see what route you like and what works best for your dogs. Keep us posted! :wink:


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## mjpa (Dec 11, 2016)

I am feeding Rizal raw. He's 10 weeks now. At first it was mixed kibble and raw but he just picks at kibble so now it's all raw.

So far I am giving him beef (ground or chopped), liver (beef or chicken), beef kidney, and chicken necks or feet. Yesterday I gave him a sardine (cooked in water) for the fish oil in it. I'm following the 80-10-5-5 Prey Model Raw method.

For veggies he is forever digging up grass and chomping on dandelions LOL.

If you are on FB, I've found this group very helpful.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/preymodeldiet/


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

mjpa said:


> I am feeding Rizal raw. He's 10 weeks now. At first it was mixed kibble and raw but he just picks at kibble so now it's all raw.
> 
> So far I am giving him beef (ground or chopped), liver (beef or chicken), beef kidney, and chicken necks or feet. Yesterday I gave him a sardine (cooked in water) for the fish oil in it. I'm following the 80-10-5-5 Prey Model Raw method.
> 
> ...


I think it's great that you're feeding a fresh food raw diet. But one caution...I'd stay clear of necks from any animals. It is possible that parts of the thyroid gland and even the absorption of the thyroid hormone can get into your dog and cause hyperthyroidism. I stopped feeding those and just stick to legs parts, wings...mostly wings now for my teeny dogs. (I worry about cracking teeth too) I'm just such a worry wart. :afraid:

I ordered some trachea chews before I had heard of this. (In fact, there was a recall on some kind of commercial food for having made dogs sick and I think even die from getting too much thyroxine. They were putting necks of animals into the big vats where they mix up that sh!! for dog food) Anyhow, I freaked out...hadn't fed these yet but once last year I ordered some too from a store online, Hare today, gone tomorrow. I called her and she assured me that it's just the bottom part of the trachea and has no thyroid gland attached. But...even just now, while I was reading, it said it can be absorbed into the trachea and neck also! Yikes! I'm sure one chew once in a great while won't hurt. But feeding it regularly could definitely cause a problem big time. In fact, when dogs that had developed hyperthyroidism from their food were taken off that food, they returned to normal health. But it is a very dangerous condition if it goes on too long. So, no more necks of any kind for my dogs.

Here's something that might interest you.

https://thesciencedog.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/got-gullet/


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## mjpa (Dec 11, 2016)

I had read that cow tracheas were the problem and not fowl ones. But I'll try getting him some chicken wings instead.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

What Is Hyperthyroidism in Dogs and How to Treat It

Here's a more extensive article that I think is pretty reasonable sounding and might explain things better. That other one made it almost sound like feeding raw is the culprit. No it's not. It's feeding thyroid gland/ hormone, necks and such, whether it's commercial or raw. And it definitely gets into commercial food too in some cases. So at least with raw you can know what you're feeding. (for the most part anyhow)


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

You can feed necks, just don't feed them really frequently and there won't be any problem. Some people use only necks, or feed a premade ground product that uses only necks for bone content, and that's where you can run into trouble. I feed chicken, turkey, or duck necks, but only about once a week or so. They're a lot of bone anyway. I'd be very careful feeding chicken wings to a dog the size of a standard poodle. That could be a choking hazard.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

oshagcj914 said:


> You can feed necks, just don't feed them really frequently and there won't be any problem. Some people use only necks, or feed a premade ground product that uses only necks for bone content, and that's where you can run into trouble. I feed chicken, turkey, or duck necks, but only about once a week or so. They're a lot of bone anyway. I'd be very careful feeding chicken wings to a dog the size of a standard poodle. That could be a choking hazard.


Yes, probably a larger bone is safer for a big dog, unless they're very use to biting down right away on the bone and chomp it a few times before swallowing. If they're apt to gulp their food, a larger bone that takes some time to get through may be best or hang onto the other end until they've got it bitten several times. My dogs are 4 and 7 lb dogs and I can't give them a big bone or it's way-y-y too much bone compared to the meat. They don't even get a whole wing. I also give them chicken feet. (just a toe or two) lol. I balance every meal as it seems to regulate their poop better. But yeah...some choking risk with small pieces of bone. My dogs so far take this bone chewing pretty seriously and seem to be careful to chew it enough. I look at them and they look like their concentrating. lol.


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## mjpa (Dec 11, 2016)

Rizal tried a chicken thigh today. Took him a while but he ate it all.


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## Jokerfest (Mar 23, 2017)

mjpa said:


> Rizal tried a chicken thigh today. Took him a while but he ate it all.


What a good boy! He's gorgeous.


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## Jokerfest (Mar 23, 2017)

We are three feedings in and everyone is doing good. Elvis is getting used to eating meals instead of free feeding like we did with kibble. So he has a hard time finishing. I'm trying to get atleast a pound a day into him but he fills up pretty fast. Going by a online calculator I found it said as a puppy he should get around 2 pounds a day. But he barely finishes one pound so far. I guess we'll have to increase his amount slowly so his tummy can take it?
He's 18 pounds atm if anyone is wondering.


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## mjpa (Dec 11, 2016)

2 pounds seems like a lot for an 18 pound puppy.

I use these guidelines. So for my 11 week old puppy Rizal who is now 18.4 lbs, I would feed him around 8% of his body weight or around 1.4 to 1.5 lbs a day.

What I do is basically weigh stuff so that they can be combined into half pound meals - I have half oz of liver, half oz of my other organ, then an RMB that has around an oz of bone in it, then I do meat in 3 oz portions and generally give two per meal. 

If it's something like a chicken thigh which is bone and meat together if it seems like it's more like 2 oz of bone then I'll skip bone in the next meal.

Also I sort of spread out each meal. He'll get the meat. Maybe half an hour later I'll give the organs & bone.

Also I give a snack around 9 pm.

Edit: I think of these are guidelines only. If he seems hungry I feed him from the next meal. If he's hungry after dinner I feed him a snack on top of his daily food allowance since I figure puppies are growing.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

The schedule above is a good guideline. I find that puppies usually do a good job of knowing how much to eat, so if he's eating only 1 lb per day, don't sweat it. Over the next few weeks that amount will likely increase.


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