FEEDING RAW
A well educated pet owner can add to the pet’s quality of life. We encourage all of our customers to stay well informed regarding new tips, tricks, habits and findings that could benefit the lives of animals in general, and your pets in particular.
What’s a raw diet?
The Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods of BARF diet has been around for a long time. Carnivors in the wild have been eating raw meat, bones, vegetables and fruit for thousands of years, and those ingredients make up the basis of a BARF or raw food diet.
In an effort to replicate biologically appropriate food while honoring the movement of locally grown and sourced food, our trusted supplier, Dogs’ Choice offers frozen raw food. Dogs’ Choice products use a variety of locally raised proteins including beef, chicken, and turkey. Most of our protein mixes are available with a vegetable formula if you're looking for an easy way to enhance the nutritional value of your pups meal.
How do I switch to a raw diet?
When you decide to switch to raw food, do it gradually. If your dog has been eating kibble it will need some time to adjust to a protein rich diet. Give one fourth raw food with three fourths of the existing diet on day one. If your dog adapts well, increase the raw food by a quarter each day so that you are feeding one hundred percent raw by day five. If your dog develops an upset tummy, back off on the change and do it more gradually. In the event, your dog just doesn’t take to a raw food diet please don’t continue. Just like humans, not every dog will take to every type of food. You know your dog best.
How much raw food should I feed my dog?
Guidelines on quantities to feed when you switch to a raw diet vary between 1%-2% of your dog’s weight per day. Puppies under two years old need more nutrition and may eat up to 2-10% of their weight depending on their age.
You notice we said guidelines… That’s because a dog’s metabolism and level of activity varies as wildly from one dog to another as yours and mine. If you have a highly active working dog that is heavily exercised, you may need to feed more than the guideline. A sedentary, couch-potato, even a very lovable one, may need less. The quantity you feed your dog is not a measure of your love. Start with the guidelines, keep an eye on your dog's weight and over time determine the ideal amount to keep your dog healthy and trim.