OFFLINE

Raw feeding should not be made a science or a difficult effort and should rather be easy and a pleasure for both you and your pets.  The information below is a guideline and can be adjusted to suit the needs of your dog, influences that can affect the amount fed per day include how active the animal is, how old they are and the weather also plays a role, if it is winter or summer as animals tend to eat a bit more in cold weather.

A few suggestions for first time feeders
-  When feeding raw for the first time always sit with your pet during feeding for the first few days to make sure he knows how to handle the new food as his mother never had the chance to educate him on this.  You should not expect any problem as it is second nature for your pet to eat raw meaty bones, but better to play it safe and keep an eye on him the first few times.

-  Don't cut up the meat (for example the chicken carcasses) as first time recipients are usually greedy and think its just a treat for one day and so they try to gulp down as much as possible in a short time, it is better to give a big piece of raw meaty bones so that they have to chew their food.

-  If you have more than one pet then it is advisable to feed them separate for the first couple of days as competitive eating can push them to try and swallow their food whole, remember it is like a child finding chocolate for the first time.

-  Defrost the meat naturally by taking it out earlier or with hot water, please do not microwave or cook the meat as this will destroy the life enzymes and other nutrient that carnivores need in their nutrition.


Feeding a Puppy under 6 months of age:
Puppies under 6 months should be fed 3 times a day, morning, mid day and evening.  The amount should be 2.5% of their ideal weight as an adult, for example a giant breed puppy who will weigh about 50kg when he is a year old should be fed 2.5% of 50kg per day.  Again this is a guideline and you should be able to see when he had enough or if he want's more food, it is better to give more than less at this age as the puppy need the nutrition for growth.

Feeding a young dog between 6 to 12 months
Young dogs between 6 to 12 can be fed twice a day, in the morning and evening.  The amount stays the same at 2.5% of their ideal weight as an adult.  This is the growing stage and you cant go wrong by giving more rather than less, but you will quickly notice if he gets too much food by being overweight or if he buries his food to eat later.

Feeding a dog over 12 months
Dogs over 12 months can be fed once a day, your choice if you want to feed in the morning or evening, but you can feed your pet twice a day if you prefer it.  The amount is still 2.5% of his body weight but here with older and more inactive dogs one can change it to 2% of their body weight per day, it should be and is easy, if you pet picks up weight then reduces the amount fed per day by about 0.5% and keep an eye on his weight, if he still picks up weight then reduce it again and the opposite if he is losing weight.

Adjusting to the new diet
With the change over to a natural raw diet you can expect a looser stool than normal which is due to the dog building up the acidic ph of their stomach, although in our experience only half of the animals show this effect of the change in diet.  Dogs being carnivores need the live enzymes that is contained in raw food in their gut to digest the food and with pellets these enzymes are not present and the dog need to use their own limited supply of enzymes.  With the change over to raw food and the enzymes entering their system one can expect a loose stool anything from 2 days up to 2 weeks and in some cases the animal may vomit for the first couple of days.  It is important to keep an eye on their stool as it should have some form or substance, if it is complete watery then you should consult your local vet or one can do a slow introduction of raw food into their diet, but not to worry as dogs adapt very well to this natural diet.

We advice that you feed chicken carcasses for the first two weeks as we have found this to be the easiest for adjusting to the new diet, chicken carcasses contain a good ratio of meat and bone as to much bone, meat or fat on its own can cause digestion problems for the animal when adjusting to his new diet.

Remember this is your four legged friends natural diet, so he is physically built for this and will naturally take to it.

For more information please visit our website  www.RawNecessities.co.za or feel free to ask question on this forum.