# Switching to raw...



## karlabythec (Nov 9, 2008)

I am thinking of switching Gracie to the raw Nature's Variety food. 
Moshe (our new bengal kitten) is eating it (the medallions) and Gracie goes crazy when I feed him. 
So...anyone who feeds these, how much would Gracie need to eat per day? She is probably about 10lbs. 
Also, it seems more cost effective to buy the patties...does anyone buy them?


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## Jennifer Clevenger (Jun 26, 2008)

I don't feed raw but I have a friend who feeds the medallions. Her dogs are losing weight so you need to watch out for that. There is a delicate balancing act to make sure they are getting everything they need.


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## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

I'm feeding Ellie NV beef raw and have been for the past few weeks. She also has Innova Puppy kibble always available. Ellie is 5.5 months and about 7 pounds. Nature's Variety has a chart on their site to help you figure out how much to feed.

However, I also checked the Primal Nuggets site and their chart suggests a little less.

I was told by a very good holistic health food store here, that there is one thing that needs to be added to a raw food diet and that is Omega Oils. These have got to be good for her and are probably very similar to the salmon oil that a lot of people give their dogs.

I recently wrote Nature's Variety giving them the info about my dog and received the following response: "Thanks for emailing! We also recommend increasing the amount of food for puppies. In fact if you will go to our Feeding Guide on our website at http://www.naturesvariety.com/feedguide you will be able to enter the information about your puppies growth state in the activity level drop down portion of the tool. One option is for a "puppy more than half grown" and another for a "puppy who is less than half grown." Based on this tool, your puppy should be getting about 8.3 oz of raw each day for a puppy less than half grown."

I wrote because she seemed quite hungry a lot. She is definitely happier with the higher quantity and is eating less kibble.

Louise


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

My Beamer has been eating NV raw for the last 17 months. Beamer is 10-11lbs, so I feed him 4oz a day (4 medallions). Recently though, I have been buying other raw brands which have other protein sources than NV. It's all good!

Ryan


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## karlabythec (Nov 9, 2008)

Beamer is full grown, right? So, maybe she would have more now and less a little later...


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

If Gracie is under 6 months of age @10lbs, I would feed her 6-8oz a day!

Ryan


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## karlabythec (Nov 9, 2008)

Thanks Ryan...that helps!


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

It should tell you on the package. But a good estimate is puppies require about 6-8% of their body weight, adults 2-3%. You also need to factor in how active they are. My guys are very active and get closer to 5-6% of their body weight, about 7-8ounces a day.

A good way to mix things up is to feed the madallions in the morning and say 2 chicken necks in the evenings. You may even want to put some hot water over the medallions to warm them up a bit and bring out the flavours.

You can always take a look at my raw thread to see how you can switch it up. http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=4799&highlight=recipe


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## karlabythec (Nov 9, 2008)

Cool, thanks Daniel...it always seemed weird to me to feed raw...but when we went to all the different catteries looking at kittens...I could totally tell a difference in Moshe's parents and the other adult cats. They just looked amazing. I can't really explain it, but I could tell a difference. Gracie isn't too active at this point because she is an "only puppy"...but once the kitten accepts her, who knows...her energy level may increase.


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## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

Did you feed Beamer more when he was a puppy and then reduce the quantity as he passed puppyhood? 

This seems to be what is being recommended by NV and I am concerned about making my puppy fat vs. not being sure I'm giving her everything she needs to grow.

Louise


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Louise, 

Yes, When Beamer was under 1 year of age I fed him 6oz a day! 

Ryan


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## karlabythec (Nov 9, 2008)

http://www.bravorawdiet.com/howmuch.html
I found this great calculator and Gracie should have about 6 oz a day! So that was right on.
Now, a question...if I am switching her to raw....how do I gradually do that? Do I give her one meal a day raw and one dry to see how she does? If no runs, then go ahead and make the switch? 
The local pet store carries that Bravo brand of raw food...much more reasonably priced then the Nature's Variety...so I bought some today.


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*once she tastes the raw...*

she probably won't touch kibble!

I'm going to check to see if NV still has their try it free section on the website. It is a good way to see if she likes it (although I don't know a dog who hasn't).

We have also used Stella and Chewies. Their stool seems to be the hardest and easiest to clean with NV Venison though.

Yes, they still do. If you register, you can get one free bag.
http://www.naturesvariety.com/tryit/register/form


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## karlabythec (Nov 9, 2008)

Cool, thanks! Gracie licks Moshe's bowl clean, so I know she will like the raw. So you think I should just start her on it and see how her stools are?


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## Eva (Jun 20, 2008)

I think that tranistioning dogs to raw is easier than with cats but I'd try giving Gracie a medallion and see what she does with it. 
If she does okay try replacing a meal tomarrow and see how that goes....I have to add though I've never fed raw excusively to my dogs...only the cats so I'm sure that there's someone here that can give better dog advice.


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## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

I never had to formally switch. When I got her from the pet store, they had been feeding her dehydrated Stella and Chewys along with some kibble. After one bag of that, I discovered that the frozen raw retains more nutrients.

So first I just went to the Stella and Chewys frozen raw and changed the kibble to a better one (Innova). Her stools became looser, but still "formed". After one bag I changed to NV along with a few drops of Omega 3 oils. I'm also giving one blueberry and a pinch of parsley for tearing.

Her stools are loose, but formed - if they get any looser, I'll be concerned but so far all these changes have been accepted without problems. I think I've been lucky.

What I have yet to do is to go off beef. Every variety of raw food has been beef - which is what she ate in the pet store. I want to vary her diet and therefore, will intersperse with chicken and maybe some of the more "exotic" varieties made by Primal Nuggets. I'll have to see if these cause any problems.

Louise


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## Miss Paige (Apr 4, 2008)

I feed two of mine NV-raw-I switch them from Beef to chicken-then to venison and even lamb. But also about every four months I cycle them over to canned-then kibbles-then back to raw-I just think they are like us and get really bored eating the same things. I really like the raw diet but found last year that it was not an easy diet when we went to Nationals-so I put them on canned before we headed out. I have not seen any problems with their stools. 

My "kids" are older-4 & 6 so I just feed them 4oz of food each day.

Pat (humom to)
Miss Paige
Mr Roman
Ms Frannie


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

I switched both my guys to raw in one day and neither had any problems whatsoever. It's definitely much easier than switching kibble.


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Tori is on the "rotation diet" and has no problem, whatsoever, w/any of the changes. Here's a video that explains it.


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## karlabythec (Nov 9, 2008)

So when do you rotate Leslie? Do you feed all in the same day...different weeks...???


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

In reading the rotation diet, I honestly don't see a reason to rotate if you are feeding raw. I think you would be better off rotating various raw meats from NV then move on to another manufacturer such as Carnivore or Healthy Paws. JMHO


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## CinnCinn (Mar 30, 2007)

Raw medallions and nuggets have been a wonderful feed for both my Havs. They love it, scarf it up quickly, poop easily (TMI i'm sure), no dingle-berries on the bum, and are healthy. Rudy 12lbs and 2 years old, Rocky 14 lbs and 1 1/2 years old. They've eaten raw food since I got them.

I just switched Rocky back to Primal Nuggets -trying to control the tear staining.
Rudy - eats it all.

Good luck and keep us posed.


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## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

Please let us know if Primal Nuggets is any better for tear staining.

Louise


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