Raw diets have been around for decades, but their popularity has grown dramatically in recent years. If you’re considering switching your own dog or cat to a raw diet, here’s how.
Raw meat diets for dogs and cats have become increasingly popular in recent years. Many pets thrive on these diets and enjoy a variety of benefits – from better dental health and digestion to fewer allergies, better skin and coat condition and good weight control. If you’re considering switching your own dog or cat to a raw diet, but aren’t sure where to start, read on.
Why do so many vets dislike raw diets?
If you have a conventional vet, chances are they will dissuade you from going the raw route. In fact, the average vet is against raw diets. Their opposition is based on two valid concerns:
- Raw meat is associated with bacterial contamination. It is true that all meat is contaminated with bacteria on the surface and, in the case of ground meat, throughout the product. However, dogs and cats evolved by eating raw meat, bacteria and all, and today’s animals still have the same protective gastrointestinal system as their ancestors.
Solution: A healthy dog or cat shouldn’t get sick from eating raw meat, although your human family can. As with any meat-based meal you prepare, remember to wash your hands, utensils, bowls, and contact surfaces thoroughly after handling raw meat.
Going raw can lead to “diet drift”. Over time, people tend to forget about supplements or may change a good recipe, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies in their dogs and cats.
Solution: If you’re preparing your dog’s or cat’s meals at home, be sure to follow a balanced recipe and never skip any supplements. You can also buy one of the many packaged raw food diets – most are formulated to provide complete and balanced nutrition.
With these precautions in mind, let’s look at how to get started with a raw diet.
3 steps to get started
- First, consider whether you will be using raw food as your dog’s or cat’s complete diet, feeding them several times a week, or adding it as a supplement to their existing diet.
- Next, decide whether you’re going to use a packaged raw food (frozen, dehydrated, or freeze-dried) or prepare it yourself at home. The former is certainly much easier and eliminates most of problem #1 above, and all of problem #2.
- Finally, determine how much work you want to do yourself. First I chopped, steamed and pureed vegetables, and tortured my food processor with raw boneless chicken thighs. Later I used ground meat and organic baby food. Putting baby food in the bowl as a base to mix in the necessary supplements and oils, before adding the meat, made the process so much easier!
How to make the change
- If your cat or dog is used to having food available 24/7 (“free choice”), the first step is to start giving them their usual food (not yet the raw diet) at mealtimes. programmed. The total amount of food should meet his daily caloric needs; just divide it by the number of meals you plan to give. Leave each serving for 30 to 60 minutes two or three times a day. After the initial shock, your dog or cat will understand this program very quickly!
Timed feeding will make your pet hungrier at mealtimes, and therefore more willing to try new foods. It also allows the gastrointestinal tract to rest between meals, which leads to better overall digestion.
Hint: If you aren’t already giving him prebiotics, probiotics, and digestive enzymes, now is the time to start. These aid digestion and prevent unhappy tummy issues.
- Once your pet is used to eating scheduled meals for a week or two, you can start offering some raw meat. For a cat or small dog, a small piece or teaspoon of ground meat is enough to start with.
Gradually increase the amount of raw meat. With picky eaters, it may be best to mix it with their usual food. I usually start with regular meat and then follow the same process to gradually introduce other ingredients and supplements.
- If your dog or cat eats raw meat with their meal, great! In a few days, if his stool remains normal, you can start increasing the raw portions, but don’t be in a rush! Gradually shift the proportions of all the old foods to the new ones. Take lots of small steps over time, especially if your dog or cat is older, has gastrointestinal issues, or ate only dry food before. A slow transition greatly reduces the chances of stomach aches.
Again, don’t push too hard or too fast with the transition. It can take weeks, months, or even longer! Most failures are due to giving up too quickly. For example, I had two cats that had equal access to all bowls. We ate the raw food immediately, and with gusto… but we had to three years before the other cat takes a bite of raw. Some cats are more stubborn than others, but always make sure they eat at least half of their ration, whether old or new. otherwise, they may develop severe liver disease.
Hint: When switching from an all-dry diet to a raw diet, it can be helpful, especially for cats, to use canned food as an intermediate step. This helps their gut bacteria adapt to the higher protein and moisture that will also be a feature of a raw diet.
After any change in diet, it is important to monitor your dog or cat’s overall energy, health, coat and stool quality.
When it comes to transitioning your dog or cat to a raw diet, patience and perseverance are the keys to success!
