How many have raised puppies/litters on raw here?

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RedyreRottweilers

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#1
I'm just curious?

I read lots of other boards, and on one I read, there are several things stated that I found unusual.

What age do you start your pups on raw?

Mine get freshly ground lean beef when the eyes open, and then are started on ground meats, goat milk and baby cereal at about 4 weeks.

What age do you start RMBs? Mine are given chicken wings and pork necks by 5 to 6 weeks, and manage to clean bones pretty well, altho it takes a couple more weeks for them to actually eat the entire wing.

Do you mix raw and kibble? I don't, since I don't keep kibble in the house at all.

If you are a raw feeder, who is the person you know who has been feeding raw foods the longest? I started home cooking in 1989, some raw about 1990, and by 1993 I had gone all raw. At the time it was highly controversial, even with dedicated dog hobbyists.

I wonder, if you had fed raw for 25 years, would you need a lot of assistance with designing a diet for a puppy?

I wouldn't. ;)

My puppies with pork necks at 6 weeks...





 

Dekka

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#2
Dekka's litter was mostly raw.. Cargo's litter was all raw. There is a lady I know who has been raising dogs for over 20 years on raw, and another who has been raising goldens on raw for over 15.
 
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bjdobson

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#3
That's so cool!! It's hard to find breeders who feed raw. I put all my pups on raw the minute they walk in the door and the younest was seven weeks but I'm not a breeder, of course.

I know some breeders who raise their pups on raw but also feed kibble because they know they probably won't find raw homes for all their dogs.

Those ones have raw available to them (RMBs) since they're born basically as the mom may have one nearby and they feed them raw as soon as they start feeding them anything.

I started feeding raw in 2004 after my first sheltie died of acute pancreatitis and I'm sure kibble had something to do with it.

I have kibble in the house that I use for treats because it's easy - it's Orijen.

My dogs eat all raw and get raw and kibble for treats, depending on how lazy I am at the moment.

Zoe was on kibble for a few months - she looked so much better when I switched her to raw. It was amazing! That black coat just shines :)
 

CaliTerp07

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#4
I know some breeders who raise their pups on raw but also feed kibble because they know they probably won't find raw homes for all their dogs.
This was my curiosity...do those who raise the pups on raw require buyers to feed raw as well? Or is it easy to transition them back to kibble?
 

Dekka

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#5
Some that I know will only sell to people who will feed raw, some will educate the buyers about raw and good kibbles.

I prefer if people feed raw.. but its not a requirement. If you say you will feed crap food then no puppy for you!
 
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RedyreRottweilers

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#6
I ENCOURAGE buyers to feed raw, and offer diet plans, advice, and support, but it is not a requirement.

Good kibble IS a requirement. I also encourage people who don't want to go raw to feed several raw meals per week.

I did not have any puppies who had difficulty making the adjustment in this litter, as several went to homes that did not continue with raw food exclusively.
 
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bjdobson

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#7
You can put them back on kibble without any problems though you might get a few issues with the runs for a couple days.
 
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#8
I always feed RAW, my last puppy was raw fed entirely from the breeder to me after weening. No kibble and I don't plan on feeding it either.

The breeder mostly fed ground meats and eggs and cottage cheese, not sure when they started RMB's, but she was eating everything by the time I got her at 9 weeks, pork necks included. It wasn't my plan to give her those, but she stole one from my older dog so I figured, it wasn't going to be a problem.
 
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#9
Never raised puppy on raw so can't help there!.
Titus was put on raw cos he wouldn't eat kibbles and I,only,started that,a yr ago!.
 
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#11
My breeder weaned her pups onto a mix of raw and kibble. She started with ground beef, cottage cheese and yogurt, mixed with a little kibble in. She said to gradually introduce more kibble, but encouraged them to feed raw for the first 6 months at least. I got my pup at 9 weeks and told her that I was going to feed how she suggested, so she didn't add in a lot of kibble for my pup, and I found that a lot of it was picked out to get at the good stuff.

Then a raw feeder I know told me just to quit with the dairy, as my dog was weaned and didn't need it, to stop the kibble and the ground, and to go straight to RMB, so I think Charlotte was maybe 13 or 14 weeks when I did that, and gave her a chicken breast. I spent half an hour looking for it in the yard because I didn't see her eat it, and she couldn't possibly have eaten it that fast. So the next day, I gave her a chicken quarter, and saw just how quick the food disappeared, half the time of the mix I had been preparing. Was a lot easier to get ready for her too, and I didn't have to prepare in bulk and fill up the fridge with her meals.

Never went back to kibble, never will.
 
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RedyreRottweilers

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#12
But...aren't their teeth too small? ;)
Um, no. ;) Not too small at all. In fact, at 5-6 weeks, they would strip the wings completely, and eat the tip section, bones and all. It did take until 10 weeks or so before they could eat the bigger bone in the wing. But my goodness, puppies have the same puppy teeth until they are near 5 months old, and they were certainly eating everything raw under the sun by then.

What is missing very early on is size and jaw strength, but in all breeds that comes fast after 5 or so weeks, even toys.

I WAS careful, and did a little internet reading when formulating a plan for weaning and rearing this litter on raw. Things went very smoothly, and it looks like I did a pretty good job considering how the health testing is going.

:D

One of the main things with puppies is to make SURE they get enough bone, or bone substitute. The other very important thing in all raw diets is variety.
 

xpaeanx

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#14
How do large breeds do with raw diets as puppies?

I've read two totally conflicting stories, The first being they will grow to fast causing joint problems and the second being that dogs actually grow slower when fed raw.

Can anyone give me any background or point me to studies?

Midget and Keeda have been getting kibble daily with raw chicken every other day. He's a small breed and I got him at 6 months so I figure he's fine. But when I get my cardi puppy, I would like to have a meal plan formulated. Of course that won't be for a while. LOL.
 
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RedyreRottweilers

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#15
xp, I know many people who are exclusively raw feeders who breed and raise Rotties. Like most raw feeders, they keep their dogs lean like I do.

I find raw food builds hard muscle, and dogs stay very fit and "cut" looking. Clearly I have no raised incidence of bone or joint disease in this litter since 4 are already prelim'd normal hip and elbow at OFA.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the litter stacks up at the end of this year regarding health testing.

I do find they grow a bit slower.
 

xpaeanx

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xp, I know many people who are exclusively raw feeders who breed and raise Rotties. Like most raw feeders, they keep their dogs lean like I do.

I find raw food builds hard muscle, and dogs stay very fit and "cut" looking. Clearly I have no raised incidence of bone or joint disease in this litter since 4 are already prelim'd normal hip and elbow at OFA.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the litter stacks up at the end of this year regarding health testing.

I do find they grow a bit slower.
yeah, I would think that they would do better on raw. I can't imagine a puppy growing up with food related problems when it got a healthier more natural diet. I do believe that the amount/what you feed would need to be different than an adult dog.

Does anyone know any links or something about puppies on raw? Something that not only talks about the differences of puppies fed kibble/raw fed but also just what raw you should be feeding to a puppy.
 
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#17
You might try posting on Showcardi-L about Cardi pups and raw. There's a number of breeders who feed and can give you breed-specific info.

With Cardis, a big issue is enough nutrition to let the dog grow at their own pace, but NOT overfeeding- look at all the Cardi blog discussion on fronts right now!
 

Dekka

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#18
yeah, I would think that they would do better on raw. I can't imagine a puppy growing up with food related problems when it got a healthier more natural diet. I do believe that the amount/what you feed would need to be different than an adult dog.

Does anyone know any links or something about puppies on raw? Something that not only talks about the differences of puppies fed kibble/raw fed but also just what raw you should be feeding to a puppy.
As far as I know there are no studies.. who would fund them? Universities are not likely too (in bed with companies like SD) and dog food companies are not likely too either.
 
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#19
I'm not going to lie, raw for puppies scares me. NOT because I think it's bad for them, as truly I think it's the best thing, but unlike feeding an adult dog raw (where you can balance diet over time without worries), puppies need specific things and I worry if I don't feed the right ratios I'll be doing damage.

I'm probably just freaking out because I'm a worry wart, and I would really LOVE to raise my first litter on raw, but it freaks me out. LOL!!
 
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RedyreRottweilers

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#20
Sis, mine get fed like the adults, but with more grains and organ meat. I also use several supplements to make sure I am covering all my bases.

Anyone not familiar, I use supps from Nature's Farmacy, their ultimate vitamin, ,their digestive enhancer, and their phyto flex ccm+ bone and joint support formula.

I have many Rottie friends who raise puppies on raw. If it is something you might want to do, I would be happy to offer you support on planning the diet, and/or references and referrals to other raw feeders who have also done so.

:D
 

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