Raw Feeding for Puppies | Tips from our Ambassador Claire
For the month of Raw August we will be talking all things raw feeding.
Our Wilsons ambassadors are getting involved to give you the ins and outs of feeding raw to your dog. Claire, owner of Bailey and Cooper @thescottishwanderers has given us an insight into getting your puppy started on raw food...
So you want to raw feed your puppy?
Let’s set the scene. You’ve found the most perfect puppy, you’ve bought the bed, the toys, the crate, you’ve even invested in your "how to train the new puppy" book. The next step… what are you going to feed your puppy?
Kibble, cold pressed, raw? You’ve done your research and you think raw is the best option for you!
This was exactly what I did with my first dog Bailey, it was a roller coaster of a ride, I felt overwhelmed with information at points, wasn’t sure if it was the right decision as he was a fussy pup and decided to stop eating his raw one day - first time dog mum, we all know the panic. Needless to say, it was a hot day and Bailey just didn’t fancy his breakfast that day - panic averted.
Fast forward two years later, we now have our second puppy Cooper - a 5-month-old working cocker, who like Bailey has been raw fed since we brought him home and is thriving.
There are a couple of different ways with any dog you can convert to raw, and you can do it at any stage in their life, it is slightly easier with a puppy.
For us we did a straight switch, both boys were fed their last meal of kibble when we picked them up from the breeder and the following morning they went straight onto raw!
We began Cooper's journey by using the Wilsons Core range first, using one protein at a time - we started with turkey on week 1, and moving onto a different protein if all seemed well after a week and a half.
But how do you know your pup is doing ok on it? The Poo Report!
One of the great things about raw is the nice solid poops! However, when you're transitioning, you can have a little runny tummy, that is natural and should settle down. However, if it doesn’t it could mean the protein source is too rich for the pup or there is too much offal, if the poop goes the other way- so if it’s whiter and chalkier there could be too much bone within the diet (if you're adding in extra bones).
We had this issue with beef with Cooper, he had the runny tummy for a few days, we added in some kefir, pumpkin and some slippery elm bark powder (a must for any raw feeder) which helped to settle him down. Instead of giving him a full beef meal we slowly added it in to his turkey, adding a quarter at a time until the full meal was beef! Luckily, we have no other issues with any other proteins and
Cooper now fully enjoys his beef meal!
I mentioned the poop report- trust me you’ll become obsessed, I still regularly ask my husband how were the boys poops this morning if he has taken them out - oh nice and firm he replies, as a raw feeder you feel proud!
All in all, we have had a very easy journey onto raw with Cooper from my experience with Bailey, we have now moved cooper onto the Premium range and his favourite meal at the minute seems to be the Salmon Medley!
Here at Wilsons, we pride ourselves on supplying puppy food that is not only high-quality, but has great health benefits too. View our puppy food range to find out more!