• Always transition slowly - take 7-10 days to introduce raw into your dog or cat's diet.
• Every pet has a unique metabolism, but generally, if you feed a complete raw diet, feed 2% of the IDEAL weight, broken up into at least 2 meals per day. Feed puppies/kittens or underweight and extremely active pets 3-5% of ideal body weight. Stress, recovery from illness, or pregnant and lactating animals may require more.
• Pets that are obese usually respond quite well to the decrease in carbohydrates that a raw diet provides. Be sure to feed to the IDEAL weight, spread out the meals 2-3 times per day, and transition slowly.
• As much as possible, try to feed meals closer to room temperature. While a dog and cat's GI system can handle colder foods, it digests more efficiently when food is warmer, and mimics the natural temperature of fresher prey.
• At least once per week, provide a raw-meaty bone for your dog. Provide plenty of water, but use the bone as the meal for that day.
• It's often very helpful to provide organ meat at least once per week (necks, backs, hearts, chopped organs and bones, etc.) Again this helps mimic the natural diet, provides needed trace minerals, and allows for a more varied taste for your pet.
• Supplementing with raw is always beneficial. Guidelines depend on your pet's age, weight, and nutritional goals. The professionals at PawsWell will be happy to work with you to provide a set of feeding guidelines personalized for your pet.
• Your pet is an individual. Some meats will be better tolerated than others. Pay close attention to the physical changes and modify/adjust the diet as necessary.
• Whatever diet or combination of foods you try, let PawsWell Pet Nutrition help you formulate a program designed for the health and well-being of your pet.
