Fresh dog food is an excellent option for your dog. So what should you know before making the switch? Here are five reasons to switch your dog to a raw food diet:
- Increased Nutritional Value
- Better Digestion – less gas!
- More Variety
- Less Waste
- Better Taste – great for picky eaters!
The Benefits of Feeding a Raw Food Diet
You might want to switch your dog’s diet for many reasons.
The most common one is that commercial pet food often contains fillers and preservatives that could potentially cause health problems for your dog.
You may be wondering if this matters or not, but here are five reasons why it does:
- Increased Nutritional Value – Fresh food has more nutritional value than dry kibble, which can be beneficial for dogs with allergies or other medical conditions.
- Better Digestion – Raw diets help regulate digestion and may reduce inflammation in your dog’s gut. Plus, it might not cause gas!
- More Variety – You’ll have more options when feeding raw foods because they come in so many different forms.
- Less Waste – Kibble tends to leave behind a lot of
- It’s Fun! You get to show off your culinary skills while preparing special, tasty meals for your canine companion.
Raw food diets are full of nutrients and are an excellent choice for your dog. A significant benefit of feeding a raw diet is that you know exactly what’s going into it.
You can use fresh meats, grains, fruits, veggies, and supplements to create the perfect meal plan for your canine.
When you remove all of the unnecessary ingredients found in commercial pet food, you increase the chance of giving your dog a healthy and normal diet.
You can also tailor it to your specific dog’s dietary needs, such as allergies or diabetes.
How To Transition Your Dog To a Raw Food Diet
There are many different kinds of foods you can choose from when transitioning your dog to a raw food diet.
The first thing you need to do is take some time to research what’s currently on the market and make an informed decision on which product, or combination of products, is right for your dog.
The main thing you need to consider is the health of your dog. For example, if your dog is on medication, it may be best to use a specifically designed product for this purpose.
You should ensure their food doesn’t contain any ingredients that could cause stomach upset or trigger allergic reactions.
You’ll also want to consider your budget and, of course, personal preference.
However, what’s most important is that you take the time to figure out what’s best for your dog.
What is in Commercial Dry Pet Foods?
The main ingredients in commercial pet food are grains, fillers, and preservatives.The most common grain used is corn, which provides almost no nutritional value to your dog.
Another common cause of allergies in pet food is meat by-products, which are the leftovers from meat products that have been treated with heat for sterilization purposes.
These are usually considered lower-quality ingredients. Commercial dry pet foods can also contain other potentially harmful ingredients like propylene glycol and ethoxyquin.
Is Raw Dog Food A Cheaper Alternative?
Commercial pet food is much more expensive than making dog food at home.
If you make the switch, you’ll no longer have to purchase all of the required supplements for a raw diet. Instead, you can save money by buying bulk raw meat, vegetables, and other ingredients.
With all of these savings on your side, you can spend more time with your dog during mealtime and give them a higher quality diet!
What Does Natural Mean for Dogs?
Whenever you’re considering buying commercial pet food, it’s essential to look for the word “natural” on the label.
“Natural” means that there are no artificial ingredients or preservatives in your dog’s food. It also means that the product doesn’t contain any byproducts or unapproved additives.
Next, you should look for “protein” in the first few ingredients.
“Protein” means that the food contains meat, which is always a great thing to see on pet food labels. Protein also typically means high quality, which you won’t find in grains or fillers.
How To Feed Your Dog A Raw Diet – Tips And Tricks
When transitioning your dog to a raw food diet, you must take the time to do it the right way. It would help if you always started slow and gradually introduced new ingredients into their meals.
Starting slow helps reduce stomach upset and allows your dog’s body time to adjust to the new diet. You may also notice that your dog will start to poop less frequently since s/he is no longer digesting all of those fillers and grains that eventually pass right through their system.
Raw Pet Food: Pros & Cons
There are some benefits and drawbacks to feeding your dog raw food. One of the main pros is that this type of diet encourages healthier skin and a shiny coat.
It’s also good for their teeth, reducing plaque buildup, bad breath, and gum disease. Raw pet food may also cause them to poop less often because they get more nutrients from their food!
However, there are some cons as well.
Fresh food can go bad quickly and may not be ideal for people with little time to cook their dog’s meals.
If you’d like to feed your dog a raw food diet but don’t have the time to prepare it, then you might want to consider a subscription home delivery service, such as myollie.com
Raw Dog Food: The Key To Successful Feeding
The first step to a successful raw dog food diet is ensuring adequate freezer space. This way, you’ll be able to keep the raw ingredients on hand and prepare your dog’s meals as needed.
You should also know which foods are safe for your dog because some are toxic. You can avoid this by consulting with a professional or researching vets who recommend raw diets to their patients.
See my article: What Foods Are Toxic to Dogs to know what foods are safe for dogs and what is toxic.
It’s also essential to make sure you do more prep work when transitioning your dog away from kibble, including cutting up vegetables and meat into small, easy-to-digest pieces that your dog can chew on.
Your Dog And a Raw Food Diet
I mentioned earlier that if you switch your dog to eating raw food, s/he might get gas more often, but this shouldn’t last long when they adjust to the new ingredients in their meals.
You may also notice that your dog is pooping less because they get more nutrients from its food.
Another thing to think about is the nutritional value of the fresh food you’re giving them.
It has more nutrients than dry kibble, which can benefit dogs with allergies or other medical conditions.
A raw food diet also encourages healthier skin and a shiny coat, which means they may not need to visit the groomer as often.
And, if your dog has bad breath or plaque buildup on their teeth, a raw food diet can also benefit them.
By-the-by if your dog has an issue with bad breath, check out this article: Bad Breath in Dogs: Causes and Solutions
The Benefits Of A Raw Dog Food Diet
A raw food diet may give you more creative freedom when feeding your dog because there are many different options.
You can also help regulate digestion, which may reduce inflammation in your dog’s gut.
Plus, it might not cause gas!
However, there are some cons as well. One is that fresh food can go bad quickly and may not be ideal if you don’t have a lot of time to cook your dog’s meals. This type of diet may also cause your dog to chew on things more, like furniture or shoes.
The Consequences Of A Poor Raw Dog Food Diet
The most significant consequence of a poor raw food diet is that it can lead to nutritional deficiencies in dogs.
For example, a diet with too little calcium could cause skeletal problems for dogs later on in life.
It can also cause your dog to always be hungry and even gain weight, leading to obesity, and can cause joint pain and injuries later on.
An improperly balanced raw food diet might also affect your dog’s organs, like its liver or kidneys, due to an overload of one particular nutrient or another.
One way to avoid this is to buy custom-made dog food meals that are tailor-made for your dog. But please note, if you have more than one dog, each will need its own meals.
A Guide To Switching Your Dog’s Diet To A Raw Dog Food
To switch your dog to a raw food diet, you should first consult with a professional or research vet who recommends raw diets to their patients.
You can also learn more about where to buy fresh food and how to make simple meals for your dog.
Here are some other tips on transitioning to a raw diet: –
- Gradually incorporate more raw food into their old diet, like cutting up veggies or serving them chicken parts.
- Give them treats that contain real meat or bones.
- Supplement their kibble with protein powder, which may help maintain muscle mass.
- If your dog doesn’t have any health problems, you can also try cooking their food in a slow cooker to make it easier!
Other Things To Think About When Switching Your Dog’s Diet To A Raw Dog Food
One of the other things to think about when switching your dog’s diet to a raw food diet is that they may get sick more often when adjusting to this type of diet.
A common way to tell your dog is getting sick from their meals is if their poop has an odd color or smell.
It would help if you didn’t switch large breeds too quickly since it can affect their organs. Smaller species may transition faster, but you should still monitor their weight when switching from dry dog food to a raw diet.
This article is for people who want to know what they need to know about transitioning from kibble to fresh food and the pros and cons of both options.
It will help them decide if they want to make the switch and what things they need to keep in mind when doing so.
It is not for breeders or rescue associations – just individual dog owners.
In Conclusion:
There are several benefits to switching your dog’s diet from kibble to raw fresh food.
The most prominent advantage is that it can be healthy for dogs with allergies or other health problems and help better regulate their digestive system.
You might want to consider the disadvantages before you make the switch if your dog has any major medical issues because they may get sick more often when adjusting.
If all the pros outweigh the cons, this article should have helped guide you through how best to transition from dry food to raw diets!
– Increased Nutritional Value – Fresh food has more nutritional value than dry kibble, which can benefit dogs with allergies or other medical conditions.
– Better Digestion – Raw diets help regulate digestion and may reduce inflammation in your dog’s gut. Plus, it might not cause gas!
– More Variety – You’ll have more options when feeding raw foods because they come in so many different forms.
– Less Waste – Kibble tends to leave behind a lot of waste because it comes in the form of leftovers.
– Better Taste – great for picky eaters!
What if You Don’t Have Time To Prepare Fresh Raw Dog Food?
Let’s face it; we don’t always have time to walk the dog or prepare fresh meals every day. So we have four options:
- Leave our dogs on a dry kibble diet – not ideal
- Feed them a mix of dry kibble and fresh raw food
- Prepare in bulk and freeze
- Or sign up to a subscription-based home delivery service
Ollie’s Subscription Custom Meal Plans
Custom meal plans: Ollie’s will tailor your dog’s plan based on their weight, age, breed, activity level, and allergies, recommending a precise portion according to how many calories they need.
Delivered to your door ready to serve: Your dog’s custom meals are shipped to you on a flexible, regular schedule, so you’ll always have the right amount. You must store your food packs in the freezer and thaw them in the fridge.
Easy, Fuss-free Meals: Each custom meal plan has feeding guidelines to ensure your dog gets the right amount of food.
Check out Ollie’s Subscription Raw Dog Food delivery service and their incredible introductory offer.
Paws down, the most convenient way to feed your dog fresh food!