Switching Your Pet to Raw
HOW TO DO IT
S-l-o-w-l-y. In general, there is never a rush. It's very common for pet owners to plop down a new food, watch the animal reject it (primarily because he doesn't know what it is), and then assume "he doesn't like it". This "shock method" fails almost every time plus, if they do eat it, it can be hard on the tummy.
Here's a conversion plan that works every time. Simply mix the existing diet with a tiny bit of the new raw food. START AT 1-5% RESTORATION RAW with the other 95-99% consisting of what you usually feed. Keep converting the ratio about 5% more new food at a time (and less old food) over a period of a week or two. If you see rejection, slow down the conversion process and go back to more of the old food.
In general, young puppies can be converted in just a few days without problems, but adult and especially geriatric animals may require weeks or months for a full conversion. A few geriatric animals may never be able to switch, but it is always worth trying and worth going very slowly.
In addition, we are all more likely to enjoy new foods if we are SLIGHTLY HUNGRY, right? Same for animals. When they are stuffed with food, they are less likely to be able to enjoy much of anything. Cutting back the normal food by 20-30% for several days prior to a change sharpens the appetite.
Here's another great technique for making a graceful and easy switch to raw; granted, it may sound a bit strange at first but it really works. One can greatly ease the switch by COOKING RESTORATION RAW PET FOOD. For the first few days, cook the food gently on the stove in a pan or even in the oven on a cookie sheet. Once cooked, the "raw" food will more closely resemble the previous diet and will be less stimulating to the digestive tract. Over the next few days reduce the degree of cooking until your companion is accepting this amazing food just as it is...RAW.
So, if you COMBINE the gentle hunger, the slow switch and the cooking technique, well.... voila! You are now a brilliant animal psychologist!
Can all dogs switch to raw food?
Virtually all pets can adopt a raw diet but it’s not wise to convert “cold turkey” to the new food. The digestive tracts of pets that have been eating processed food for their entire lives have been weakened and devitalized tremendously and slow adaptation is in order.
Increase the interest with a very short fast of 1/2-1 day prior to the switch. Everything tastes better when you are hungry and this helps with the adaptation. Start with 10% new and 90% old the first day. If you observe REJECTION of the new food or LOOSE STOOL, it probably means you are trying to switch too rapidly. Back off to the last stage and slow down the entire process.
What symptoms are "normal" when beginning a raw diet?
Almost all animals experience a transient loose stool. It’s not a problem if this doesn’t happen, nor is the symptom really an “illness” or even considered “getting sick”. In fact, you could refer to it as “getting un-sick” since the new diet cleanses the intestines, liver and entire digestive tract in a very effective and health-promoting way.
How is a raw diet balanced?
With a raw diet, what you are making is A MOUSE or A BIRD. Wild animals don’t kill and eat a “piece of meat”, they live on a diet of complete animals along with some grazing and browsing of nuts, berries, greens and even roots. Approximately 50% of the total weight of a bird or rodent is the semi-digested grains, greens and vegetables that the prey has eaten so we mimic this with sprouted grains and greens. Approximately 10% of the meat in such prey animals is organ meat, so we mix that proportion with 90% muscle. If we could, we would add feathers and fur for the fiber wild animals get in nature.
Do pets need the exact diet of their wild ancestors?
Wild animals must contend with weather extremes, they exercise 100-1000 times as much as pets, and they must reproduce every year, whereas most pets have a pretty comfortable and sedentary life. Even dogs that run and play all day only exert a fraction of the energy of a wild animal. Therefore we can lower the levels for some of the most intense nutrients such as protein and benefit the pet, while actually reducing some of the wear-and-tear on the digestive system and organs by doing so.
What effects can be expected with the bowl movements?
With a raw, natural diet there is an amazing change in stool, especially when compared to that produced by a dry food diet. Dry food consists primarily of excess carbohydrates, indigestible proteins and mostly indigestible plant material, so the stool is often quite large, hard and has an odor. The raw natural diet produces smaller stools, often with very little odor at all since most odor comes from partially digested or undigested food. Once the new diet has been established, it is quite rare to see diarrhea or loose stools. It is quite common for animals to lose excess fat after being on the new diet for several months. This weight loss is usually an adjustment towards a fine, lean and muscular body. One notable fringe benefit is that with the elimination of excess crude protein in a carefully balanced raw diet, the urine and stool will not kill the grass in your lawn.
Another process, which most often occurs when switching an older animal with chronic ailments, is referred to as a “DETOX”. It can include excess shedding, thick body oil and ear wax, mucus in the eyes, nose and throat, dry, itchy skin, or some mild vomiting. In such a situation, the goal is to neither panic nor medicate, but allow the detoxification to proceed in a gentle and slow manner. Intervention should be considered only if an acute emergency situation arises, which is very rare. Extra bathing, ear cleansing, and more brushing does help and should be done as often as possible. Increased exercise also helps the animal to get rid of the accumulated toxins and sludge in their system as they progress toward shining health and vitality
