There are many ways to transition your canine friend to a raw meat diet. Current health issues must always be considered when making any dietary changes. I like to get a history of how each animal has handled dietary changes in the past in order to make recommendations for a specific animal. The following guidelines for transitioning to a raw diet have helped ease many animals into this new feeding regimen, minimizing digestive upset, while helping to recondition the entire digestive tract.

For those animals who have been on conventional diets we recommend a 24hour fast prior to beginning a raw meat diet. This initial fast helps insure that any processed food has cleared the animal’s digestive system prior to introducing higher quality proteins. Conventional diets are high in carbohydrates. When carbohydrates and proteins are both competing to be digested the proteins will be digested first. This creates a situation in which the carbohydrates can begin fermenting, while they sit in the stomach, increasing the probability of some digestive upset. Fresh water must be available at all times during this initial fast.

Begin with a mixture of very well cooked, mushy white rice, canned pumpkin, and plain yogurt. Add a digestive enzyme to this mix. Feed this for a day or two. Gradually add ground meat and phase out the white rice. As your dog tolerates this mixture, begin adding pulped or steamed vegetables. As this new mixture is tolerated begin adding raw bones. Add the bones slowly. Eventually bones will constitute 50% to 60% of your dog’s diet. The addition of raw bones should be done gradually, over a 3 to 6 month period, for most dogs. Raw meaty bones help maintain healthy and efficient digestive systems, contribute to healthy muscles and bones, and help eliminate periodontal disease.

For a more detailed description of how to proceed with the raw diet please go to How to Barf or Puppies and a Fresh Food Diet.

Completely defrost meat and or bones prior to feeding.