For all those looking to start their little one on raw dog or cat food there is always a bit of a worry about the perfect age. So here are some things to consider:
Health of puppy/kitten : has your kitten or puppy displayed any health issues. If your puppy or kitten has a serious health problem it is best to discuss with your vet and do personal research about feeding raw with that health problem.
Health of mother- kittens and puppies get passed down from their mother immunity and gut-microbe so a good way to determine if your puppy or kitten could handle raw is to look at what the parents were eating, signs of healthy coat, etc.
Vaccines- Research suggests vaccinating could cause a *temporary decline in immune-activity which may impact your decision on starting raw.
Some breeders choose to feed raw and puppies are weaned onto raw food. This can be done very safely. Dogs and cats were designed to eat raw food immediately in the weaning stages. In most cases it is very acceptable to place your new kitten or puppy on raw food immediately, however, for the first month you may opt to cook (ensure no bone shards). Cooking also begins the breakdown process of some vital nutrients, meaning that cooked is not quite as nutrient dense as raw. For kittens, cooked food should be supplementated with taurine.
Personal Protocol
Our puppies and kittens are fed raw from day 1 of adoption if their health appears optimal and their mothers health was optimal. If we are concerned about a health issue, immune-issues or something similar we will cook a balanced blend for the first month, providing extremely nutrient dense meals and supplementation to boost their system.
We switch immediately, cold turkey from kibble to our raw food. We have yet to experience digestive upset with the switch. We do find a change in the bowel movements, so to make the switch easier on the animal we will add some additional oil (salmon, hemp..etc) to their food to help it pass through- plus this is a great supplementation for a growing animal.
If there are signs of constipation, we add small amounts of psyllium husk to 1 meal per day- and mix in additional water.
De-wormer: we follow the vet's advice on dewormer. We implement natural dewormers after 1 year of age (to prevent inhalation of dewormer while eating)
*We are not veterinarians- we are scientists and use our training to conduct personal research based on available research. Please consult with a vet for medical or case-advice.
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