Raw Diet for Puppy

ORIGINAL: Misskiwi67

ORIGINAL: janet_rose
As a vet student how about telling us what raw diet you think is appropriate for a beagle pup?  Are any of the pre-made raws good for pups?  If so, what size pups?  If not, why?  What do you think of the raw diet for pups on the B-Naturals site?

I'm not a big fan of single-purpose "all life stages" foods, but since its a beagle pup and not a large breed, a raw pre-mix or pre-made diet would be OK with me. Don't get me wrong, I think raw diets are amazing when done properly, but not everyone is capable. I'M not capable...

The problem with this situation is that the OP is new to raw, new to puppies, and raw has a HUGE learning curve, and by the time the OP learned to shop, balance, and feed a raw diet, the very critical early months of this puppies development would be over.

Its my personal opinion that the OP should wait until the pup has reached its maximum growth and then feed raw. IF she is pleased with both making the diet at home and the results she sees, then she can try feeding raw to her next pup.

Once again you have made an assumption. I am not new to puppies. I have kept had german shepherd puppies and dogs. My girlfriend picked the name for the disccussion board "abeagleworld" because we are new to beagle puppies. Yes, I am new at raw, but I have been researching for some time now. And lastly, thanks, you and the others helped me to decide that kibble is best at the moment.

Also, if you cannot tell by now, I am a man. lol My girlfriend and I are raising the pup together. We pick him up on April 9th and we have decided to name the puppy Huey. We'll post pics when we get him. Thanks

whoa, DO NOT feed EVO to a puppy. It has double the amount of calcium a puppy needs and will mess up your puppy's bones.

Well, Natura says not to feed to LARGE breed pups, but honestly if a pup is a pup is a pup, I'm not gonna feed it to a smaller one either.  I'm too nervous about "getting it right" and NOT screwing up their physical development.

Just to toss out a little more confusion, I also don't like EVO for puppies. I'd try to take it back or donate it and go with the regular Innova puppy chow until you've answered all of your questions.
 
To me, it makes sense to transition to a raw diet by using a cooked diet first. I've found that in transitioning adult dogs it is easiest (and I believe safest) to start with a cooked diet with about the same ratio of protien/fat/carbs as they've been getting and gradually changing the percentages.  If you look up the information on Monica Segal, she's experienced with both cooked and raw diets. As far as I know, she's always right on the spot as far as how much calcium, vitamins, minerals etc. dogs in every stage of life should have.
 
Unless you have really terrific resources for game or other raw food, expect it to cost more than a good commercial diet. However, you may well save that money back and more when your dog hits later years.
 
Good luck with your new puppy. And pictures are always appreciated.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

whoa, DO NOT feed EVO to a puppy. It has double the amount of calcium a puppy needs and will mess up your puppy's bones.

The reason I bought it is because the guy at the store seemed to be really knowledgeable about nutrition. We talked about raw and kibble, etc. I do not know what to feed as I am hearing mixed opinions from everywhere. How much calcium can a puppy have max? Just so I know when I get a different food. Thanks.

You want the diet to have around 1.5% or so dry weight calcium. Evo is around 3%.
I've fed puppies part raw diets and intend to feed the next puppy entirely on raw.  The problem with raw diets is many contain too much bone--even a lot of the commercial diets have a lot of bone in them- too much calcium can lead to bone disorders in puppies.  So knowing that, you can find a diet recipe that will be fine for puppies, one with a slightly lower percentage of raw meaty bones.
It's simply not true that puppies have special or different nutritional needs than adult dogs. Many of the so-called adult foods on the market are nutritionally inadequate and would kill a puppy, true, but these foods are also no good for adult dogs.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

It's simply not true that puppies have special or different nutritional needs than adult dogs.

Actually it is true, and your comment about calcium is just one example of that.

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I think you are fine with the EVO as long as you add some fresh veggies, etc. I've used it with my beagle pups with NO issues. They actually did really well on it, but again, I mixed other things in with it most of the time.
By adding other foods in with the EVO (keeping it below about 10 -15% so you don't throw off the nutrient balance) your actually lowering the nutrient values of the kibble.

quote:

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

It's simply not true that puppies have special or different nutritional needs than adult dogs.

Actually it is true, and your comment about calcium is just one example of that.

 
 
still not true. Adult dogs and puppies both need around 1.5% or so calcium in the diet. Just because adult dogs/ small breed puppies don't become grossly symptomatic if fed 3% calcium doesn't mean 3% calcium is ok or ideal. I won't feed EVO to even adult dogs because of the high calcium. The only low-carb kibble I trust is TWO's wild n natural which has the proper level of calcium.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

come on, biological organisms are not as delicate as you folks suggest. A few nutrients more or less here and there won't damage your puppy. Raising a puppy on a raw diet is not rocket science and is far healthier than any kibble, if done right. Just keep the calcium low and the puppy skinny and he'll be fine.
You people actually trust dog food companies these days? I don't.

 
I sure do not trust dog food co.  It would be great if we could view the sourcing of their ingredients. 
 
But back to the topic.  Wouldn't it be better if you were going to do raw to begin your dog on it as a puppy?.  That way you are challenging it's natural immune system and will prevent anything potentially hazardous from growing into a problem. We develop immunities to things by exposure.
 
Anyway my dogs like meat cooked and apparently you can get as much out of the food, accept for the calcium: phosphorus due to not eating bones.  But  supplements will cover that, right?

I am not sure that cooked IS the same as raw.  I know for certain that fruits and veggies loose nutrients in cooking and I would suspect that the same is true for meats.  I'm not sure how the phosperous would be altered, but even with cooked meats I do know for certain that you have to balance with calcium...and again, that is with COOKED meats.....

The method of cooking enters into that equation. Ie. boiling vegies and how long you do that will leach out vits and minerals.
 
Baking, broiling meat may alter amino acids.  But I am not sure about that... One thing we do know for sure is that it does kill bacteria and viral things.  Jesses mom mentioned a couple nutrients in meats that actually increase. 
 
Anyway you look at it (cooked or raw), has to be better than some of the products we have trusted in over the years.   We didn't have to worry about this when we were younger due to simply owning our own co's nationally and did not depend on imports.  Dogs lived long healthy lives on grocery store food way back then. (although there was the  horsemeat issue back then)