Raw or dry?

I currently feed Lola dry puppy food that I get from a company called tails. However I'm thinking of going raw, what are the pros and cons of both? I spoke to the woman at the pet shop that sells it, she said it was far better for them to go raw, they are healthier and it's more natural. She's 16 weeks old so if I was to feed her raw would she be getting everything she needs? The packs of meat they sell have bone and organ in it, 10% of each with 80% meat. I currently have one defrosting in my fridge and I'm undecided if I should start her on it tomorrow morning.

We are in the same position as you. We are just starting to look into raw but it's a bit of a mine field, will be interesting to see what others have to say.

Jnestie84 wrote:We are in the same position as you. We are just starting to look into raw but it's a bit of a mine field, will be interesting to see what others have to say.

It sure is a mine field. I just think she is designed to eat meat so that's what she should get. Almost all dry dog food has something in it I don't like the sound of. When I first got her I bought her a brand called James wellbeloved, I think the first ingredient was wheat! That went in the bin on day 2. The brand she's currently on is 70% meat but I still think thats low

We feed Hank raw and have done since he was 12 weeks I'd say, I knew from the start that's what I wanted him to have simply because I know exactly what he's eating, he's growing big and strong and his coat is absolutely stunning, id say the only con would be price if you were on a budget I don't know how much dry food is but we pay £37 that's with postage a month for hanks raw packs his is the same ratio as what you have stated and I know it will go up as he gets bigger and I'd say them huge bags of dry are about that and assume they last a lot longer than a month.

Been having a look and it looks good stuff. Do you add anything to the meat such as fruit or veg?

He's fussy with fruit and veg so been looking at ways to try get him to have some like a child!

Thanks Paris. I think we might give it a go.

Paris1990 wrote:We feed Hank raw and have done since he was 12 weeks I'd say, I knew from the start that's what I wanted him to have simply because I know exactly what he's eating, he's growing big and strong and his coat is absolutely stunning, id say the only con would be price if you were on a budget I don't know how much dry food is but we pay £37 that's with postage a month for hanks raw packs his is the same ratio as what you have stated and I know it will go up as he gets bigger and I'd say them huge bags of dry are about that and assume they last a lot longer than a month.

I wanted to start her on it the day I got her but I've never fed raw before so thought I would leave it till she was a little older. Now I think we are ready. Cost isn't a problem, I currently pay £31 for the dry food per month plus I buy pouches of puppy meat to mix with it, that costs me another £15 ish. Where I can get the raw meat from it costs 70p per pack and she needs half a pack per day at the moment, going up to 1 full pack per day when she's fully grown (I think) They have loads of different variaties available and some are a little more expensive (double the price) depending on what u get. I've gone for chicken and turkey to start with as I thought it might be easier to digest?

So how do I do this? Just stop the dry and start on the raw or mix some dry in and do a slow change over?

I read that it was the best food but not adapted to everyone's lifestyle.
It was not recommended for families with young children from a hygiene point of view (paws and mouth covered with "raw juice") after eating. Needed lots of freezer space to be cost effective and had to contain a portion of bones and organs as well as meat. Best was to constitute feed from bucher leftovers but difficult to balance proportions, ready mixed frozen blocks good but comparitively pricey.
But dogs generally in excellent health with good dental hygiene. Smaller poops and fewer flatulence problems

Chaz4455 wrote:I currently feed Lola dry puppy food that I get from a company called tails. However I'm thinking of going raw, what are the pros and cons of both? I spoke to the woman at the pet shop that sells it, she said it was far better for them to go raw, they are healthier and it's more natural. She's 16 weeks old so if I was to feed her raw would she be getting everything she needs? The packs of meat they sell have bone and organ in it, 10% of each with 80% meat. I currently have one defrosting in my fridge and I'm undecided if I should start her on it tomorrow morning.

As I have said on another thread,i'm not a big fan of feeding the complete dry diet,and what you stated above looks just fine.But if you decide to give it a go,you must do the change over gradually over a period of 10 to 14 days.

Chaz - how many grams are in each pack? Hank is about 5 1/2 month and give him 600g a day of the raw mix then give him some cooked chicken with it too that's left over from what we make for ourself, I'll be increasing it as he gets older then figure out what amount seems right for him.

As for changing him over I've read not to mix the dry and raw as they digest at different rates so can give them an upset stomach and that seemed to make sense to me, I'd maybe start by changing one of her meals a gradually change all of them.

Paris1990 wrote:Chaz - how many grams are in each pack? Hank is about 5 1/2 month and give him 600g a day of the raw mix then give him some cooked chicken with it too that's left over from what we make for ourself, I'll be increasing it as he gets older then figure out what amount seems right for him.

As for changing him over I've read not to mix the dry and raw as they digest at different rates so can give them an upset stomach and that seemed to make sense to me, I'd maybe start by changing one of her meals a gradually change all of them.

The so called theory of of dry and raw digesting at different rates has been proven to be rubbish.There is a thread on the forum somewhere proving the fact.In fact I have done it with no effect when I done the change over.