Reduction in waste

Certainly, one of my favourites after effects of changing to a raw food diet in the dramatic change in the digestive waste, you will find you get much less of it because your canine is getting exactly the right food for his system he will digest a much higher percentage of the calories you offer him to eat. Without all those nasty bulking agents grains and other carbs your puppy will have less waste to get rid of all over your lawn. Poos will be smaller, less smelly and because you are feeding a moisture rich food, they will not be as squidgy. The reason dry food fed dogs poos are so large and moist is because in order for them to pass through your dogs body it needs to draw water from your dog to enable those bulking agents to pass through. A raw food diet fed dog will be gaining not losing moisture through the digestive process, thus resulting in a small compact easy to pick poo.

Drinking less

Because pup will be getting a good percentage of his daily fluids from the nutrient rich raw foods they will naturally need to visit the water bowl less frequently than those thirsty dry fed pups. Fresh water should of course be on offer at all times, but you will notice a slight change in their normal consumption of water compared to when dry fed.

A natural appetite

When a dog is getting the right kind of food, they will develop a strange pattern of eating, its actually only strange to us because it isnt the same as our three-square meals a day routine, but for a dog the way they eat is very different to a human.   Its  just part of who they are as a species. Dogs in the wild would often travel in a pack for days before finding food, then they would gorge it and move on. This cycle of every couple of days wanting to eat a lot and then for a couple of days not be that hungry is perfectly natural and normal for a young dog and is another sign that you have got things right in your feeding. Dry fed dogs are always hungry, craving something they just aren't getting from their meals. Variety is most definitely a factor here and also dry fed dogs will often eat to fill themselves and then go to the water bowl because the kibble is dehydrating them.  This stretches the stomach and in time can lead to obesity. 

Lose fat gain muscle

Being a carnivore, a healthy dog will have very little stored fat and lots of muscle tone, due to the high protein in their feed. Eating an orange Is better for you than taking a vitamin c pill, and the same applies here, you are giving your dog the right food therefore it will naturally reach its ideal weight and body shape. For dogs with a propensity towards obesity and heart problems this is a great way to keep them in top form

Cost

Because you would buy many of the ingredients that youre going to be using to feed your dog anyway for example if you are making yourself a stir fry, and you throw half a green pepper into the food processor, along with some raw chicken which you were going to use in your stir fry anyway, you have made yourself and your dog a meal and shared in the cost. In other words if you only have one or two dogs, you will find that it often works out cheaper to feed this way than to go out and specifically pay for a branded dry food.

No more mr Stinky dog

You will notice that because your not feeding them the bulking agents that often contain oat, rice and other grains, they will not have as many skin problems and yeast infections, your pups breath will be fresher from eating on raw fresh bones, and they won’t pass wind, (unless you give them sprouts, which I wont be doing again in a hurry).

Transitioning

If you have bought a puppy from a breeder such as myself who has already raised the pup on the raw food diet then you have nothing to do but follow their advice and recipes, if however you are transitioning a dry fed dog onto this diet, then its recommended you do so slowly by 25% at a time so first meal 25% raw, 75 dry then a couple of days later 50/50 and so on.

How to make your food

There is no cooking involved so youre really only having to source the ingredients, something you can just add to your weekly/monthly grocery shop.  Once it arrives it should be made up immediately then frozen for future use. this keeps everything as fresh as possible. The meat you use Ideally should be fresh organic and exactly the same as the meat you would use for your own cottage pies and chicken dinners.  DO NOT buy dog grade meat. Anything that has been bagged up and sold as dog food will not be good quality, even if you get it from a local butcher.   

If you are on a budget don't assume that you're going to find this more expensive than kibble. You can find some good fresh meat from supermarkets that is on the reduced shelf on a daily basis, yes the fresher the better but often supermarkets will reduce the price of their produce to sell it fast. If you freeze it the same day theres no reason it wont keep for a couple of weeks and portions defrosted daily, keeping the rest of the meat stored safely until needed.

I will provide you with all the information on how much of everything you will need, for what type of dog and of what age. all you need to do is make the commitment to your pet that you will do this one tiny thing that will make such a  massive difference to their lives.