Raw/bones For Puppy?

[Aiwa]

Hello! I have a new pup, 6 weeks. She was a bit unwell at first so vet put her on Royal Canin sensitivity but she has picked up now and has moved on to Eagle Pack Holistic dry (vet preference was Science Diet puppy). We were planning on feeding her raw long-term and asked the vet what sort of foods we could start supplementing her dry with - and were a bit surprised to have her recommend we not use raw food, just dry...and no bones of any sort until ~5 months. I'm no puppy expert - is this normal advice? Surely she could benefit from some other foods in her diet...any advice would be very much appreciated

[felix]

Many vets hate raw food diet, and many don't know about it. I was surprised at first when vet I asked about it never heard of it.

However, many puppies are fed raw food only and they grew to be happy healthy dogs. I did combination at first. From the start Bruno much preferred raw and only ate dry ocassionaly. Eventually he completely stopped and he was on raw since. He is 3 now, and very healthy, happy and active.

For the puppy, probably the best way to introduce bones is chicken necks. They are not the best for adults because they tend to gulp them whole.

Edited February 14, 2010 by felix

[ellz]

Ahhhh gotta love vets.....somebody has to! And naturally the vet themselves sells the Science Diet puppy??

Seriously though, my puppies are started on bones pretty much as soon as their teeth arrive. They love them! At first they just do a lot of sucking and gum the bones to smithereens but it doesn't take long for them to catch on to how yummy and how much fun a juicy, meaty bone can be.

At 6 weeks, depending upon what breed your puppy is (why did you get it so young? I hope it wasn't from a registered breeder), it should be fine with chicken necks that have been whacked with a meat cleaver or wing tips if it is a toy breed. I also give lamb offcuts and veal rib bones to little babies. They're hard enough to give satisfying "crunch" but still supple enough that they are easily chewed and digested and the puppy doesn't lose "heart" when it chews and chews but doesn't get anywhere with the bone as it can with a bone that is too large.

[Sandra777]

What did the breeder say on their diet sheet? A 6 week old puppy is waaaay to young to be away from mum though.

My pups get raw food right from the start of the weaning process (3 or 4 weeks), but it depends on the size puppy you are referring to. It you are going to feed raw you MUST feed bones, whether whole or minced, so it's not really a 'wait until later' situation if you intend to go the raw road.

Don't be surprised the vet wouldn't reccomend raw - they make no margin out of you not buying their food and sadly too many people feed raw very badly and the vets have to deal with the aftermath.

In what way is your puppy ill? As it was taken from the litter much too soon some of it could be stress, but if you didn't feed it the same diet as the breeder then this could well cause problems for the poor wee mite too----- so more info please

[Aiwa]

Thanks for the tips She's a farm pup (ACD) not from a traditional breeder scenario - mother was killed and owner seriously injured in a car accident and noone could care for the pups so they were adopted out.

We kept her on the owner's food initially but she had poorly formed stools and some vomiting so (on vets advice) we made a clean switch to the RC sensitive for a few days then transitioned to just dry. I will grab some chicken necks tomorrow, see how she does with one.

Vet looked at me like I'd sprouted an extra head when I asked if there were any bones or other food suitable for her size/age. I was starting to think I'd just imagined puppies eating other foods!

[Sandra777]

mother was killed and owner seriously injured in a car accident

Vet looked at me like I'd sprouted an extra head when I asked if there were any bones or other food suitable for her size/age. I was starting to think I'd just imagined puppies eating other foods!

You've gotta wonder what some vet's think dogs ate before Mr Hills was born

[Stolzseinrotts]

You've gotta wonder what some vet's think dogs ate before Mr Hills was born

The sad fact is that statement is so very true. Some vets really have no idea at all!

You could also try lamb flaps and beef brisket bone cut up in small pieces as well as chicken frames....all are soft bones that a 6 week old ACD will bebable to eat.