When Is The Appropriate Age To Give A Puppy Raw Meat?

[Catarina]

I was worried because I fed my dog raw meat at 8 weeks old and I was told that it wasn't good for her.

Some people remarked on how lucky she was to be eating steak. LOL

This pic was taken at 2 months old.

She is now 4 months old and now eats lamb, pork, chicken and beef.

She loves fruits too, especially grapes & watermelon. ^_^

I once gave her some leftover Chinese noodles... was this ok?

[WExtremeG]

I started my pup when she was 12 weeks due to allergies- but some people give raw right after they're weaned as a preference to dried/canned food.

Not sure, but I think grapes are toxic to dogs..?

[julesluvscavs]

Your puppy is very cute !! :)

Our puppy we are getting has been started on raw food, and we will continue her on it when she comes to lives with us.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Jules♥Cavs

[mel_]

Not sure, but I think grapes are toxic to dogs..?

Yes, don't feed her grapes!

[fuzzy82]

I don't see how it's ever too early. It's what they would eat in the wild (if there was such a thing as "in the wild" for dogs).

[Maddy]

We started feeding raw (with a large breed puppy) as soon as we got him at 14 weeks old.

We've had no trouble balancing his diet, he's very healthy (besides congenital neurological issues) and he looks really good. He gets given kibble if I forget to defrost his meat but usually, he won't touch it (and will just wait until he gets his meat)

[DeltaCharlie]

Delta and Whip were on raw from the day I picked them up (8 weeks for Delta, 10 for Whip). The only thing with a puppy is that you have to be a bit more accurate in your quantities as their nutrients etc have to be spot on to help them grow properly. With adults you can be more lenient without issue. So make sure he is getting bones etc as they provide nutrients that meat alone will not give.

We wean our litters onto raw meat (3-4 weeks) and start chicken wings at about 6 weeks. So your fellow should be fine :)

[minimax]

My guys get steak too, we buy it when it's on special just for them :laugh:

As long as the chinese noodles didn't have a sauce on them they are fine to feed, but I wouldn't give them to my dogs if they had sauce on them just due to the chili/garlic/sugar/salt/random spices.

And my guys love fruit too, but it's a definte no on the grapes - have a look at this for some no-go human foods for dogs http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/storytemplate_process.cfm?story_no=257

[Sandra777]

My pups are weaned on to raw, so it's never too young IMO.

BUT! Raw meat on it's own is not the right food for dogs & is especially bad for a puppy's growth - they need either bone they can actually chew up and eat to go with that meat OR dry food. You'd be better off not wasting your money on "steak" and buying meat on the bone instead - chicken wings, lamb ribs, turkey pieces.

[Sheridan]

Mini has decided she likes steak. She is the pickiest eater yet vacuumed down the steak I got her for her gotcha day. I advised her not to get used to it.

NO GRAPES! TOXIC! BAD!

[oakway]

My puppies start on raw meat at 3 weeks.

Meat is a naturel diet for dogs, but meat alone is not a good diet.

What Sandra 777 says.

[CollieChaos]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt "offal" a necessary part of the diet as well? (muscle meat on its own is not enough?) I don't know much about raw diets, and have never fed exclusively raw before, so forgive me if I am wrong.

[Sparassidae]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt "offal" a necessary part of the diet as well? (muscle meat on its own is not enough?) I don't know much about raw diets, and have never fed exclusively raw before, so forgive me if I am wrong.

There have been almost no decent studies on it.

I feed offal, but I don't believe it is necessary at all.

[twodoggies2001]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt "offal" a necessary part of the diet as well? (muscle meat on its own is not enough?) I don't know much about raw diets, and have never fed exclusively raw before, so forgive me if I am wrong.

There have been almost no decent studies on it.

I feed offal, but I don't believe it is necessary at all.

I feed offal twice a week included in the raw diet. It seems that it is a necessary part of the raw diet.

[Catarina]

Wooopppsss, I told a few colleagues about the grape rule and they didn't realize that it's a no-no for dogs. O_O

They were saying that they feed it to their dogs & the dogs love it. Nothing seems to be wrong with them though.

Hmmmm

But ok I won't feed her grapes anymore just to be safe. ^_^

[Sparassidae]

Based on what does it seem like a necessary part of a raw diet (I am unsure what "the" raw diet is, you might be referring to a specific raw diet).

I try and roughly follow a prey model diet, I might not feed entire animals but I go as whole as I can. I feed offal, but I know many, many people who feed raw food no offal who have incredibly healthy dogs.

Till some decent studies are done, we're only guessing and making observations based on our own dogs which is fine. I personally notice no difference in my dogs whether I feed them straight chicken frames for a month or a loose prey model diet. Coat, poo, everything stays the same.

[Mystiqview]

What a stupid question??? Not to the OP but the person who told you not to feed raw meat to dogs!

I will never feed my dogs pets mince - the stuff is eeek and you just don't know what else the butcher has put in it. (EG: cereals/fillers etc left over from making sausages etc)

Do you see mamma dog out in the wild sitting by a fire and a kettle cooking the meat before giving it to the puppies????

I start my puppies on raw meat/mince as well as premium food + milk replacer at 3 weeks when I start the weaning process. Then they get chicken necks and other goodies once they learn they can CHEW!

Sometimes I think people humanise their pets way to much.

[Sparassidae]

What a stupid question??? Not to the OP but the person who told you not to feed raw meat to dogs!

My sisters vet told her not to feed bones or raw meat to her dog till it is 6 months, so not necessarily a stupid question.

I told her to do it anyway, she has a large dog who gets bored so easily. Some big bones kept it chewing for ages. Environmental enrichment is the best boredom buster ever and is the reason I love pigs heads.

Edited January 24, 2013 by NotMidol

[minimax]

I'm just surprised people don't do research before giving their dogs new foods (ie: people shocked that dogs can't have grapes). And are vets not educating people? When I took my pup to the vet for her first check-up when I got them the vet verbally discussed foods that dogs couldn't have, and also gave me an information sheet, even though she knew I'd done all my research and knew what human foods could be toxic.

I also got it with my second pup, which makes me think it's their standard protocol.

[Mystiqview]

What a stupid question??? Not to the OP but the person who told you not to feed raw meat to dogs!

My sisters vet told her not to feed bones or raw meat to her dog till it is 6 months, so not necessarily a stupid question.

I told her to do it anyway, she has a large dog who gets bored so easily. Some big bones kept it chewing for ages. Environmental enrichment is the best boredom buster ever and is the reason I love pigs heads.

I personally would not feed hard bones (marrowbones, hard beef bones) until the puppy has got its adult canine teeth around 6 months as these bones can break them much more easily. But even this does not stop puppies from breaking their teeth on other items in the back yard. I can possibly see too much fat may not be good (for any dog), but everything in moderation.

I prefer to feed softer chicken or lamb brisket. As for not feeding raw meat.... still crazy. My vet has those packets of for the like VIP dog meats in the cryovac packets in their refrigerator in their reception.