Raw diet?

[Rottie2016]

Hi all!
I am new to this forum so very sorry if this topic has been discussed previously.
I recently bought home an 8 week rottie pup 'Appa'. He weighed in at just over 8kg at 8 weeks and is now 9.1 kg at 9 weeks. He is not fat or overweight. Just a big pup ;-)
My query is this.....does anyone here feed a Raw diet?

Appa was bought up on dry kibble with raw chicken mince. I am new to this raw diet and searched the net high and dry and realised it is the best diet for the dog and is better then all the artificial kibble out there. I just want to know if anyone else feeds raw and how they are getting on? At the moment he has been just on chicken necks and wings. Plus he eats a whole egg including the shell. I grate either carrots or celery with the food. And he has an apple chopped up as a separate treat. Am I feeding the right type of food for a 9 week old rottie? Any advice would be appreciated. Many Thanks!

[Tinyplanets]

Hello and welcome to the forum,
You will find lots of information on raw feeding  here A whole section about raw feeding. I feed raw but have opted for  a complete frozen food which is hassle free.  My dog seems to do very well on it.

[Dottie]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Raw is a suitable diet for some dogs but not all. I have only fed prepared complete raw meals in the past so cannot give much advice.  Your pup is a large breed and it is very important that you get the nutrition right, particularly in respect of his joint development. In view of this, and your inexperience I would advise you to choose one of the ready meal companies and contact them for advice. If you want to do DIY raw feed you could do so later on. This will give you time to learn how to give a balanced diet. 

[RHEBDEN]

Good to hear you have a new pup and hope its going well. Lots to learn for both I imagine!!

The issue with a DIY, raw or otherwise, is unless you are a trained professional getting a balanced diet is a minefield. Is raw best? It is better than a lot of the big brands out there if but it all comes down to the brand of raw you choose and the nutritionist who built it. You may have heard of excess protein causing hyperactivity which is not 100% accurate as it is an unbalance in the diet. Too much of a couple of amino acids can cause hyperactivity, lack of focus, aggression, etc and too little = lethargic, stressed, anxious, lacking in confidence. The appropriate levels of protein, carbohydrates and vitamin B12 control this action so on this point alone focus on balance. Another point to note is how digestible a food is? ie how much you have to feed of dry matter. Remembering that wet is 4x less calorific than dry due to high moisture content.

Mixing raw and dry is not appropriate although many do. The gut flora is very different as is the speed at which they transit through the digestive tract.

Also look at some notes written on large breed pups as you need to be very conscious of calcium and phosphorous levels and high protein feeding will aid too fast group and cause future skeletal problems.