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Leave an insulated cooler for raw pet food deliveries.
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The transition is simple:
(1) Fast your pet for 12-24 hours making sure they have access to plenty of water or bone broth .
(2) Then feed raw pet food.
The cold-turkey method however may cause irritation for pets who have a sensitive digestive system or have been on kibble for an extensive period of time. For these dogs, a slow transition might be preferable.
This method is recommended by most nutritionists and holistic vets to minimize digestive upset.
DAY 1- Start by giving small pieces of raw pet food as treats in the middle of the day (do not mix kibble & raw food at the beginning. Although each animal is different and some may tolerate it well, allow at least 3 hours before/after kibble meals; see the first point under Don'ts below).
DAY 2 to DAY 4- If no diarrhea occurs, slowly increase the amount of raw pet food given in the middle of the day (up to ¼ of the meals by DAY 4) while slowly decreasing the amount of kibble/other food fed in actual meals.
DAY 5 and DAY 6- If no vomiting or diarrhea occurs, replace one meal with raw pet food.
DAY 7- If no vomiting or diarrhea occurs, replace both meals with raw.
If vomiting or diarrhea occurs, you can:
(1) Give bone broth, kefir, pureed whole pumpkin to help ease upset stomachwhile keeping your pet hydrated. For more information on treating pet diarrhea, you can look at our Dog Troubleshitting Guide .
(2) When your dog’s stool is back to normal, go back to the amount given, which did not cause any upset stomach, and stay on that for a little longer (1 or 2 days more). Then work on a slower transition than recommended. Every pet’s adaptability is different, and you know your pet best, so use your judgement to gauge how slow the transition should be for your pet. There’s no rush! We’re also here to help, just ask.
Leave an insulated cooler for raw pet food deliveries.
Please note that if we can't reach you and there aren't notes, we will have to take the order back to the store for you to pick up or arrange a paid delivery.
Contact us at 604-559-3680 if you need to reach us ASAP.
Store raw pet food in the freezer.
Always defrost in a refrigerator for next day feeding or in a sink in cold water only if you are feeding soon.
Rotate proteins, especially between white and red meats, to achieve a more balanced diet.
Feed edible, size-appropriate bones every few days to clean teeth. Bones are better digested by dogs when finely ground. If your dog is a strong chewer, beware of load bearing bones such as beef femurs, which are hard and can chip a dog’s teeth leading to an expensive extraction.
Toss out any leftovers if your pet does not finish consuming the meal.
Don't leave raw pet food out at room temperature for more than 10 min. We’d err on the side of caution and suggest that if your pet doesn’t eat in 5 min, you refrigerate and attempt 1 more time that same day. If not, toss out the pet food.
Don't leave thawed raw dog or cat food in the fridge for more than 2-3 days.
Never cook raw pet food that contains bones. Bones may become brittle and become choking hazards or cause constipation. What about microwaving raw food. Research out of Havard is showing that microwaving might not be long enough to break down food nutrients e.g. Vitamin C which is the easiest example.
Kibble is relatively new in terms of feeding pets.James Spratt launched the first commercial dog biscuit around 1860. Its convenience was marketed to pet owners -- at the expense of biologically appropriate food. Raw feeding was the way our furry pets (dogs and cats) have eaten for generations with table scraps thrown in.
Biologically appropriate food for carnivores consists of muscle meat, organ meat, raw meaty bones and sometimes fresh raw fruits and vegetables. It is supposed to duplicate what animals would eat in the wild.
It makes sense... if you ask yourself what feral cats and dogs would eat without us in the equation, the answer would be killing fresh prey = raw. “Wild cats and dogs eat their whole prey including the liver, intestines, skin and fur so they get all the nutrients they need.” Dr. Sean Delaney, Board certified veterinary nutritionist, former Chair of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.
Raw whole prey diet is a living food for carnivores, and therefore contains live enzymes, and essential amino acids naturally occurring in the meat. Once cooked, these vital nutrients die (See Dr Pottenger Cat Study ). That's why most high-quality raw foods are balanced diets without having any/much synthetic supplements added to it!
When prepared carefully, zero to few supplements are required, making raw food a natural, whole food diet.
Less chemically synthetized supplements = less burden to their bodies.Nature intended a balance between the way nutrients work. It’s best to get nutrients from REAL WHOLE FOOD INGREDIENTS, along with the micronutrients that come with the whole food ingredients. For example, for humans eating an apple with the peel will give you potassium, Vitamin A and triterpenoids (able to destroy cancer cells), which you would not get if you just took a Vitamin A pill.
"Prolongs dog's life for at least 2 to 5 years." Dr. Peter Dobias
Better dental health... MUCH BETTER dental health!“Kibble is no better for your pet’s teeth than crunchy human food is for our teeth. It would never occur to you to eat a handful of peanut brittle to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth. The idea that dry food keeps your pet’s teeth clean is just as silly!” Dr Karen Becker
Moisture in raw pet food prevents your cat and dog from becoming dehydrated and you’ll notice a decrease in water intake relative to a pet on dry food.
Shinier and softer coat; healthier skin.Your dog may initially shed a lot of fur while it is going through detoxification.
More energy and better vitality.
Smaller stoolas well-formulated raw pet food should not contain any unnecessary fillers.
Cats are obligate carnivores and dogs are also carnivores, although adaptable to carbohydrates. However survival on a diet that includes grains (wheat, corn, rice) and potatoes is not the same as thriving on raw.
In fact, anywhere between 1 in 100 to 1 in 500 cats as well as dogs develops diabetes, and this is expected to increase!
What do wild cats and dogs eat?
“Wild cats and dogs eat their whole prey including the liver, intestines, skin and fur so they get all the nutrients they need.” Dr. Sean Delaney, Board certified veterinary nutritionist, former Chair of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.
What are trims in raw pet food?
Trims like chicken backs and turkey backs are not necessarily bad. It becomes a problem when a raw dog food manufacturer uses these as the major portion of the raw diet for dogs and cats. You pet needs more nutrients and trims don't provide it."
What kind of raw pet food should you look for?
Moonlight Natural Pet Store's suppliers use free-range, grass-fed animals ensuring the animals themselves are lean and healthy.
Should raw pet food have vitamins?
Sticking to the whole prey viewpoint, your pets should be getting nutrients from wholesome foods rather than from synthetic or chemically synthesized supplements.
Yes, there are risks to feeding your dog or cat a raw pet food diet just like there is a risk when feeding kibble. Feeding kibble does not eliminate all health risks including salmonella.
There have been recalls in a variety of kibble and pet treat brands due to salmonella and in other cases, toxins in the food.
With respect to raw pet food, there are potential health risks to the pets themselves as well as for humans with immune compromised systems such as small children or the elderly. Feeding raw does not cause worms.
The University of Wisconsin School Of Veterinary Medicine in a study found that: “Salmonella spp. can be isolated from healthy dogs and cats at rates of up to 36% and 18%, respectively;” and “Dogs and cats may suffer salmonellosis as a "reverse zoonosis," with infection transmitted from human-to-dog and subsequently back to other humans.”
The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 2007 published research where “Twenty-eight research dogs were enrolled to determine the prevalence of salmonellae shedding after consumption of 1 Salmonella-contaminated commercial raw food diet meal. Sixteen dogs were exposed to Salmonella-contaminated commercial raw food diets and 12 to Salmonella-free commercial raw food diets. Seven of the exposed dogs shed salmonellae 1–7 days after consumption of Salmonella-contaminated raw food diets. None of the dogs fed Salmonella-free diets shed salmonellae. No clinical signs were observed in either group.”
The research above indicates that we can get infected by salmonella, E. Coli, Listeriosis in life settings where we or others are handling raw food either for our pets or for cooking for ourselves.
In addition, even healthy pets can shed salmonella so it doesn't matter what you feed them as they may be already 'contaminated.'
The other point often overlooked is that dogs and cats are built to handle bacterial loads from food that would cause significant illness in you or me. The highly acidic nature of your dog's or cat's stomach (pH ranging from 1-2.5) and the amount of bile (anti-parisitic and anti-pathogenic) produced by dogs and cats can help neutralize something potentially harmful.
Minimizing risks to humans in particular from feeding either raw or kibble means cleaning up after pets both after meals and bathroom breaks. Like the FDA suggests, general common sense like washing your hands with hot water and soap for 20 seconds is good practice. Steam clean, use oregano oil or a disinfectant on your work surfaces and by the way, did we say how awesome microfiber cleaning cloths are for cleaning your pet up!
For more information on causes, symptoms of salmonella, E. Coli & giardia in pets, read our blog.
Even critics of raw acknowledge that “Wild cats and dogs eat their whole prey including the liver, intestines, skin and fur so they get all the nutrients they need.” Statement from Dr. Sean Delaney, a Board certified veterinary nutritionist courtesy of Dr. Sophie Yin’s website. We love that statement because although the article is focused on why you shouldn’t feed raw, in one swoop it acknowledges that Nature gets it right and that a “whole prey” diet provides all the necessary nutrients!
The Dr Pottenger Cat Study conducted between 1932 and 1942 remains the most extensive and lengthy controlled experiment we’ve found. His goal was to compare healthy cats on raw foods versus those on heated/cooked diets. The study found that cats on cooked food developed “ behavioral characteristics, arthritis, sterility, skeletal deformities and allergies.”
So is there a baseline for evaluating pet food? Our answer is Yes and also No. The current baseline used is known as the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional guidelines for dogs and cats. Now this may be a useful guideline for evaluating kibble but not raw pet food. An excellent article from Dr. Amy Nesselrodt in the Dogs Naturally Magazine explains why .To summarize, trials used to substantiate the statement that pet food brands meet these AAFCO guidelines are statistically not significant because the length of the trials were too short for a dog or cat to develop clinical signs of a problem (e.g. kidney issues), and although the food may meet the AAFCO nutritional guideline, the nutrients may not be as digestible or bioavailable for your pet to process.
We carry a wide variety of raw pet food brands and proteins starting from $2.85/ lb for free range, non-medicated meats (bulk price). Therefore, a 25 lb adult dog eating 2% of body weight would require 0.5 lbs meaning it would cost $1.42 per day to feed this pet.
Lower Indirect Costs- We believe that cats or dogs on a well-balanced raw that include some whole supplementation and recreational size-appropriate bones are less likely to require expensive future vet visits due to kidney, liver disease or diabetes. They may also not need yearly teeth cleaning under sedation if you combine this approach with regular teeth brushing.
Try our raw pet food calculator now to find pet food and costs.