# Will feeding all raw help malnourished dog grow?



## RachRuby (Jan 30, 2016)

Hi everyone, 
In the next couple of weeks I'm taking in a 3 year old German Shepherd that hasn't had a good life, most of her life she's been underfed and confined to a chain. I noticed that her body hasn't grown a lot (she still looks like a puppy still, big paws and big head but small body) 

I was wondering if putting her on an all raw diet make her grow? I would also like some information and advise on what raw meats she should eat to get her at her best. How much it costs roughly a week.

Thank you very much, I look forward to reading everyone's advise!


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

A lot of us on here would advocate a raw diet, but, it needs to be a "BALANCED" diet and since you are new to this, I'd suggest a commercially prepared raw diet. Some people think you can just give the dog some chicken wings and that's it......but it is not. The diet needs muscle meat, organs and bones. 

Rotating raw or kibble proteins will give the dog the best nutrition!

Below are some high quality, balanced, commercial raw diets until you have time to research making your own raw diet:
*Bravo:* Discover Balance Raw Diet | Beef Frozen Raw Dog Food Diet - Bravo Pet Food Find a store: Find a Bravo Retailer - Bravo Pet Food 
*Northwest Naturals: *Beef Find a store: Store Locator
*Primal: *Complete Raw Diets for Pets: Canine Beef Formula Find a store: Primal Pet Foods: Store Locator

I listed a feed calculator and some prices to give you an idea of how much it will cost. It may be a litter cheaper if you find a location close to you.

Here is a "feeding calculator": Feeding Calculator

Price examples on: Bravo Balance Beef Frozen Raw Food | Pet 360
*Bravo Balance Beef* is $27.95 for a 5lb chub
*Primal Pronto* (balanced variety) is 4lbs for $32.00

Here are some suggestions of high quality kibble if you decide to go in that direction. There are also grain varieties in some of these.

*ORIJEN *(note that Orijen, although a great food, can give SOME dogs loose stool)* : *Dry Dog Food | Orijen Store Locator: Where to Buy | Orijen 

*ACANA REGIONALS (grain free):* Acana Regionals | Acana Store locator: Store Locator | Acana 
*
FROMM'S FOUR STAR (grain free): *Four-Star Gourmet Recipes for dogs - Fromm Family Foods locator: Find a store that carries Fromm
4 Star Non Grains include: Beef Frittata, Surf N Turf, Salmon Tunalini, Pork & Peas, Lamb & Lentil, or Game Bird. 


*THE HONEST KITCHEN DEHYDRATED FOOD: *EMBARK: Embark - Grain Free, High Protein Dog Food | The Honest Kitchen Store Locator: Where to Buy Honest Kitchen - Honest Kitchen Stores | The Honest Kitchen A 10# box RE-hydrates to about 35 pounds of food. * They have a "Base Miix" that you can add your own raw meat to! Great choice!*

*Nature's Variety* (not Nature's Recipe) Instinct Healthy, Natural Kibble Products for Dogs | Instinct Pet Food for Dogs and Cats 
Store locator: Find A Store | Nature's Variety

*Nature's Logic**(Gluten Free):*Dog Products Archives - Nature's LogicNature's Logic Find a retailer: Store Locator - Nature's Logic

Make sure that you wean the dog SLOWLY off of whatever kibble he is eating now to prevent gut upset (diarrhea!) 

Hope this helps!
Moms


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## Jelpy (Nov 8, 2009)

Beautiful baby, BTW

Jelpy


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

The dog looks alright -- lean , coat looks to be not bad . Looks to have good strong bones and ligaments.
Size looks normal .
The dog will not get bigger as far as how tall it is .

Feeding excessive will only put on weight , fat , and that is not good.

Feeding well , will gain some muscle, tone, immune health , add to longevity , prevent inflammatory problems.
If you do raw , which I support, it does have to be done correctly. Not difficult .


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Momto2GSDs said:


> Make sure that you wean the dog SLOWLY off of whatever kibble he is eating now to prevent gut upset (diarrhea!)
> 
> Moms


I'm curious about this comment/advice. What method would you suggest to wean the dog slowly off the kibble to a raw diet? From what I have read over the past, raw and kibble digest at different rates and it might not be optimal to mix the two for any one meal...rather feed a kibble meal and then a raw meal at different feeding times. I'm probably missing the obvious in your suggestions, so I apologize in advance if that is the situation.

SuperG


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

SuperG said:


> I'm curious about this comment/advice. What method would you suggest to wean the dog slowly off the kibble to a raw diet? From what I have read over the past, raw and kibble digest at different rates and it might not be optimal to mix the two for any one meal...rather feed a kibble meal and then a raw meal at different feeding times. I'm probably missing the obvious in your suggestions, so I apologize in advance if that is the situation.
> 
> SuperG


Hey Super G!

I should have been more specific. Sorry for the confusion. 

Some dogs are just fine switching directly from kibble on to raw (or even other kibbles) but a lot of our GSD's have these "gut issues". 

If I were changing from kibble to raw, I would do one of 2 things.
1. Feed the kibble in the morning and raw at nite (since there is controversy on feeding both together as you commented on). If dogs stool is fine for a few days of this, begin morning and nite feedings of raw.
2. Soak the kibble with water or broth until soft and add the raw to it slowly phasing out the kibble over a few days. 

The kibble to kibble change should be done slowly, mabay 1/8th cup for one meal for a day or two, then increase as the dogs stool will show you how quickly it is allowable.

If you see stool is too soft (Dairy Queen style!:laugh go back to the food and amounts fed previously when stool was normal. This is called "bowel tolerance". 

Hope this helps!
Moms


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

the gut has a microbiome environment which establishes itself to process the foods that it is familiar with -- so when changing food or switching to raw the digestive system has to be prepared or groomed .

this takes a bit of time.

The more diverse the dog's diet has been the better prepared it is to be competent in handling all foods.
Mine all have "cast iron" stomachs because their variety is so great , and that includes kitchen stuff like hardened pasta that I put out for compost .


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