Raw food diet: How do I transition my animal?

If you haven't already, please read the "things to consider..."article before beginning to transition your companion.

For most cats and dogs transitioning to raw should be done gradually at first. You should take the time to figure out how your animal is going to respond. We don’t want you to potentially sabotage a successful transition to a raw food diet by suddenly putting down a plate of raw food for your pet without a gradual phase-in period.
Rather, we suggest that you eliminate any surprised reactions by your pet by “testing the waters” first. We recommend placing a teaspoon or tablespoon of raw meat or chicken on top of your animal’s dinner food that you have typically used in the past. See what she/he does with it. See if she/he eats the sample of meat along with the other food, and if so then proceed with the suggestions shown below. Note that if your animal is not attracted to the raw food sample, call us or e-mail us and we’ll share our experiences with you about how to convert reluctant animals.

If all goes well and you are ready to begin the transition process...Start out by substituting part of the typical size meal with raw meat or chicken. Remember, you are using their regular quantity of food as a guide or starting point.

(Diagram days 1-3)

On days 1 to 3, place a ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of raw ground beef or raw ground chicken on top of your animal’s regular food serving and see what she does with the raw food.

With your cat or small dog the ground texture will be helpful. If your dog is medium size and up, chunks of chicken or beef will be just fine. The quantity of food will be governed by the size of your companion.

(Diagram days 3-6)

If all goes well—that is, if no detox signs are apparent—then on days 3-6, increase the amount of raw food to ¼ the total amount of food decreasing the total amount of commercial food by ¼.




(Diagram days 6-9) Again if no signs of detox on days 6-9, then increase the amount of raw meat to ½ the total amount of food decreasing the total amount of commercial food by ½.
Yet another change is coming. For days 9-12, add in some veggies now that we know your companion likes the raw meat. We suggest that you start with a small amount of grated or mashed veggies. No frozen vegetables because they have a high sodium content. Eeuw! You can start out by sharing some of your steamed veggies if you like. You will need such a small amount of veggies at first, a ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon depending on the size of the animal and the total amount of the meal.

(Diagram days 9-12)

On days 9-12, the increased amount of raw food will include a small portion of vegetables. At this point you are up to ¾ raw to ¼ commercial foods.

(Diagram days 12-15) So on days 12-15, with very little signs of detoxification, your companion should be having a complete meal of fresh foods, consisting of 75% to 92% meat with 25% to 8% veggies respectively.

Most books say 25% vegetables to 75% meat. Cats and small dogs are fine with the smaller percent of veggies and the larger percent of meat. Medium and large dogs are fine with larger amounts of veggies because the serving size of their meal is bigger so they automatically get more meat in their diet. Let your animal guide you. Play around with the ratios of protein to vegetable until you hit a level that works for both of you. Some animals need special ratios for their specific needs. But most are just fine on the prepared meals sold in stores, which are typically 25% vegetables to 75% meat. Now is a good time to acclimate them to a calcium supplement. By now, you know the drill. Start out with a small amount at first then increase from the introductory amount gradually. The instructions on the package will be helpful in determining the amount of calcium supplement to work towards.