May 24, 2011

I switched my dogs to the raw diet, and now one of them won't eat at all. What can I do?

Full Question:
We have a friend that started his dog on your raw diet and we are starting ours on the same, because it has worked so great for him.

We have 2 dogs, a large Rhodesian Ridgeback and a small Schipperke. The large one is about 15-20 lbs overweight, I guess. I don't think so, but the books say he should weight only 90 lbs and he weighs 115. The little one should weigh about 12 lbs and weighs 15.

We started this raw diet on Easter Sunday. The large dog took to it right away, but the smaller one hasn't eaten yet. I tried cutting the chicken legs into 3 smaller pieces each, then I tried the parmesan cheese sprinkle, then I very very lightly "warmed up" the meat, then I finally ground up the chicken and she still won't eat it. I did these different techniques each day and nothing.

Do you have any other suggestions for me. She has got to be very hungry! I've instructed everyone in the house to not feed her and they are not.

Please let me know if there is anything further that I can try. I don't want to give in. I figured she'll eat when she is really hungry, but it's been 4 days!!

Thanks you for your help,
Terry
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
I would not start with chicken legs for a beginning dog, and I don’t give them to big dogs unless they are attached to a whole leg quarter. They are a choking hazard. I always start new dogs with ground boneless meat (turkey or beef) and go from there.

Read the article on feeding a raw diet. There is a lot of good information there.

I would also recommend these books, Natural Nutrition for Dogs & Cats and Raw Dog Food.

You can also go to our Feeding Dogs Page for a list of articles and books that will be helpful to you.

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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