Hello all, my name is Damon and I am new to these forums. Love Ed's work and look forward to posting here. I am also a first time GSD owner and got my little girl about 2 weeks ago.. a lot of work, but fun!

Best,

Damon

Hey, Damon.

Enjoy the forum.:smile:

What are your plans for your dog?

My goals or my wife's goals?

I want to at least get Sch 1 title. My wife just wants a great pet that has protective instincts over our family.

I have started some basic marker training with her already, though she is only 11 weeks old.

I also switched her off of dry food to feeding raw in the morning and Orijen large breed dry at night. Any opinions?

Hi Damon: I'm sure you will love the forum here. Great advise
and people who know that their talking about. I've come here
with many a problem and always got sound advise and direction.
Enjoy your new puppy and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Regards
Betty Reavis

Hi Damon,

Welcome to the forum! I would not alternate raw and kibble throughout the day. Keep the day's food consistent; that is, feed an entire day raw and if you must do the Orijen, feed another day entirely of that.

This is because raw and dry foods digest at different rates.

 Quote: siaty mantak

Hi Damon,


This is because raw and dry foods digest at different rates.

This is true, which is why I "thought" that feeding the dry at night wouldnt be a bad idea since she will not eat until the next morning. I could be wrong in my thinking though. Is feeding raw 3 times a day just too much? I know with raw they technically need to eat less of it to get the nutrients out, 2 times may be enough? She scarfed down the one raw patty *pre-made thawed raw food* I gave her in a few seconds and was literally begging me for more.

For a young puppy, I would rather feed 3 small meals than 2 larger meals. Just my preference.

Also, I would not do the pre-made raw patties. First, you don't know what is really in them, and second, you should at least once a week give her fresh organ meat (not previously frozen) for vitamin B5, which is very temperature sensitive (i.e., breaks down in the freezer). Also, the raw patties don't provide her with the opportunity to crunch and break things apart.

Again, this is just what I do. There are others on here who are far more knowledgeable.

Welcome Damon!
Have a blast with your new pup (name??) - and share a pic or two if you get a chance. If you've already started marker training on her tiny little self, then you're DEFINITELY on a path to greatness.

Are you working towards a 100% raw diet, and just keeping the kibble in the mix to make sure your growing pup has all the nutrition she needs? This site is such a gold mine for canine nutrition info, and specifically raw diets, it really made the difference between me just considering going all raw, and actually gaining the educated confidence to just do it! Happy reading!

~Natalya

 Quote: siaty mantak

For a young puppy, I would rather feed 3 small meals than 2 larger meals. Just my preference.

I would agree here.

 Quote: siaty mantak

Also, I would not do the pre-made raw patties. First, you don't know what is really in them, and second, you should at least once a week give her fresh organ meat (not previously frozen) for vitamin B5, which is very temperature sensitive (i.e., breaks down in the freezer). Also, the raw patties don't provide her with the opportunity to crunch and break things apart.

Not sure I agree with this though - there are plenty of good frozen raw patty brands that have nutritious blends of simple ingredients (Bravo, Nature's Variety). There shouldn't be any mystery to it at all. For someone "testing" out raw, I think these are a great solution. True, they lack the solid crunch of intact bones, but as long as they have sufficient ground bone (calcium) mixed in, and the dog is still chewing kibble and gnawing on other items in between, her teeth should be fine, in lieu of an eventual full switch to raw.

And in regards to freezing, I'm sure the freshest of the fresh has optimum nutrition, but that can be tough depending on one's meal shop/prep/and store schedule. I shop twice a month for my dog's meals, often picking up large quantities of already frozen ingredients from the butcher... I spend a few hours breaking everything down into individual meals, then it's back in the freezer until feeding. With the exception of a few chicken livers here and there between the trip to the butcher and the meal prep, Oscar doesn't get much that hasn't been frozen at least lightly. BUT, his meals are also supplemented with fresh yogurt, fresh eggs, salmon oil and ground veggies and fruit, so I think the variety makes up for nutrient losses due to freezing, at least I hope it does. That's just my very UNexpert opinion though. Anyone else have thoughts about freezing and nutrient loss?

~Natalya

Taurine is lost during freezing...how much I don't know. I don't have the website logged, but google frozen and taurine levels and see.

But, organs have taurine, so shouldn't be a problem.