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  Bravo Feeding Calculator

The Transition to a Raw Diet

Preparation:

For dogs — The day before you begin feeding a raw diet add some probiotics (acidophilus) and digestive enzymes to the dog’s normal food. These supplements are available from most Bravo! retailers.

The Transition:

While Bravo! is an ideal feeding program, any sudden change in food can disrupt your pet’s digestive system. It is best to make a gradual change in foods over 10 days to allow your animal’s system time to adjust comfortably without upset.

Follow the plan below and your pet should have an easy transition to Bravo! raw diet.

Transition Feeding Plan

25%
Bravo! Raw Diet
75%
Current Food
For days 1-3
50%
Bravo! Raw Diet
50%
Current Food
For days 4-6
75%
Bravo! Raw Diet
  25%
Current Food
For days 7-9
100%
Bravo! Raw Diet
Day 10 and after
While variety is the key to outstanding health when feeding a raw diet, during the first 10 days of transition, it is best to stick with just one type of meat/bone. Most dogs do well with either chicken or turkey. Lamb is naturally fatty meat and may cause loose stools during the initial transition, so we recommend that you wait until after the transition period to introduce lamb into the diet.

Click to try our Bravo! Feeding Calculator to see how much you pet should eat on a daily basis.

After the Transition

After the transition is complete, gradually begin to introduce other meats, vegetables and extras. Most dogs will do well with chicken and turkey as the foundation of the diet for 3 or 4 days a week. On the other days, feed some beef, lamb, and fish (canned mackerel, or fresh fish if your dogs like it).

About once every 10 days, feed one meal of an “exotic” meat such as rabbit, ostrich, buffalo or elk. Small amounts of cottage cheese and raw eggs can also be fed once or twice a week if your animals like them. Ultimately it is a wide variety of meats, bones and vegetables that will provide your dog with robust health and youthful vitality.

If you want to feed your own vegetables, be sure they are MUSHED in a food processor or juicer. Dogs and cats do not produce the enzyme (cellulase) needed to digest the cell walls (cellulose) that make up fruits and vegetables. By “mushing” the vegetables, you are breaking down the cell walls so that your animals have access to the nutrients they contain.

If you are not feeding the Bravo! Original Blends (ground meat, ground bone, ground organ meats, ground vegetables), then be sure to feed small amounts of organ meats (heart, liver, kidney) two or three times a week.

From day 5 onward, every 3 to 5 days, provide your dog with a recreational bone such as a raw neck bone, knuckle bone or a raw marrow bone (the long leg shank bone filled with pasty marrow). If feeding marrow bones, scoop the majority of the marrow out of the bone for the first few times. The marrow is rich and fatty and can cause stomach upset for some dogs. If your dog has a weight problem, continue to scoop the marrow out before giving him the bone.

These recreational bones provide physical and mental stimulation, and also provide significant dental benefits. Dogs with even severe tartar often have nearly white teeth after just a few weeks of bone-chewing. Dental cleanings (and the risks of the associated anesthesia) are often eliminated for bone-chewing dogs.

Caution: If your dog is an aggressive chewer, do not feed marrow bones. Because marrow bones do not "give", it is possible for very aggressive chewers to fracture a tooth. These dogs will do better with neck or knuckle bones. Normal chewers do fine with marrow bones if you don’t have knuckle bones available.

Your animal is an individual. Respect what his body tells you -- just like us, there will be some foods that he loves, and some foods that will upset his system. Eliminate, especially in the beginning, any foods that seem to trouble him. They can be added back, experimentally, as his system regains overall health.

The transition plan we’ve outlined works well with most animals, but if your dog or cat seems upset by the change in diet, go a little slower. There is the rare animal that is unable to tolerate a transition diet that contains both kibble and raw foods. This may be due to a difference in digestive processes for carbohydrate-laden kibbles vs. quick-digesting meats. These animals may do better with a “cold turkey” switch, that is, a complete change from the existing diet to the raw diet.