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 products will help your dog make a comfortable transition to a raw diet. These supplements are available from most Bravo! retailers.

For cats — Don’t be surprised if your cat rejects raw food initially. Raw foods are not enhanced with added flavorings to addict your cat, as are the canned or dry foods. It’s also important to understand that cats imprint on food texture, flavor, and smell at an early age—a good reason to introduce your kitten as soon as possible to a wide variety of foods and especially raw foods. Still, many a senior cat has taken to raw appreciatively. Patience, a few tricks and the opportunity to make hunger work for you, and your cat will be on its way to a carnivorous lifestyle.

Begin with choosing your cat’s favorite meat protein. Meaning, if your cat prefers chicken, then start with a chicken raw diet. Next try one of the following introductions to meet your cat’s interest. As transition occurs, try different meat proteins to vary the diet and keep them interested. Care must be taken to not let your cat go without food for more than 24 hrs without consulting your veterinarian. Use special caution with overweight cats that might refuse to eat: hepatic lipidosis (a condition in which fat accumulates in liver cells) can emerge in an overweight cat who has gone without food for as little as 24-48 hours.

Mimic fresh kill: As a predator, your cat’s wired to appreciate foods at body temperature. So, make sure the food is warmed, not cooked. Warming also enhances the flavors, making it more palatable. To warm, place in a waterproof bath of warm water for a few minutes, then serve. Individually sealed Bravo! Balance Raw Diet Burgers and Bravo! Original Blends Burgers can be thawed in minutes to the temperature your cat prefers.

Bait and Switch: Use your cat’s favorite canned food to disguise the raw initially. Start by mixing a small amount, maybe a teaspoon, and mix in. Over time increase by small amounts. This changeover can take months, so don’t despair. Other cats prefer the raw as an appetizer. Try a small amount next to the canned food. If your cat goes for the raw first, don’t be surprised if you get the “where has this been all my life” look.

Enticement: Because fresh raw foods do not have the addictive added flavorings . . . add some! Bravo! Bonus Bites® freeze-dried treats, can be used as enticing condiments. Just crush and sprinkle liberally. Reduce slowly as your cat takes to the new food. Don’t forget these great enticements when introducing a new protein source, or if your cat is ill and in need of appetite encouragement.

Heat and serve: While not recommended with many commercial raw foods, Bravo! Balance Raw Diet Burgers can be lightly cooked because of the fine grinding of the ingredients—almost mimicking pre-digestion. To lightly cook, place a Balance Burger in a pan with a small amount of no-salt butter or water. Heat only to discolor either side, leaving the center pink. This brings out the flavors and warms to an enticing temperature. Do Not Microwave. Gradually reduce the “cooking” process over time until you are serving fresh, raw foods.

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
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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 and cats 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). The list is slightly different for a cat. The following are Bravo!s top five recommended feeding choices for your cat:

1. Bravo BalanceTM Raw Diet – Chicken, Turkey and Beef formulas
2. Bravo®! Boneless – Venison and Salmon
3. Bravo®! Basics – Finely Ground Chicken Necks and Organ Meat
4. Bravo!® Basics – Rabbit and Duck

Remember! When feeding any of the Bravo! Basics, please add supplements to your cat’s diet.

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 or Bravo Balance Raw Diet 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.

Do Recreational Bones Provide Any Health Benefits?
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.

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