# Real Food Diet Plan for Puppy



## Mickneil (Mar 11, 2016)

Hello everyone - long time reader, first time poster.

We brought home Murphy from the breeder about 10 days ago and have enjoyed having him in our very active family. He's now a little over 9 weeks old. My original plan was to feed him a raw diet right from the beginning, based on posts and such provided here and other sites. My wife had reservations initially but allowed me to do it the first 2 days we had him. On the 3rd day we went to the vet who expressed concerns over the raw diet and, of course, my wife thought we were killing our dog and insisted that we go back to kibble. He's been on Purina Pro Plan (as used by the breeder).

I'd like to move him to grain free food (at the very least) but would rather feed him real, whole food (though maybe now raw meat). Here are a few of my questions that I would appreciate as much input as possible from all the V owners out there:

1) Can anyone provide or point me to a source that outlines a specific real food (not raw) diet plan? (i.e. specific proportions of food - protein/fat/carbs - by meal and/or by week). I know enough about food to know the appropriate sources of protein, fats, carbs, supplements, etc. I would just like to see a sample menu showing exactly what someone feeds their V's on a weekly basis.

2) Is it possible to do something like number 1 above and still throw in some raw protein components? Can I feed cooked protein, raw/roasted veggies, healthy fats for most meals but then throw in a raw chicken wing, or a big raw meaty bone for dinner on Sundays?

3) Is it possible to do a combination of a high quality, grain-free kibble, and supplement with option 1 or 2 listed above? Again, for example, can I do TOTW kibble (something I'm leaning towards at the moment) for breakfast and then a real food option for dinner? BTW - I'm fine doing real, cooked proteins for meals but I really want him to have some bones in the diet to help with his teeth and such.

I've heard so much that you shouldn't do kibble and raw diets at the same time. I'd like to know your thoughts. Do you feed your V kibble for most meals and throw in a raw steak every once in a while?

Thanks again for your input! Any and all advice is welcomed.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Welcome to the forum. 
I don't feed raw, but we do have some members do. I'm sure they will be more than happy to share some information with you. 
If your not going the raw route at the moment, I'd let the pup settled in before making changes to his food.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

You won't see the benefits of feeding a raw diet if you only throw it in occasionally and may even put Murphy at risk. Feeding raw contributes to and requires a more acidic stomach acid to quickly digest meat and bones, while also protecting against pathogens. Carbs and cooked proteins take longer to digest and create a less acidic environment, so if this is the bulk of the dog's meals his digestive system will adjust to that and will be less capable of handling raw foods. 

Certainly people do feed both, sometimes having a kibble meal in the am and a raw in the pm, but I personally wouldn't recommend it. It complicates balancing nutrition as well. 

Now the second option of feeding home cooked whole foods plus the occasional RMB is more appealing to me because the raw component is purely supplemental at that point, so nutritional balance could be completely worked out and you're able to source the items to your standard. You're still mixing cooked and raw and still at greater risk of pathogens (but the risk can be minimized through proper sourcing and handling). You won't be able to feed cooked bones, as I'm sure you're aware, so you would absolutely need a calcium/bone supplement. 

My dog's former vet (former because we live too far away now) developed a balanced diet cooked in a crockpot, so you can prep a lot of meals at the beginning of the week. She claims that slow cooking preserves a lot of the nutrients (though not cooking would preserve more  ) and many pets in the practice did very well on it. Google the crockpet diet, Dr. Ruth Roberts. Might be a good starting point for how to balance, even if you don't like the method. 

Most of all, research research research. If you value your vet's opinion, bring him/her on board and ask what their biggest concerns are and run your plans by them or get a recommendation for a nutritionist. 

FWIW, I tried TOTW and another grain-free kibble the first 3 months and made sure to slowly transition, but my girl frequently had runny stools. Our vet at the time said this was normal for puppies. She ended up having bloody diarrhea one weekend and I took her to the emergency vet where they ran tests for parasites. They didn't find anything but prescribed antibiotics anyway. I naively went along with this. We switched to raw shortly after and finally everything was as it should be. 3 years later and my only regret is that I didn't switch sooner.


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

I feed my girl exclusively raw (well, to be fair, she gets fruits and veggies as treats), and have since I brought her home at 7 weeks. She eats twice a day and gets bone meals, like a chicken thigh, or a meal that includes muscle meat like pork or beef heart, kidney, and liver. I stick with the 80/10/10 rule; 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 10% organs (5% liver, 5% other organs). 

I understand where your wife is coming from, as I thought this idea was crazy when I first heard it. But the more research I did, the better it sounded. And now I see benefits already - her coat is absolutely gorgeous, her poops are small and not smelly, her teeth are sparkling, her breath is fresh, and the muscle development in her shoulders and neck is awesome. Vets generally don't like the idea, so I'm not surprised at the reaction of your vet, but it's been my experience that the vets aren't always up-to-date on the most recent research. For example, my vet wasn't aware of the recent studies on the effects of spaying and neutering, which hurt her credibility with me when trying to convince me to spay earlier than I'd intended. 

Perhaps picking up a book or two on the science and benefits of raw would help your wife to come around? I only say that because I think it would be much more convenient to feed raw than home-cooked, whole foods. There may also be some nutritional losses due to cooking? I didn't focus much on raw vs cooked diets because I never intended to cook meals for Mia, so I can't remember what the research says on that topic. But the book that introduced me to raw had a section on home-cooked meals - can't remember the title but I'll update when I get home.

It took me a little while to get used to feeding my pup this way, but now it's second nature and I don't even think about it unless someone is over when she eats. Most people are surprised dogs can eat raw meat!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

You'll get a lot of opinions here, some of them even stated very self righteously as proven fact. That there are so many opinions and a lot of very good research to support all of them indicates that it's really all just opinion. So, your choice is best made on what works for you. As long as you use a high quality food source your Vizsla will be fine, mostly the choices are for the humans, not them, anyways.

Do the research and decide what will work for you long term. I have always used a high quality, meat based kibble (dogfoodadvisor.com) and been more than pleased with the result, and so have my V's. You can always add cooked meat or raw veggies, coconut oil and wild salmon oil...which will moisturize the skin internally and give that glossy coat (it's the high fat content). I use Annamaet, which adds these Omegas (2 & 3), as well as the science behind a properly proportioned diet. Convenient too. As Dogfoodadvisor will confirm, Pro Plan is not the best choice, however.

I wouldn't be so quick to discard the advice of your vet on this..it's not the same as their pushing spay or neuter....dogs have been domesticated for literally 10,000 years, and the Vizsla breed has been around as well as we know it for at least a thousand and their dietary needs have changed. Likewise, science has advanced to the point that the highest quality kibble, in my opinion, offers a balance that you cannot possibly duplicate yourself. But that's just me, others please keep your comments and thoughts about that to yourselves.

You have a wonderful companion with your new V, if it's your first, you cannot possibly imagine the joy you will experience. If you'd like any help from me, feel free to PM me.


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

The Vizsla, as we know it, has been around about 100 years (or so).

I've been raw-feeding my Vizsla Chester with a PMR (prey model raw) style diet snce the day we picked him up at 8 weeks. I think it rates as one of the best decisions I've every made.

The difference in vitality, coat-condition, gleaming teeth, fresh breath, hard lean musculature, and general state of vibrant health gives me no doubts about feeding a PMR diet.

Bill


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Spy said:


> The Vizsla, as we know it, has been around about 100 years (or so).
> Bill


According to both Boggs and Coffman, as quoted in Wiki "The Vizsla was already known in early Hungarian history. The ancestors of the present Vizsla were the trusted and favorite hunting dogs of the Magyar tribes who lived in the Carpathian Basin in the 10th century. Primitive stone etchings over a thousand years old show the Magyar hunter with his falcon and his Vizsla."

10th century=year ca. 900. 2016-900=1116..I apologize, I was incorrect, it's not a thousand years!


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

There is another thread out there for those wishing to discuss the origins of the vizsla. The OP of this thread is looking for information on food, particularly that of home prepped diets, raw diets, or grain free kibble. Please stay on topic. Thanks!


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