Trapper’s Way

 

 

How to transition over to a Natural Raw Food Diet, Trapper’s Way

 

First, let me congratulate you on taking the first step towards “retrieving your pet’s health…. by bringing back nature’s recipe”.    What follows is meant to be a guide for you, and help answer some possible questions you may have as you transition your pet from a commercial diet to a raw food diet, Trapper’s Way.

 

 

Benefits of a Raw Diet

Some of the benefits you will begin to see:

 

1. Silkier and shinier coat.
2. Bad breathe will diminish.
3. Less flatulence.
4. Smaller stools.
5. Anal gland problems should be eliminated [with the ground bones and natural fiber in a raw diet causing a firmer stool, the anal glands should be able to be naturally expressed]
6. Itchy skin should subside.
7. Your pet’s energy level should improve.
8. Some pet’s anxiousness diminishes, especially if your pet was on canned food, some of which contain A LOT of sugar.
9. A healthy body has a healthy immune system.  Your pet may still have seasonal allergies, or be exposed to environmental elements that get airborne [fertilizers, pesticides – even if you don’t use them, your neighbors may].  But, with a healthy body and immune system, they should be better able to handle it, and their symptoms should not be nearly as severe.

 

 

Most pets can transition “cold turkey”, without any bother.   However, because of some factors, such as your pet’s age, how long they have been on a commercial diet, are they eating canned or dry food, is their immune system compromised, has your pet ever been on antibiotics -- we prefer to do it gradually.  Your aim should not be how quickly they transition over to this new diet, but to allow for a smooth transition.

 

There are also two schools of thought about mixing commercial dry or canned foods with raw foods.  Some dogs do very well with it mixed.  I, on the other hand, follow the other school of thought, whereas you keep raw separate.  The reason for this is that the foods digest differently.  Most kibble is made up of up to 60% grain, and dogs cannot digest grains well, and it remains in the digestive tract for a longer period of time -- about 12 hours (plenty of time to start developing irritations in the form of allergy symptoms).  [Allergies -- are an over reaction of the immune system usually brought on by a weakness or imbalance in the body (such as vaccinations, virus, food, chronic illness, environmental or things your dog may come in contact with)].  A raw food diet moves through and digests much quicker, which is why there is little chance that bad bacteria [such as salmonella] can get caught or hung up and cause issues.

 
We highly recommend adding probiotics to your pet’s diet – immediately -- even while you are preparing for the transition.  Probiotics aid in the digestion (breakdown of food into components that can be utilized by the body) and adds “good bacteria” back into the gut.  Beneficial bacteria are normally present in a healthy body and keep the bad bacteria in check.  Antibiotics kill all bacteria – good and bad – so if your pet has ever been on antibiotics, chances are their “good” bacteria is lacking.  [If unsure what to purchase, Trapper uses Animal Essentials^TM Plant Enzymes + Probiotics]

 

Don’t be surprised if your pet does not immediately take to the raw diet.  It smells different, and the texture and temperature are different from what they are used to.  Trapper, who has been known to be a “vacuum” when it came to food, and always ate ANYTHING, wanted nothing to do with the raw food at first.  Trapper was used to “home cooking” and this new food didn’t smell or taste like what he was used to.  A little convincing however, changed EVERYTHING.  And, true story, twice he was offered kibble as a treat by friends, and Trapper literally walked away from it.  I guess he learned what was good for him (and what was not)!

 

What worked for Trapper is I gave him a small portion in his bowl – separate from meal time, so that he would think this was a treat.  He was intrigued by it and smelled it, but didn’t eat it right away.  I picked it up after about 5 minutes and put it in the fridge.  About an hour later, I tried again, this time adding some “flavor enhancers” to it.  “Flavor enhancers” consisted of some very finely chopped treats** (please see below about **TREATS).  He then reluctantly did eat it.   The next day I tried a small portion again with flavor enhancers – again, not during meal time.  He tried to lick the flavor enhancers off first, but within 5 minutes ate everything.

 

Once I established Trapper would eat this “new treat” (the raw food), the next meal I introduced a portion with his meal.  Please see Feeding Recommendations below.

Feeding Recommendations:

 

1. Start probiotics immediately.

 

2. If you are currently feeding “home cooking”, once you have established that your pet will eat the raw [as discussed above], start to substitute part of the home cooking with raw.  Over a period of 1 - 2 weeks [and this will all depend on your pet – please see below for additional guidelines], gradually decrease the home cooking portion of the meal and gradually increase the raw portion, until completely on raw.  We recommend staying with one recipe until your pet is fully transitioned and balanced; then slowly introduce other varieties.  Variety is good and helps ensure a balanced diet, as each recipe of Trapper’s Way has a different mix of ingredients.

 

3. If you are currently feeding kibble and/or canned food, my suggestion is to transition your pet over to home cooking* first before moving on to raw.  Don’t let this scare you!  We are only talking about a 5 – 7 day period, gradually reducing the dry and increasing the home cooking*.  Once completely on home cooking*, you can gradually transition over to raw [see #2 above].

 

*Home cooking for our purposes, is a very simple version and means some boiled or baked BONELESS chicken breasts and some boiled or steamed vegetables (choose something like carrots, broccoli, or squash) cut up in pieces [you can even throw the mix in your food processor] and cooled of course, before feeding.  Use a ratio of approximately 75% chicken and 25% veggie. 

 

Guidelines:

 

1. First and foremost, you must read your pet and let them be the guide.   Also, please remember that a pet’s movement [stool] is a very good story teller.    If the stool is too hard or they are constipated, you can add a little pure pumpkin {depending on their size/weight:  either ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon}.  NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING, pure canned pumpkin with no added spices or sugar.  You can find this in a supermarket or natural food store.   If their stool is too loose, slow down the transition and you can also add a little PURE pumpkin.  Pure Pumpkin is good for either loose stool or constipation.

 

Should your pet get diarrhea, monitor closely.  You do not want your pet to get dehydrated.  If you cannot determine the source:  i.e., a particular food ingredient, too fast transitioning, then definitely consult with your Veterinarian.  Diarrhea could be caused by something more serious and should not be taken lightly.

 

You should always monitor your pet’s stool movements to ensure your pet’s health. 

 

2. Detox.  When switching from a commercial dog food, some pets may begin to rid their body of the toxins and impurities that have built up over the years.  This process is called detox.  Depending on the health of your pet, some symptoms they may already be experiencing may actually get worse.  Toxins leave the pet’s body mainly through the ears [ear infections may get worse] and skin.  Vomiting and diarrhea may also be signs of detox.  Depending on the overall health of your pet, the detox period may last as little as one week, or up to several weeks. Some dogs may not exhibit any signs at all.  Again, let your pet be your guide.  Keep your dog comfortable, but also monitor your pet to ensure nothing else is going on.  

 

3. You may notice that your pet is drinking less water.  This is normal.  Not only is there less sodium in their new raw diet [kibble contains a lot of salt], raw food has the natural moisture already in it, for it to digest.

 

4. On a raw diet, you will also notice that your pet’s stool may be smaller.  This is normal.  The raw diet your dog is now eating is being digested appropriately and the nutrients are being absorbed and utilized, so there will be less waste.

 

5. If you notice your pet’s stool is powdery and crumbles to the ground upon elimination, this is possibly a sign that your pet is getting too much bone in their diet.  It may be time to alternate recipes and switch to Trapper’s Way Beef Recipe, which does not contain ground bone.  This is just one example why variety is good and recommended, and why some recipes naturally do not contain bone.

 

Treats

Trapper’s Way also strongly recommends ceasing ALL treats that contain grain.  And, remember, grain is not just corn.  Grain is the seed of a food plant [including cereal grasses] and include wheat, corn, rye, oats, rice, barley, flour, buckwheat, millet.  Trapper’s Way recommends treats that are only one or two ingredients, and which you know what the ingredients are.  Treats withOUT preservatives, synthetic vitamins, by-products, chemicals, steroids, grains. 

 

There are plenty of treats out there  -- such as freeze-dried, dry-roasted or dehydrated meats (i.e., beef, chicken, buffalo), dehydrated vegetables, such as sweet potatoes -- that will provide the crunchy sensation you may feel guilty that you are removing from your pet’s diet by not giving kibble, dog biscuits or “cookies”.  Believe me, I was one of those people!   You can also check with your local pet products retailer about these types of natural treats.

 

Teeth and Gums

 

It is rumored that eating dry kibble is good for a pet’s teeth, which is one of the reasons pet owners are reluctant to stop feeding kibble and/or dog biscuits.  Grains, which are in most kibble and biscuits actually turn into sugar inside the mouth which only promotes tooth decay.  Don’t trust the advertisements that claim grain-based products can clean your pets’ teeth.  They only cause tooth decay.  In terms of cleaning and strengthening teeth and gums, nothing is like a raw, meaty bone. 

 

Bones contribute calcium that is necessary for building strong teeth and bone tissue.  They also provide the perfect chewing mechanism for keeping your dog’s teeth and gums clean and healthy.  So, providing “recreational bones” [and I don’t mean Rawhides, Nylabones, Booda bones or the like] on a routine basis will not only provide chewing pleasure for your pet and mental stimulation, it will exercise the jaw and promote clean teeth and healthy gums. 

 

“Recreational bones”, like raw beef/buffalo marrow bones or raw beef/buffalo knuckle bones are not meant to be consumed; so take them away once all the meat has been removed, and always monitor your pet when chewing on bones -- larger breeds or more aggressive chewers may try to consume them.  Marrow bones can be a problem if the dog can get them between their molars and crunch down, as they are very hard and can cause broken teeth. The marrow is also very rich and may cause diarrhea (you can scoop some of it out with a spoon before feeding to help).  Bones get harder as they dry out, so to avoid problems with broken teeth, it's better to take the bones away after a reasonable amount of time (anything from a few hours to a day or two).  Bones should always be fed raw (cooked bones become hard and brittle and splinter and can be dangerous if consumed).

 

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It was recommended to me by a Holistic Veterinarian that I had a consultation with a couple of years back, that I start a “log” on Trapper;  to note not only what I was feeding Trapper and when, but also Trapper’s condition or status – both positive and negative reactions.  This way I can adjust his diet accordingly.  I found this advice priceless.  To rely solely on one’s memory can be an eye-opening experience…..you would be surprised how much you really don’t remember – something as simple as -- how many days was Trapper eating Chicken; when did I switch over to Beef?   To this day, I still go back to “Trapper’s Log”. 

 

 

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The above recommendations serve only as guidelines.  They are not intended to diagnose, treat, prescribe or cure your pet.  I cannot stress enough that each pet is unique and has their individual special needs.  YOU need to monitor and make the ultimate decision what is best for your pet.  There is no substitute for a Veterinarian when your pet is sick. 

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Approximate Daily Serving
% of Body Weight
2.0%		For weight loss or inactive pet
2.5%		To maintain current weight
3.0%		For slight weight gain
3.5%		For significant weight gain
4.0%		Growing Puppies 8 weeks - 1 year
4.5-10%		For very young Puppies 4 weeks -     8 weeks
		EXAMPLES
		Following example is to maintain current weight
Current Weight		Daily serving in pounds	in ounces
10		0.25	4.0
15		0.38	6.0
25		0.63	10.0
30		0.75	12.0
45		1.13	18.0
60		1.50	24.0
70		1.75	28.0
80		2.00	32.0
85		2.13	34.0
		Please note:  1 tablespoon  = 1/2 ounce                     2 tablespoons = 1 ounce
		Following example reflects slight weight loss
Current Weight		Daily serving in pounds	in ounces
10		0.20	3.2
15		0.30	4.8
25		0.50	8.0
35		0.70	11.2
45		0.90	14.4
55		1.10	17.6
65		1.30	20.8
75		1.50	24.0
85		1.70	27.2