As the pups are fast approaching their 3 week birthday, it's time to start thinking about solid foods and weaning.
This means it's also a perfect time to tell you about the changes we've made to how and what we feed our whippets here at Horsetooth in the last 6 years....and hoping you'll consider keeping your pups on the diet that's likely to increase their health and life span - by a lot!
As some of you may already know, we switched our entire pack (and our cats & turtles!) to a raw, natural diet in 2016 - and they are thriving on it.
Our decision was based on lots of research, and also the knowledge that many of our pack were aging and we wanted to extend their lives as long as we can. After all, who wouldn't want their whippet to be as healthy and long-lived as possible?
This litter is the 4th litter we'll have fed 100% raw (both parents eat an all raw, biologically appropriate diet, and the pups will be weaning directly to raw).
This means we've got some more reading/homework for our potential puppy homes. This updated page on the website is just the tip of the iceberg, but it gives some of the reasons we switched to raw, and hopefully encourages you to investigate this option: https://horsetoothwhippets.com/raw-diet-info.html
Jen currently does all of our pack's meal prep and raw diet on a 'do-it-yourself' plan - but this admittedly can be a lot of work (much harder than pouring some dry kibble into a bowl), and it takes a lot of understanding of canine nutrition - not something we expect our puppy owners to have to work so hard at!
Because of this, we've helped lots of our puppy owners make the switch to raw with premade diets (some of these are ridiculously expensive...so we've done a lot of homework and found quality companies that supply great raw food affordably) - already balanced, and premade, so you don't have to work at it at all.
The most important thing to know right now about raw feeding is that a dog's natural ph balance in their gut is perfect for raw foods - but kibble takes a different ph level to digest, making your dogs work harder to get nutrition and taxing them over the years they eat it.
The Krinkle Kids pups will be eating a biologically appropriate, raw diet when they go to their new homes - so if you do choose to change them to kibble (Jen now calls these 'death nuggets' after all her scary research into the dog food industry), just know that you will need to go very slowly and results might not be optimal - in both the short, and long term.
Those of you who know us well know we're utterly passionate about our whippets, and we've become passionate about feeding them right, too!
The info. on this post and on the website is really just the tip of the iceberg - so don't be afraid to ask questions about feeding raw; it really is Jen's passion - even after 6 years!
We've worked to put together some various links and more information on feeding raw below. We'll break these down into 2 categories - where to buy raw foods; and general information on raw feeding.
Where to Buy Raw Food:
There are several different options for buying directly raw in Colorado - including co-ops, pick-ups, and deliveries.
1. Raw Dog Food & Co (RDFC): https://rawdogfoodandco.com/ Almost everyone I know who feeds raw in CO uses Raw Dog Food & Company (this is the company I buy from to feed our puppies).
You can pick up at their warehouse, have delivery to your house (for a fee), or use their drop-off locations and schedule to pick up on their refrigerated truck.
They have a really convenient 'Puppy Power Box' that has a variety of protein blends - balanced especially for growing pups. I recommend this for all first-time raw feeders, as I know that anything else can get overwhelming, trying to figure out how and what to feed. RDFC makes it easy! Cost is around $4/lb for the puppy box. The foods are preground, and come in rolls or 'chubs' - just like how you buy ground beef at the grocery store, but with bone included along with organs, etc.
2. Raw Four Paws: http://rawfourpaws.com/index.html This one is new to me, but they're local to Denver, and they deliver, and they carry well-known, reputable premade raw foods! Looks like they run around $3 to $6/lb
3. My Pet Carnivore: https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/ While not a Colorado company, this company does ship nationwide. I've purchased from them several times and have been really happy with them. They do have grinds and blends, but nothing specific to puppies...so would be a resource for older dogs, or you'd need to supplement a bit of extra bone (chicken wings, necks, or feet) with their grinds. They DO have some really wild things (beaver tails, muskrat, other weird proteins) that would be helpful for dogs with allergies/special needs, etc.
3. Simply Rawsome: https://simplyrawsomeus.com/ Another non-local company, but they DO ship nationwide and run about $3.50 to $5.50/lb. They have some good discounts, and have premade, balanced grinds - again, they'd need extra bone for pups, but the price is nice!
4. Darwin's: https://www.darwinspet.com/dog-food/ Darwin's is a larger company than those listed above. They have several different formulas, and I do know of quite a few people who feed Darwin's - cost is a little higher on their recipes than RDFC listed above - closer to $6 to $7/lb.
5. Air Dried Raw: Real Meat Air Dried Dog Food Cat Food Treats (realmeatpet.com) For those who want the health benefits of raw, but the convenience of kibble - there are several complete, balanced diets that are air dried and can be fed like kibble. The link I've included is a company that has diets that can be fed exclusively, or with other foods as a 'topper'. (After all...even SOME raw food is better than none.)
6. Facebook has a Denver Raw Feeding Co-op: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1938235239603676
7. DIY (Do It Yourself): For those who interested in a DIY raw diet (again, while I wouldn't necessarily recommend trying to balance a raw diet for puppies, once they are adults, I can help guide those interested in DIY)...this is the most economical method of feeding raw, especially if you have freezer space and can buy in bulk. By example, when we were feeding kibble to our pack, I was spending around $600/month in dog food. Now that I do it all myself on raw, and buy in bulk, I spend around $300 to $400/month. That's a big difference!!!
Raw Feeding Information & Resources:
My all-time go-to resource for Raw Feeding is the book, Give Your Dog a Bone, by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, an Australian veterinarian who pioneered raw feeding when he saw the damage that feeding kibble was doing to his patients. This book explains why raw food is so much healthier than kibble and just how easy it can be to feed it!
Another great book (and in print, and a quick, easy read) from yet another vet from down under is Dr. Clare Middle's book, Real Food for Dogs and Cats.
And, last but not least, 2 of my all time favorite sites with great FAQ's and articles on feeding raw:
There you have it! This is a lot of info. to consume (no pun intended), so take your time, and as always - don't be afraid to ask questions!
I'm game! Wished I knew about this. Our previous iggy, had a lot of stomach issues. Wonder if it was the kibble. Sorry, Atari.
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