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Hi friends! Humphrey here. Today I want to talk about my favorite thing in the world: food. They say you are what you eat, and if that is the case, I imagine you guys are kibbles, raw meat, vegetables (more on that next week – stay tuned!), and human food scraps. As for me, I used to be kibbles, and now I am raw meat formulas.
Anyways, I just wanted to share my experience on my transition from kibbles to a raw meat diet. I am by no means an advocate or expert, but just one pup trying to live their best life, like all of us here.
Kibbles: the tiny brown triangles
When my humans first adopted me, our breeder had started me on kibbles. This particular brand I was on, is grain-free and features beef as its first ingredient. Kibbles expand in our stomachs as we drink water (and boy, did I drink a lot of water!) so I could easily feel full and satiated. While I did well on this diet, my humans knew from day one that they would eventually transition me into a raw diet, based on their research and suggestions from their friends.
Here are the upsides to a kibble diet in my humble opinion:
-Cheap: Kibbles are much cheaper and have longer shelf lives (why they’re much cheaper to begin with), as compared to a raw diet
-Easy: They don’t require much special instructions – you just scoop and serve. You can easily travel with kibbles.
Going Raw: making the switch
Right around the time I was 8 months old, My humans turned to our favorite pet food boutique in San Francisco, Pawtrero, whose staff are not only my besties (if you watch my IG stories, you know what I’m talking about), they have extensive knowledge when it comes to pet food. Here they chose Small Batch raw food among their recommendations. Here are the wonderful things about this brand:
-Locally procured: there are a lot of horror stories out there about dog food recalls. Companies can and should lessen this risk by having tighter control over their ingredients.
-Certified organic and pure: non-GMO, free of pesticides, sustainably harvested…you know, the good stuff
-100% raw: the formulas are not sterilized, pasteurized or irradiated in any way
-humane: all natural certified humanely raised and harvested meats. Also hormone and antibiotic-free from start to finish. Although my humans are not vegan, they are mindful of their meat consumption and more importantly, the quality and source of the meat. This standard is also passed down to me. 😊
As advised by the staff, my transition into a raw diet took place over 9 days. This chart can be used by anyone who is looking to switch up their diet:
The goal is to introduce the new (i.e. raw diet in my case) in increments over time while monitoring for any digestive issues, allergic reactions, etc. So for the first three days, my meal consisted of 75% of kibbles I usually get, plus 25% of raw food I was transitioning to, and so forth.
Day 1, I didn’t really like the raw food too much. Maybe it tasted too healthy, haha! But by day 2 and 3 I was enjoying the raw food just as much and cleaning my plate as usual. Day 4-6 went just as well. Day 7-9, I was so hungry! As raw food is much more nutrient dense, you don’t need to consume as much food to get the nutrients you need. As such, the overall amount of food I was getting on a daily basis had shrunk (while the level of nutrition had improved). It took a couple weeks of getting used to. My humans took pity on me (as they themselves love eating for the sake of eating, too!) and gave me some extra of my favorite treats while I adjusted to this new diet.
Here are some things we noticed:
-No more farts! Sorry if this is TMI (probably not to my fellow Frenchie friends reading this). And my farting was not even at a notably frequent level to begin with. But now I very rarely fart. My humans are very happy about this. (I’m indifferent. Less farting means I feel better, but also I have one less self-defense mechanism).
-Solid poops! (hey, true friends can talk about poops and farts!) – when I was a puppy my poops have been on the runnier side. My humans never enjoyed picking up my runny poops (who could blame them) and they tried everything: sweet potatoes, probiotics, raw goat milk (this did help and is actually still a part of my morning routine – l’apéritif prior to le breakfast). But when I switched to a raw diet my poops became super solid (sidebar: do any of your humans grade your poop? Like 100% being rock solid it rolls down the hills of San Francisco and they have to run after it, 90% being great with minimal smidge left on the ground, etc. No? Okay)
-No more dying of thirst: I would drink so much water my humans called me a water tank. I think it has to do with kibbles being so dry. Now I slurp up my water at a cool, leisurely pace
-Leaner body: don’t laugh – I know it’s funny to see a Frenchie call himself lean. I’ve never been under or overweight, but I did lose my puppy potato belly (I know what you’re thinking, you chihuahuas and whippets. I still have my puppy potato belly). My weight hasn’t changed much (still 18lbs) but I look a little leaner. Perhaps I’m now more muscle, less fat, you know.
-Still hungry: apparently I am never satiated. My humans are not sure if it is because of the transition or if it is because I just have a very high food-drive (yup, probably the latter)
-Some things that didn’t change: still the same stinky breath, same energy level, same temperament, same beautiful, shiny coat (hehe), same ol’ me!
*This is me at 10 months, now on a raw diet. I'm all muscle under that polo, you guys.
All in all, I’m very happy with the transition to a raw diet. I’ve been on this new diet for about 3 months now, and so far, so good! I’d also like to add that I’m not affiliated with any food companies or brands, so everything I’ve mentioned in this post is purely my own opinions! As an honest friend and puppy I would also like to reserve the right to change my mind about anything I’ve said here. Who knows, a year from now, I could be eating something completely different, and be a completely different pup. I just hope it’s not human food scraps!
I hope this was helpful. If you have any suggestions, comments, questions, or if you want to share your own experiences, I would love to hear it!
