Feeding Recommendations
Transition
Transition is the most essential element of a healthy and safe
change from dry kibble or canned wet food to a raw diet. We recommend
making this transition slowly. Allow 1-4 weeks for your pet's
digestive system to properly adjust from a highly processed diet
to their new diet of human grade raw foods.
Begin by mixing the Canine Formula into your dog’s previous
food at a ratio that your dog will tolerate (you can start with
as little as 1/4 Canine Formula to 3/4 of your pet’s former
food). Your dog may show some adversity to the temperature of
the raw food when served directly from the refrigerator. To warm
Primal Pet Foods formulas, place the feeding portion into a zip
lock, water-tight bag and heat in a bowl of warm water.
Do not use water that is too hot, as this will potentially cook
the food and reduce the enzymatic properties, as well as deplete
the nutrient values of the raw foods.
Gradually increase the amount of Canine Formula until your dog
accepts the raw diet without the addition of any kibble or canned
food.
We recommend the addition of Total-Zymes™ digestive enzymes
for the first two to four weeks of the transition period to better
enable your dog to assimilate the proteins, essential fatty acids,
vitamins and minerals contained in our formulas.
To determine how your dog’s system is accepting the new
diet, monitor their stool. As you change over to a raw diet, your
dog’s stool size will be greatly reduced. Stools will become
small, firm and void of any offensive odor. If your dog’s
stool is soft or loose as a result of the transition, introduce
the raw food more slowly.
Haven't fed raw before? Primal suggests trying
a Primal Starter Pak. The
Starter Pak is an optimum way to begin offering your beloved companion
wholesome, human grade raw foods that will enhance their overall
health, happiness and longevity. The canine Starter Pak is a 12
oz. variety pak of 1 oz. nuggets and includes transition &
feeding instructions and a Primal brochure explaining all the
benefits of feeding raw.
Portions
As a result of the increased digestibility of a raw food diet,
you are able to feed your pet less food daily. Our suggestion
is to feed your pet based upon the 2-3% Rule. Feed your
pet 2-3% of their body weight daily. Our cups-per-pound recommendations
are based upon a ratio of 2.5%. We recommend feeding your pet
twice daily, so you should divide the total daily feeding weight
in half and feed once in the morning and once in the evening.
Factors such as level of activity, age, health, metabolism, and
breed play a part in the necessary feeding quantities of all animals.
Please be sure to monitor your pet’s dietary needs and adjust
the feeding quantities accordingly.
Use the table below to determine the appropriate feeding percentage
based on your dog's dietary needs.
| Feeding Percentages |
| 2.0 % |
Weight loss or non-active dogs |
| 2.5 % |
Maintain Weight |
| 3.0 % |
Slight Weight Gain |
| 3.5 % |
Significant Weight Gain |
| 4.0 % |
Puppies (8 wks - 1 yr) |
| 4.5 - 8.0 % |
Puppies (4 wks - 8 wks) * |
|
| Calculation Tips |
Weigh your pet on a regular basis
so the feeding calculator will generate an accurate
feeding amount.
*Puppies: We recommend starting your puppy’s
feeding percentage at 6% and adjusting up or down
as necessary. |
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Use our canine feeding calculator to find out how much food to
purchase and feed your dog. For cats and kittens, use the feline
feeding calculator.
When Serving
It is important to only serve Primal Canine Formulas when completely
thawed. Frozen foods can be difficult for dogs to digest. Also,
always serve Canine Formulas raw for optimum benefit. Never microwave
any pet food. Microwaves cause the fat molecules to radically
change, making fats less digestible, and ultimately they can become
harmful to your pet’s long term health. To learn more on
warming Primal Formulas gently, see warming instructions above
in the Transition section.
Detoxification
As you begin to introduce your dog to its new diet, you may notice
changes in physical appearance. Do not be alarmed. This is simply
the natural process by which dogs heal themselves by eliminating
toxins from the body. Discharge from the eyes, excess wax in the
ears, loss of coat, minor skin rashes and soft, loose stool are
just a few of the common signs. By gradually transitioning your
dog to Primal Canine Formulas, you will allow their body to adjust
properly. Keep a watchful eye on your dog, and take notice of
any changes. We suggest consulting your pet’s practitioner during
the transition process.
Eggs
If your dog is not allergic, we recommend incorporating one whole
organic egg yolk into your dog’s Primal Canine Formula two
days per week for added amino acids. If your dog has a very tolerant
stomach, you may include the eggshell, but be sure to crush the
shell into small pieces for easier digestion.
Puppies
In the wild, when puppies reach 4-5 weeks of age the mother dog
will naturally begin to regurgitate some of her raw foods for
her puppies to consume. Thus, when domestically reared puppies
reach approximately 4-5 weeks of age, you can begin introducing
them to Primal Canine Formulas. Puppies should be fed one to two
small (1-2 teaspoons) raw food meals daily in conjunction with
either the milk they consume from nursing and/or other foods you
may be supplementing. Puppies should always be fed from separate
bowls, as competitive feeding can promote overeating and indigestion.
Gradually increase the quantity of Primal Canine Formulas every
2-3 days until, at 8 weeks of age the puppies are consuming two
tablespoons of Primal formulas twice daily. At this point (8 weeks),
the puppies should be fully weaned and can be fed a diet solely
of Primal Canine Formulas and raw meaty bones. Puppies of 8 weeks
of age and older should be fed approximately 4-8% of their body
weight daily in Primal Canine Formulas. Factors such as breed,
overall health and level of activity play a part in the necessary
feeding quantities of all puppies. Please be sure to monitor your
puppy's dietary needs and adjust the feeding quantities accordingly.
Fasting
Another important component in feeding your dog a raw diet is
the process of fasting. This age-old practice, used to aid digestion
and cleanse toxins, is common among dogs in the wild. Although
not essential to the well-being of your dog, we suggest fasting
your adult dog one day per week, from breakfast to breakfast.
The necessary amount of fasting time will vary from dog to dog.
Be sure to provide plenty of fresh, purified water and extra love
and attention to your companion throughout the fasting day.
Thawing and Portioning
To simplify the handling and feeding of our Primal Canine Formulas,
we have included a list of hints and recommendations for thawing
and portioning our foods:
Standard Thawing:
- Primal 2 lb. chubs will thaw within 18-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Primal 5 lb. chubs will thaw within 24-36 hours in the refrigerator.
- Primal Nuggets will thaw within 6-10 hours in the refrigerator.
- Primal Patties will thaw within 6-10 hours in the refrigerator.
Quick Thaw Tips:
- To quickly thaw our 2 lb. or 5 lb. chubs, plug and fill your
kitchen sink with cold water. Place chub into the water and
let thaw. Using this method, the chub with thaw completely within
2 hours. If you prefer to portion the chub for individual feedings,
you can thaw for 10 minutes in your sink, remove and slice into
patties using a sharp serrated knife. Patties can then be refrozen
and thawed as necessary.
- To quickly thaw our Primal Nuggets or Primal Patties, place
the appropriate number of nuggets or patties per feeding into
a zip lock, water tight bag. Plug and fill your kitchen sink
with cold water. Place the bag with nuggets into the sink and
let thaw completely. Using this method, nuggets will thaw within
30 minutes.
Safe Handling Instructions
- Keep our formula frozen until ready to use.
- Defrost formula in refrigerator following our standard thawing
instructions or use our quick thaw tips until food is completely
defrosted.
- After serving food that has been completely defrosted, immediately
place into the refrigerator.
- After portioning frozen Primal Nuggets, immediately place
bag into the freezer.
- Formula will maintain optimum freshness for 3-5 days under
refrigeration.
- We recommend feeding raw foods in a stainless steel bowl.
- Wash all work surfaces, utensils, hands and food bowls with
hot, soapy water after handling raw meats and poultry.
- Keep raw meats and poultry away from children.
- Keep raw meats and poultry separate from other foods.
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