what age to start feeding raw?

Puppies can be weaned directly to the raw diet. The diet is the same as for adults. If you notice that your puppy cannot or will not crush a raw meaty bone (a chicken wing for example), you may want to either switch to the pre-made minces and patties sold at http://www.barfworld.com, or invest in a food grinder for the bones. I used the pre-made minces with my golden retriever when she got much older, and one package lasted nearly a month with her ($78.00). The pre-made minces and patties have ground bone in them, as well as all the other important ingredients of the raw diet, in a ground up form. These in addition to recreational bones, and other raw foods makes a very healthy diet. But if he will eat the raw bones, then you should have no problems at all.

Keep in mind that puppy digestive systems are far more sensitive than healthy adults, so switching may temporarily upset his stomach. Also keep in mind that puppies raised on the raw diet grow much slower. This is because the excessive protein and preservatives found in processed puppy foods are not present in the raw diet, so they grow at a more natural rate. When large breeds grow too fast, their bones become more brittle and the joints more faulty. Puppies raised on the raw diet will still reach their maximum size, and when they do, they will have stronger bones and healthier joints than those raised on processed food. Not to mention better eyesight and a far less chance of contracting debilitating ailments like cancer and hip dysplasia.

I can't stress the books enough for anyone interested in the BARF/raw diet. Dr. Ian Billinghurst has a books specifically for raising puppies, called "Grow your pups with bones". "The BARF diet" is also really good. The latter explains the health benefits of every aspect of the diet.

This is so confusing... im hearing different things from different people!
heaps of people are telling me to cook up mince and pasta and vegies... now you are telling me they're not nutritional, and you sound like you know what you are talking about.

i dont want him on raw just yet because he is doing great with kibble and i dont want to upset his tummy....

im a little scared to try new things...

i might give him a chicken wing every now and again and if he likes it, i will consider giving him 100% raw.

can i give him some raw chicken mince and vegies occasionally?? like maybe twice or 3 times a week.....??? and a few chicken wings here and there???

and re the travel sickness... i really do hope he gets over it soon.
we're taking him out this saturday too, a one hour drive.... do u think we should refrain from doing this?
or try to get him used to it?
i dont want him to get sick again!

Yeah, a lot of people say different things, I know. I feed my dogs a strict diet that does not include any filler type foods. I try to mimick the natural diet of a carnivore as much as possible. Some people are far more lenient with the raw diet than I am. Pasta and cooked chicken every now and then won't hurt him, but it won't provide all that much nutrition either. Maybe someone told you to give him that for his digestive problems? Simple foods like that are easier on the digestive system, but pasta and cooked chicken shouldn't make up his permanent diet. I don't see anything wrong with giving him that or a similar mixture on the rare occasions when his stomach is upset and you just want him to eat a little something. Or like you said, a couple of times per week probably won't hurt him. I would ommit the pasta, though. In those cases when you want to give him something simple, maybe you could try lightly browned chicken or beef cubes with diced carrots or something like that.

Lots of people are wary of the raw diet, but you should know that these are the types of foods wild dogs are physically engineered to eat. In the wild, they would eat bones, meat, organs, and all sorts of other things not found in kibble. Their jaws are strong enough to crush bones, and their digestive enzymes are much stronger than ours. That's why they can eat raw chicken and not be effected by the salmonella bacteria. Dogs are carnivores, and have biologically adapted to a diet that is nearly 100% animal products. I know dogs have lived normal lives on kibble for many years, but that doesn't mean kibble is the best diet for them. A person could live on cheerios for their entire life, but they'd be a lot healthier and fit on a balanced and biologically appropriate diet.

If you decide to go with the raw diet in the future, the best way to switch them is to just do it. They're digestive system recovers far quicker when they're switched completely, rather than weaned from kibble. Another thing that helps is to fast them for 12-20 hours first so they can fully rid themselves of any kibble still in their system.

I can't say for sure that he's getting motion sickness, but that's what it sounds like to me. They only get over motion sickness by riding in the car enough times to build a tolerance to the motion. Some dogs take longer than others, some get over it really fast. I would expect that the next time you take him will be better than the first, but again, some dogs take a long time to get used to the car. Just be sure not to feed him much (if anything) before he rides in the car, and keep him hydrated to reduce the effects of diarrhea (if he gets it again).