Switching a Springer Spaniel to raw food

Switching from wet food to raw is one of the more involved food changes you can make — not because it's dangerous, but because a rushed transition can cause real digestive upset, and a lot of the raw feeding advice online is either overly evangelical or weirdly vague. The good news is that a 6-year-old Springer is a solid candidate for it — they're active, generally robust, and tend to do well on higher-protein diets. Before I point you anywhere specific, tell me a bit more: is your Spaniel male or female, roughly what weight, and what's prompting the switch from wet food? Any health issues, sensitivities, or things the current food isn't doing well?

That context is really useful. Loose stools on a food she's eaten happily for a while, vet has ruled out anything medical — that does sometimes point to the protein or carbohydrate content of the wet food not sitting quite right anymore, especially in an active working dog. Raw can absolutely help with stool quality; it's one of the most consistent things people notice when they switch. Your nervousness is sensible though — the mistakes people make are usually going too fast, or starting with too rich a mix. For an 18kg working Springer, what I'd suggest is starting with a complete raw food rather than DIY, so the nutritional balance is handled for you. Can I ask — are you comfortable with handling raw meat, and do you have freezer space? That shapes which format works best.

Perfect — chest freezer makes this straightforward. In that case, I'd recommend starting with Natures Menu Country Hunter 100% Raw Nuggets, specifically the chicken or turkey variety to begin with. They're complete and balanced, the nuggets format makes portion control easy (you're looking at roughly 360g a day for her at active weight, but adjust to condition), and the single-protein starting point is important — it gives you a clean baseline. If her digestion is already a bit unsettled, you don't want to introduce a complex multi-protein mix straight away. For the transition itself: don't mix raw and wet in the same meal — feed one or the other. Run the wet food down over a week, then switch fully. Some dogs do a 24-hour fast before the first raw meal, which can help the digestive shift. Expect slightly different stools for the first week or two — often firmer and smaller, sometimes a little variable. That's normal. Once she's settled on chicken or turkey after three to four weeks, you can rotate in a second protein.

With a properly formulated complete raw like Natures Menu Country Hunter, you don't need to add supplements — that's the point of buying complete rather than DIY. Where people get into trouble is supplementing on top of an already balanced food and inadvertently overdoing things like calcium. For a working Springer doing fieldwork, the one thing worth considering after she's settled is adding raw meaty bones occasionally — not as nutrition but for dental health and mental enrichment. Chicken wings or lamb ribs work well. But I'd wait until she's been on the raw for a month and you're confident with it. Keep it simple to start. The gun dog club contact who suggested raw was right — it's a good move for a dog like hers. Just give it time.

That's exactly the right approach. Give it four to six weeks before you judge it — the first two can look a bit mixed while her gut adjusts. If the stools are still loose after week three on the raw alone, that's worth noting and possibly trying the turkey variety instead, just in case chicken is a mild sensitivity. But most dogs land well on it. Good luck with the fieldwork season.