This is a specific conversation about New puppy essentials — what you actually need — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Switching a three-year-old from kibble to raw is one of the most common things people ask me about — and the good news is it's very doable at this age. Adult dogs are actually easier to transition than puppies in many ways. Before I point you toward anything specific, a couple of quick questions: is your Border Collie working or competing, or more of an active pet? And are there any known sensitivities or digestive issues I should know about?
She's a pet, pretty active — we do agility training once a week but nothing serious. No known allergies, she's always been fine on kibble, I just want something better for her long term.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — that's a really clean starting point. No sensitivities means you have flexibility. For an active adult Border Collie transitioning from kibble, the thing I'd warn against is going straight to a complex DIY raw diet. A lot of people start there, get the ratios wrong, and either underfeed bone or overdo offal, which causes loose stools and puts them off raw altogether. What I'd recommend instead is starting with a complete ready-made raw — it takes the guesswork out entirely. How does she do with poultry generally, or do you want to start with something like beef or lamb?
She's always eaten chicken-based kibble so poultry should be fine.
inparticular.ai
Good — then I'd start her on Natures Menu Country Hunter Raw Nuggets in chicken. They come in frozen 1kg bags of small nuggets, they're 80/10/10 compliant (that's 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal), and they're genuinely complete — no supplements needed at this stage. For a Border Collie her size, typically around 18–22kg, you're looking at roughly 350–450g per day split across two meals. The transition I'd suggest: days one to three, replace just one meal with raw while keeping the other as kibble. Days four to seven, go fully raw. Border Collies tend to be sensitive to abrupt changes, so the slower the switch the better her digestive response will be. Natures Menu is widely available on Amazon UK and most pet retailers, so it's easy to keep stocked.
That sounds manageable. Do I need to add anything to it, like supplements or vegetables?
inparticular.ai
Not immediately, no. The Country Hunter nuggets are formulated as a complete feed, so for the first month or two just run with them as-is and see how she responds — coat condition, energy, stool quality. Those three things will tell you more than any supplement could at this stage. Once she's settled, some owners add omega-3 oil like salmon oil for coat shine, or a small amount of lightly steamed veg for fibre, but neither is essential. The mistake people make is adding lots of things at once — if something disagrees with her you won't know what caused it. Keep it simple first.
That makes sense. What should I expect in the first couple of weeks — any changes I should be worried about?
inparticular.ai
A few things are normal and not cause for concern: stools will become smaller, firmer, and less smelly — that's the lack of cereal filler. You might see a day or two of slightly loose stools mid-transition, which is fine. What you don't want is persistent diarrhoea beyond three or four days, or vomiting — if that happens, slow the transition down further and spend more time on the mixed-feeding phase. Also, some dogs drink noticeably less water on raw because the food has high moisture content — that's completely normal. Within two to four weeks most owners notice improved coat condition and energy. Border Collies generally take to raw very well.
