Raw diets for puppy and senior dog?

We have a seven year old great pyrenees who has been on traditional kibbled food his whole life. We just bought an AKC female German Shepherd puppy who was already weaned to a raw diet.



My pyr has been getting more and more arthrititc and has been eating less, so I have switched him to a raw diet too. Now, much to my joy, he is a greedy eater and already has a thicker, softer hide, and seems to have more "life" in him again.



I've gleaned about 7 articles and recipes to come up with this master list of ingredients. I would like to submit these ingredients and get feedback from other raw food enthusiasts to make sure they are acceptable for both a puppy and arthritic senior.



Keep in mind, not all of these end up in every batch every time, but usually about 90% based on what we have on hand.



Meats:

73/27 beef (would like a leaner grind, but I buy the 5 pound "tubes" and that's all the store has)

Ground turkey

Beef/chicken livers

gizzards and chicken hearts

beef kidney

canned salmon



Steamed:

Carrots

mustard green (finely chopped)

collard green (finely chopped)

spinach (finely chopped)

celery

garlic



Fresh:

Parsley

cucumber



Dairy:

Cottage cheese (puppy only)

raw eggs



Bones (for the senior dog):

Beef bones

Beef neck bones

Marrow bones



Supplements:

2000mg Glucosamin / 1600mg Chondroitin (for senior dog, weight 130Raw diets for puppy and senior dog?
The biggest concern for a puppy vs an older dog is the protein content - you may have to reduce it for your older dog because they have more of a tendency to have liver and kidney disease which requires lower protein (protein generates more of the waste products that the liver and kidney have to take care of). The growing puppy on the other hand, will need relatively more protein but care must be taken to make sure the calcium:phosphorus ratio is appropriate or you may end up with bone and joint problems. If you are concerned about it, I would recommend writing down your recipe and proportions and sending it to your local veterinary college who will have an on-staff nutritionist who can determine if your proportions and mineral content are in order. Glad your older dog seems to be doing better - a lot of dogs do thrive on the raw food diet as long as your ingredients are quality.