Feeding Amount

[Red Fox]

No i haven't been weighing until today, took out the measuring cylinder...

with the dry (i've got some purina lucky dog) and it says for dogs 6-10ish Kg, the recommended amount is 2 cups per day, is that a lot? and how does that compare with the diet i'm feeing him right now ?

I often find that I feed a lot less than what is stated on the pack but that will vary from dog to dog. Generally that guide is for if you are feeding dry food alone, if you are adding in other foods you will need to reduce anyway. I would steer away from Lucky Dog (sorry) as it's highly grain based as far as I know. Try and get something a bit better (premium if possible) if you are going to make it a main part of his diet. Feeding a premium food will also mean that you feed less so smaller poops :cool:

I know i need to research more about BARF, but in terms of raw meat, is the amount the same as for dry food?

In general you would need to feed more volume with raw than with dry. Dry is very concerntrated and has a low moisture content so you need less, fresh has a higher water content so will always weigh more. (Hope that makes sense)

Basically, right now his diet is:

half inch of chicken dog roll (morning) - will change to dry now after the advice

2-3 chicken necks or chicken wing (lunch)

1 cup of dry + raw beef/brisket (dinner)

along with some veges/fish/yogurt..etc...

Is this too little or too much? sometimes i'm just not sure...

This sounds okay to me (but I'm not an expert on diet and still learning too so make sure you get lots of oppinions on this!) If you are giving raw brisket for tea I would probably give it a couple of times per week instead of the dry, not with it. Mince and veg or fish are fine to mix in with the dry though.

I'm not sure how much food a Beagle would need but based on their size and weight I would think that 1 cup per serve might be a bit too much. My guy weighs about 24kg at the moment and I only feed about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2cups per serve when I give dry.

Really consider a premium dry food though. They may be a bit more expensive but they will last longer and will be far better for your dog. Cheaper (supermarket brand) foods are often very high in grains so not a good protein source. They also tend to have a lot more artificial preservatives in them and low quality ingredients.

ETA: Maybe when you go in for your next Puppy Class you could ask for some advice on suitable dry foods? They should be able to point you in right the direction and will probably have samples availble so that you can make sure your dog likes the food before spending up.

Edited February 18, 2009 by SecretKei

[BobbyTheBeagle]

This sounds okay to me (but I'm not an expert on diet and still learning too so make sure you get lots of oppinions on this!) If you are giving raw brisket for tea I would probably give it a couple of times per week instead of the dry, not with it. Mince and veg or fish are fine to mix in with the dry though.

I'm not sure how much food a Beagle would need but based on their size and weight I would think that 1 cup per serve might be a bit too much. My guy weighs about 24kg at the moment and I only feed about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2cups per serve when I give dry.

Really consider a premium dry food though. They may be a bit more expensive but they will last longer and will be far better for your dog. Cheaper (supermarket brand) foods are often very high in grains so not a good protein source. They also tend to have a lot more artificial preservatives in them and low quality ingredients.

So what's a premium brand? like sciencediet? royalcanine? enduro?

[Red Fox]

So what's a premium brand? like sciencediet? royalcanine? enduro?

Yep :cool:

Royal Canin is a good one, you could try him on Medium Junior as this is recommended for Beagles.

We use Nutrience (meduim Breed Puppy) and find it very good. (I am also planning on trying Artemis next bag as I really like the sound of it.)

Other good choices are brands like Eagle Pack, Eukanuba, Purina Proplan, Advance, Innova, etc.

Personally I wouldn't recommend Science Diet (very high in grain)

[BobbyTheBeagle]

I have a new question regarding raw meat bones,...

How much should a puppy or any dog eat in terms of raw meat bones? would too much bone be bad?

and what would be the equivalent amount if compared to dry food?

Thanks!!

[piper]

I have a new question regarding raw meat bones,...

How much should a puppy or any dog eat in terms of raw meat bones? would too much bone be bad?

and what would be the equivalent amount if compared to dry food?

Thanks!!

If you look into feeding a raw diet they will talk about the quantity of food consumed in a day as a percentage of body weight. My girls, as adults gets around 2% of theur body weight, forget how much pups should get but it is obviously higher due to them growing and needing more.

Hopefully someone else will help a little more or do a search on DOL or google for BARF diets or raw food diets and see what you find.

[huski]

I have a new question regarding raw meat bones,...

How much should a puppy or any dog eat in terms of raw meat bones? would too much bone be bad?

and what would be the equivalent amount if compared to dry food?

Thanks!!

When on a BARF diet, an adult dog will eat 2-3% of its body weight per day but a puppy should be eating around 8%. The break down when feeding BARF is 80% raw meat and bones, within that 80% you want to feed equal amounts of bone and meat. The other 20% is made up of raw vegies, fruit, offal etc.

This is a great FAQ about BARF:

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

If you were feeding the dried food as well as raw meaty bones, I would personally feed one meal RMBs, one meal dried etc. I don't feed dried and raw in the same meal.

[BobbyTheBeagle]

When on a BARF diet, an adult dog will eat 2-3% of its body weight per day but a puppy should be eating around 8%. The break down when feeding BARF is 80% raw meat and bones, within that 80% you want to feed equal amounts of bone and meat. The other 20% is made up of raw vegies, fruit, offal etc.

This is a great FAQ about BARF:

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

If you were feeding the dried food as well as raw meaty bones, I would personally feed one meal RMBs, one meal dried etc. I don't feed dried and raw in the same meal.

Thanks for the tips, but what i'm also asking is the amount, say if I feed him some raw meaty bones, how big should it correspond to a dry-food meal?? (does that make sense)??

[huski]

Thanks for the tips, but what i'm also asking is the amount, say if I feed him some raw meaty bones, how big should it correspond to a dry-food meal?? (does that make sense)??

When I fed dried I would feed (for eg) dried in the morning and then bones at night - I can't quite remember the amount I fed them as pups but it was pretty 50/50... one meal dried and then the next meal, RMBs, or mince and yoghurt, or a can of sardines or mackeral etc.

[Mystiqview]

Don't forget if you are substantially changing his diet to do it slowly. To change it overnight may cause diarrhoea and other small gastric annoyances. Nothing major.. just a little smelly until his body gets used to the new food.

If you can not afford the super premium brands that have been listed, try the likes of Bonnie Puppy or Not my favourite- supercoat puppy. Stay clear of any dry food that has coloured bits (bits that look like veges). The premium ones are better, but not everyone can afford them. I use Advance here.

As far as bones go: at this age I would steer clear of your harder bones like Larger Beef Bones, Marrow Bones - only because of the puppy teeth breaking on the harder bones. Lamb Brisket, Chicken necks, wings, carcus are all ok. Beef brisket is harder than lamb, and is ok too. Once my puppies lose all their baby canines and the new ones are showing I then allow the harder bones to come into the diet. The Canines are the ones more likely to be broken on the hard bones and also the ones most likely not pushed out easily when the new ones come through.

I have used sausage for morning 1/2 meal as it is quickly eaten when you are rushing to get ready for work, but never have based a diet on it. I have always followed up by good quality dry food and chicken bones etc. Night meal normally consists of something meat based mixed with softened dry.

If you are Southside. Have a look also at Big Gun Butchers. Their human hamburger mince is only about $5/kg. They also sell bulk frozen Lamb briskets and Turkey Tails (as opposed to chicken necks) for $20-$30. You will need a deep freezer or something. But worth it in value.

[jamie]

We used dry food only for the first few months - then puppy went on hunger strike and refused to eat it anymore - she's been on raw for the last 2 months

Our girl is 8 months, and about 12kg, we give her ~175gm of raw mix (Canine Complete White from Canine Country at Woodridge) split into two meals (morning and night) + 2 chicken necks or a chicken wing every second day (on average sometimes more often) + a meaty bone once a week, and sardines maybe 2/3 times a week (such that she gets a can of sardines over the week)

Sometimes she seems 'hungry' a couple of hours after tea so I give her a handful of kibble (which we have left over from pre-hunger strike) - my logic is if she really is really hungry she'll eat it :rolleyes:

She's pretty much finished growing upwards - just needs to fill out now - she's not skinny or fat for the moment

When she was your pup's age, we would of been giving her about 3/4 cup of kibble (~75gm) split into three meals + chicken necks/bones/carrots to chew on. I noticed that she would go through skinny and fat stages - one day she'd look like she was getting fat, then over night she'd have a growth spurt and be looking skinny - so if your boy is in a growing stage I'd guess thats what you are seeing

Have you tried weighing a typical days food allowance?

No i haven't been weighing it, the dog roll i usually measure, the rest is by estimation..

A raw diet can be great, but dog food roll is not considered to be part of a raw/BARF diet.

There is a great Dr Billinghurst book called "grow your pup with bones" that I would highly recommend reading. You don't have to feed dried if you want to do a raw diet, go for it, but it is best to leave out the dog food roll and read up on raw/BARF diets so you know how to feed the right balance.

We use the guide of 80% raw meaty bones (chicken wings, necks, frames, lamb necks and shanks, beef bones, salmon heads etc) and 20% vegies, fruit and offal. I also make up a BARF mix that includes beef mince (human grade not pet mince), raw fruit, vegies, sardines, yoghurt and offal. It is important to get the right balance when feeding a pup.

ETA: You can also buy pre-made Dr Billinghurst BARF patties online and in certain pet supply shops, which would be a good alternative if you don't want to make them your self.

So something like the composite from Canine Country would be fine ?

The "Canine Country Composite" is really good stuff,they have a large variety of 'flavors' in their barf mixes and if you buy 10 x Ikg rolls it's only $3.25/kg,which is pretty good value.They also sell a huge selection of meat chunks,mince and meaty bones.I drive an hour each way to get it for my dog and thats's saying something because I live about 3 minutes from Bigdog Petfoods.

Oh by the way I was at Canine Country yesterday and they've actually changed their name to "Lotsa Pet Food"

[BobbyTheBeagle]

I need some feeding advice regarding amount again,

I've been feeding him Hills diet (about 1 cup in total per day spread into 2 or 3), plus a chicken wing for lunch.

His size seems to be ok, but I'd imagine he is in a growing phase and would need more ?

[laffi]

The "Canine Country Composite" is really good stuff,they have a large variety of 'flavors' in their barf mixes and if you buy 10 x Ikg rolls it's only $3.25/kg,which is pretty good value.They also sell a huge selection of meat chunks,mince and meaty bones.I drive an hour each way to get it for my dog and thats's saying something because I live about 3 minutes from Bigdog Petfoods.

Oh by the way I was at Canine Country yesterday and they've actually changed their name to "Lotsa Pet Food"

I agree! Canine Country Composite is awesome! It's as good as BARF patties if not better

Their raw meaty bones are excellent as well

[BobbyTheBeagle]

Can someone please give me some suggestion with regards to feeding amount?

I just read the hill's packet and it says for 10kg (4-9mths), its recommending 245g/day. I'm giving bobby about 1 cup / day plus a wing/neck,

should i increase my amount because i think the recommended is way too high ..but on the same note, i think he is growing, perhaps fooled by his innocent looks!

Any suggestions please?? :rolleyes: Thank you...

[muddles]

Can someone please give me some suggestion with regards to feeding amount?

I just read the hill's packet and it says for 10kg (4-9mths), its recommending 245g/day. I'm giving bobby about 1 cup / day plus a wing/neck,

should i increase my amount because i think the recommended is way too high ..but on the same note, i think he is growing, perhaps fooled by his innocent looks!

Any suggestions please?? Thank you...

How much does Bobby weigh now? Is he 10kgs already?

What is his weight like - can you see or feel his ribs? With our pup we tried to make sure you could feel her ribs if you felt hard - although at around 6/7 months she would fatten up then have a growth spurt and look really skinny

pictures??

1 cup of kibble doesn't sound like much - I think we were going with 1.5 - 2 cups at that age. Do you have kitchen scales? It helps to give you an idea of how much you are actually feeding if you can weigh it.

[BobbyTheBeagle]

Can someone please give me some suggestion with regards to feeding amount?

I just read the hill's packet and it says for 10kg (4-9mths), its recommending 245g/day. I'm giving bobby about 1 cup / day plus a wing/neck,

should i increase my amount because i think the recommended is way too high ..but on the same note, i think he is growing, perhaps fooled by his innocent looks!

Any suggestions please?? Thank you...

How much does Bobby weigh now? Is he 10kgs already?

What is his weight like - can you see or feel his ribs? With our pup we tried to make sure you could feel her ribs if you felt hard - although at around 6/7 months she would fatten up then have a growth spurt and look really skinny

pictures??

1 cup of kibble doesn't sound like much - I think we were going with 1.5 - 2 cups at that age. Do you have kitchen scales? It helps to give you an idea of how much you are actually feeding if you can weigh it.

He is 8kg now.

Regarding the kibble, Yes I do weigh it, its about 100-120 gms / day plus a chicken wing for lunch.

i've attached some photos, please give me some opinion because I don't know what is fat for a dog!, but he seems to be normal, can feel his ribs.

[BobbyTheBeagle]

another photo

[BobbyTheBeagle]

not sure why i can't attach them all together, files too big i think??

[BobbyTheBeagle]

last one for now, sorry for all the posts..!

[huski]

Hard to tell with those pics but he looks fine to me. Daisy doesn't eat any more than two cups of food a day, probably less, but she's on a diet.

You should bring him along to the DOL meet this Sunday!

Edited April 13, 2009 by huski

[BobbyTheBeagle]

Hard to tell with those pics but he looks fine to me. Daisy doesn't eat any more than two cups of food a day, probably less, but she's on a diet.

You should bring him along to the DOL meet this Sunday!

So is it really trial & error for most dogs, some take more, some take less kinda thing?

and as he grows, would I need to increase it eventually?

I had a friend over to visit and he said his front quarters was a bit fat, but I didn't really agree!!