Starting To Feed Raw

[poochiemama]

We've just begun to feed raw, yay! Our labrador is a little overweight, so I want to be sure I don't overfeed him. Most of the raw websites give suggestions eg 300 g of meat etc...but I don't have measuring scales yet, and I am a little confused by it all. Just wondered if someone with a medium-large dog like a labrador can give an example of what he gets fed in a day?

So far, I've been feeding chicken frames, turkey, liver, kangaroo, eggs, sardines, cottage cheese etc and they're loving it...I split it up so they get different things each day.

We haven't fully made the switch as OH is a bit reluctant to commit So in the morning they get half a cup of kibble, and in evenings, eg 1 chicken frame, a little bit of cottage cheese and a small amount of meat, like small chunks of kangaroo or turkey. Does this sound like too much?

Thanks

[B-Q]

I think with raw, the general rule of thumb is for an adult dog to feed 2% of their ideal weight per day. I'd start there and then see what your individual dog needs.

I have a very active, young, 14kg BC girl, she eats between 1/2 and 3/4 of a medium to large chicken frame for one meal. My 18kg, 9 year old boy eats slightly less than her.

[MissMedusa]

We have a 12 month old lab. She has a cup of kibble for breakfast, mainly because it's easiest first thing in the morning. Before I go to work I give her a roo tail or a fairly large meaty bone and then for dinner she has either a chicken frame or 250 grams of BARF.

Occasionally I'll add a raw egg or sardines to her dinner.

Her weight is good, I like to keep her on the lean side...hope this helps.

[RiverStar-Aura]

I was going to make the switch to an all raw diet but I've had trouble being convinced that they'd be getting all the correct nutrients from the meat alone. I did start my new puppy on raw beef mince and natural yoghurt but decided feeding Royal Canin puppy was easier for a growing dog -- I know that she's been getting all the vitamins and minerals needed by a puppy.

The main thing is that I'm happy with my dogs' health -- Zeus is quite muscular and lean and his coat is so very shiny. Kirah is still growing but she's all in proportion -- she has a waist and also has a beautiful shiny coat. I still do mix in yoghurt, tuna, mackerel or sardines once a week and they also have their occasional chicken wing (Kirah)/turkey wing (Zeus).

All in all, they eat better than I do!

[poochiemama]

Our dogs sometimes live so much better than we do, it's true I was checking out massage therapists for them today, after getting them some memory foam beds, and I thought, what in the world am I doing? I sleep on a saggy mattress, my back aches every morning and I can't remember the last time I had a massage !

Back to raw feeding...thanks for the suggestions. It sounds like I am not feeding him excessively. If anyone else has any experience, please let me know. It's been quite good so far, Charlie's coat was so soft and smooth today, I was surprised, it's only been a couple of weeks since we started raw. They also seem to be less hyperactive than before.

[Red Fox]

From memory it's around 2-4% of the dogs adult body weight (for a pup it's the expected adult weight). You adjust that to suit your dog though depending in activity levels, weather, etc.

My 35kg adult dog gets approx 500-700g of meat/bone (roo tails, chicken frames/wings/drumsticks, lamb necks/flaps, roo mince, etc) each night. Along with that he gets a scoop of yogurt, a couple of tablespoons of minced veg mix, and supplements -ACV, Calm Supp, probiotics, omega oil. Then (depending on what's out cheap, defrosted or laying around) he might get an egg / some offal / left over rice/pasta / cooked oats / sardines as well. All in all it works out to be around 700g-1kg of food per day. Costs me around $2 - $3 per meal.

Breakfast is whatever treats I'm using for trianing (not really enough to count as a meal though) or a 2 x 4 biscuit.

[persephone]

Hi

There is a whole thread on feeding raw if you CLICK HERE