Raw Feeders! Dog Not Finishing Meals

[frankiethestaffie]

Hi guys,

I have a 7 month old Stafford that has been on raw since the second week we brought him home. He's being fed based on the Prey Model.

He eats a variety of meat, bone and offal - if you require his full diet please let me know.

He was eating 10% of his current weight until he reached 3% of his ideal adult weight. He's projected to get to about 25kg, so he's been on 700-800g daily split into 2 meals for the last few months.

He always used to devour his meals, searching for scraps and wanting more when he finishes. However, there's been occasions now where he doesn't finish his meals. I just find it unusual as he used to want to eat anything and everything. It seems to not matter whether he's had a lot of exercise or not. His intake hasn't changed, and he's being consistently fed the same combination for at least a month or two.

His stools are perfect - consistent, minimal and firm.

I'm wondering if it's because he's stopped teething and has had his major growth spurt.

I've looked into fasting but most of the info I've gathered is that you shouldn't until he's at least a year old.

Any info or insights you can provide would be great.

Thanks!

Matt

Edited October 14, 2015 by frankiethestaffie

[RuralPug]

Don't panic.

Long story short - if he has plenty of energy and nice firm stools, and has not been subject to distraction (fun game in another room or something) then not finishing the odd meal now and again in the set time his bowl or carcass part is down, then all it means is that his hunger is satisfied and he doesn't feel any need to eat further. No problem.

Energy requirements in growing dogs WILL vary and you have a great dog who does not feel the need to stuff his face except when he is hungry - bonus!

If he declines all food for 48 hours (assuming no other symptoms) then you go right ahead and panic.

[Kirislin]

is he skinny?

[Better Late]

Tell us about how you feed him. Do you put the bowl down and leave it there, even if there's something in it that he isn't touching?

I would start giving him a ten minute window in which to eat, it's a very common technique. Make his dinner as per normal, set a timer on your phone for ten minutes, set his bowl down and press start on the timer. Once it goes off, remove the bowl, regardless of whats left behind, and throw that away to start a fresh the next day. He is soon going to realise that whatever is in his bowl needs to be eaten otherwise its just going to disappear, and if he has a habit of not eating *anything* sometimes then he'll figure out pretty quickly that he needs to get a wriggle on or else he goes hungry.

A lot of times this can end fussiness and they work it out in a day or two. Anything longer than that and I would be off to the vet for a checkup if he's really off his food.

[denali]

Yes, agreed. If he is eating, but just not entirely finishing his food, i wouldnt worry. Some dogs are very good at knowing how much food they need and wont overeat :) He is likely just in a slow growth period and requires less food.

So just keep offering it to him at meal times, keep an eye on his demeanour, weight and stools and you should be fine :)

Edited October 14, 2015 by denali

[Salukifan]

His intake hasn't changed, and he's being consistently fed the same combination for at least a month or two.

But he's through the big growth stage and he doesn't need as much food.

I'd be cutting him back to one meal a day and lowering the total intake. His body condition will tell you whether he needs more or less.

[twodoggies2001]

I would be cutting back on the portions dividing them into the two meals per day. Like others have said, his body condition will tell you if he's getting enough.

[luvsdogs]

Raw feeders will tell you to feed large pieces of meaty bones or meat chunks larger than the dog's head. Allow the dog to self regulate, which is what your dog is doing. Take away what's left, refrigerate, & offer it for the next meal. Wish my dogs would do that, they will continue to eat until all is gone.

What do you mean by this? "he's being consistently fed the same combination for at least a month or two". Raw feeding is all about variety, not a regular menu day after day.

[trifecta]

He's projected to get to about 25kg, so he's been on 700-800g daily split into 2 meals for the last few months.

Admittedly the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not my breed, but isn't 25kg rather large for this breed? I think you are overfeeding...... but fortunately for you, your dog is not a guts and knows when to stop!

[Aziah]

He's projected to get to about 25kg, so he's been on 700-800g daily split into 2 meals for the last few months.

Admittedly the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not my breed, but isn't 25kg rather large for this breed? I think you are overfeeding...... but fortunately for you, your dog is not a guts and knows when to stop!

Correct...

Desirable height at withers 36-41 cms (14 to 16 ins), these heights being related to the weights. Weight: dogs: 13-17 kgs (28-38 lbs); bitches 11-15.4 kgs.

[karly101]

What is his current weight and most importantly his body condition like (are ribs visible)? 25kg would be a massive staffy.

[Dame Aussie]

I would say he's just getting too much food. Now he's 7 months he won't be growing as rapidly as before and I also think 25kg is a bit heavy for an SBT?

I'd reduce his food by a third or so (you can either feed once a day or split into two meals as you currently do) and see how he goes. His body condition will tell you whether he's getting enough/needs more/less etc.

[Rebanne]

isn't prey model diet supposed to be like what they would eat in the wild? If so then I would bet that plenty of wild dogs/wolves etc have had a fast day before 12 months of age.

Personally it sounds like he is being given too much food currently so just cut it down a bit. Or pick it up and give it to him at the next meal.

When I started feeding raw only, way back when, until I got the amount right, my dogs were only eating every 2nd day. I was offering them food everyday but they didn't want it.

[frankiethestaffie]

Don't panic.

Long story short - if he has plenty of energy and nice firm stools, and has not been subject to distraction (fun game in another room or something) then not finishing the odd meal now and again in the set time his bowl or carcass part is down, then all it means is that his hunger is satisfied and he doesn't feel any need to eat further. No problem.

Energy requirements in growing dogs WILL vary and you have a great dog who does not feel the need to stuff his face except when he is hungry - bonus!

If he declines all food for 48 hours (assuming no other symptoms) then you go right ahead and panic.

Thanks for the reassurance. First time that I've had a dog on raw, so I just want to ensure this behaviour isn't anything I should be worrying about. Haha well i'll consider that a bonus and i'll remove any unfinished food in future!

[frankiethestaffie]

Tell us about how you feed him. Do you put the bowl down and leave it there, even if there's something in it that he isn't touching?

I would start giving him a ten minute window in which to eat, it's a very common technique. Make his dinner as per normal, set a timer on your phone for ten minutes, set his bowl down and press start on the timer. Once it goes off, remove the bowl, regardless of whats left behind, and throw that away to start a fresh the next day. He is soon going to realise that whatever is in his bowl needs to be eaten otherwise its just going to disappear, and if he has a habit of not eating *anything* sometimes then he'll figure out pretty quickly that he needs to get a wriggle on or else he goes hungry.

A lot of times this can end fussiness and they work it out in a day or two. Anything longer than that and I would be off to the vet for a checkup if he's really off his food.

He gets fed in the backyard. I place the food on the grass and tell him when he can eat it. He will normally be done within 10 mins, so if he does leave some food it will still be within 10 mins. I will take most of everyone's advice and remove any leftovers if it's been more than 10 mins. Thanks for the tip!

[frankiethestaffie]

His intake hasn't changed, and he's being consistently fed the same combination for at least a month or two.

But he's through the big growth stage and he doesn't need as much food.

I'd be cutting him back to one meal a day and lowering the total intake. His body condition will tell you whether he needs more or less.

Yeah I was thinking it's because he's gone through his major growth stage so isn't requiring as much food. His body condition is perfect at the moment. You can't see his ribs, but can feel them when rubbing your hand over him.

I might try and cut back to one larger meal a day, without a lower total intake. Is it fine to mix different proteins in the same meal?

[frankiethestaffie]

Raw feeders will tell you to feed large pieces of meaty bones or meat chunks larger than the dog's head. Allow the dog to self regulate, which is what your dog is doing. Take away what's left, refrigerate, & offer it for the next meal. Wish my dogs would do that, they will continue to eat until all is gone.

What do you mean by this? "he's being consistently fed the same combination for at least a month or two". Raw feeding is all about variety, not a regular menu day after day.

He gets a wide variety of food, from chicken frames, to grass fed beef offcuts, raw green tripe, liver etc. I should have said that I haven't added anything different to his diet in the last month.

Yep, i'll definitely take away any unfinished food now. Glad my dog can tell me when he's had enough, he must be conscious about his weight lol. As long as it's nothing to worry about!

[frankiethestaffie]

He's projected to get to about 25kg, so he's been on 700-800g daily split into 2 meals for the last few months.

Admittedly the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not my breed, but isn't 25kg rather large for this breed? I think you are overfeeding...... but fortunately for you, your dog is not a guts and knows when to stop!

Correct...

Desirable height at withers 36-41 cms (14 to 16 ins), these heights being related to the weights. Weight: dogs: 13-17 kgs (28-38 lbs); bitches 11-15.4 kgs.

He's already at 16kg and isn't overweight, I think it's just his build. He is quite a large Stafford. Although I have seen a Stafford bitch in the show ring that weighed 30kg's!

He was easily devouring 700-800g a day which is 3% of 25kg. However he has never been overweight in the slightest. I will reduce his intake though as he probably doesn't need as much now.

[trifecta]

He's projected to get to about 25kg, so he's been on 700-800g daily split into 2 meals for the last few months.

Admittedly the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not my breed, but isn't 25kg rather large for this breed? I think you are overfeeding...... but fortunately for you, your dog is not a guts and knows when to stop!

Correct...

Desirable height at withers 36-41 cms (14 to 16 ins), these heights being related to the weights. Weight: dogs: 13-17 kgs (28-38 lbs); bitches 11-15.4 kgs.

He's already at 16kg and isn't overweight, I think it's just his build. He is quite a large Stafford. Although I have seen a Stafford bitch in the show ring that weighed 30kg's!

He was easily devouring 700-800g a day which is 3% of 25kg. However he has never been overweight in the slightest. I will reduce his intake though as he probably doesn't need as much now.

What breed are you actually referring to? Do you mean an American Staffordshire Terrier?

[Maddy]

I feed something similar to prey model and in my opinion, for a dog of that size, it's probably way too much. To give you an idea of what I feed.. my greyhounds weigh 30kgs on average and they get 1000g a day. For some this is too much and I have to take about a third off. Even with greys up to 39kgs, I've never had to increase portions so I'd say 800g would probably be my average portion size, depending on the type of meat.

We also have a fast day every now and then, usually after a feast day (the day I decide to defrost my big freezer). They certainly don't seem to mind and sometimes, it can help get a picky eater back on track.