Helllppp raw feeders!!

[kim21]

Hi there raw feeders, prepare for a long winded and slightly anxious post.....

 

I am after some advise as a newby to raw feeding. I have read as much as I can (brain overload) and I understand the principles of ratios of muscle meat, offal, bone etc but I guess my question is what does your weekly menu look like in a practical sense? I am planning on supplementary feeding meals for mutts dry food as part of his diet as I am not confident in my raw feeding abilities at this stage! 

 

Doglet in question:

Hobart is a 7month old, 24kgish male Boxer who is pretty active and is prone to losing weight. 

 

Approx Weights of Foods:

1 cup MFM: 200g

1 chicken frame: 500g

1/4 lamb liver, 1x meaty bone, 2x chicken drumsticks: 800g including the bone

5 chicken necks- 400g (guess as I dont have any to weight at the moment)

 

Example of Diet:

Monday

Morning- 1 large chicken frame and 300g of beef forequarter mince

Night- 1 cup of MFM dry food

 

Tues

Morning- 300g forequarter mince, 1/4 lamb liver, 1x meaty lamb bone, 2 chicken drumsticks

Night- 1 cup MFM dry food

 

Wed- 300g Forequarter mince, 5 chicken necks, 1 egg

night- 1 cup MFM dry food

 

Thurs

Morning- 300g Forequarter mince, 1 large chicken frame

night- 1 cup MFM dry food

 

Friday

morning- 300g forequarter mince, 5 chicken necks, 1x lamb heart

night- 1 cup mfm dry food

 

Sat

Morning-  300g forequarter mince, 1/4 lamb liver, 1x meaty lamb bone, 2x chicken drumsticks

night- 1 cup mfm dry food

 

Sunday

morning- training treats at dog school

night- mfm dry food

 

I know at this stage it is pretty basic with mostly chicken and beef which isn't ideal but I'm a bit overwhelmed so I am starting easy and working my way up to different things.

 

Now... do you include the weight of bone when you weigh your daily feeds?

 

 

Thank you if you got to the end of my essay... 

PS I have attached a picture of suspect in question who is currently trying to lure me off the computer to play with him 

[persephone]

 You are feeding a hollow-legged teenager!! 

I never weigh anything , sorry . if they are losing weight..I increase everything a bit ..and vice versa.  Then again ...my eye is pretty good these days .
Now ..if you would like to sit, have a cuppa or 10 , and do some reading ..the following older thread is BRILLIANT  for all things Raw & Natural - as well as what others will post on here for you .

have fun with your boy! 

CLICK HERE for lots of raw feeding chit chat  research 

This is one post which is one person's informed summary of what they do  Worth a read. To open it, click on  ...trifecta replied to a topic...

 

 

[Dogsfevr]

Agree weighing will do your head in ,you need to feed to your dog & to be honest my large breed puppies of that age feed only that would look like skin & bone .There is no bulk food there just alot of chicken & alot of bone which im not a fan off .
 

[sandgrubber]

Type of meat matters.  If you want a pup to put on weight, find fattier cuts.  They contain much more energy per kg than lean muscle.  Often twice as much or more. Of course, not pure lard... But frames with skin and some fat globs along with the meaty bits are good

I'd go by trial and error, and find the amount that keeps your pup at the right weight. 

[persephone]

 back again ...

if humans want to keep trim ..they EAT LEAN .
same for dogs .
A teen dog needs energy to grow on , to play on , to keep warm on ..so yes, find some different meaty bits ..bits with skin/fat , and remember  HIS food does not have to look like something you'd put on your plate  ;)  

he's a lucky boy for having someone willing to work so hard, when opening a packet or can  is easy !   

[Guest crazydoglady99]

Might I suggest checking with butchers near you?

 

Many of them have their own 'offal mince', which is often a combination of beef & lamb trim, hearts, kidneys & liver. It would make life much easier, you can portion & freeze, use it in kongs etc.

 

Chicken carcasses or wings would be (my) preference over drumsticks. Even Turkey necks.

 

Ask butcher about brisket bones, and lamb off cuts. They have a good balance of meat/fat/bone.

 

And tinned Sardines or Salmon (wild caught only),  even if you simply add to dry food. They will add a nice, cheap,  dose of omega-3s. 

 

And eggs..  scrambled eggs, whole raw eggs. However you like!

 

Well done to you  and your lucky doggy. 

[Guest crazydoglady99]

I forgot the most important thing..

 

Balance over time!!

[Maddy]

I've been feeding raw for roughly ten years and honestly, like a few others have said, I wouldn't bother with weighing out food. I feel there is so much emphasis on feeding THIS. EXACT. RATIO. EVERY. MEAL, that people forget that for no animal, is each and every meal perfectly balanced. There are plenty of raw feeding nazis out there who will happily tell you that what you're doing is OMFG WRONG YOUR DOG WILL DIE and that anyone who disagrees is also wrong, and then people who are militant in a different direction will tell you OMFG DON'T LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE, THEY'RE WRONG AND YOUR DOG WILL DIE. Prey model, BARF, other BARF, commercial, homemade, it doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, best way to get into raw is to try things out, see what works for you, keep an eye on poo (you can learn a lot from what comes back out) and adjust as you go.

 

I'm sure some raw feeders would be horrified by what I feed my dogs- not a bit of pureed vegetable or cottage cheese to be seen*- but my dogs are healthy, happy and love their food. And those things are the important bits.

 

*Although they do get the occasional Cheezel, and one is rather fond of baked cheesecake 

[persephone]

1 hour ago, Maddy said:

 I feel there is so much emphasis on feeding THIS. EXACT. RATIO. EVERY. MEAL, that people forget that for no animal, is each and every meal perfectly balanced

yes!!!

[Dogsfevr]

The reason I’m not a fan of raw is because of the weight ratio .

I feed a combo but we have boarded and groomed dogs feed raw with owners who are so pedantic about measurements they cannot see the poor condition there dog is in a struggle being told the dog is underweight.

We groomed one dog that was honestly so skinny it was dying .

The owner was on a raw list and they drilled weighs over and over again too the point she could not see the ramifications on the dog .

After a big chat the penny dropped and they re assessed there feeding and got back on track but so sad to see an owner scared to feed more over weight ratios .

[sandgrubber]

Canis got domesticated as a scavenger.  Yes, dogs have nutritional needs.... But they can thrive on a lot of things 

[Maddy]

4 hours ago, Dogsfevr said:

The reason I’m not a fan of raw is because of the weight ratio .

I feed a combo but we have boarded and groomed dogs feed raw with owners who are so pedantic about measurements they cannot see the poor condition there dog is in a struggle being told the dog is underweight.

We groomed one dog that was honestly so skinny it was dying .

The owner was on a raw list and they drilled weighs over and over again too the point she could not see the ramifications on the dog .

After a big chat the penny dropped and they re assessed there feeding and got back on track but so sad to see an owner scared to feed more over weight ratios .

I think in some cases (like the ones you mentioned), it'd be helpful to work out RER/MER, calculate out kcals for their given food types and actually show owners, with maths, that opinions of total strangers in cliquey Facebook groups aren't always the most reliable way to determine caloric needs of your own dog.

Considering MER may vary by breed, housing situation (inside or outside dog), local climate, activity levels, reproductive status, age and a small mountain of other factors, it's impossible to just apply one very basic percentage. It doesn't even account for caloric value of the food. There's a big difference between eating a kilo of kale, and a kilo of Caramello koalas, for example :|