# Raw Food Feeders I have questions



## MyCodyBoy (Sep 27, 2008)

How do you determine how much meat you feed your dog every day?

Do you feed them 100% meat on some days and other days add veggies, do you add veggies every day?
What % per body weight do you feed your dog?
Is 3% the average?


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

I feed a prey-model raw diet, so veggies are not a part of their normal diet, though they do get produce in their The Honest Kitchen they get every morning for breakfast.

If you are looking to feed a more BARF diet than prey-model in which veggies are added, I believe Hank does that so hopefully he sees this and gives you some insight about that.

As for percentage... 2% of the dog's body weight is the starting point to maintain weight, then adjusting in increments of .5% in either direction for weight loss or gain, or if your dog needs more to maintain weight as is the case for my Sammy who needs typically 4% to keep weight on and could probably even eat more than that and be fine.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

MyCodyBoy said:


> How do you determine how much meat you feed your dog every day?
> 
> Do you feed them 100% meat on some days and other days add veggies, do you add veggies every day?
> What % per body weight do you feed your dog?
> Is 3% the average?


I eyeball it, feeding about 3 pounds to Storee, 1.5 to the other two. If it's really fatty I feed slightly less, if they've been burning a lot with the cold and playing then I feed more. I feed whatever veggies we have going, or if they have patties with veggies in them they get it that way, otherwise they just get meat, bone and organ usually. 

You can average over the course of the week - don't make it too difficult on yourself. If you are doing premade and you figure he needs 1.7 lbs for example, then just feed 2 pounds for 2 days then feed one pound every third day, or whatever works out without having to cut and save bits. 

Are you going to switch to raw? You might want to try something like feeding just one meat source and no veggies for the first while, to see how his ears do and then slowly add things in if he clears up, or you may have to try another meat source and then add in things. Or, you can try just switching totally to raw, no grains at all and see. Some dogs with allergies end up on limited diets, I know one dog who can only eat elk... 

Lana


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I add veggies, greens and some fruit most days to the meat; this would be in the morning meal which also might have yogurt or eggs in it. I pretty much eyeball the meat and watch the weight of each dog adjusting as needed. 

Faelan requires the most meat (close to 2#), while Towhee (smallish female) and Casey (smallish neutered male with thyroid issues) both get less meat but the same portion of the veggie slurry. I just calculated it out and the intact dogs do get about 3% of their body weight a day, while Casey gets about 2.5% of his body weight of meat a day.

They also get cooked meat as their primary source of training treats.


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## MyCodyBoy (Sep 27, 2008)

Bender said:


> I eyeball it, feeding about 3 pounds to Storee, 1.5 to the other two. If it's really fatty I feed slightly less, if they've been burning a lot with the cold and playing then I feed more. I feed whatever veggies we have going, or if they have patties with veggies in them they get it that way, otherwise they just get meat, bone and organ usually.
> 
> You can average over the course of the week - don't make it too difficult on yourself. If you are doing premade and you figure he needs 1.7 lbs for example, then just feed 2 pounds for 2 days then feed one pound every third day, or whatever works out without having to cut and save bits.
> 
> ...


Thank you all for the replies.

Yes, I am thinking I have to try the raw and see how he does.

I found some simple patties that have no extras added to them and they are just meat and bone. I guess I should try those first and then go from there. Fortunitly they are cheaper then the others.

I would eventually like to just make my own, but can a dog survive on just ground beef, and chicken and turkey with no bone added?
Would letting him chew on marrow bones be the same as him getting ground bone in his meals?


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I sometimes grind up chicken with bones for my dogs. This can be done in a home grinder; either manual or electric. I am not comfortable just giving bones that they don't chew, so grinding them up sets my mind at ease 

Their preferred meat source is beef, however.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I would avoid fruit for sure with the ear thing, the sugar in the fruit can add to the problem. 

You would want to avoid ground beef, chicken and turkey without the bone and organs added! Many times that's how a dog feed 'raw' ends up being sick and at the vet (and why vets often think a raw diet doesn't work). You want more like an actual prey animal, so think organs and bones too, icky as they may seem. You can feed ground beef for example but you would have to then feed chicken backs the next day (higher in bone) and add in some organ meats for the extra nutrition. Most areas have raw food co-ops so as you get going, you may be able to join and fill up your freezer with goodies. I get some things where I work, but often go to the local butcher who processes everything from lamb to wild game and can get cases of meat in of other items. Some will also say that ground beef has more bacteria in it than something like beef stew or roasts that aren't ground up, but I feed ground raw stuff all the time and no issues here. Also with chewing on marrow bones, he will get some bone but you want more of the complete bone that he'd get from something like a pork neck or a chicken quarter where he'd be eating the whole bone and not just chewing on it. And, those are easier on his teeth.

Lana


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Please do lots of research before doing anything other than the premade. The balance of calcium and phosphorous is very important so you either have to feed bone or add calcium. I've never felt comfortable with being able to do it correctly so have kept to kibble with occasional Honest Kitchen or premade patties.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I used to do the whole thing with putting the vegetables in the food processor. But I'm a pretty lazy person and couldn't make myself do it anymore after a couple of years. So now I mix in some of Honest Kitchen's Preference mix (it's a veggie only mix). I use it almost every day, but no biggie if I miss a day. 

If you don't feed bone you have to find an alternative source of calcium. I find it easier to just go ahead and feed bones - most often chicken because it is so cheap (in addition to being lazy I am also poor - trying to raise 4 dogs on a school teacher's salary).


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

MyCodyBoy said:


> Thank you all for the replies.
> 
> Yes, I am thinking I have to try the raw and see how he does.
> 
> ...



Good luck!! A raw diet was the only thing that helped Sammy's allergies.. and I saw a difference almost immediately in him. 

Look to see if you can find a raw feeding co-op or a meat locker type place near you where you can buy meat in bulk. Absolute cheapest way to go about it, and typically if you find one of those sources to buy meat, they will have more untraditional cuts of meat that are great staples for a dog's diet, like turkey necks, etc.


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## MyCodyBoy (Sep 27, 2008)

I don't think I would have the time to do it right. So I have to buy the premade forzen patties with all the bones and organs. It seems so overwhelming to me otherwise.
Hopefully the vet bills will be less and make up the diffrence for the cost of food.


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

MyCodyBoy said:


> How do you determine how much meat you feed your dog every day?
> 
> Do you feed them 100% meat on some days and other days add veggies, do you add veggies every day?
> What % per body weight do you feed your dog?
> Is 3% the average?



I use a kitchen scale and weigh the meat I am feeding. Pippa is a very easy keeper and gains very easily so usually she eats 2% of her body weight per day. She gets about 1 - 1.2 pounds of meat per day and I add in cooked veggies and cooked oats and an egg here a couple times per week. A lot of die hard raw feeders don't believe in the grain but she is not allergic and it's a very small amount and she does fine with it. Then I add Feed Sentials for K9 (a blend of natural nutritional herbs) and She-Emp oil which is a blend of Omega 3,6,9 oils. If the meat doesn't have ground bone I add calcium citrate powder to balance the calcium to phosphorus. Throw in liver at least once a week. This is what I do when I make it myself. About 50% if the time I rotate through premade raw in beef, chicken, turkey and sometimes boar. I am using Tollden Farms which is complete and balanced with organ meat. For this I just need to weigh the portions.

If you want to feed raw I suggest picking up a few books on the subject. It really is something you need to do your research on.


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

MyCodyBoy said:


> I would eventually like to just make my own, but can a dog survive on just ground beef, and chicken and turkey with no bone added?
> Would letting him chew on marrow bones be the same as him getting ground bone in his meals?


If you use meat without ground bone or are not feeding a whole chicken neck or quarters, etc. you will need to add a calcium supplement. I am probably overreacting but I just cannot bring myself to let Pippa eat a chicken or turkey neck as she is such a pig and gulps her food. I use only ground meat with bone in it or if there's no bone I add calcium citrate powder to add the calcium. She gets large beef marrow bones to chew occasionally but that would not be enough calcium to balance out the meat in her diet.


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## Popebendgoldens (May 16, 2008)

I feed a raw prey mode diet too. I not only have 2 goldens but 8 cats as well. 

I have been feeding a raw diet for over 10 years now. One of the previous posters recommended that you research this diet before feeding it. I agree please research the raw diet before starting it. 

Dr Tom Lonsdale has a great website www.rawmeatybones.com and another site www.rawlearning.com has great information as well. Plus there are many yahoo groups that will help you learn about feeding a raw diet.


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