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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Switching to raw tommorow help please. Urgent (29 replies)
Switching to raw tommorow help please. Urgent by ali2020 on 18 February 2010 - 08:40 |
| im gonna be starting my lil boy shane on raw diet. he is only 4.5 months old and weigh 52lbs. I read that i should be giving chicken necks and backs for the first week and then add other meat is that true. 2) 5%-6% of his body weight , so i should be giving him 5% of 52 or its gonna be desired weight. 3)should i feed him 3 times a day or 2 ?. thanks |
by AmbiiGSD on 18 February 2010 - 09:01 |
| What is he a St Bernard? That's some weight for a 18 week old pup.  Raw feeding is one of those things that over time, you learn to use your eye to feed. If you try and do it by percentages, it won't work... every dog is different. Some of mine could happily live on 6 chicken wings a day whilst others would plough through double that and still look like they needed more. I had one that only had to sniff a chicken wing and the thought went straight to her hips! My 6 wingers a day would do well on 3 backs a day...as a comparison. I've never fed chicken necks, only turkey necks so can't comment on those. Start him out on a couple of wings twice a day and see how he goes... but I maybe the wrong person to give advice, I've never started apup at that age on BARF, mine have all been weaned on it. Hopefully someone else can help more. |
AmbiiGSD by ali2020 on 18 February 2010 - 09:10 |
| haha, no hes not a St Bernard, he is actaully very skinny, i think all the weight comes from his big head plus those huge paws. yeah i ll be looking forward for some answers here. |
by ali2020 on 18 February 2010 - 09:12 |
| haha, no hes not a St Bernard, he is actaully very skinny, i think all the weight comes from his big head plus those huge paws. yeah i ll be looking forward for some answers here. |
by VonWal on 18 February 2010 - 13:48 |
| You REALLY need to read some information on feeding RAW. May I suggest Raw Dog Ranch? (http://www.rawdogranch.com) A RAW dog is not fed 5%-6% of its body weight. A dog is fed 2-3% of its body weight, but that is a guideline to start out. If your dog is losing weight, feed a little more, generally MM. If your dog is gaining too much weight, feed a little less. When you do feed, make sure that if you buy it with the skin, etc. you leave the skin, etc. on it for fats and such. You need to feed him according to proper proportions (and I'm going to use chicken as the example since that's what you're asking about) of RMBs (Raw Meaty Bones such as chicken necks, backs, quarters, etc.), MM (Muscle Meat such as chicken breasts,) and OM (Organ Meat such as livers and kidneys.) You need to slowly introduce the OMs though as it could cause diarrhea/upset stomach from being rich. It's the OM that contain vitamins and minerals such as iron which is important to a dog's diet. My advice (after reading some info on Raw Dog Ranch and determining what "formula" to use) is to go to a department store or grocery store and invest in a kitchen scale (you can get one, for example, at Wal-Mart or Target if you're in the U.S., for $7-$10.) This will help you immensely in the beginning, and you can continue weighing via scale, or "eyeball it" as some of the more advanced RAW feeders sometimes do. We feed our dogs twice a day - morning and night, but you can feed your dog three times a day if that's what he's used to eating. In the evening, before bed, we give our two dogs homemade dog cookies so that their stomach has something else to digest. I've seen great results since switching our two dogs to RAW. Both are about the same age. We don't know the exact birthdate on the one since she was an animal shelter rescue. Their coats have gotten smoother and shiny, their teeth are white, they've put on and maintained a healthy weight, and their BMs are regular (and smaller!) |
by VomMarischal on 18 February 2010 - 18:00 |
| Why does everybody capitalize RAW? I wouldn't bother with those expensive raw blends. And you feed a puppy based on what you think its weight will be when fully grown, so 2-4% of a hundred pounds, sounds like. So 2-4 lbs per day for your dog. Yes, start with chicken backs, but not necks because a 50 lb dog will just swallow them whole and get no satisfaction. Better yet, if you can find small WHOLE chickens, use those, or half of a large one. The best information you can get on feeding raw, and on settling your nervous mind about it, is on the Rawfeeders group on Yahoo groups. You will learn not to be too....persnickety, not to add too many supplements, which bones you can feed, which meats will end diarrhea overnight, etc. VM |
by VonWal on 18 February 2010 - 21:01 |
| "Why does everybody capitalize RAW?" RAW.....Raw And Wriggly ;) |
by VomMarischal on 19 February 2010 - 21:37 |
| EW! |
by Lakota of Laurel Creek on 19 February 2010 - 22:57 |
| Am I reading this correctly??I thought chicken bones are bad for dogs?Or do the neck bones don`t splinter? whats a good commercial food? thanks |
Lakota of Laurel Creek by VomMarischal on 20 February 2010 - 00:50 |
| Only COOKED bones are bad for dogs, chicken included. Your vet will disagree and be wrong. |
by Avery Hill Kennels on 20 February 2010 - 02:19 |
| I have bulldog that is so unhealthy, I tried switching her to RAW because last trip to the vet she had ear infections in both ears and vet said that was do to allergies well her skin and coat look great but she gets these bumps around her lower jaw so I thought maybe its a food allergies. I decided to change her to raw diet to see if it would help with her health issues, she WON'T eat it, she looks at me like I am ra-tard for trying to give it to her. She will pick chicken up and carry it to her bed and then just leave it there. Any suggestions with this? |
Avery Hill Kennels by yoshy on 20 February 2010 - 02:26 |
| Lakota, Just to piggy back on vom- its any dried or cooked chicken bones or small bones. The reason for this is they become brittle and splinter. Also I have never seen one digest. If your dog eats such a bone visit your vet quickly. Unfortunately dealing with rescue dogs I have seen quite a few mishaps- such as dogs in trash and taking left over chicken bones and other assorted negative things- to rescue dogs found at landfills- etc..... If you get right on it, you can generally help the dog pass them and take action to prevent injury to the dog. But i would always advise those not familiar with vet care to consult a vet to make sure they will pass well. And generally when the pull spoiled meat in from garbage the get mild gastroenteritis that a vet can help you get through as well. Either way it is definitely something you dont want to go through. However uncooked chicken bones, the dogs can crunch and digest. they provide vitamins and minerals for your dog. When I make a change that is drastic I will generally Hold food for 24 hours to allow the dog to flush there system, then Blan diet gradually mixing raw over the course of a week. I have yet to have an issue. Many others have there own ways that are successful as well. I have seen it done many ways. One of my current fosters it took me 3 weeks to transfer him as his stomach is very touchy. So it varies from dog to dog. However please educate yourself before making the switch. Unbalanced raw diets can cause health issues you wouldnt realize til down the road. |
yoshy by yoshy on 20 February 2010 - 02:29 |
| Avery, Cook it and feed it as treats in little cubes. Gradually cook it less and less. Or put cube in with can food. and gradually pull the can food. |
by VomMarischal on 20 February 2010 - 02:40 |
| Yoshy, even when I get in a rescue that has been eating Old Roy at some scary shelter, I just switch them overnight. Never had a blowout yet, don't know why. Avery, some people have luck by getting a pan really hot and searing the raw for like 10 seconds...I guess it strengthens the smell for dogs who aren't convinced that it's edible. Well, why should they be. It's like feeding a kid McDonalds his whole life and then trying to convince him broccoli is real food. No offense to the McD crowd out there. |
by Avery Hill Kennels on 20 February 2010 - 02:41 |
Thanks Yoshy I will try that |
by Avery Hill Kennels on 20 February 2010 - 03:18 |
VomMarishal, I thought maybe they breed any bit of dog out of them making them kinda undog, dogs LOL My daughter wanted her own dog a foo-foo dog how we ended up with bulldog not really sure But they are the most unhealthy dog I have ever owned, she goes to the vet at least once if not twice a month for something. She has been on antibodies since Thanksgiving for upper respire infection can't get rid of either so I will try anything to in prove health |
by CrzyGSD on 20 February 2010 - 14:58 |
| My dogs LOVE raw. We feed it to our GSD's and Boston Ter. We even sell it at our business it's so good. For the Beef i use Majestic. It's complete. Has some added minerals and vitamins. For the Chicken, duck, turkey etc. which are complete also, we use Primal. We also use Primal Chicken backs and wings along with their marrow bones. I'll also add some Plato wild salmon oil. My dogs look great and are in great shape. Mark www.kampkanine.com www.ultimatekanine.com |
CrzyGSD by VomMarischal on 20 February 2010 - 20:20 |
| CrzyGSD, just out of curiosity, why do you use commercial raw and not just meat? |
by 3crzygsds on 21 February 2010 - 00:24 |
| Vom Guessing at Marks answer but because we have customers ask every day here goes. We dont because 1 - Human Grade & Canine Grade are different. Additionaly we go for orangic, complete and ease of use. They are packaged so you can thaw the exact amount you need for your dog. Human is grade is not complete for dogs. Canine is in that they grind the bones into the beef to make it complete same with the chicken turkey and duck. The Chick, Duck & Turk also have mix with veggies and Sardines depending on the dogs needs. And the smellest but one of the most effective raw diets that I have seen is Tripe! But my customers are hesitant to buy it. Our biggest sellers are beef and chicken. My customers will say gross Tripe I hate that or Turkey and Sardine that is gross. Hello for dogs not you...lol and if I have our old man here and show them what Tripe has done for an old SCH 3 competitor with super high drive they are amazed. His coat looks awesome and he is ready to work! When it was only our dogs I would go to the MEAT MAN and buy the 20 lb buckets of complete canine beef. It just does not work for us now...and my customers are not scooping beef :) All of our dogs look amazing from our rescues that to our working dogs. I also switch rescues right over with no problem when their owners drop off some ID diet full of corn And say they cant afford the vet or the diet ok...maybe a shot of chamomile for nerves and belly but that is it! Good Luck it really is easy and works super. |
3crzygsds by VomMarischal on 21 February 2010 - 03:33 |
| Of course you must feed as you see fit, but methinks you have been sold a bill of goods by a commerical manufacturer. |
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