A Few Questions on Feeding Raw.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Thanks for all the helpful info! Lily and Roxy occasionally get fruits and veggies, and yogurt for little treats anyways. They love things like Beggin Strips, but I'm sure they'd like other things better...
Okay I have a few more questions...
What would be something good to start them out on?
How often should they get organs?
If I use Veggies, how much a week?
How many meals should I split into one day?
I think that's it.. If I think of anything else I'll come back and edit.
Thought of somthing else.. My dogs are both normally active, especially on walks. Could that change the price of feeding them Raw..?

[IRescue452]

Sorry I'm off the questions a bit, but how much do you normally pay for soup bones? Autumn gets smoked femur bones occasionally without chipping her teeth so I decided to try a soup bone today. It was 99 cents a pound and 2.29 altogether. Not extremely cheap if you ask me but the local meat market is kinda expensive to begin with. They are more of a showy catering place with some retail on the side.

[.sarah]

What would be something good to start them out on?
Chicken works well. It's cheap and bland and rarely causes a problem for dogs.

How often should they get organs?
It doesn't matter, really. If you want to feed them once a week that is fine, every day is also fine, and so is once every few weeks. Only thing I wouldn't reccomend is an all-organ meal, because that tends to cause the runs. And if you decide to feed them every day (which is a pain, I wouldn't reccomend trying that) then make sure you aren't giving too many organs. I think it's easier to feed them once or twice a week.

If I use Veggies, how much a week?
It shouldn't take over the diet. A tablespoon a day max, so about 7 tablespoons a week. What is that, a cup a week?

How many meals should I split into one day?
One meal a day is fine. You can feed two meals if that makes you feel better, but generally it is hard to get everything portion sized when you feed two meals.

My dogs are both normally active, especially on walks. Could that change the price of feeding them Raw..?
It will mean you need to feed more to keep weight on. Those percentages are meant for adult dogs with a moderate activity level. You may need to adjust their feeding portions but I can't imagine it being drastically different from the reccomend amounts. My dogs are all active but the girls eat way less than what is reccomended. The percentage says they need 1.5 lbs a day, and they eat .75 lbs a day. So maybe it will be cheaper than you are expecting Buck is right on target for what they reccomend, but he is also still growing.

[Roxyluvsme13]

What would be something good to start them out on?
Chicken works well. It's cheap and bland and rarely causes a problem for dogs.

How often should they get organs?
It doesn't matter, really. If you want to feed them once a week that is fine, every day is also fine, and so is once every few weeks. Only thing I wouldn't reccomend is an all-organ meal, because that tends to cause the runs. And if you decide to feed them every day (which is a pain, I wouldn't reccomend trying that) then make sure you aren't giving too many organs. I think it's easier to feed them once or twice a week.

If I use Veggies, how much a week?
It shouldn't take over the diet. A tablespoon a day max, so about 7 tablespoons a week. What is that, a cup a week?

How many meals should I split into one day?
One meal a day is fine. You can feed two meals if that makes you feel better, but generally it is hard to get everything portion sized when you feed two meals.

Okay, so.. if I fed them both about midday (3-ish?) I could give them some meat and a cup full of veggies, and maybe one day adding an organ in there and reducing the meat a bit? Chicken sounds okay, I'll have to check out our local butcher. I'm so afraid that I'm going to measure wrong or something and they're not going to have enough to eat..

Okay. They're lazy somedays, and active somedays, depends on their mood. Roxy I suppose needs about 1.25-1.5 pounds, and Lily .25?


I forgot to add, What kind of Vegetables would you feed?

[Kfamr]

I forgot to add, What kind of Vegetables would you feed?

Here are a few I've found that are okay for dogs (pureed.)

Romaine Lettuce - No iceberg as it has no nutritional value
Parsley (small amounts)
Carrots
Pumpkin
Spinach
Silver beet
Tomatoes
Red, green, yellow capsicum peppers
Cabbage
broccoli
cauliflower
apples
bananas
whole oranges
papayas
mangoes
kiwi
cantaloupe
raspberries
garlic

[Roxyluvsme13]

Here are a few I've found that are okay for dogs (pureed.)

Romaine Lettuce - No iceberg as it has no nutritional value
Parsley (small amounts)
Carrots
Pumpkin
Spinach
Silver beet
Tomatoes
Red, green, yellow capsicum peppers
Cabbage
broccoli
cauliflower
apples
whole oranges
papayas
mangoes
kiwi
cantaloupe
garlic

Now I need a blender..
Actually, Couldn't I use Cottage Cheese, Cheese, and Yogurt?

[Kfamr]

Yes, you do!

I prefer using our food processor VS. blender - it seems to puree the veggies a lot better. I also add a bit of water/milk if it's having trouble mixing it.

I'm weird but I have fun mixing up weird veggie/fruit combos.

*edit* Just saw the question. Do you mean to add to the veggie puree mixture? If so, yes. Cottage Cheese & plain yogurt are good, too. However, I'm not sure how much/what types of cheese are good for them.

[wolfsoul]

Now I need a blender..
Actually, Couldn't I use Cottage Cheese, Cheese, and Yogurt?

Yes! Visa LOVES her cottage cheese and yogurt. All dogs are able to adjust their bodies to cope with lactose over time (as dog milk contains lactose sulfate, and so dogs are born with the ability to digest lactose -- only about half of dogs lose it, but can gain it back with time). Uncreamed or dry cottage cheese is best to start out with. It's low lactose and high in beneficial bacteria that promote digestion and healthy intestines. Yogurt is good bacteria-wise too, and can help put on weight (depending on what kind you buy). I buy the Balkan style, 6% fat yogurt for keeping weight on Visa. Both cottage cheese and yogurt help if the dog is gassy.

[.sarah]

Okay, so.. if I fed them both about midday (3-ish?) I could give them some meat and a cup full of veggies, and maybe one day adding an organ in there and reducing the meat a bit?
Sounds good, though I don't see reason to reduce the RMBs when you feed veggies and/or organs. You can also mix in the weeks worth of organs into the veggie mush for convenience.

I'm so afraid that I'm going to measure wrong or something and they're not going to have enough to eat..
Don't! If they look thin, increase their food, if they look overweight, decrease their food. It's really very simple

Okay. They're lazy somedays, and active somedays, depends on their mood. Roxy I suppose needs about 1.25-1.5 pounds, and Lily .25?
If I remember correctly Roxy needs to gain weight and Lily is still growing, right? I would feed Roxy 4% of her body weight and Lily 3%. Then adjust as neccessary. If they are more active or sedentary on certain days then you would adjust their food accordingly

[Roxyluvsme13]

I just did some calculations..
Roxy would need 28.8 Ounces, and Lily would need 2.16 ounces. Does that sound about right?

[.sarah]

How much do they weigh?