Newbie to Raw

[tyree213]

I'd like to switch to raw. Currently have a 3 year old (60lbs) and 11.5 week old. I currently feed my 3 year old 1 cup of kibble in the morning and 1 in the evening. I let the pup eat as much as she wants.

If I want to prepare raw food for them how do I go about making sure they are getting a balanced diet? Are bones necessary? And financially, is this more expensive, cheaper, or about the same compared to kibble?

 

[aprilemari]

One guideline is to feed your dog 2-3% of the ideal adult body weight. For example, my Lola is 50 lbs, and I'd like to keep her that weight or lose 2 lbs, so i feed her 2% which is 1lb per day.

A second guideline is to prepare a diet that is 80% meat 10% organ and 10% bone (yes, the bone is necessary). The 10% organ meat should be half liver (5% liver). This ratio can be fed every day or add up to these proportions over a week or a month, it depends on how your dog is pooping, eating, etc. Loose stools should be dealt with more bone, white crusty/dusty poop should be given more meat, preferably red meat.

We feed commercially prepared raw patties because we don't have the freezer space to feed whole model prey raw. It's about as expensive as high end kibble, and we feed more exotic proteins so it may be a bit more expensive than most. $5-7 per day is what we pay now, but keep in mind I live in Toronto Canada where everything is 20% more expensive, and the brand I feed is made in Canada. Another good brand is Nature's Variety instinct raw. Lola used to be on those, beef or venison patties. one per day (which is slightly less than a lb).

More folks will be along to give you advice, but if you have more specific questions, please feel free to ask. and please browse the forum for tips.

 

[riffkid77]

Hi [MENTION=7173]tyree213[/MENTION] the advice that aprilemari shared above is spot on! A few bits to add too:

For the smaller pups (like the 11.5 week old), they'll often take up to 10% of their current weight while puppies (typically it's about the same as the 2-3% of anticipated adult weight, though bullies tend to vary in size and are often hard to judge how big they might get unless you've met both parents, etc.).

Also, as noted above, bones are extremely vital and fully necessary. But, bones are a great thing for our beloved bullies when they are raw. They simultaneously clean their teeth, provide tons of nutrients, firm up their stools to the appropriate consistency - and tons of other great benefits. The 80/10/10 is the most widely accepted ratios, as they closely mimic natural animals ratios (to some degree).

As far as cost, I've always found savings in raw over the high end kibble - but that's also buying in bulk. If you decide to make the switch, always be on the lookout for great deals on protein sources! It took me 6+ months of feeding raw to finally find all of the local stores within 40 miles that I could get bulk stuff from on a consistent basis - but when you find them, you feel like you've hit the jackpot! For my area, organs are always difficult to find; so when you do locate them, stock up! If chicken is your main protein source, you can often get it in bulk for about $1 per pound (leg quarters are far cheaper, though contain more than 10% bone as a general rule of thumb). Beef can get more expensive, but again... buying in bulk saves. Organs are typically pretty cheap when you can find them, again around $1 per pound. Overall, I personally spend about $1.40 per pound averaging all protein sources and organs (beef, turkey, chicken, tripe, heart, kidney, liver, necks for chewing, etc.). With my two bullies eating just shy of 3 pounds between the two of them per day, it runs me $4 per day to feed two 50 & 60 pound bulldogs Hopefully that can give you a general idea of how inexpensive it CAN be if you search hard enough, or find those primo locations in your area. Being that you live in a larger city, I'm sure you can find plenty of places where you can get great deals for your pup.

 

[tyree213]

One more question, My adult doesnt do well with chicken but I read somewhere that if your dog is allergic to chicken that often times this is not the case with raw feeding, Is this true? Thanks for all the info!

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

yup it's true you can try and give her chicken for atleast two weeks and if she has reactions to it. but you also have to remember it would take atleast a month for the last food to get out her her system.

 

[tyree213]

What cuts of meat are recommended for puppies? Im just a little nervous about the bones My adult is a powerful chewer but he often swallows without chewing so maybe something like leg quarters? And how do you go about figuring out the 10% for bone?