izstigspunks
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- Sep 16, 2010
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Recommendations on how to start with rawfeeding
1. Generally, you should feed 2-3% of your dogās ideal adult body weight. Those that may need more are those that are either pregnant, puppies tiny/toy or very active dogs where 4-5% is recommended. Since adult bulldogs are less active, you may find that you can feed less than 2% body weight.
2. If you are unsure of your pupās adult weight, go by the weight of their parents or the average breed weight. Note that it is better to feed a little less in the beginning than feed more as this will avoid cannon butt and runny stools.
3. Generally, the 80-10-10 is followed.
4. āBalance over timeā. You do not need to go through the trouble and follow the 80-10-10 rule daily, rather, it should be over weeks and even months. In the wild, wolves will eat different parts of a large animal over days, some getting more muscle, while those at the bottom of the chain will only get the leftovers such as the organs.
5. Runny poop is different from diarrhea. The latter is very liquid, watery explosions that are caused by disease or parasites. Tips to avoid runny poops:
6. Never feed beef bones and weight bearing bones of large animals as they are too dense and will only sit in your bullyās stomach. They are also tooth breakers. For my bullies, I avoid beef and pork bones to be safe but some here feed some parts such as riblets. Again, please research or ask before feeding anything suspicious.
7. A lot of the nutrients disappear when you cook food. But it's not an uncommon practice. But remember that IT IS DANGEROUS TO GIVE OUR DOGS COOKED BONE. That's where people get confused. Cooking causes them to become brittle and splinter.
8. At first, buy an inexpensive meat scale and weigh the daily portions. As time passes, youāll find that you wonāt need to continue to weigh and go by how your pup is doing.
9. Unlike switching kibbles where thereās a transition period, your dog can quit kibble cold turkey and start the raw diet immediately.
10. In the beginning, offer 2 meals a day for an adult dog, 3 meals for a pup under six months old, 4 meals for those that are under 4 months old and for tiny dogs. Once they are an adult (with the exception of toy/tiny dogs), you should be able to feed only once a day. Some owners recommend feeding at least twice a day for larger breeds such as great danes.
11. Feed larger sized meat pieces. Avoid cutting them into smaller chunks or grinding them. By allowing your bully to chew, paw and work through the meat, he will get physical, mental and dental satisfaction. HOWEVER, most rawfeeders avoid giving pieces that are as big as their dogās head. They consider these to be choking hazards as they are small enough to swallow whole and big enough to get stuck in the throat. Since our bulldogs tend to have bigger heads, the size range that I avoid is anything from as small as my fist (or half a fist for most guys) to the size of a chicken leg. I cut up any pieces in this range. Again, āKnow Thy Dogā ā¦ IF IN DOUBT, CUT IT UP!
12. Itās normal for your bully to regurgitate their food now and again. They will re-eat it after more crunching and chewing.
13. Give 1 protein for at least one or two weeks, then introduce another after. Some owners do a transition period where they would add small pieces of the new to the old and gradually increase the new as the days pass.
14. Read labels of all the protein you purchase. All meats must not be enhanced, flavoured, seasoned, etc and the sodium content must not exceed 100mg./4oz. Note that it is U.S. regulation that chicken cannot be enhanced.
15. Bone is commonly used to control poop consistency. The more bone, the firmer the stool. In the beginning, it is suggested that you sway from the 80-10-10 rule until you and your bully find the best ratio. If you find that he has dry fossil poop, decrease the amount of bone, if it is runny or too soft, increase. As weeks pass, you may find that your bully can handle a boneless meal now and again.
16. Most owners start with chicken as it is one of the cheaper meats, easy to obtain and bland as a protein. I started my bully with a chicken back. Some members here started with a leg quarter. Note that a leg quarter has 30% bone. You can also trim off the fats and skin to start to avoid runny stools.
17. Do not be surprised if your bully poops or vomits small bone pieces from the previous meal in the beginning. Again, his stomach needs to go through an adjustment period and the occurrence should decrease or cease eventually.
18. It is also not uncommon for them to vomit bile. The reasoning is similar to the above, especially if you decrease the amount of daily feedings.
19. Rawfed dogs drink less water than kibble fed dogs as they get some of the intake from the meat.
20. If after reading this you have more questions. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK. Knowledge is power ā¦ and for this instance, itās for safety.
1. Generally, you should feed 2-3% of your dogās ideal adult body weight. Those that may need more are those that are either pregnant, puppies tiny/toy or very active dogs where 4-5% is recommended. Since adult bulldogs are less active, you may find that you can feed less than 2% body weight.
2. If you are unsure of your pupās adult weight, go by the weight of their parents or the average breed weight. Note that it is better to feed a little less in the beginning than feed more as this will avoid cannon butt and runny stools.
3. Generally, the 80-10-10 is followed.
- 80% meat (muscle meat, heart, gizzards, tongue, etc.)
- 10% bone
- 10% organs, max 5% liver as it is too rich (pancreas, liver, spleen, trachea, esophagus, thymus, etc.)
4. āBalance over timeā. You do not need to go through the trouble and follow the 80-10-10 rule daily, rather, it should be over weeks and even months. In the wild, wolves will eat different parts of a large animal over days, some getting more muscle, while those at the bottom of the chain will only get the leftovers such as the organs.
5. Runny poop is different from diarrhea. The latter is very liquid, watery explosions that are caused by disease or parasites. Tips to avoid runny poops:
- Decrease the total amount of food
- Increase the bone content
- Increase the length of new meat intro
- Cut off the fatty parts of the meat and save it for later
- Introduce organs last
6. Never feed beef bones and weight bearing bones of large animals as they are too dense and will only sit in your bullyās stomach. They are also tooth breakers. For my bullies, I avoid beef and pork bones to be safe but some here feed some parts such as riblets. Again, please research or ask before feeding anything suspicious.
7. A lot of the nutrients disappear when you cook food. But it's not an uncommon practice. But remember that IT IS DANGEROUS TO GIVE OUR DOGS COOKED BONE. That's where people get confused. Cooking causes them to become brittle and splinter.
8. At first, buy an inexpensive meat scale and weigh the daily portions. As time passes, youāll find that you wonāt need to continue to weigh and go by how your pup is doing.
9. Unlike switching kibbles where thereās a transition period, your dog can quit kibble cold turkey and start the raw diet immediately.
10. In the beginning, offer 2 meals a day for an adult dog, 3 meals for a pup under six months old, 4 meals for those that are under 4 months old and for tiny dogs. Once they are an adult (with the exception of toy/tiny dogs), you should be able to feed only once a day. Some owners recommend feeding at least twice a day for larger breeds such as great danes.
11. Feed larger sized meat pieces. Avoid cutting them into smaller chunks or grinding them. By allowing your bully to chew, paw and work through the meat, he will get physical, mental and dental satisfaction. HOWEVER, most rawfeeders avoid giving pieces that are as big as their dogās head. They consider these to be choking hazards as they are small enough to swallow whole and big enough to get stuck in the throat. Since our bulldogs tend to have bigger heads, the size range that I avoid is anything from as small as my fist (or half a fist for most guys) to the size of a chicken leg. I cut up any pieces in this range. Again, āKnow Thy Dogā ā¦ IF IN DOUBT, CUT IT UP!
12. Itās normal for your bully to regurgitate their food now and again. They will re-eat it after more crunching and chewing.
13. Give 1 protein for at least one or two weeks, then introduce another after. Some owners do a transition period where they would add small pieces of the new to the old and gradually increase the new as the days pass.
14. Read labels of all the protein you purchase. All meats must not be enhanced, flavoured, seasoned, etc and the sodium content must not exceed 100mg./4oz. Note that it is U.S. regulation that chicken cannot be enhanced.
15. Bone is commonly used to control poop consistency. The more bone, the firmer the stool. In the beginning, it is suggested that you sway from the 80-10-10 rule until you and your bully find the best ratio. If you find that he has dry fossil poop, decrease the amount of bone, if it is runny or too soft, increase. As weeks pass, you may find that your bully can handle a boneless meal now and again.
16. Most owners start with chicken as it is one of the cheaper meats, easy to obtain and bland as a protein. I started my bully with a chicken back. Some members here started with a leg quarter. Note that a leg quarter has 30% bone. You can also trim off the fats and skin to start to avoid runny stools.
17. Do not be surprised if your bully poops or vomits small bone pieces from the previous meal in the beginning. Again, his stomach needs to go through an adjustment period and the occurrence should decrease or cease eventually.
18. It is also not uncommon for them to vomit bile. The reasoning is similar to the above, especially if you decrease the amount of daily feedings.
19. Rawfed dogs drink less water than kibble fed dogs as they get some of the intake from the meat.
20. If after reading this you have more questions. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK. Knowledge is power ā¦ and for this instance, itās for safety.
Last edited by a moderator:
.. I really don't know what to do, I feel so bad for her..we have tried every food, from really expensive to cheap. The prescription food works ok, but it is really expensive and our vet said you're not suppose to keep her on it for long term. So, I wasn't sure what your thoughts were on ground beef, beef ribs, etc. Thank you for any advice
