Author Topic: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?  (Read 3847 times)

Lyn

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Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« on: December 03, 2005, 10:07:53 pm »
I think I've figured this out... Does this sound about right or too much. Bubba is about 110 pounds and 10 months old. My calculations are at 2.5% of his body weight.

These are my numbers for a month...

Raw meaty bones -- 46 pounds (Chicken leg, wings, thighs and breast with bone in)
Muscle Meat == 26.8 pounds (ground meat and or beef heart)
Organ Meat == 3.4 pounds. ( Beef and or turkey)

Thanks  ;D

« Last Edit: December 03, 2005, 10:31:54 pm by Lyn »

Offline hugo~monster

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Re: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2005, 10:24:00 pm »
I used the 2.5% of the body weight as a starting point for Hugo.  Depending on your pup's growth, size, need to gain or lose weight, this certainly could be a good guideline for you.  As a pup the 2.5% seems a bit low, but again you have to gage it to your growing dog's needs.  The 2.5% changes from day to day.  IF he is looking a bit too lean, increase it by 1/2-1% and see where that goes.  I would supplement this a couple of times a week with some type of veggie mush and maybe a little brown rice, as a filler or treat meal.  Vary your meats also.  Chicken and turkey is a good staple but dont forget about hamburger, beef stew pieces, beef rib bones, beef livers, tongue (yuck) etc.  Eggs are also good a couple of times a week.  Just poach or scramble.  Supposedly raw eggs are not good for dogs.  Biotin in the raw eggs detroy the biotin in the dog's system, something to that effect.  One raw egg once in a while shouldnt hurt.  You can give cottage cheese and yogurt too.  The rmb and meat should be the majority of the diet, but dont leave out the other stuff.  There are many who do feed strictly meat with no other veggies or fruits or grains.  Alot of them feed the whole carcass, meaning they toss out a rabbit-or other animal- (whole and intact) and let the dog eat it like he made the kill. 

Just dont foget Bubba is a growing pup and that you may have to adjust this amount daily.  Hugo weighs 88 lbs and he gets approx 1.5%-2% daily and he is 3 years old.  Of course you want to keep a large breed lean without too much heavy body fat, especially while growing.  Maybe some others will post their experiences with raw feeding and tell you the math they use.  Hugo loves the raw diet and he does great on it.  Oh forgot to mention that canned fish is also great.  Tuna, salmon, sardines, but Hugo seems to have a slight allergy to fish.   
~SHELLIE & HUGO~

Lyn

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Re: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2005, 10:38:26 pm »
Good point.. I didn't account for the growing puppy stage. So now I have to figure that out all over again. LOL

Thank you for the help and list of other meats and extras. I need to write all this stuff down.

Right now I'm pretty much sold on feeding raw. My hubby on the other hand isn't. He thinks it will cost an arm and a leg. So I'm going to call the butcher to try and figure out approximate costs. As soon as I told him 76.2 pounds total his eyes kinda bugged out. LOL Wait until I tell him I need to up that amount since Bubba is still growing.  ;)

Offline hugo~monster

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Re: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2005, 11:56:59 pm »
we have a meat supplier in town and they supply various restaraunts and such, but also sells to the public.  you have to buy by the bulk (40 lbs packages) but it is alot cheaper than going to your regular grocer's.  to convince you hubby, sit down and figure the cost of a months worth of premium dog food.  i bet the raw will be no more expensive than the dog food, in fact i bet it will be cheaper!  it is for me.  also you can tell him the other fine points of this diet-less water intake (which means less moping up puddles of water in the house), less poop in the yard-hey less doggy landmines speaks for itself! little or no doggy breath and clean teeth,  and also better overall health which means less vet visits.  also raw diet for large breeds means they dont have the growth spurts like they do on kibble-obviously means better skeleton and cartilage health-less joint/hip/elbow problems. 

you can also talk to your grocer if you dont have a meat suppler in your town to see if he wont let you buy the day-old stuff cheap which he will have to mark down anyway.  tell him you are feeding your dog and explain all this to him.  sometimes the grocer (butcher) will save you the scraps and trimmings and give them to you or sell them super cheap.  also you can ask him about special ordering things like backs and necks.  this is something they normally dont carry in the store, but him ordering it for might just let you in on his price.  you can also work on cleaning out your refridgerator.  anything veggie wise that you might be going to toss because it is a little wilted (droopy not rotten) can be mushed up and fed to the pooches.  REMEMBER NO ONIONS OR GRAPES/RAISINS.  Anything you might have in the freezer that is still good, but that might not be fresh for you guys to eat can be prepared for the dogs.  Pretty much there is nothing in my house that goes to waste anymore.  those carrots that are a little soft, or the celery that isnt bright green anymore, etc.  always remember no cooked bones though.  and dont mix kibble with raw.  put at least 8 hours between kibble and raw.     
« Last Edit: December 03, 2005, 11:58:31 pm by hugo~monster »
~SHELLIE & HUGO~

Offline cuttles/sadieMay

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Re: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2005, 01:42:24 am »
Hi!
It sounds to me like you have a lot of knowledge in this are but I was just wondering if Chicken and Turkey bones are safe for dogs to eat?
I have always been told that dogs should never get chicken bones!
Just wondering what your oppinion is on this ?
Thanks
cuttles

Lyn

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Re: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2005, 09:31:26 am »
hugo~monster, Thank you. The butcher we go to sells everything in 10 pound boxes. He might give me a deal seeing as this doesn't have to be the AAA grade meats.

I figured out that we spend about $80 canadian on kibble for one month. So as long as this is equal or less than that I know my hubby will be ok with it. I'm not working right now, so he will be footing the bill.

I know Bubba is ok with chicken. If I happened to unthawed too much for supper I used to give Bubba the extra. Those were the only times he would have solid poops. So I do think he would do well with the raw diet.

cuttles/sadieMay, Chicken and turkey bones and all are ok as long as they are raw. Once cooked the bones get brittle and will splinter.

Offline hugo~monster

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Re: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2005, 10:10:01 pm »
Hi!
It sounds to me like you have a lot of knowledge in this are but I was just wondering if Chicken and Turkey bones are safe for dogs to eat?
I have always been told that dogs should never get chicken bones!
Just wondering what your oppinion is on this ?
Thanks
cuttles

cuttles, i have been feeding hugo raw for over a year.  i have researched quite a bit, even though i dont know a drop in the bucket compared to the info out there.  raw is a bit trial and error.  as far as feeding bones go, its like lyn said raw bones do fine but cooked ones are the dangerous ones.  i used to feel the same way about feeding bones.  i was worried about it, because we are told  all our lives that bones splinter and not to feed them to dogs.  but hugo has never had a problem with a raw bone at all.  in fact he digests them very well. 
~SHELLIE & HUGO~

Offline sc.trojans

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Re: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2006, 07:46:22 pm »

2.5% for a large breed puppy is too low - I feed 2% to my grown, moderate metabolism dogs, but for growing puppies they may need more than twice this especially during growth spurts - once they reach maximum height you can tailor this down.  The ultimate test must be the individual dog, and how his ribs feel, but you can gage by growth rate as well.  You don't want to overgrow or grow too fast so as a result I believe it is critical to know the breed and desired growth patterns.
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Offline Hedda Garland

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Re: Raw Feeders... Does this sound right?
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2006, 06:24:52 pm »
Since you already got all the information about the amounts to feed I can only add that you can find great suppliers or coops through raw feeding yahoo groups. That's how I found great suppliers and good prices. You can check the groups for states or regions and people are very helpful. Sometimes hunters also seem to have the "leftovers" for rawfeeders.