# Switching my new all-white to raw, need some advice.



## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

so as isaid in my introduction i adopted my all-white named rex last saturday from a guy he couldn't keep him cause he had to leave malta quickly(malta is an island btw).

from saturday till yesterday he didn't want to eat dried food from his bowl but only from our hands.he loved to food that we cooked for us to from our hands. after searching the net i met the raw diet and heard about the great benefits. So yesterday i offered a chicken leg wich he ate without probs(also growled at me when i tried to take it from him lol) i never heard about the raw feeding in my country and i doubt anyone uses it.

now, to my question. how much do i have to feed my dog raw meat? is for example a chicken leg a day or 2 pork chops with the bone half an inch each a day good?

im still deciding if i switch him completly to raw meat diet since on this island meat is expensive and i lack the money. so im waiting to calculate how much it will cost me to see if its worth.

also rumors about the dog turning aggresive when fed raw red meat run around my country, is this true?

thanks for reading, and sorry for my bad english. also im not an expet when it comes to dogs so sorry if i say something stupid.Im just hoping to give this lovly dog a great home and life.


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

you have to feed a percantage of your dogs weight. so piece of this or piece of that is not going to be accurate.
Lauri and the Gang has a website www.rawdogranch.com that is a great resource. thats where I got help figuring out how much and what to feed.

check out all the stickies in this section and other threads as well. 

best of luck!


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

I highly suggest Lauri's site, it has a spreadsheet that will help you calculate home much of what to feed: RMBs (raw meaty bones), MM (muscle meat) and OM (organ meat).

Feeding your dog raw will not make it a bloodthirsty killer. Although, since he sees it as a high value item, you might want to try handfeeding it to him so he won't be too possessive over it (as indicated by the growl you mentioned).


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

Ok, thanks for the link i got the spreadsheet. How am i going to weigh my dog? have to take him to the vet i guess? also till i weigh him, should i stop feeding raw and continue on kibble until i get his weight and feed him the correct amount? cause i don't want to start the raw diet, then weigh him, find out i have to increase my food to like 2chicken legs a day or it becomes expansive and then i have to turn him back to kibble.
thanks alot for your helps


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I would wait until you get an accurate weight. This also means you will need to weigh his food. it wont be like 2 chicken legs, but maybe 10 oz of chicken legs and 6 oz chicken breast....all by weight , not pieces.


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

how old is the dog?

vets office will be your best bet but there are ways you can weigh him on your bathroom scale.


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

thanks for the help. my dog is 14 months old. today i fed him 2 pork chops wich contained fat strip , bone, alot of meat, and a piece of liver/kidney dunno wich of the 2.
i tried to offer him the second one like 30mins later but he didn't want it.
for some reason he doesn't eat alot especially his dried food. he loves to eat our food tough and he loved the meat. well i dunno what to do till i weigh him. should is give him dried food only? continue to offer meat without weighing? give him food from what we eat ? :S


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

Be careful with giving him liver/kidney right off the bat. From what I've read and what my "mentor" has told me, you should introduce those in small quantities at a time. OMs can be rich to a dog and lead to some digestive issues.


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

SouthernThistle said:


> Be careful with giving him liver/kidney right off the bat. From what I've read and what my "mentor" has told me, you should introduce those in small quantities at a time. OMs can be rich to a dog and lead to some digestive issues.


thanks, i offered him the second pork chop about an hour ago and he didn't want to eat it without me staying sitting near him while he eats lol. He didn't eat the kidney/liver part but ate the rest. i think he wasn't much hungry today since yesterday he got the chicken ran away with it and ate it. Im still waiting for some advied wether i could continue giving him raw meat by calculating how much satisfied he is or switch to dried food or to give him from our food(well that probably would still need weighing.) i really wish to avoid the dried food since my 3days reading got me realy scared of how bad it is. maybe there's dried food that contains more meat then the other parts? or maybe canned food?

i will wait for advise on what to feed for now since what people tell me here will decide what to feed him tomorrow. thanks alot.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Personally, I'd wait until you knew the exact amounts you should be feeding him...a pork chop here and chicken breast there isn't the way to go. You need to have a ratio of RMB, MM and OM and feed the correct weights not just items.

ETA: Also, I only feed two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, not within an hour or so apart.


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

yes thats how i feed to, i offered the other one after 30mins to see if one was enough for him, and seems it was.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

DarkSmoke said:


> i really wish to avoid the dried food since my 3days reading got me realy scared of how bad it is. maybe there's dried food that contains more meat then the other parts? or maybe canned food?
> .


 
there are some pretty high quality dry foods with a good quantity of meat in them, but im not sure what is available to you in Malta.


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

Eukanuba? Iams ? Purina? Science Plan(only sold by vets) ? there are alot of dog brands so well maybe you can name some of the best ones for me pls?


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

none of those are high quality. l would look for any of these brands, or something of similar quality. i don't know what you have available to you. DON'T look at the grocery store. Do you have any pet specialty stores, or anything similar? I would find a place like that and see what they carry. 

Brands: 

Innova
Natural Balance
Blue Buffalo
Wellness
.....
better idea.

When you find a place that specializes in pet food, look at the labels.

You want to find a dog food that doesn't have any by-products, corn, wheat, or soy. usually if a dog food has an ingredient list that doesn't include these it is going to be at least medium-high quality.

Here is the first 10 ingredients in Chicken Soup for the Pet lovers Soul large breed Adult. Not a Super premium kibble, but better than any of those brands you mentioned.

1. Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, millet, white rice, ocean fish meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols)

Here is the first 10 ingredients in Iams Proactive health Large Breed

2. Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Glucosamine), Ground Whole Grain Barley, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride


Hope that gives some idea.


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

hmm is those 2 you named good or bad? cause you said the ones i named are not high quality and then you named Iams wich i also named? sorry got me a bit confused.
i will try to find the brands you told me about and yes there are petshops/petstores here. thanks for the info!


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

I think Sunshine mentioned Iams for comparison purposes only. to show you how different/better ingredients are in Iams Proactive health Large Breed compared to Iams.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

just to throw more brands out there (in additon to what Kira posted)

Innova
Natural Balance
Blue Buffalo
Wellness
Natures Variety
Canidae
Orijen/Acana
Merrick
Fromm
Eagle Pack Holistic
Pinnacle


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

roxy84 said:


> just to throw more brands out there (in additon to what Kira posted)
> 
> Innova
> Natural Balance
> ...


thanks alot for the list.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

You definitely need to be weighing it out. If you don't want to, then feed kibble, but you can't just keep feeding him whatever. (of course you can't do that with kibble either)


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

smyke said:


> I think Sunshine mentioned Iams for comparison purposes only. to show you how different/better ingredients are in Iams Proactive health Large Breed compared to Iams.


 
wow, i cant even copy and paste. LOL

totally screwed that one up. but you probably got the idea anyway. :blush:


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

just wanted to update. i tried to give him dried food again but he didn't want to eat it. he ate only a few bites yesterday in the morning and in the evening. i don't wish to buy a bag of dried food cause he hates it since he is going to be switched to raw anyways so i doubt he would finish his bag and i have another half of another bag too i see it as waste. so i think i will try to guess meat till i weigh him since he eats more like that then with dried food.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Don't guess the meat, guess his weight. You NEED to weigh the meat out so that you know how much you're giving him, just estimate his weight. Ask other people how much their dogs weigh/weighed at whatever age he is and go by that for a while.


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

Well ok if somebody can help me gues his weight:
his 14months old


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Age doesn't really matter. A 14 month old could be 60lb while another is 90. If anyone has dogs who are around the same size as your dog then ask how much their dog weighs to get an idea. Your vet would probably let you weigh him for free without an appointment if you just run him by there.

Also, try mixing some water and canned food in his dry food. Just scoop in like a tablespoon of the wet food, mix it around to coat the kibble and then add some warm water over it to bring out the taste and smell of the food.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

GSDSunshine said:


> none of those are high quality. l would look for any of these brands, or something of similar quality. i don't know what you have available to you. DON'T look at the grocery store. Do you have any pet specialty stores, or anything similar? I would find a place like that and see what they carry.
> 
> Brands:
> 
> ...


 
Chicken Soup has a LOT of grains listed. Of which the rice causes a higher glycemic response.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I wasn't saying that it was a great food, but even that is better than those that rely on corn as a means of protein, Sure you can get your energy from Ramen noodles, mac and cheese and beanie wienies, and top it with a multivitamin, and get all your nutrients, but its not the same as getting the nutrients from good sources. i don't always eat very healthy, but my dog doesn't have that choice, he eats what I being home for him, if I brought home kibbles and bits, he would have to eat it. Does it supply him with the nutrients he needs? yep. But is it good for him? Nope. I understand that some dogs do better on the cheaper food than a more expensive brand, but that doesn't mean that high quality foods should be looked over. Or that a Corn based Dog (carnivore) food should be regarded as a better choice off the bat.

I'm going to stop now before I get into trouble. Grumpy today.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

GSDSunshine said:


> I wasn't saying that it was a great food, but even that is better than those that rely on corn as a means of protein, Sure you can get your energy from Ramen noodles, mac and cheese and beanie wienies, and top it with a multivitamin, and get all your nutrients, but its not the same as getting the nutrients from good sources. i don't always eat very healthy, but my dog doesn't have that choice, he eats what I being home for him, if I brought home kibbles and bits, he would have to eat it. Does it supply him with the nutrients he needs? yep. But is it good for him? Nope. I understand that some dogs do better on the cheaper food than a more expensive brand, but that doesn't mean that high quality foods should be looked over. Or that a Corn based Dog (carnivore) food should be regarded as a better choice off the bat.
> 
> I'm going to stop now before I get into trouble. Grumpy today.


The protein in the Iams doesn't come from corn. You are mistaking that for a GLUTEN MEALS. CORN GLUTEN MEAL is not the same as Corn Meal or just Corn.

Corn meal would be used for energy, along with the sorghum and the barley. 

Funny thing is if you look at a food with 23% protein for example and there are NO GLUTENS mentioned then regardless of the number of grains listed, the food is going to be getting the protein from meat. So the Chicken Soup probably used the same amount of meat as the Iams. Iams would have fewer grain types but probably the same amount in weight to the Chicken Soup that has more grain types. 

The only meals I know of that actually boost protein is alfalfa meal. But I will do a check on the Pet Food Industry website.

And I agree with you - dogs need MEAT! ;-) .... and bones!


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## kkalligher (Jan 29, 2010)

I have a 13 month old GSD. He weighs 83 lbs. The weight calculator for 2.5% (weight maintenance) is about 2.5# per day divided by 2 meals. So if you have a kitchen scale just weigh out about 1.25# per meal. I generally give him a chicken quarter for a meal. I also supplement if he is extra hungry with turkey necks, giblets, beef ribs just about anything I can get on sale. Chicken quarters I bought recently for .39 lb., backs .59 lb, beef ribs 1.00 lb. I would not continue on kibble. Get him switched to raw fast.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

kkalligher said:


> I have a 13 month old GSD. He weighs 83 lbs. The weight calculator for 2.5% (weight maintenance) is about 2.5# per day divided by 2 meals. So if you have a kitchen scale just weigh out about 1.25# per meal. I generally give him a chicken quarter for a meal. I also supplement if he is extra hungry with turkey necks, giblets, beef ribs just about anything I can get on sale. Chicken quarters I bought recently for .39 lb., backs .59 lb, beef ribs 1.00 lb. I would not continue on kibble. Get him switched to raw fast.


You forgot to add before "......get him switched to raw fast" 

Do not pass go, do not collect $200, "get him switched to raw fast!" 

:dogsledding: 

:rofl:


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## DarkSmoke (Feb 17, 2010)

kkalligher said:


> I have a 13 month old GSD. He weighs 83 lbs. The weight calculator for 2.5% (weight maintenance) is about 2.5# per day divided by 2 meals. So if you have a kitchen scale just weigh out about 1.25# per meal. I generally give him a chicken quarter for a meal. I also supplement if he is extra hungry with turkey necks, giblets, beef ribs just about anything I can get on sale. Chicken quarters I bought recently for .39 lb., backs .59 lb, beef ribs 1.00 lb. I would not continue on kibble. Get him switched to raw fast.


Done sir! lol thanks for the great info. i gave him a chicken quarter yesterday for a meal. the tigh in the morning and the drumstick in the evening. i offered another drumstick but he only played with it so with one chicken quarter he's fine. but should i feed until he's full or less then full im a bit woried about overfeeding/obesity?


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

What aren't you getting? Weigh it out! Use a scale, measure two meals of 1.25lbs (for now, until you know his real weight) then feed him one meal in the morning, and one meal at night. Whether he looks full or not, that's all he gets, or he will become overweight.


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