# Raw Feeding questions



## USMC-k9 (Feb 6, 2013)

I've never fed a raw diet before and I understand the logic behind it. I have a few questions though bc I have only fed blue buffalo wilderness to my dogs.

*1.* I know the types of meats to feed and to mix it up with organs as well. So what would a typical meal consist of? 

*2.* How many times a day would I feed it?

*3. *How do I ensure I'm not over feeding? For example if I start my puppy on raw how do I know what the puppy portion is compared to adult dog. I'm assuming you know when you are over feeding if theres food left over but is there a time limit. Like feed what the dog can eat in 10 min?

*4.*I have Blue Buffalo wilderness puppy kibble for my gsd pup thats coming in a few weeks, I will start off feeding that so whats a good way to transition? would it just be the same concept of transitioning from one kibble brand to another?

Hopefully I'm not too scattered with my thoughts and questions. Thanks in advance everyone


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## USMC-k9 (Feb 6, 2013)

Ok I found a link in the forum that is FAQ and has helped a ton. Still your experiences and opinions are appreciated.


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

Those are interesting questions - and I who have always fed kibble, have wondered about that. If I were you, I would search on the BARF forum while waiting for replies and I would do a general search for books and articles on getting started with RAW.


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## USMC-k9 (Feb 6, 2013)

Mary Beth said:


> Those are interesting questions - and I who have always fed kibble, have wondered about that. If I were you, I would search on the BARF forum while waiting for replies and I would do a general search for books and articles on getting started with RAW.


The Original Top 50 BARF FAQs for Beginners - BARF: A Bones and Raw Food Diet for Dogs

this is the link I found that has answered alot of my questions.


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## OffgridAlex (Dec 11, 2012)

Hello

IMO

1) Start with one animal, see how your dog gets on then add others - eg - start with chicken - buy backs/necks/bony bits + Some chicken meat or heart + some chicken organs. 

2) puppy x3 dog x2 

3)Trial and error, over a period of time if the dog gets fatter cut down if the dog gets too skinny add more.


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## billsharp (May 3, 2011)

Congrats. I love raw feeding.

1. Liesl hates raw chicken, so her typical meal is about 1 lb of groundmeat, with either a similar sized piece of meaty bone (usually pork neck) or a whole gutted tilapia (about 8-10 inches long). She gets occasional beef liver (about a tablespoon, diced up and mixed so she can't avoid it, since she hates liver also--or I just put it down her throat like a pill), raw or cooked egg, cooked chicken w/ rice, a daily multivitamin, fish oil tablets, and assorted treats like chicken jerky strips, "Greenies" for chewing and breath, etc. We don't feed her any grainy treats like Milkbones, or much rawhide at all. (Our vice is that we give her small amounts of totally unhealthy treats like popcorn, cookies, ice cream, nuts (no macadamias), and other junk food we eat.)

She is two years old, sleeps inside all night freely on a pillow in the corner downstairs. She has had no poops or accidents. She ate something in the yard that disagreed with her one time and threw up that night all over downstairs, and had green diarrhea for about 4 days. We fed her boiled chicken and rice during that time and she recovered well and is back to normal. Otherwise, her digestion and bowels have not been a problem at all, and she has no skin itching from food allergies. I attribute this easy aspect of her care to her raw diet.

2. This is fed once a day, in the morning. She has time for it to push her digestive system during the day so she does not feel the urge to have a b.m. while inside for the night.

3. Read the section in this forum on Raw/BARF, it (and the links) has everything you need to know.

4. We did not need a transition period at all, although it is certainly reasonable that your dog might. 

The main problem I had with raw was continuing to try to feed twice a day. She was not hungry enough at either setting to clean her plate, so we had raw food attracting flies and varmints, or had to pick it up after several minutes, meaning she skipped that meal. Since I moved to once a day (when she was about a year old) she eats it all right then, and we solved all those problems.

Just picked up a yard full of poop, also, after a week of being too busy and having bad weather. It was like picking up odorless white marbles--not the vile and disgusting task you have when your dog eats grainy foods. This is a HUGE benefit of raw.


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## USMC-k9 (Feb 6, 2013)

billsharp said:


> Congrats. I love raw feeding.
> 
> 1. Liesl hates raw chicken, so her typical meal is about 1 lb of groundmeat, with either a similar sized piece of meaty bone (usually pork neck) or a whole gutted tilapia (about 8-10 inches long). She gets occasional beef liver (about a tablespoon, diced up and mixed so she can't avoid it, since she hates liver also--or I just put it down her throat like a pill), raw or cooked egg, cooked chicken w/ rice, a daily multivitamin, fish oil tablets, and assorted treats like chicken jerky strips, "Greenies" for chewing and breath, etc. We don't feed her any grainy treats like Milkbones, or much rawhide at all. (Our vice is that we give her small amounts of totally unhealthy treats like popcorn, cookies, ice cream, nuts (no macadamias), and other junk food we eat.)
> 
> ...


Good info thank you. What multivitamin do you feed?


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## Mog (Aug 10, 2012)

1. I'm in the same boat and just worked out my pups diet plan. I'm going to feed twice a day. 
First meal will be 12oz or so of RMB, 2nd meal will be 14oz of MM and 1.4oz of OM. RMB's will be chicken necks, wings, backs and leg quarters for the first month. MM will be pork, split chicken breast and beef heart. OM will be calf, chicken and pork liver.

2. Already said, but twice a day. RMB's in the am so he can digest during the day.

3. Each dog is different. I'm starting with the above amounts and will modify as needed. Go by your dog... run your hand along his ribs... you should be able to feel them and not see them. Meaning enough meat, but not so much you can't feel his ribs and obviously enough so you can't see his ribs protruding just looking at him. You want to keep him lean, but not starved  If the pup doesn't eat in 20 min, take it away.

4. Read this page on Lauri's site, the RawDogRanch: How To Switch



USMC-k9 said:


> I've never fed a raw diet before and I understand the logic behind it. I have a few questions though bc I have only fed blue buffalo wilderness to my dogs.
> 
> *1.* I know the types of meats to feed and to mix it up with organs as well. So what would a typical meal consist of?
> 
> ...


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Mog said:


> 1. I'm in the same boat and just worked out my pups diet plan.* I'm going to feed twice a day*.
> First meal will be 12oz or so of RMB, 2nd meal will be 14oz of MM and 1.4oz of OM. RMB's will be chicken necks, wings, backs and leg quarters for the first month. MM will be pork, split chicken breast and beef heart. OM will be calf, chicken and pork liver.
> 
> 2. Already said, but twice a day. RMB's in the am so he can digest during the day.
> ...


I found feeding 3 meals per day for a young growing baby was necessary. Raw goes through the system very fast, and smaller portions 3x's a day is a bit harder to portion out but it is worth doing. I always fed about 2#(or a bit more) per day, and still do> dog is almost 4 yrs and 90#. 

I cut back to two meals per day when my pup was about 16 weeks old(teething began and pup was in a slower growth spurt) I still had to give a midnight snack so pup wouldn't barf bile early in the morning. 
It does depend on the activity level and metabolism, my pup wouldn't have thrived on two meals per day when he was so young. He needed nutrition often! My vet commented that he needed to gain, but then vets are use to seeing obese dogs, not ones with a working structure.

I never 'transitioned'(raw/kibble combo) my other dogs when switching them/it was a cold turkey change of diet.
Though I did get a grain free kibble for the last bag before the change(Timberwolf Organics). 
Had no problem with the switch, and one of my dogs was 10 yrs old with bad breath, teeth and hot spots. She never got another hot spot and her teeth cleaned up along with her stinky breath. She lived to be almost 15.


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## Mog (Aug 10, 2012)

I guess I should have been a little more specific. I would like to break the pups meals up into 3 times a day for the first 2 months... but unfortuantely, I have to work and there is no one else to feed him during the day, so I'll be feeding our pup twice a day. If you can feed 3 times a day, I would for at least the first 2 months. Depending on how he handles the two meals, he may need a midnight snack due to the barf bile. 

Jane, what do you feed for a midnight snack? That's one thing I haven't decided on yet.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I gave a turkey neck chunk or a chicken thigh...the ratio of bone/meat is enough to keep the tummy full. 
My male gained an average of 3# per week til he was 8 months old. Not really the norm, but that's what it was!


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## Mog (Aug 10, 2012)

Thanks Jane.

And USMC, I forgot to add that I'm also feeding tripe daily and will add talapia or mackerel in as well as part of his MM, once I figure out which type pup likes better. And then salmon oil/vit E when he's 4 months old.


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