# new to B.A.R.F



## truwrxtacy (Oct 29, 2009)

Hey guys,
I just adopted a GSD, about 2.5 yrs old white, and he sheds like crazy which i was expecting but his coat isn't very good. I've been reading up about feeding him raw, he was used to eating human food before he was adopted so he refuses to eat kibbles now. 

I was reading up on some of the terms and I had a few questions, I know what RMB is, but what is OM and MM? Other meat? main meat? 

My GSD is 85 lbs, so should i feed him 2 lb of meat a day? Can i just give him the whole chicken thigh? like how the come packaged from the grocery store? and i notice people say i should put in liver and such as part of their diet, how often should i do this? 

thanks


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## AvaLaRue (Apr 4, 2010)

Hi and welcome. There is lots of information in the BARF/Raw thread. I would also recommned this site... Raw Dog Ranch - Welcome! TONS of information there.
Good Luck! And thanks for adopting!! Would love to see pics!


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## truwrxtacy (Oct 29, 2009)

thanks for the link, heres a picture i took of him last night


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

MM muscle meat
OM organ meat


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

truwrxtacy said:


> Hey guys,
> I just adopted a GSD, about 2.5 yrs old white ...


Congrats!!



> ... he sheds like crazy which i was expecting but his coat isn't very good. I've been reading up about feeding him raw, he was used to eating human food before he was adopted so he refuses to eat kibbles now.


A raw diet will help with the shedding AND the condition of his coat.



> but what is OM and MM? Other meat? main meat?


OM = Organ Meat (liver, kidneys, brains, eyes, etc.)

MM = Muscle Meat (any meat WITHOUT bones)



> My GSD is 85 lbs, so should i feed him 2 lb of meat a day?


It depends on his current condition. Is he at a good wight right now - does he need to gain or lose weight?

If his current weight is ideal for him then I would start with 2.5% of his body weight. That would be 2 pounds 2 ounces per day. After a week or two I would check his weight. If he's gaining weight (and he doesn't need to be) - cut it back about 2-3 ounces. If he is losing weight (and he doesn't need to be) then increase his food about 2-3 ounces.

Keep up this routine (feed for a week or two then weigh) until you find the amount that works best for him.



> Can i just give him the whole chicken thigh? like how the come packaged from the grocery store?


Yes, you can BUT that's not ALL you need to feed him.

I recommend feeding a diet that is made up of 45% Raw Meaty Bones (RMBs), 50% Muscle Meat and 5% Organ Meat. You want to vary the proteins you feed - don't make it ALL chicken.

My guys get chicken, beef, turkey, duck, lamb, fish, bison, goat, venison, elk, pork, etc. I aim for 5-7 different protein sources being fed each week.



> ... i notice people say i should put in liver and such as part of their diet, how often should i do this?


That's part of you Organ Meat group (the 5% of the diet). I prefer to feed it every day at a small amount to avoid any gastric upsets. Liver is VERY rich and too much at once can cause loose stools.


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## truwrxtacy (Oct 29, 2009)

So I tried the raw diet yesterday, gave him a chicken thigh for breakfast, went out for 4 hours came back and found he peed and pooped on Hoa cage and his stool was loose almost watery. He normallys waits for me to come home before he uses the bathroom, so I am scared to feed him raw agai


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Was the skin still on the chicken? The skin can be very fatty and upsetting to the tummy if they're not used to it. 

Also, just FYI, I couldn't tell if you watched him eat and then left or just fed and left him, but I wouldn't feed my dog raw unsupervised, especially the RMB. I haven't had a problem with choking, but it's much like leaving them with a bone or chew, don't do it unsupervised.


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## truwrxtacy (Oct 29, 2009)

Ya I left the skin on it didn't know I was not suppose to. I guess I will try it again without the skin on Friday when I have my day off so I can watch him do his business. Thx for the opinion


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> Congrats!!
> 
> OM = Organ Meat (liver, kidneys, brains, eyes, etc.)
> 
> MM = Muscle Meat (any meat WITHOUT bones)


So then what do you call, say, a thigh if you feed it with the bone in? Isn't it still a muscle?


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## truwrxtacy (Oct 29, 2009)

^^ I would like to know also, and that also brings up a good question, on the weight of the food if it has bone so I consider that as part of the weight?


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

A thigh, fed WITH the bone, is a RMB - Raw *MEATY[b/] Bone.

Some RMBs are more meaty than others. A thigh is much meatier than a neck. So - if you are going to be feeding alot of necks I would suggest lowering the RMB percentage to about 35-40 and up the MM percentage to compensate.

The ideal diet has between 10 - 15% ACTUAL bone in it. Some dogs tolerate more bone, some tolerate less bone. You need to find what works for YOUR dog (stools not too loose and not too dry) and go with that.

It's not an exact science but then again, neither is feeding a human baby and people manage to do that! *


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I was going to search for this post but I figured it would be easier to just do it all over again.

Here is a basic chicken thigh - it weighs 5.5 ounces:











And here I have removed as much meat as possible. The bone weighs 1.75 ounces:











And just the meat - 3.75 ounces:










So, if 5.5 ounces of RMBs is the dogs daily intake and that represents 45% of their full amount, then the actual bone is roughly 15% or less of their daily intake.

1.75 / 5.5 = 32% (rounding up) and then you cut that by about half (32 * 45%) = 14.4%

I HATE math so I don't really bother being so exact. I just watch my dogs to see what works for them and go with that.


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