# Beginner puppy barf menu plan...help



## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Hi everyone,
I have been doing tons of research to start my 8 week puppy on this diet. I have found a local group that gets discounts for tons of diffirent meat options. As I read the 100's of choices I get worried about what I should start with. Can someone please give me a specific menu advise? He weighs 12lbs right now and is parents range from 80-95 lbs. I just want everyone to know I have read a book and done tons of research online and understand the fundementals, its just reading pages of different kinds of meats is overwhelming to me. I know once I actually start it I will be more confident in making the choices, I just hand holding while first getting my feet wet. Thanks.

:help:


----------



## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

Start with chicken. It is usually easiest. After a few weeks add in beef. It might be easier to start with ground chicken or beef. I did not start Fiona on raw until recently, so I don't know which bones are safe for puppy. I do know not chicken wings yet and never ever in a million years a cooked bone, even slightly cooked.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Yeah chicken is what I was thinking too. I was hoping for some exact examples bc I've read about adult dogs but am wondering what a good starter menu for a puppy would be. Thanks for the insight.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Just toss her/him? a chicken wing and boneless chicken to start. I don't remember if my GSD was eating chicken quarters at that age. I don't think so though. After that you can progress to other proteins. Personally I'd go with red meat next like beef. Then organs. You'll probably have to stick with chicken bones for awhile.


----------



## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

This is where I get confused. I had initially planned to start him on chicken wings, ground chicken, vitamin e and salmon oil and someone told me that I shouldn't start with chicken wings. I know that they can have all bones as long as they are not cooked, but should I hit the wings with a mallet before giving them to him? Or just give them to him whole? How long before trying another meat? Organs? Supplements? Thanks.


----------



## k4stles (May 15, 2013)

puppies deal with bones perfectly fine, it's like an instinct. just watch him while he is eating so you'll know if he's a gulper. in that case try frozen chicken wings or bigger pieces of chicken so he will have to chew on them. chicken thighs are also a good choice. as a second meat i used turkey, but you could try green tripe. green tripe has probiotics and it's on the acidic level so it will help him to handle new meats easily. don't give him a whole meal of green tripe though because runny stool would be on the way, just try a green tripe and chicken combination. also, red meat is super important. after green tripe and chicken, you could try beef, then turkey, then pork, lamb, goat, venison, anything, but slowly. you could start adding a piece of new meat with more of the old meat and gradually increase the new meat amount.

try adding organs now if you want to, just a tiny bit to start with combined with his meal. liver is very important. it's packed with vitamins your dog needs. organs tend to cause runny stool, that's why i, instead of feeding a whole meal of organ, just add little pieces to rei's meals. over time you should vary with other organs, keeping liver as your most important organ. i always have liver and any other organ(pancreas, tongue, kidney...)

don't worry about vitamin E, just give him raw whole eggs with shell and everything. egg contains vitamin E and fatty acids, so let eggs be your supplement. the problem with supplements is that they have abnormal amounts of vitamins. you should only supplement something your dog is not getting from his food. vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble, they are stored in the liver and fatty tissues and the body can't get rid of them easily, so you have to take this into account, cause a hypervitaminosis could occur. instead of fish oil supplements try to feed whole fish once a week. good fatty fishes are mackerel, herring, salmon, sardines and anchovies. i buy whole atlantic mackerels from an asian store. they're cheap. but i guess it depends on where you get your food from. ethnic stores are a good source.

ps* there's not exactly time to tell when to try a new meat, let his poop tell when you he's ready


----------



## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

Fiona's meal. Morning chicken thigh + chicken drumstick. Dinner 1/2 pound ground beef.

About the chicken wing,it is the pointy part. Maybe you can clip it off with kitchen shears.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

So fiona is a puppy? I have a great deal for chicken quarters...would that and ground chicken be a good start? So puppies have no problem with thigh or drumstick bones? Also, where do you feed yours? Are they messy? Do they drag around house? Im wondering bc our living room and kitchen is one big room and I dont want Samson dragging raw chciken parts around our house.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Just buy some chicken and feed the dog. There is no need to mash or break up or cut up anything. You're making this way more complicated then it really is, lol. There is no concern regarding chicken wings; my papillon does just fine with them. As for what types of bones, chicken bones are one of the cheapest and softest bones you can possibly start your puppy on.

I would not give supplements of any kind. Just source it naturally. 

My dogs are fed in their crates. No exceptions. Some people feed outside.


----------



## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

Fiona is feed in the dining room, but takes it to the carpet of the living room, hence the install of laminate next week. Fiona is a puppy, but is 12 months. We started raw this month with a few weeks of raw when she was 8 months.

Some people are very good and weigh the quarters so that you get the right amount. Now I eyeball it after weighing it for several weeks.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

I know I am over thinking it, I just want to make sure I don't end up with a dog that I gave a deficiency to. My vet(not for long as I am trying to find another) told me how bad it is, and he would end up sick and my girls would get sick from his poop(like I let my kids play with dog poop anyways). He went on and on about deficiencies, food poisoning, e coli and salmonella. I tried to tell him I had done the research and knew it would benefit him. He pretty much told me I was stupid for even considering this diet. I think that put me on edge, that I need to everything correctly. Thanks everyone for all the help. I am still open to more ideas. Thanks.


----------



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

lindsay1126 said:


> I know I am over thinking it, I just want to make sure I don't end up with a dog that I gave a deficiency to. My vet(not for long as I am trying to find another) told me how bad it is, and he would end up sick and my girls would get sick from his poop(like I let my kids play with dog poop anyways). He went on and on about deficiencies, food poisoning, e coli and salmonella. I tried to tell him I had done the research and knew it would benefit him. He pretty much told me I was stupid for even considering this diet. I think that put me on edge, that I need to everything correctly. Thanks everyone for all the help. I am still open to more ideas. Thanks.


First thing - find a NEW VET! That is very unprofessional of him to say you are being "stupid" for thinking about the diet. 

Before I give you my advice, here's my background. Raised 2 dogs (1 GSD and 1 Chinese Crested) from 8 weeks of age to current time on raw. Whelped 3 litters of Chinese Crested puppies directly to raw. Have 4 Cresteds that have NEVER had kibble in their lives. They are currently 1, 2 and almost 3 yrs old. I have a 14 yr old Corgi mix that has been raw fed for over a decade.

So, puppies are the easiest to switch. I don't bother with slowly introducing proteins - their bodies haven't been 'affected' as much by the kibble so I feel they can handle everything right away.

As far as RMBs go a GSD pup should be able to handle chicken necks and wings and the smaller backs, legs and thighs. Small whole rabbits (no skin) or rabbit sections should also be ok. Small turkey necks should also be doable. As they grow you can add pork and lamb necks as well as duck parts, turkey backs and more.

For muscle meats - beef, chicken, pork, turkey, rabbit, fish, lamb, goat, etc.

For organs - liver is the easiest to find but try to find different sources (beef, chicken, venison, etc.).

I recommend that people try for 3-5 different protein sources in their dogs food per week.

Remember - balance over TIME - not every day. 

Amounts to feed - I like to start an 8 week old puppy at about 5-7% of their CURRENT weight. I feed that for a week and then weigh them and check them out physically. Puppies should NEVER be fat or rolly-polly. That is not healthy. A puppy should be built like a miniature version of an adult.

Check their weight. If they are losing weight, give them more food. If they are gaining too much weight - cut back a little.

Puppies, just like kids, go through phases of growth - spurts and stops. Just keep an eye on their physical shape and you'll be ok.


----------



## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

I'm too lazy to go by current puppy weight. I just start out at 2 lbs a day and increase/decrease depending on body condition. I agree with Laurie, I never bothered with the slow introduction of proteins. Both of my dogs, one of which used to be on kibble and one raised from 8 weeks, were given a variety from the get-go. They both are doing fine. Though the one raised from 8 weeks is quite finicky.


----------



## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Thanks everyone,
I appreciate all the input. I think I will start with leg quarters or wings and some ground beef or chicken. I guess which ever is cheaper. I have found a local farmer selling grass fed beef for 1.90/lb. So I will be picking up a 1/4 of the COW! in about a month. Fish here is really expensive so could I feed chicken and canned fish(tuna or mackerel) so he can have 2 proteins until I get the beef next month. (which we will sharing with Samson). OK, so one last question. I know that RMB should constitute 50% of his diet but if you give a more bony RMB how do you calculate how much meat to add? This is probably common sense but, math is my worst subject. So if I gave him wings, backs or necks would I still give 50% or should I put more MM? That seems like a lot of bone, and he might get constipated. Thanks again.


----------



## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Bump

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------

