# Ready to start Zuzu on raw! Help!



## lucymom (Jan 2, 2009)

Raw ladies! SOS! Thanks to Grimmi's mom, who is a font of knowledge and gentle pursuasion, I'm gearing up to go raw with Zuzu, and then Aik (who still has about 30 pounds of Canidae left....)

Zuzu was fed chicken quarters by her breeder, when I bought her home, I did a half-hearted follow up but Zooz mostly played with the chicken and coveted Aik's kibble and canned.

But....I've seen the light--and the "after" pics and am ready to commit. I'm researching wholesale meat sources, have a lead on a free freezer (not pretty, but free) and a restaurant supply store that has affordable--for now--chicken quarters.

I need to get a scale--a cheap one--any suggestions?

I have a starter kit in my freezer---chicken quarters, gizzards, breasts and livers. I have yogurt (plain) as well. They both love canned mackeral and fish oil already.

So....here are the stats: Zuzu is 7 months about 62-65 pounds. Very lean right now, and suddenly, in the past two weeks, is eating VORACIOUSLY, which she has never done before. She's getting three big meals of canned, kibble and fish oil a day, and sniffing around for more. This seems like a good time to get her on something new. I'll feed her in her crate to dissuade her from playing with her food.

Aik is age 11, 100 pounds, in decent shape--they both get a good romp every night, long beach or woods walks and runs on the weekends during the winter. Aik has some decent muscle on him for an older dog and can still run after the occasional seagull and wrestles with Zuzu. Zuzu of course is full of puppy energy outside, very good inside, with the exceptpion of daily zoomies.

Okay....now what?? Amounts?? Proportions??? Weights??

I read Lauri's site and some threads, have a good idea as to where to start, but I want to get it right and I"m not sure about how much to feed each dog.









THanks!


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

good luck sweetie!!


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Usually it's 2-3% of a dog's ideal weight. With Zuzu, you'll have to do some estimating since she's still a pup. The proper ratios vary a bit but the one consistent is that 10% of the diet should be organ meat (kidneys, liver, spleen, other secreting organs) with half of that total being liver. I know some people who feed 80:10:10 (muscle meat:raw meaty bonesrgans) and others who feed 60:30:10 (or something like that). These are numbers to get you started but some dogs do better with more bone than others. 

My kitchen scale is nothing fancy. I think it was like $10 at Wal-Mart. It's not digital and only weight up to 7 lbs. But it's more than satisfactory for what I need.

Good luck!


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

I got the cheap scale at walmart. There are like 3 different kinds though and I made sure I got the one that was capable of measuring in oz. 

Denali is only 1 month older than Zuzu so I'll use her. I feed her 2.5% of what I think she'll grow to be when she gets older which is 75lb. She also does well on 50% RMB 45% MM and 5% OM. If I feed her more meat than that she gets runny poo. 

Right now, she's losing a little too much weight (I had her on 2% of 75lb.) so I have to adjust her portions a bit. 

Basically, she gets 1.8lb or 30oz. of meat a day. 
15oz is RMB, 13.5oz is MM, 1.5oz is OM. 

For Ike since he's older I would start him at 2.5% of 100lb if you feel that it's his ideal weight. If he starts gaining too much weight then his portions need to be cut. 

They might get explosive diarrhea so maybe some plain canned pumpkin would help.


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## lucymom (Jan 2, 2009)

Well, we are no strangers to explosive diarreah around here! 

Aik stole some of Zuzu's chicken quarters when she first got here and loved them and I saw no exploding, but one has to be ready....

I live in a Wal-mart-free zone, but I'll travel to one to get a cheap scale!!

Thanks for the suggestions!!


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Gee... and I rilly rilly need to go to WallyWorld, too!







A Walmart food scale is great, I need to pick one up there too. 

Doing 50% meat, 50% bone (roughly) and just tossing in a teeny weeny bit of liver (size of fingernail) is how I began. But, if it's 65% bone, that's worked out to be good for Grimm-- if it's a chicken quarter. (necks are different, they're more bone per piece, so I feed less in weight if I feed any necks)

Tahiry, does Denali eat 30 oz per day or per meal? I know you typed per day.. just wanting to be sure. Each meal is 15 oz?

Jen, I would feed Zooz the exact amount Denali is getting, since we are feeding a percentage of projected adult weight, and she and Denali will probably be roughly the same size.

1.Think of the total per day to feed in ounces. 
2. Divide that in two (since she will eat 2 meals per day) That's how much each meal should weigh. 
3. Throw a chicken quarter into the bowl on the foodscale, then 
4. Just add MM (breast or stomachs) until it reaches that number.


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

You can sort of experiment with the chicken to begin with to see how each dog does on what ratios. For my guys a 1/4 is a pretty balanced meal as far as meat/bone ratio and the OM attached gets them through just fine. Some dogs need more meat added. The evidence is in the poop- literally. If they are straining and poop dust you need to add more MM if it is loose they might need a little more bone. I find starting with 1/4s to be the easiest way to figure out what works for each dog. That said most of my dogs were weaned onto raw during venny season soooooooooooo.... do as I say not as I do.


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## lucymom (Jan 2, 2009)

Jeez, there's MATH involved??? So THIS is what my teachers meant when they said "yes, you WILL need to use percentages and fractions in real life."

If anybody here asks me to "solve for x" I'm going back on kibble!!!!!


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

BTW did you get your hand and shoes cleaned up?


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## lucymom (Jan 2, 2009)

HAH! The shoes have joined the pile of poopy shoes out on the deck, hoping that the shoe cleaning fairy takes care of it. Since that has never happened, I'll deal with it when it stops raining. As far as my hands.....I'm hoping so!! Double whammy tonight!!

And Zooz is STILL not tired!! We just had midnight Zoomies!!!! I'm trying to get ready for bed!

And you Ruq? Have you put the hospital on alert that you might need a transfusion from puppy attacks???


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

I have an IV drip of blood in one arm and coffee in the other!


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

Oops sorry! She gets 30oz of raw for day. I split her meals in two. She gets a full portion of RMB in the morning and all of her MM and OM at night. 
Sometimes I will throw in some chicken feet or a whole Mackerel or a whole egg (shell on).

Every 2 days, she gets half the MM portion and half green tripe.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Did you get the name zuzu from "Its a wonderful life" ?
Off topic, sorry!


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