# Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, help!



## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

Well, kenya has bad food allergies and the vet suggested raw








ive been doing my research but im having trouble deciding on what to put in a meal for her
Shes 50 pounds, average activity level, and has a dry/flaky/itchy coat right now that is in some desperate need of some TLC
any ideas?
I would also like to know HOW MUCH to feed her, ive heard 2-4% percent of her body weight is good









Maybe a chicken quarter twice a day? 

What should i add as far as extras? fish oil capsules, eggs, ect..ect..

as far as organ meat, is chicken hearts ok? thats all i could find 

please give me an example of some meals appropriate of a dog like her

im not trying to rush into this, but her itching from her allergies is driving us all crazy. not to mention the nasty poos, crazy shedding,ect.. and i think the sooner we start.. the better. 

thank so much!


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

I know others will chime in here, but I just wanted to say that I admire you for wanting to start the raw with Kenya!







It helped Grimm's allergies HUGELY. I thought grain-free kibble would be enough... but only on raw has his allergies gone away.

You have a supportive vet, and lots of folks here who will give you the best answers. 

I just wanted to offer you support and say GOOD for you for starting raw with Kenya! It will be cheaper and easier than you thin, not to mention fun. Oh, yes-- and HEALTHY for Kenya!!


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## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*



> Originally Posted By: BrightelfI know others will chime in here, but I just wanted to say that I admire you for wanting to start the raw with Kenya!
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> ...


ive tried ever extremely expensive, grain free, all natural food on the market. including evo, ect.. and nothing had worked
im sooo hoping she will finally do well on this







i just dont want to mess it up! lol i went to the supermarket and found i was surprised how not expensive it could be


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: FransheskaWell, kenya has bad food allergies and the vet suggested raw
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First off, I would buy a kitchen scale because each quarter is different - some are well over 1lb and others closer to .5lbs. So, it would be hard to say "feed one quarter in the am and one in the pm." Also, I can't give my male "just chicken quarters;" he needs more MM than that. So, it is going to be trial and error on the correct bone:meat ratio for your dog (too dry...add more MM, the opposite, more bone). I would start feeding 2-3% of her body weight and then if she gains weight, cut back and if she looses, add some more!

Since you are suspecting allergies, I would feed JUST chicken for at least the first 3-4 weeks (or until the itching subsides) - and that includes having treats be only chicken. If it doesn't help, you might try a different protein source. The supplements can wait. If you add all this at once and your dog keeps itching, you don't know if the cause is the meat or the supplement. Once the itching stops, you can add one new protein source and wait a little bit and see how she does with that. We added salmon oil as if it were a new protein source - by itself, one at a time. I noticed a difference around the 3-4 week mark with my dog, but I am sure each dog is different.

chicken hearts and gizzards are both considered muscle meat. OM would be chicken liver. We didn't start adding OM right away as it is rich and too much can cause the runs. I wanted to see how the dogs handled the raw diet first without adding too much extras.


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

How old is she?


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## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

thanks







ill see how she does with the chicken quarters. im hoping she does well, we both are getting much sleep and her coat is looking horrible 

my supermarket has everything, but ive been looking for another less expensive place to buy meat for her, but luckily all the meat that is great for dogs is pretty cheap for humans! lol


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

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*



> Originally Posted By: FransheskaWell, kenya has bad food allergies and the vet suggested raw


Thumbs up to your vet!!



> Quote:ive been doing my research but im having trouble deciding on what to put in a meal for her


It's best to start with ONE protein source. Also makes it easier on you!











> Quote:Shes 50 pounds, average activity level, and has a dry/flaky/itchy coat right now that is in some desperate need of some TLC
> any ideas?
> I would also like to know HOW MUCH to feed her, ive heard 2-4% percent of her body weight is good


I'd start with 2.5% of her weight (if that is a GOOD weight for her) and see what happens. Reweigh her after 1-2 weeks and see if she's gaining, losing or staying the same.

So, 2.5% of 50 pounds is 1.25 pounds. That's 1 pound and 4 ounces, or 20 ounces. Of those 20 ounces here's the breakdown:

9.5 ounces in RMBs
9.5 ounces in MM
1 ounce in OM

*NOTE: The above numbers may change depending on her age.*



> Quote:Maybe a chicken quarter twice a day?


Nope - it's not THAT easy.







First of all you can't go by the number of things. You HAVE to start with weighing things. 

So, the first week of meals should be 9.5 ounces of Raw Meaty Bones - like chicken necks or thighs or leg quarters (you may have to cut them up if they are too big). Then 9.5 ounces of chicken breat meat (Muscle Meat). And 1 ounce of chicken livers.



> Quote:What should i add as far as extras? fish oil capsules, eggs, ect..ect..



No. The whole point is to try to narrow down what she is allergic to. The more items to add the harder it is to pinpoint the bad guy!



> Quote:as far as organ meat, is chicken hearts ok? thats all i could find


Hearts are actually muscle meat so you could use the chicken hearts for that part of the diet. Most grocery stores carry chicken livers.

This should get you started.


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## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*

chicken sounds like a good place to start







someone on another forum suggested just given her 1 chicken quarter twice a day.. lol im sad to hear its more complicated but im sure i can do it










"So, the first week of meals should be 9.5 ounces of Raw Meaty Bones - like chicken necks or thighs or leg quarters (you may have to cut them up if they are too big). Then 9.5 ounces of chicken breat meat (Muscle Meat). And 1 ounce of chicken livers."

that sounds easy enough, chicken is readily available and inexpensive







ill have to get a kitchen scale thats a little easier to use
can i ziplock individual meals/defrost and serve twice a day? 

as for her weight i think shes rather small for being a year old and GSD


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

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*



> Quote:can i ziplock individual meals/defrost and serve twice a day?


Sure.



> Quote:as for her weight i think shes rather small for being a year old and GSD


But is she THIN? Depending on the lines she may be the average size for those lines. Or she may come from a line of late bloomers.


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## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*



















i think she could benefit from gaining a few pounds and some muscle. she has a very girl and petite figure
. shes not thin really, but she is small. people have told me that she looks like a mini GSD

shes from a shelter, so as far as lines go.. i dont know but someone at her training class told me shes a working line gsd.. w/e that means lol


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

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*

Yes, she could use some bulking up but that may still come with age. A year is still a lanky time for GSDs.


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## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*

lol the many joys of the odd teenage years

i cant wait to start!







ive seen so many great transformations hopefully kenya can become a before/after. 

im also hoping she will like raw more than her kibble. right now she seems to hate the kibble i give her, but absolutly loves it when my grandpa tries to sneak her some bacon w/o me noticing lol


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## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*

the raw dog ranch website is not working for me 
something about "Directory has no index file."


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

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*



> Originally Posted By: Fransheskathe raw dog ranch website is not working for me
> something about "Directory has no index file."


Yeah - the website renewal failed 'cause I forgot to update the billing info. 

I'm working ongetting it back up before the end I the week.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*

Lauri, This is the best news I've heard all week!!!!!!


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## serendipiter (Feb 16, 2009)

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*

I have not switched yet still getting my ducks in a row and researching. But I have quick question bugging me in the back of my mind that I know has easy answer...? I have always thought and been told that chicken bones are deadly. Every thing raw talks about giving chicken quarters bone and all. How can this be? Do I give it to her and take it away if she begins to munch and crunch the bone?? What about the little spikey bone in the leg? Sorry if this is a silly question. My research has not explained. I am assuming the consistency of a raw bone verse a cooked bone is the reason but I am nervous.


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

*Re: Preparing to start RAW feeding with kenya, hel*

COOKED bones splinter and can cause major issues. RAW bones are fine! Mine have had hundreds of pounds of raw chicken bones and love them!


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## lixy (Mar 14, 2007)

This might be a bit late, but I think you will learn that raw feeding is VERY simple. 

What seems to be a great way to start off a dog is to feed skinless, bone-in chicken breasts to start (so with Kenya, I would probably start with ~20 oz (2.5% of her ideal body weight, assuming 50 lbs is ideal), split into 2 meals if you wish, or just 1 meal (with once daily feeding being more ideal). As she gets used to it, you start leaving the skin on, to bowel tolerance. 

Some people just start out buying a whole chicken, chopping it up into quarters, and feeding the entire chicken over several days. So for example, with Kenya, a 5 lb chicken (80 oz) could be fed over 4 days (One quarter per day=20 oz).

If you are overly concerned about numbers, the general ratio (_over time_) is 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organ, with half of the organ content being liver (heart, gizzards, and tongue are considered meat, not organs). In general, a whole chicken has a little too much bone for dogs that are used to raw, but the extra bone is good for dogs just starting out as it will help prevent loose stools. 

The only supplement that your pup may need is a good quality fish body oil like wild pacific salmon oil for Omega-3s (unless you are able to feed your dog grass fed animals, rather than grain fed).

That's all there is to starting raw. Super easy. As your dog adapts to raw, you will be able to branch out with your menu...I personally love the Yahoo! rawfeeding group. Any questions you have will be answered from people with much more knowledge than I....the *Chris O.* there is basically the *<span style="color: #33CC00">Lauri & The Gang</span>* of here...these ladies are experts!!!


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## Mandy'sMom (Feb 27, 2008)

Have you tried adding flaxseed oil to her diet. One of my previous GSD's had very dry skin and my trainer recommended adding flaxseed and it seemed to work.

Mandy's Mom


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