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How Much To Feed A Puppy On Raw Diet?

Discussion in 'Dog Food' started by Lone Star, Aug 22, 2011.

  1. Lone Star Member

    I'm a (soon-to-be!) brand new first time puppy owner and I've been researching a lot on dogs and puppies to make sure that I am taking the best possible care of him when I get him! I was reading a lot of stuff on raw diets and how they are much healthier than kibble, and I was wondering how much do you feed a puppy on a raw diet in a day? (He is still with the owners/parents, and they said the litter is starting to eat solid food, I'm sure it's kibble of some kind..) I know when I get him I need to keep him on the same diet until he settles in and then slowly wean him off. But I wasn't sure how much (by weight) needs to be given per meal once he's completely on a raw diet? Does this go by breed? Or how much he weighs? Or his age? (He is a mutt, looks part-lab.)

    Also, I've been researching a lot on puppy training/positive reinforcement and rewarding with treats, and was wondering what y'all feed your dogs on raw diets as treats?
    Lone Star, Aug 22, 2011
    #1
    tigerlily46514 and mewzard like this.

  2. sara Moderator

    I dont feed raw, I feed high quality kibble, but I did alot of research on raw diets, and what I learned was 2% of pups expected adult body weight. Now, because your pup is a mutt, and you dont know for sure, hazard a guess by looking at the parents, if he seems thin, feed more, if he seems chunky, feed less.

    Freeze dried liver, chicken, fish and cheese is available in petstores, and makes an excellent treat for raw fed dogs, as well as weiners, real cheese, and any kind of healthy training treat.

    From all the research I did, I'm still not convinced it's best, and I'm definitely not convinced dogs need only eat meat... as dogs evolved around 25 to 30 000 years ago, and survived quite well off of what people threw out. I compromised by feeding grain-free foods that are full of human grade ingredients and not rendered crap, and they also get a variety of different types of kibble as I dont want them bored. It seems to be working very well for us.
    sara, Aug 22, 2011
    #2
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  3. Lone Star Member

    Thanks! I was looking to do kind of a half and half, with some raw foods and also kibble after reading a lot (a LOT) of information online. Everyone seems to have so many opinions on what's good and bad brands of kibble. What do you feed your dogs?
    Lone Star, Aug 22, 2011
    #3
    tigerlily46514 likes this.

  4. mewzard Experienced Member

    Hi we feed raw... When Oka was a puppy, we fed 10% of her current (at the time) body weight until she got to about 75% of her expected adult weight we changed over to 3% of her current weight. Which isn't as big a difference as it seems. She was fed with a vegetable, nut + herb mix that we made up, and she has the odd fruit. Now she has veg on occassion as most of the time she would pick around them in her bowl.
    She weighs 31Kg at the moment and gets 1KG of food spilt over 2 meals (so 500g each meal), she gets a little less than the 3% to balance out all the treats she gets in training!!:LOL:
    As Sara said if he seems slim feed a little more, chunky a little less. The way i check is to make a fist of my hand, if you run over the pups ribs it should feel kind of like running over your fingers, if it feels like your knuckles pup needs more food, like the back of your hand it needs less food :D.
    If you do 50/50 don't mix the raw and the kibble together; keep the meals seperate. Kibble and raw food digest at different rates. A meal of raw and kibble can give tummy ache.
    Ah! raw-fed dog treats...ummm... cheese, ham, boiled chicken, boiled liver, cocktail sausages (you know... party food), well any sausage, high 'real meat' content dog treats. We make some treats by cooking/boiling real meat, pureeing it, then mixing it with flour (and sometimes peanut butter) then rolling it out like cookies and baking it.
    mewzard, Aug 22, 2011
    #4
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  5. sara Moderator

    Everyone will tell you their way is best, and people will also tell you that dogs eat and are healthy on crap dog foods... basically, you need to feed what you're comfortable with. Make your decision based on your research, and how good you feel about the food you're feeding. I to have done tons of research, and from what I have read, and the lists I have joined, the dog food manufacturer reps I have talked to, and the scientific articles I have read, I feed several different foods, on a rotation schedule, depending on the dog's specific needs.

    I feed GO! Salmon, Go! Duck and NOW! Chicken (same company, slightly different formula's), Acana Pacifica and Acana Ranchlands, and Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato. I dont feed on a schedule except that I feed 2x per day, and I will fast the dogs a meal once in awhile, to keep their metabolisms high. I will also feed a raw chicken leg, chicken wing, or turkey neck to the dogs that can tolerate it, once a month or so, to help keep their teeth in good shape. Mouse especially LOVES her raw meals, Boo could take it or leave it, and Oliver turns his nose up at raw foods (Odd, I know!) Scout cant eat chicken, and I hesitate to give her turkey, so she does not get it, and Zoe likes it, but is often afraid to eat it (some noise or movement will startle her, and she'll leave it)

    My dogs are 2.5, 3, 7, 8 &9. Their healthy and haven't had to go to vets for anything except routine check-ups since adopting them (except Zoe, my oldest, has had 13 teeth removed a couple of years ago, and needs more pulled again) My dogs have never had de-worming since I adopted them, and they have never had any flea preventative either, they're on a low vaccine schedule (every three years, not every year and no rabies shots, as we dont really have rabies here). My dogs have never had worms, never had any fleas, mites or ticks, even when I have managed to catch Scarcoptic Mange (from infested Rez puppies), my dogs did not catch it from me... So I think we're doing fine :cautious: *knock on wood*

    But I would never tell you not to feed raw, or, conversely, to feed raw, I would only tell you that any dog food that can be bought in grocery stores and Wal Mart are CRAP and should NEVER be fed to a dog that you actually like. Feed what you're most comfortable with, as you have done a ton of research, you have a good head start.
    sara, Aug 23, 2011
    #5
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  6. what the fuzz New Member

    For a puppy you want to approx. 2% of their projected adult weight. This is just a general guideline- if he is gaining too much, feed less and if he is losing, feed more!
    what the fuzz, Sep 15, 2011
    #6
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  7. charmedwolf Moderator

    I do it a little differently than Fuzz does. For puppies, I begin feeding by 8-10% of their current weight each day. Once 10% of their weight exceeds 2-3% of the ideal adult weight, then we switch to the 2-3% guideline. But puppies usually have multiple feeding throughout the day rather than just one of two like adult dogs. As Fuzz said though it's only a general guideline you can eyeball if you need to feed more or less by how his body is looking.
    charmedwolf, Sep 16, 2011
    #7
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  8. tigerlily46514 Honored Member

    i knew Charmed Wolf would see this thread, she has some great links, on raw feeding, too. I've learned a lot from CWolf about raw feeding,
    here is links CWolf once posted, that i have saved, in case i ever can afford raw feeding, it seemed a great links, and if CWolf likes this link, then i feel confident, it is a good read:
    http://www.rawlearning.com/

    http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html

    re: kibble, i feed half meat/half kibble, well, sometimes it is 1/3 meat, with 2/3 kibble. But on 'fat' weeks, Buddy gets more meat, ha ha.

    I use "chicken soup for the dog lovers soul" dog food, is NOT the best #1 dog kibble, but, the top shelf dog-kibble prices are outa my financial zone,

    and plus, the "grain free" kibbles are always chockful of potatoes
    potatoes
    potatoes.
    My dog gets horrible gas on potatoes. :censored: YIKES!

    and frankly,
    potatoes and rice/oats, are pretty close nutritionally, not much difference to the dog.

    "Chicken soup" lists FOUR (4) meats/meals on top of their lists, (hard to find in dog kibble)

    and has no corn, (that is undigestible to dogs, is a filler)
    no byproducts (that is like, hooves and beaks)
    no animal digest (that is actual poop)
    no cardboard ("cellulose")
    no toxic preservatives (most grocery store or walmart dog foods have those)
    no brewer's rice (that is like peanut shells)
    nothing really bad,
    has probiotics, stuff like that,
    and it's made in America
    never gets recalled
    and it's only about a dollar a pound.<---DING DING DING!!

    not the best in the world, but, for the price, hard to beat it.

    and it has NO potatoes. :ROFLMAO:
    if your dog can digest potatoes, you do have more options than i do.

    Here are some links to learn up on kibble, (there are tons of 'rate-dog-food' sites)
    http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/
    http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
    http://www.petfoodratings.net/dogtable.html

    but raw feeding is obviously far far far superior in every way to boxed kibble.

    one thing i learned the hard way is-------------if anyone wants to swap out their dog's kibble, they should do so SLOWLY, a small amt at a time......mmmHmm. SLOWLY.........
    tigerlily46514, Sep 16, 2011
    #8
    charmedwolf likes this.

  9. charmedwolf Moderator

    Thanks Jean! I'm always glad to help out in the food department, it's one of my specialities! When I first looked at this I actually did a double take " What do you mean I haven't read this yet?!"

    For treats, I use peanut butter, liver (freeze dried, baked, dehydrated), chicken (baked, dehydrated), baked fish and cheese (cubed or shredded...sometimes Isis gets squeese cheese...so unhealthy), carrots, snap peas, green beans, popcorn (Kratos love the non buttered kind), ice cubes, hamburger, hotdogs (I go for the kosher) and sometimes cherrios. Sometimes you just have to be a little creative. And it all depends on the dog's tastes but like Sara said most healthy treats are good. I usually cook them so they aren't slimey or have a weird touch to me but if you can handle the feel then you don't have to.

    Also, when I wasn't feeding raw or if I have to travel for almost a week I'll switch to kibble. I personally like Back to Basics or Solid Gold. Though Back to Basics is cheaper than most other high end dog food.
    charmedwolf, Sep 16, 2011
    #9
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  10. tigerlily46514 Honored Member

    //"Also, I've been researching a lot on puppy training/positive reinforcement and rewarding with treats, and was wondering what y'all feed your dogs on raw diets as treats? "//

    i can tell already, YOU are going to be a great dog guardian!!!

    RE: treats, great posts above, here's what i use most often for treats:
    http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/project.3293/

    IN the link above, read post#11, for recipe, "LIVER COOKIES"
    as well as post #38, <-----which is sort of a VIP step that i forgot to mention, is: flatten each lil cookie down flat, so it is not too thick in the center-------- so it will cook through.

    anyway, i've been making those for years now, is easy recipe, even a kid could make them, really, so easy. And CHEAP, and healthy, too.
    Those homemade treats have
    no added salt
    no sugar
    no flour
    no artificial dyes, flavorings, etc
    no toxic preservatives
    Just pure healthy stuff.

    And DOGS LOVE THESE!! Even "picky" dogs LOVES these treats![IMG]
    i do add in veggies to reduce the calorie count. (liver is loaded with calories)

    and i do a lot of training, so i have to factor in the calorie counts of all these treats my dog gets all day long, see. For *some* tricks, i now use a tuggy toy, but, for some tricks, i find the play time in between each step, is TOO disruptive for *my* dog.

    YOu have to store these in fridge, and i store rest of the batch in the FREEZER.
    but, i've lugged them around for hours to train the dog, and never ever ever had a problem.

    If i am going to be outside in HOT weather, i start out with FROZEN treats. Dogs LOVE these cookies soooo much, they will even eat these FROZEN.

    HOPE YOUR DOG LIKES THE RECIPE!! and don't forget, to let the dog lick the beaters and the bowl!!![IMG]
    tigerlily46514, Sep 16, 2011
    #10

  11. what the fuzz New Member

    For treats we boil or dehydrate (in the oven on low for a few hours) gizzards, hearts, pork, chicken, etc. and cut up into small pieces and store in the fridge.

    We also cube up a block of cheese (usually cheddar) and for quick training sessions I use string cheese.
    what the fuzz, Sep 19, 2011
    #11
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