Lamb Ribs

[Diddy]

Are lamb ribs considered a meal ? I feed max my 7 month old GSD 1 chicken carcass per day and 400g of raw beef along with 30-40g of liver per day. I can also get lamb ribs which have very little meat content i would estimate probably 60% bone 40% meat. Now what I wanted to ask was would you lot consider a lamb rib (OR PORTION OF LAMB RIBS) to be a "meal" or would you consider that giving him say 100g of ribs would count as a freebie ? What do you people think ?

[zetstaff]

Don't know as I don't feed raw but someone will be able to help you when they've surfaced today

Originally Posted by Diddy

Are lamb ribs considered a meal ? I feed max my 7 month old GSD 1 chicken carcass per day and 400g of raw beef along with 30-40g of liver per day. I can also get lamb ribs which have very little meat content i would estimate probably 60% bone 40% meat. Now what I wanted to ask was would you lot consider a lamb rib (OR PORTION OF LAMB RIBS) to be a "meal" or would you consider that giving him say 100g of ribs would count as a freebie ? What do you people think ?

My concern would be the amount of liver you're feeding... sounds like a lot of liver each day to me. Liver is an organ meat, rich in vitamin A which is a fat soluble vitamin, and an excess is not excreted in the urine. Too much vit A is toxic to the liver.

Lamb ribs if they have a lot of meat on them would be considered a meal, but not ones where it's more of a bone and has had the meat removed - that would be what I call a recreational bone.

[ClaireandDaisy]

You can usually tell if what you`re feeding is right by what comes out the other end. You`re aiming for firm but not rock hard, slightly pale but not white. So if it`s too much bone you get white rocks and if too much offal you get dark messes.
I tend to feed a range - mince is good, plus meat as available, and chicken wings for the chew factor.
Prize Choice frozen mince is widely available. Be aware the mince does contain bone when you`re working it out. My dogs also get hearts twice a week.

[Caryll]

I would say that 40% meat on lamb ribs is ok for a meal, but as said above, I'd drastically reduce the amount of liver.

[Diddy]

I have only just started giving him a little more liver as his poos were white/hard and crumbly. This was I believe due to the fact that his "main" food was chicken wings. But now I have managed to get him carcass so things were a little better but still not quite there. So I had increased his liver into his beef mix from a pinch to just over an ounce (30g or a little over) I thought his poo's were looking better but if you guy's think its too much then I will adjust accordingly. How much do you recommend ?

Originally Posted by Diddy

I have only just started giving him a little more liver as his poos were white/hard and crumbly. This was I believe due to the fact that his "main" food was chicken wings. But now I have managed to get him carcass so things were a little better but still not quite there. So I had increased his liver into his beef mix from a pinch to just over an ounce (30g or a little over) I thought his poo's were looking better but if you guy's think its too much then I will adjust accordingly. How much do you recommend ?

Chicken wings have a lot of bone in them and only a small amount of meat. I'd increase his lean meat quantities, that will make the poos less crumbly. I feed wings with a half pound bag of mixed meat so it's balanced. The mix I get made from my butcher; he sells it as pet food - it's 'lights' plus other leftover meat all minced up.

I don't feed pure liver but if I did I'd only feed a tablespoon of it twice weekly. Other organ meat won't be as fatty as liver too. Heart is a muscle meat - I recommend that for him.

[Caryll]

Originally Posted by Diddy

I have only just started giving him a little more liver as his poos were white/hard and crumbly. This was I believe due to the fact that his "main" food was chicken wings. But now I have managed to get him carcass so things were a little better but still not quite there. So I had increased his liver into his beef mix from a pinch to just over an ounce (30g or a little over) I thought his poo's were looking better but if you guy's think its too much then I will adjust accordingly. How much do you recommend ?

I'd give other organ meat, and reduce the liver. Tripe (even the frozen minced stuff) or kidneys work just as well and aren't so high in vit A.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Anni

Chicken wings have a lot of bone in them and only a small amount of meat. I'd increase his lean meat quantities, that will make the poos less crumbly. I feed wings with a half pound bag of mixed meat so it's balanced. The mix I get made from my butcher; he sells it as pet food - it's 'lights' plus other leftover meat all minced up.

I don't feed pure liver but if I did I'd only feed a tablespoon of it twice weekly. Other organ meat won't be as fatty as liver too. Heart is a muscle meat - I recommend that for him.

I agree with the above,... and add that you are going to have to watch the weight,...of course I havent seen your dog, but I would think that the daily amount is a bit much,

you dont have to give as much Raw food as comercial food because it is richer, just keep your eyes open and if the weight start to gain reduce the intake, its far better to do it this way that to go by recommended weight amounts,...I have never weighed out my dogs food

I tend to try and stick to this with my dog, its worked really well for him
1.Dogs should be fed on a variety of raw meat and bones. Just sticking to one meat source is no good – you don’t get all your nutrients. Do not feed pork. If your dog has a skin or bowel problem, do not feed beef initially until you know that this will not cause hypersensitivity.
2.Quantities – for every 10kg weight, a dog should eat about 100-150g meat and twice this volume in fruit and veg. This is only a guideline to start. If your dog is gaining weight, reduce quantities, if they are loosing, increase.
3.For every handful of meat, feed 2 handfuls of liquidised raw veg*. A bit like the old ‘meat and two veg’ adage! If you do not think you can feed the variety, contact the practice and we can supply a very good supplement called Pet Plus for Dogs (contact the practice to be sent some). Nuts, herbs and cooked beans should be added to the ‘veg’ portion. .
4.Feed raw bones once or twice weekly.(RAW bones are easily chewed and digested. It is very unlikely, but not impossible that bones will get stuck in the gut. If you do NOT give bones to clean teeth, however, a general anaesthetic for dental work is very likely).
5.Feed offal (either kidney, heart, lung or liver) once a week instead of meat. Remember, wild animals come with offal alongside the meat. It is a necessary part (however distasteful) of a balanced diet. Vary the organ meat weekly.
6.Do not feed cereals (mixer biscuits or treats). * Take any veges, especially green leaved ones, fruit and salad items and place in the liquidiser. You can use just one or two ingredients at any one liquidising, but make sure you have variety from week to week. Blend to a rough broth. Add some water to give a liquid texture, if necessary. Pour on the meat in a 1:2 ratio by volume, meat to veg. If your dog is ill or old, you may take a few days to more gradually change the regime to raw.