Food quantities

[DelsMum]

I want to get Jack off the Dr Johns Silver that he was weaned on and fed by the breeder (has anyone heard of it? I hadn't until now) and on to raw like Jerry Lee. The 'base' of JL's diet is chicken carcasses and green tripe with the usual (liver, hearts, veggies, fish , bones, eggs etc) thrown in a few times per week but after trawling the forum last night I'm not sure exactly what quantities to give jack? I've followed the breeders instructions re the amount of DJS to give him and seems like a hell of a lot to me but I'm doing as I'm told for once. According to the packet he is on slightly more than an adult JRT. IMO it seems about right as his weight looks good for his size but he does poo about 4 times per day. Maybe I'm just used to JL only doing 2 small ones as thats what you get with the raw? Can anyone help?

[claire_88]

What's stopping you doing the switch now?

Not heard of that tbh!
But the significance of the other end well .......it's unbelievable!

[DelsMum]

Originally Posted by claire_88

What's stopping you doing the switch now?

Not knowing what quantity of raw to give Jack. I suppose I could just go for it and I'll soon see if he starts looking/feeling a bit porky or skinny but I'd rather have an idea of whats what if you see what I mean!

[wildmoor]

Hi Faye
its a northern make of another brand cant think of hand though - at 8 weeks i give about 1800 gr of AMP minces which include bone content plus I used to give mirra-coat powder for trace elements and essential fatty acids and the occaissional dog cake 1 -2 a day for fibre
as the dog aged I would give less around 900g to a kilo for adult weight more if working, the minces I would vary including giving the chicken & liver one a few times a week, one meal would always be tripe from about Jack's age they would have approx 1300-1500 of minces

[claire_88]

Originally Posted by DelsMum

Not knowing what quantity of raw to give Jack. I suppose I could just go for it and I'll soon see if he starts looking/feeling a bit porky or skinny but I'd rather have an idea of whats what if you see what I mean!

Sorry i misread your original post. I give Skye 1kg of meat a day she is just over 8 months old. i also give biscuits 2-3 times a week if i'm running short of things just to make sure there getting all there vits and mins.
I was unsure at first of the quantities and it always looked too small a dinner compared to the biscuits but on here people assure you they don't need as much. Have you made the switch now?

If you haven't good luck with it

[mhobson]

We never go with exact amounts, just use common sense, it very rare that a raw fed dog will be greedy and get fat anyway, usually greedy dogs are like that because they're not getting what they need from their food.

If you put a load of food down and he leaves say 30% of it, feed him the 70% amount he ate for his next meal.

Keep an eye on his weight, and feel him around his ribs a couple of times a week, if he does start getting a bit podgy, cut his food down, but i've not known our three get fat, though they do look i now they have winter coats!

Feeding dogs isn't an exact science, how much he needs to eat will depend on how active he is, his age, the temperature etc.
Think of it this way, do you eat the exact same amount of food, at the exact same time of day, 365 days a year?

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by mhobson

We never go with exact amounts, just use common sense, it very rare that a raw fed dog will be greedy and get fat anyway, usually greedy dogs are like that because they're not getting what they need from their food.

If you put a load of food down and he leaves say 30% of it, feed him the 70% amount he ate for his next meal.

Keep an eye on his weight, and feel him around his ribs a couple of times a week, if he does start getting a bit podgy, cut his food down, but i've not known our three get fat, though they do look i now they have winter coats!

Feeding dogs isn't an exact science, how much he needs to eat will depend on how active he is, his age, the temperature etc.
Think of it this way, do you eat the exact same amount of food, at the exact same time of day, 365 days a year?

I agree with part of this but not all,.. very true, I have never weighed my dogs food, ever, I just know what to feed in order that they stay at a reasonable weight, fit and healthy

... but I am afraid I know that if I were to give them three meals at one time, they would eat it the lot, and the two girls Kee and Jazz would become as fat as barrels, dispite their daily run on the hills.

I dont think it matter so much that they get the same amount at the same time each day, provided that their meals are different, that there is a variety of tastes,... I wouldnt like to live on beans every day

[wildmoor]

I agree with you Stuart my male will eat untill he died he can easily pinch 4 kg of dried food or a full leg of sheep he wouldnt stop eating if food is there

[mhobson]

Sorry if i confused anyone, you can only put so much in a post!

I didn't mean to give them an enormous meal all at once and see what they eat, i meant give them a sensible amount that you think they'd eat, and if they're eating less than that, take up the remainder, but for a dog who will happily eat until they pop, then obviously don't give them too much at once.

Just because something is right for one dog doesn't mean it's right for every dog, granted if you have the same breed, same size, same weight, same level of activity, then the amounts fed would probably be similar, but dogs, like humans are all different in how they eat and how much they'll eat.

our three have never eaten huge amounts, i could probably leave a full deer outside tonight and there would be loads left in the morning (though it would probably be partially buried!) but all dogs are different.

And i meant no offence with the greedy dogs part, it's just that in our experience, nearly all of the dogs we know of who are really greedy have been fed on tinned food or kibble.

[wildmoor]

my greedy dog was raised raw