Quantities of raw food.

jayne5364 · #1 02-02-12, 02:09 PM

Just after a little advise regarding quantities.
Anya is 2 years 3 months and weighs 30kg. She is small for the breed but the vet is very happy with her weight and size, so am I. This seems to suit her. Looking at feeding her 2.5% for maintenance and so far she seems to be doing well on that.
Sasha I'm not sure about. Currently she weighs 27kg but looks very skinny. She has had some feeding issues, mostly as she is such a nervous dog. On the raw however, her appetite is good.
Her breeders average weight of dogs, parents and past litters, she is expected to reach about 40kg. Now this is where I get stuck. As she is skinny minny I have been feeding 3%. of expected adult weight i.e 1.2kg. But somewhere I have read says pups could need as much as 10%. Presuming that means 10% of current weight, not expected weight. That would mean a whopping 2.7kg.
Are you still with me cos I get confused.

frankie123 · #2 02-02-12, 03:26 PM

I get confused with this,
Frankie is 10 months weighs 30kg at the minute im feeding her 400g of raw mince per day spread between two meals mixed with a cup full of biscuits so if its 10% your meant to be feeding im way under feeding her. saying that she rarely clears her plate anyway as shes becoming a fussy madam,

Lutgard 1 · #3 02-02-12, 05:12 PM

Link is nearly 10 months and on around 400g Raw in the Morning and 200-250g of Orijen in the Evening.
Some days Link has three meals, 2 Raw and One Kibble,
She weighs 32kg and is in excellent shape

I think it depends on the dog (or pup) how much excersise ect
If you can feel but not see the ribs then that is about right.

Bob1955 · #4 02-02-12, 05:23 PM

How much to feed can be a difficult one. It depends on all sorts of things, not least the amount of exercise and the metabolic rate. Just like people dogs differ enormously. Both of ours are fed on dried food and if we gave them the recommended amount they'd be even bigger than they are now. Both are around the 38-40kg mark. If they start to look a bit podgy, we reduce the amount, if they start to look a little light we increase it. Some dogs do look small for the breed, I met one a few weeks ago that looked like it was only 18 months. It was 3 years old. Follow your vets advice. Take her in monthly and weigh her, that will give you a rough guide as to whether she's gaining weight too fast or too slow.

jayne5364 · #5 02-02-12, 06:06 PM

Thanks for the replies. She was weighed yesterday. We do go monthly anyway just to keep an eye on things. I think I'll stick to the 3% of expected adult weight and see how we goes. She isn't scrounging but does clear her bowl every meal time. She is erring on the skinny side but obviously I want her to put weight on, just not too quickly.

Stuart · #6 02-02-12, 06:15 PM

I would suggest strongly, that you forget about weights and measures where it comes to feeding dogs on a raw diet,...take it from me it doesnt always work, at the very best you will see general guides, yet every site gives differing views and every dog is different,...forget them

Depending on what you feed, i.e. the protine value of the food,..i.e. Venison is higher protine than Chicken,.... you will find you will not need to feed very much, you may even be shocked at how little the dog needs,..so start off with a small amount of whatever you are going to give,..and simply watch the weight of the dog, if the dogs gains weight reduce the food more, if the dog loses weight, then give a little more

I feed venison and Salmon, both these foods are very high in protine, and people are alway suprised at how little they need, for instance a Salmon head is a meal for Kee and Jazz [ Salmon head about 5-6 inches long ],..For Sam a meal is a peice of venison neck about 4inches think,..[ I must take photos ],..the portions look so small, yet I started with much more, saw them put on weight and reduced it to what I give now

I was at the vets last week, and she said that its been a long time since she had seen a dog in such good condition,.. Kee is still a couple of kilos over weight.

So I suggest you forget weights and measures completly

jayne5364 · #7 02-02-12, 06:50 PM

Cheers Stuart, that's exactly the sort of info I need. They are both doing very well on what I'm giving them, I think it's just a confidence thing. And yes, it's amazing how little they need.

TandCs · #8 02-02-12, 08:12 PM

I no longer weigh the dogs raw, I go by how they are looking, what type of walk we`re about to be doing. I can`t keep weight on Braeden, he is high energy and not a particular grubber although will always finish his meals. Belle is a grubber and seems to keep her weight on ok. I couldn`t tell you the weight of either of them as I go by their appearance.

They`ll get their yearly weights when they get their boosters

wildmoor · #9 02-02-12, 08:44 PM

pups do require more than an adult at 8 weeks when raw fed mine had 250g x4 daily plus dog cakes an other items

jayne5364 · #10 02-02-12, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildmoor

pups do require more than an adult at 8 weeks when raw fed mine had 250g x4 daily plus dog cakes an other items

She's 9 months now