RAW MEATY BONES - how much to feed rotties

[joquendo]

Gosh I hope someone can help...

I am struggling to know how many RAW Meaty bones to feed my rotties in one meal....

i.e. how do I know how much is enough RMB;s per weight of dog...

I know they say 1lb for each 50lb body weight. on average how many chicken backs would you feed a 120lb male? - is it a case of weighing each portion I give or can I judge it???

I am not really clear on this area... I could really use some help... thanks

[rottnkidd]

Hi Janet! Based on 2.5% of his body wt., and providing he's fit and not fat, he could eat 3# of food a day. About 2# of that would be the rmb's. (the other 1# would be the approx wt of his other meals). Use a kitchen scale to weigh the pieces to get an idea of how much is 2#. Diva is 90# and eats about 2# a day. 2 backs and 5 necks are adequate for her; and that's about 1 and a 1/2# of rmbs. The 2nd meal is about a pound, give or take. She's very active and I keep her lean. If you're noticing a wt gain, remove the skin from the chicken, and cut back on the amts you're feeding. Hope this helps you -
kathy

[Homerhomer]

it all depends on the dog (age, activity level, genetics etc etc). Start with 2% of the body weight and go from there.

[joquendo]

Thanks - as always you are very helpful...

Hey Kathy, I guess I need to buy a kitchen scale now eh? - to add to my food processor, meat grinder (which was useless by the way ) - and now kitchen scale... ;)
.... there HAS to be an easier way;)

Janet

[Homerhomer]

Janet, do you use kitchen scale when you cook potatoes for your family ?:) (notice how many poeple don't measure their daily food intake and live to tell about it)
With dogs is pretty much the same, make portions that look right and adjust accordingly when you see dog loosing or gaining weight.:D (and you don't have to feed em exactly the same amount every day, one day bit less, other day bit more won't hurt them).

[joquendo]

good point... my vet asked me the same question ;)

I guess I am a little over zealous and want to ensure my judgement of what they should get meets the requirements of what they actually need...

...Last night - I fed them what I thought was a good RMB dinner and they were in my face all night like they were starving.. and I wondered if they were - but I resisted giving them some more food - just incase it was greed, rather than hunger.... as I look at my female she is definately looking alittle round around her middle...

Thanks for your advice.

[Kev]

Now my vet told us "no bones of any kind" why would this be. I'm sure you wouldn't feed your dog bones if they weren't good for them. I don't undersand.

Kevin

[rottnkidd]

Kev- Many vets aren't advocates of the raw diet. Instead they encourage their clients to feed the "complete and balanced" kibbles, which in a vet's office, are usually Iams/Eukanuba prescription brands, or Science Diet. There is no such thing as
"complete and balanced" contained in a bag of dog food. Even
raw feeder's will tell you, that a natural diet is about variety and "balance over time", not in a meal or 2. I think alot of the
apprehension on the part of your vet is fear-based. We've all been brainwashed by the commercial dog food industry into thinking that kibble is the only way to feed our companion animals. Yet what did everyone feed before there was kibble? My mom, who is almost 80, recalls her mother feeding their dogs any scraps that were left from a meal, and fresh, raw bones from the butcher shop! Mom's "Trixie", was a shepherd mix and lived till the age of 15! She never had a vaccine, or a bowl of kibble, and had one too many litters! (back in the 20's and 30's spaying and neutering were not common, and not affordable) Yet she died of nothing but old age, peacefully in her sleep. If you're truly considering feeding bones to your dog, read about
the natural, raw diet, and ask questions. We're all here to help one another. Good luck to you.
kathy

[Kev]

Kathy:

Thanks for your reply. I have notice that the vet recommends the food that they "just happen" the sell. This bring up the question in my mind, is he recommending this food because it is truley good for her or is it to make a buck. I know every dog food company says theirs is the best which is only a sales pitch.

We have wasted alot of money trying different brands of kibble and Marley either eats it for a short time then won't or she completly turn her nose up at it altogether and she will not eat it.She is very stubborn at times.

We went to petsmart yesterday and bought a small bag of Nutro, which the lady said "100% guaranteed she will love it". We get home with it, put it in her bowl, she sniffs it and looks at us like "you don't expect me to eat this?"

What we want is something that is good for her and that she will enjoy eating.

Thanks again for your reply

Kevin

[rottnkidd]

Kevin - Just a suggestion, but if you're not considering feeding a raw diet, then why not just "enhance" the kibble? You can't keep switching the brands of food, only because that's going to make your fur-kid a fussy eater! Use what you have there at home, and add some fresh food to it! Add an egg, or a small amount of fresh, raw hamburger, lightly sprinkle some garlic powder ontop, or parmesan cheese. You can even add a bit of canned fish to the kibble, like mackerel, or sardines. Just a few suggestions to help you out. You can also give her a raw beef rib for a bedtime snack! She'll enjoy it and it'll keep her teeth clean and white!
Just don't feed raw bones and kibble together. They digest differently and may cause an upset. Happy feeding!
kathy

[Kev]

I spent the biggest part of yesterday reading everything I could find on the web about rew food diet. We normally feed her what we eat. We have dinner and after we've finished we take a bit of everything, meat, potatoes, veggies, and make her a plate. She really doesn't eat that much kibble, we have it their just in case she doesn't get what she needs. If we buy a small bag of kibble, a 5 lbs bag it generally last about a month so she's not eating that much of it.

We had her to the vet for her shots and a checkup and she got a clean bill to health.

Now reading about the raw food makes sence to me and by cooking it there is a lot of nutrients cooked out. I don't remember a time in my life that I didn't have a dog. I guess I have been brainwashed about the bones especially the chicken bones. I tried last night to give her a piece of raw chicken but could not even force myself to let her have the bones. I held it and let her tear all the meat off but not the bones.

How do you get past this....it scares the H*** out of me thinking that the bones are going to get stuck somewhere along the way.


Kevin

[joquendo]

I have to say here... I am originally from the UK and now that I am feeding my dogs 100% RAW, I began to think back having our dog in England, we fed him raw meat and bones donated to us FREE from the local butchers - and again they also ate everything we ate, with sometimes a little kibble in a bowl ( we called that his snack) - but he never really touched the kibble, he pretty much ate raw beef chunks/organ meat and bones... since I came to the USA, I got all caught up in the commercial dog food as THE best way to feed your dog - and then "suddenly" I was made aware of the BARF diet, and as I think back this new "fancy" name is just what people have been feeding their dogs for years...

Kathy... you are so right - vets have no clue about feeding RAW and they put the "fear of God" in people by telling them to steer clear of raw meats and bones. I think vets should educate themselves on RAW feeding - that way they can adequately inform their patients of alternatives - rather than offering negativitiy when they really aren't equipped to offer such advice in that area..

My dogs love it, my dogs coats look absolutely awesome they are the happiest, healthiest most energetic they have ever been... (thanks Kathy for all your advice and support throughout getting them onto RAW ;) ... I cannot stop feeling and stroking their lovely soft coats ;)

[joquendo]

Hey Kev
If you read a lot of the posts from many people who are introduced to the RAW diet... we have all been absolutely "terrified" of feeding the bones.. I remember giving my dogs their first chicken back an dI literally held my breath until they swallowed and waited to see if they were "ok" and guess wht ... they were ;)

It really is nerve wracking - especially as rotties often take three bites and down it goes, but if you get hold of a copy of "Give your dog a bone" it really helps you understand the dogs digestive system and you begin to realize that we are worrying for nothing.. my dogs eat chicken backs, chicken necks, brisket bones, rib bones, port neck bones, (preferably give them non-weight bearing bones) they are softer and less likely to splinter. I love giving them brisket bones because they can just "grind them down to nothing.

Go for it... also remember feeding the bone is important - as the dogs get their calcium from the bones...

Good luck...

[Kev]

I truely want to give her what is best for her...she loved the raw chicken.

Well I've decided that I'm going to take everything I've been told and been raised to think about bones being very bad and through it out the window and just go for it.

Now I have to dig out the food processer for the veggies :)

thakyou all for your advice.

Kevin

[joquendo]

..Hey Kev... just in case no-one has stressed this... ensure the ONLY bones you give your dog are raw, NEVER give your dog cooked bones... they are very dangerous. remember RAW bones only ;)