Finding Your Dogs Ideal Weight
Sometimes it takes more than just looking at your pet to determine their ideal weight. Many long haired and double coated breeds can be harder to gauge by just looking at them. Breeds differ in shape and build, so that can complicate things when you are trying to figure out their weight.
We encourage you to feel them to best determine their physique. Besides, its another great reason to pet your dog!
You can determine whether your dog is overweight by using your fist as a guideline.
Feel your dogs ribs and compare it to your fist. If your dogs ribs feel like the spot between your palm and your thumb, he is overweight. If his ribs feel like the area of your knuckles, he is underweight. His ideal weight should have his ribs feeling like the back of your hand.
Green’s Raw Feeding Calculator
Once you have decided that a Raw diet is the right choice for your dog you then need to know how much food to give on a daily basis.
An adult dog should be fed 1-2 times daily. This calculator can give you a guide to how much to feed. But, please remember that each dog is an individual, this is a starting point. Know your dog, and be guided by how your dog looks and reacts, and adjust the % accordingly if overweight or underweight.
A general rule to maintain existing weight is to feed 2 3% of current weight of dog.
Feeding A Puppy
As a rule of thumb enter the percentages below when calculating how much to feed your puppy.
0-4 months 8%9-12 months 3%12 months 2.5%
To help you introduce a raw diet to your dog we’ve found the following works really well.
- 03 weeks: Mothers milk
- 34 weeks: Feed 3 x daily. Start on soft foods. In the wild a puppy would be eating regurgitated food from its mother, so keep things gentle such as Egg & finely minced chicken with a little goats milk if needed for consistency.
- 6 weeks: Introduce chicken wings and more adult food but not too much bone. No more than 10-15% bone content.
- 12 weeks: Full adult diet and cut back to two meals a day.
- Fully grown: 1-2 meals a day.
If you have any question or need advice on specific foods please feel free to drop us an email, pop into the shop or give us a call. All out details are on the Contact Page.
What We Put In To Our Wolf Tucker Puppy Meals
Your puppy has been fed a combination of chicken/bone, beef and tripe based meals. Both have added vegetables, fruit and parsley, plus some other natural additives, flax oil and organic sea kelp. We have a specially designed variety pack for puppies. The Elka pack contains a variety of our puppy meals plus our special Chicken Primal and Lamb Primal meals. It is important to provide a variety of the meals/proteins to ensure you are achieving a balanced diet. As your puppy has grown, the size of the mince meal provided has increased, starting off first as a blended consistency and now ground to a manageable consistency for their age. All Wolf Tucker food is hand made by us to ensure everything that we do is correct. We make the food in batches and, unlike other manufacturers, we do not mass produce. Because we are using raw meat, it is especially important that correct preparation is used to minimise the risk of harmful bacteria, for this reason our meals are frozen at an extremely low temperature, something that can only be carried out in commercial freezers, making correctly prepared raw feeding much safer than homemade diets. We are DEFRA approved and follow their strict guidelines with regards to raw food.
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How Much Raw Food To Feed My Dog
When I started raw feeding, I had to make the change from simply scooping out two scoops of kibble to actually calculating how much I should feed by the pound and them making sure I stocked that much in my freezer to last till my next shipment. It was a huge inconvenience and the math seemed daunting. Not because I didnt know how but because I was just not used to doing it. I created this interactive cheat sheet for all my fellow busy, out-of-practice raw feeding beginners who just need a starting point on how much to feed their dogs, without scoops.
Four To Six Months Old
At this point, you should be feeding your puppy between 6% and 8% of their body weight each day. You should also decrease the frequency of their meals down to three each day.
This is also a great time to start introducing other types of food. You can provide red meats like beef, pork, and organs. Most puppies are also capable of chewing bones.
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Traveling With Raw Food
Feeding your dog healthy raw food takes a little more effort than just throwing down a bowl of kibble. Preparing their daily meal , takes me 10 to 15 minutes. And I do have to do more clean up throughout the process, and after, so I dont get raw meat all over the kitchen. So, its reasonable to expect that taking your dogs new diet on the road is going to take a little more planning, and time, too.
When we leave the dogs at home, with a caretaker, weve just been buying the pre-made patties to make their lives as easy as possible. Ive been keeping a box around just in case were crunched on time, having a bad day, or other real world considerations like that.
What about camping? Well, the Dometic comes along when were car or 4×4 camping, but for a recent backpacking trip I found premade freeze-dried patties to be an ideal solution. Just like human backpacking food, all the weight is sucked out of those, making them ideal on the trail, but theyre easily rehydrated with even cool water in camp. Theyre expensive , but I really appreciated the weight savings, and Wiley enjoyed eating them.
Common Questions On How Much To Feed
Raw dog food may cause your dog to lose weight even if its not your intention.Especially if youre switching your dog from processed pet food to 100% raw. This is because raw foods are assimilated differently than starch-based pet foods.Compare this to switching from McDonalds to a diet of lean meats, fruits and vegetables. You may eat the same number of calories but still lose weight on the second diet. Thats because of the type of food and how the body processes it.Observe your dog and adjust their daily percentage if necessary.
A healthy dog is more or less always ready to eat. Your dog is no exception. Its natural for dogs to be interested in food thats available, close by, or on your plate. Never use begging behavior as an indicator for hunger or how much to feed your dog. Its an inaccurate gauge for food volume.
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What About Feeding & Exercise
Some dog owners are stuck on the idea that they should feed at the same time every single day. Its true that dogs appreciate routines and a single feeding time may be better for your schedule . But understand you dont have to feed at the same time every day. If your schedule allows it, try to change things up.Heres why:
And A Few More Things Must Be Considered
There are more aspects of raw dog food, and homemade dog food recipes in general that you’ll need to take into account.
Two of our writers have previously reasons why you should feed raw and why you shouldn’t, many of which are very valid.
Finally, Kimberly from KeepTheTailWagging.com, a proponent of raw feeding and a great source of information on this subject, gives five more important reasons that you should consider.
With everything above considered, if youve decided to feed your dog with homemade raw food, make sure you inform yourself about all the specifics this includes vitamins, minerals, calcium, etc.
Also, make sure you consult with not one, but at least several different vets once youve chosen a particular diet.
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Do Dogs That Eat Raw Food Need Any Additional Supplements
If you are feeding your dog a balanced and complete raw food diet, they should provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals your dog needs.
Most dogs who eat bones get calcium while those that do not eat bones need calcium supplements in their diet. Essential fatty acid oils from plant and fish sources aid in the development of your dogs heart, hair, skin, joints, and other body parts.
If you are not sure whether your dog needs supplements or not, get advice from your vet.
How Much Raw Food Should I Feed My Puppy
If youve ever owned a puppy before, you know how fast they grow. It seems like every time you turn around they get bigger and bigger, no matter how badly you wish theyd stay little. As a result of this growth, puppies need the right portion of raw food to provide them with the nutrients to keep them going.
Youve come to the right place! Were proud to announce our Puppylicious: Complete and Balanced raw puppy food. Puppylicious has been carefully formulated to ensure all nutritional requirements for puppies are met. Balanced to meet AAFCO Nutrient Profile for Growth and Development . Puppylicious is the perfect choice for your puppy and will allow you to love them right from the start.
Visit our newly added Puppy pages to learn more on why Puppylicious, How to transition, How to feed, and frequently asked questions to help guide you through the transition. Click here!
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Raw Diets For Puppies And Seniors
During developmental stages, both puppies and senior dogs have an increased requirement for certain nutrients. Their bodies are growing and changing rapidly, so their diets need to supply the right types and quantities of nutrients required to support this growth. These three factors need to be considered when feeding a raw diet to dogs of different life stages:
If My Dog Is Gaining Weight
If my dog is gaining weight, then I won’t add food, but I won’t take food away either. Instead, I’ll increase the daily exercise to spur on weight loss, slowing down when they reach the appropriate weight.
If the weight isn’t coming off, then it’s always a good idea to speak to the veterinarian about causes.
When Sydney was alive, she would put on weight easily and I was convinced that she had a thyroid condition, but her thyroid was healthy. It was truly an exercise issue. Because of her joint issues, walking and running were painful for her. But slow walks at her pace for as long as she wanted worked. We started with 15 minute walks daily, going a very short distance and worked our way up to walking around our property 2-3 times daily. She lost 10 lbs.
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Why Other Feeding Strategies Can Work With Raw Diets
Sure, youre right.Dogs that eat processed pet food behave in the most unnatural ways. Thats because theyre eating the most unnatural foods. But dogs are provided a diet of fresh, REAL, raw foods and eat the way nature intended many behave differently. Because raw diets are packed full of nutrient dense foods, many dog owners report that erratic, binging behaviors disappear.Were no different.If you put a bag of cookies and potato chips in front of me, I would have no problem plowing through the entire bag. And Id still want more. But if you put two chicken breasts and 4 cups of broccoli in front of me, Id be lucky if I could finish half.Real food provides the nutrition your dog needs and keeps them satiated.While other feeding strategies are not necessary and they dont work for all dogs, they can:
About Bella & Duke Raw Puppy Food
Our raw puppy food is designed to provide your puppy with all the nutrients they require to flourish and thrive.
All of our ingredients are chosen because they bring a benefit to your pup.
We deliver an easily digestible spectrum of protein, macro-nutrients & healthy fats, along with the required vitamins and minerals.
These are found within the meat, offal, bone, vegetables, and select mixed berries .
- Natural, nutrient dense raw protein for healthy muscle growth
- The correct balance of calcium and phosphorus for their bone and joint development
- All the required vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
The meat and bone are extra finely minced and blended to make them even easier to digest and even more bioavailable.
This means your puppy can absorb and assimilate more of the nutrients they require for healthy development.
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When To Start Feeding Raw Food To Puppies
- Best to keep puppies on mothers milk as long as possible.
- 4-5 weeks old: Usually on milk till 4-5 weeks old when teeth come in. Then can add food for puppies.
- Mom might regurgitate food for puppies this is great as its predigested food.
- 4-5 weeks old: When adding food use mushy food and minced food and add broth or water to it.
- 6 weeks old: Can add small meaty bones like chicken necks. But youll want to help them out with some predigestion of your own so pound the necks up with a hammer or meat tenderizer to make them easier to eat.
- 6 7 weeks: Most puppies are eating what mom is eating only in smaller amounts.
- Puppies might need more calcium so give 15% bone
- Make sure diet is high quality. Not more than 10% fat or there wont be enough proteins and nutrients in the diet.
So You Want To Get Your Dog On A Raw
Here’s how to do it without breaking the bank
It seems like every week a commercial pet food is outed as containing actual poison. First it was a euthanasia drug that popped up in the mass-market foods on the cheaper end of the spectrum. No surprise, I thought, rather smugly. If you feed your dog garbage, what do you expect? Then it was discovered that the stuff I was spending over $200 per month on contained both arsenic and BPAs in potentially harmful amounts. If even the most expensive kibbles contain poison, what are you supposed to feed your dog?
This is how I figured out how to feed my dogs healthy raw food, and do it without going broke.
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Health Benefits Of Feeding Your Dog Raw Food
Are you wondering whether raw food is a good option for your dog? The following are some health benefits for feeding raw foods to dogs:
- Compatible with the biological needs naturally, the digestive system of dogs is designed to digest raw meat because they are descendants of raw meat-eating ancestors.
- Healthy coat and skin raw foods contain plenty of zinc, proteins, fresh fats, and vitamin that promote healthier coat and skin.
- Improved oral health and breath with raw foods, dogs have to tear and rip it up. They also gnaw the bones, removing the tartar and plaque on their teeth. This leads to improved oral health and healthier teeth.
- Improved digestion raw foods promote maximum absorption of nutrients than dry kibble. Kibble takes 7 to 8 hours to be digested while raw foods take about 2 hours.
- Fewer toxins raw foods are natural, unprocessed, and do not contain any fillers and artificial flavors which can be dangerous for your dog.
How To Choose The Best Raw Diet For Your Dog
With an almost overwhelming number of raw feeding choices, it can seem daunting to find the diet that is right for your dog. There are many styles, formats, and flavours of raw food, each with its own pros and cons.
Start by narrowing down your options. What are your pet’s specific needs? What are you looking for in dog food? After you determine how to support your dog’s health, consider things like price, quantity, and ease of preparation.
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Switching Your Puppy To A Raw Diet
If your puppy has been weaned onto a processed diet, whether kibble, tinned or other foods, you can transition them onto raw puppy food in a single step.
Scroll down to find out: How much to feed a puppy, how much your puppy should weigh and how often your puppy should eat.
We recommend keeping switching your puppy to raw dog food simple and stress-free with a straight swap.
Feed your puppy their final meal of their current food the night before, whilst your puppys new food defrosts overnight. Begin feeding their new raw puppy food in the morning.
For those of you who are just beginning the weaning process, we have a great article about weaning puppies onto a Raw Diet.
Weight Gain With Toy & Small Breed Dogs:
Its natural to provide lavish lifestyles for those we love. And perhaps we have an innate protective instinct for the small guys. But I promise youre not doing your dog any favors by overfeeding.Remember, the body condition chart still applies to toy breeds.If youre a treat-oriented dog owner, this needs to be taken into consideration. You may need to reduce the amount you feed if youd tend to provide lots of treats throughout the day.
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Ask Raw Dog Food Brands For Meal Plan Consultations
Last but not least, you can also simply ask raw dog food brands for advice.
Raw Paws Pet Food is one of several brands who offer free meal plan consultations. I was on the phone with them for a little over 45 mins back in 2015.
I got a ton of value from speaking with Shelli. One of the biggest nuggets of wisdom was her detailed information about warming, cooling and neutral proteins. Who knew!
Darwins Natural Pet also offers free meal plan consultations.