How Much Raw Food To Feed Your Dog

How To Count Calories

Counting calories isnt nearly as hard as people think lets say you want to feed your dog a pound of chicken breast. Simply search the internet for how many calories in one pound raw chicken breast. In this example, youll see that its 231 calories.

Figuring out the calorie content of primary meats youll be feeding your dog makes counting calories much more manageable. Within a few weeks, youll have the calorie content memorized.

How To Feed Raw Dog Food

Now you know the advantages of feeding raw and how to choose the right type of diet, but just what are you getting yourself into? Choosing the food and feeding the food are two different things. Luckily, stores like Raw Health 4 Dogs make it easy to learn.

I’m not going to lie feeding your dog a raw diet isn’t as simple as throwing kibble into a bowl and walking away. Raw diets require you to be more involved in your dog’s meal prep and eating habits. It’s an investment of both money and time, but if you want the best for your dog, some sacrifices need to be made.

There are a few extra steps involved in feeding raw. Build a consistent routine to help simplify the daily and weekly process of feeding raw food. You’ll see that raw food preparation isn’t as complicated as it sounds.

These helpful tips and best practices can ensure that you are feeding appropriately and that your dog will thrive on its new raw diet.

How Many Times A Day Should I Feed My Dog Raw Food

It is recommended that you feed your adult dog their total daily requirement of raw food two times a day. This helps prevent bloating in large breeds and is better for your dogs digestion.

Two meals per day also prevent begging by your dog between meals. If you have a busy schedule, feeding your dog once daily is also fine.

For puppies up to 16 weeks old, you should spread their daily food intake over four meals. Between the ages of 17 and 24 weeks, feed your puppy 3 times per day, and from 25 weeks old, feed your dog twice per day.

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How To Switch From Kibble To A Raw Food Diet

When switching between different types of kibble, its widely known that you should slowly mix the new food with the older food and gradually increase the amount of the new food. This helps to avoid any digestion problems like vomiting or diarrhea. However, when switching to a raw food diet, it needs to be done cold turkey. Reason being, cooked food and raw food is digested quite differently. By feeding both, it will force your dogs body to digest two completely different types of foods in two completely different ways. So when switching to raw food for dogs, you want to make the switch a quick one.

Be aware that there is a break-in period. Some dogs will adapt to the raw diet immediately while others will take several weeks to adjust. Typically, the longer the dog has been on kibble the longer the adjustment period will be. During this adjustment period, you can expect some diarrhea, constipation, and sometimes occasional vomiting. While a bit unpleasant, this is nothing of serious concern and the symptoms will eventually subside. Once the symptoms do subside, you and your dog can enjoy benefits to a raw diet for the rest of your dogs life. When making the switch its important that you feed your dog a relatively bland diet at first. Feed raw meaty bones and some bland vegetables such as chicken wings and squash or pureed carrots, for example. Dont start feeding richer raw foods, such as organ meats or eggs until your dog has begun to adjust to eating raw foods.

Based On A Maintenance Weight:

The average raw fed dog will require 2-3% of its body weight in raw food daily. 2.5% max is ideal in most cases.

This translates to about ½ pound of food for every 25 pounds that your dog weighs. So, for a 50lb dog thats 1 to 1-1/2 pounds of food a day .

To convert this to cups, the 50 lb dog would need 2 to 4-1/2 cups of raw food a day.

• 1 lb ground meat = 2 cups
• 1 lb chopped meat = 3 cups

The food amount should include all meat, bones, treats, and supplements combined.

This is a good starting point and then adjust up or down from there.

• Inactive you may need to feed less than the 2%
• Active you may need to feed a bit more than the 2.5% to 3% maximum amount to maintain a healthy weight

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Bioavailability Of Raw Ingredients

An ingredients bioavailability is how digestible and usable the nutrients in food are for your dogs body. When ingredients are exposed to high temperatures, like those involved in dog food manufacturing, nutrients are denatured, making them less biologically available. This means that they may yield less nutrition than before it was processed.

The heat from processing can also change the composition of fatty acids, amino acids, and enzymes used to support your dog’s body.

Your dogs digestive system is intended to break down raw or minimally processed material, regardless of the commercial foods that they have adapted to eating over the last century. As scavenging carnivores, dogs can survive off dead food, but a biologically available raw diet will ensure that they thrive.

When all ingredients are appropriately utilized, and your dog receives optimal nutrition, an increase in muscle mass and fat reduction can be seen, supporting a leaner and healthier physique. And this is just to start. Raw-fed dogs are often healthier overall, seeing fewer instances of common health issues and fewer vet bills – like digestive problems, skin and coat issues, and poor dental health.

How Much Raw Food To Feed A Puppy

Puppies grow at a fast rate and as a result, they need the right amount of raw food will all the necessary nutrients to support their growth and development. You need to consider that toy dogs grow at a different rate compared to large dogs.

At 8 months, Mastiff or Great Dane is in their prime growth while a Shi Tzu or Yorkie has less to develop physically.

The following is a guideline on how much raw food to feed a puppy and keep in mind that adjustments should be made based on your dogs development, needs, and diets:

• 9-12 months 3-4% of their body weight in pounds daily.
• 6-8 months 4-5% of their body weight in pounds daily.
• 4-5 months 6-8% of their body weight in pounds daily.
• 2-3 months 8-10% of their body weight in pounds daily.

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How Much To Serve

To begin with, you will need to monitor the quantity of food quite closely but once you get the hang of it, providing your dog is about the correct weight and looks fit, you can do it by feel. Lots of successful raw feeders simply watch their dogs carefully and adjust the quantity as they go.

There is no hard-and-fast rule but for a dog over 10kg roughly 2% of their body weight in food every day should be about right. In other words, a 20kg dog should be eating roughly 400g. If you have a working dog, an underweight dog or a dog that exercises a great deal then up this amount to between 2 and 5% of body weight per day. If you have an elderly or overweight dog then reduce the amount to between 1 and 2% of bodyweight per day.

You can serve it in as many meals as you want and at whatever time, but it should never be left down for the dog to eat when he or she feels like it. You might be interested to know that because wolves exercise so much they need about three times as much food as a typical dog.

For dogs under 11kg in weight try:

• 12kg: 10% of bodyweight
• 34kg: 7% of bodyweight
• 58kg: 5% of bodyweight
• 910kg: 3% of bodyweight
• 11kg+: 2% of bodyweight

If you would like more detailed advice please get in touch with Honeys. These percentages are for guidance only.

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.

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Rule One Feed Fresh Meat To Your Puppy

Once an animal is dead, its flesh begins the process of decay.

As part of this process, the pathogens in meat will increase naturally over time, unless it is frozen. So be sure to freeze meat soon after purchasing or refrigerate it below 4 C and use it within a couple of days.

Older dogs can often cope with pathogens that would make humans ill. Puppies, however, are more vulnerable. Only feed them the freshest meat that you would feed your own family.

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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What To Do If Your Dog Is Vomiting

Some of the most common reasons your dog is vomiting:

Empty stomach: If your dog is vomiting on an empty stomach you will usually see yellow bile. This is a sign that they need fed.

Drinking too much water on an empty stomach: If your dogs vomit is clear with white foam or globs of mucus, its a sign that they drank too much water on an empty stomach. They will need fed.

Detoxing: Vomiting may also be a part of the normal detox process that dogs go through when transitioning to the raw diet. You can add honey or apple sauce to their meals to settle their stomach during this process.

Ingested a foreign object: If you suspect your dog swallowed some type of foreign object , you will need to monitor them closely. If the object doesnt pass within 24 hours you will need to contact your veterinarian.

How To Start Using Raw Food For Puppies

If your puppy is currently being fed on kibble and you want to make the switch, youll be excited to make a start.

But its important to take this one step at a time. Dont just plunge in with a medley of foods. Lots of new foods all at once may trigger a tummy upset.

Start with one food. Chicken is usually well tolerated. Feed a meager amount at the first meal, and if all is well, slightly more at the next. After a couple of days, add another foodeggs for example, or tripe.

The rule is: small quantities at first, increasing gradually at each mealtime.

Of course meal variety is important. But a healthy puppy wont starve or suffer from deficiencies over just a few days.

And this gradual introduction will allow his stomach and digestive system to get used to his new way of eating.

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But A Far More Important Factor To Determine Is Your Dogs Current Weight

Activity level is worth considering, but its not something to get too hung up on.Most dogs fall with the inactive or average categories. In these scenarios, starting with 2% of their body weight is a good course of action. If you believe your dog is more active, consider bumping their starting percentage up to 2.5 3% of their body weight.

Where Does Your Dog Fall?

Finding And Buying Raw Food For Dogs

Finding raw food for dogs is pretty simple if you live near a populated area. Often times a butcher shop has scraps and leftovers they are willing to sell for cheap as the scraps are not normally sought after by humans. But dogs love it and you know the meat has come from high quality sources . You can often times find chicken necks, turkey necks, chicken or turkey feet, liver, hearts, pork necks and riblets, tripe or other stomach contents, cow tongue, and many other meat products which are difficult to sell. If you can find the right butcher, you can obtain these meat products for cheaper than you buy your kibble. Call around, you might be very surprised with what your butcher has!

And, of course, there is always your local grocery store or big box store. For the most part, you should buy your dog the same meats you would feed your own family if you want to feed your dog a good diet.

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Puppy Raw Feeding Quantities Chart

Use the chart below to calculate how much raw food to feed your puppy for a given weight and age.

Should you feel that raw feeding is not for you then please introduce an alternative gradually, your puppys digestive system has only known raw feeding so you will need to be careful not to cause any upsets. Other foods that compliment Wolf Tucker are scrambled eggs , Goats milk and natural yoghurt. Your product will be in a frozen state when you receive it, it should be defrosted either in your refrigerator or at room temperature. It will happily keep in your fridge for up to 3 days.

Keep in mind Wolf Tucker is raw meat so precautions should be taken to ensure the hygiene of work surfaces etc.

For new puppy owners that are overseas, please ensure you start your puppy off with an equivalent replacement. Our puppy food contains 83% meat and bone and 17% fruit and vegetables.

How Come My Dog Lost Weight On Raw

After figuring out how much to feed, some people remark that the quantity of food seems too small. That or it seems less than what their dogs were eating before.This is nothing to be worried about.Raw diets are calorie dense foods. They contain more fat than kibble, which is mostly starch-based. Fat carries more than twice the calories per gram as protein and carbohydrates.From a food volume perspective, you may be feeding less raw than dry dog food and thats okay.Remember why you chose to feed raw. Now that your dog is eating real, quality foods, expect there to be some differences in how their food bowl appears.

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Want To Get More Accurate

These sorts of percentages are general guides that will get you or your clients started and on which the dog wont go hungry. However, the exact results depend greatly on the type of food you are feeding. Obviously a lean mix offers less calories per kilo than a higher fat mix. For this reason, when assessing what a particular dogs energy needs it is better to talk on a calorie or ME basis, where ME stands for Metabolisable Energy. This is more detail than most need but Im really targeting vets and folk with clients who to get into a bit of detail. The formula for your dogs Resting Energy Requirement is

70 x ^ 0.75

That little hat sign you see there is called a power sign. In English, you would say 70 times your dogs body weight to the power of 0.75. You might need a scientific calculator. Find below images of what that button will look like.

Once you have worked out your dogs RER you can use the following multipliers depending on his physiological state :

• 1.6 Average neutered adult

If This Is You Dont Feel Bad

Most small dogs and toy breeds today are overweight.There I said it.Because theyre already so small, perhaps pet parents worry their dogs are too thin. The urge to fatten up small pets is strong among many dog owners. Toy breeds may also consume more treats on average than larger dogs. And their reputation for being spoiled with food precedes them.

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Do The Math Yourself With A Raw Feeding Formula: 2

Seasoned raw feeders use a specific formula to calculate their adult dogs daily raw dog food allowance.

They feed 2-4% of the adult dogs ideal body weight in raw dog food per day.

How much exactly depends on the individual dogs age, activity, and metabolism.

For example, a couch potato Bulldog is going to eat closer to 2% of her ideal body weight, while an active Dalmatian or Boxer who goes for daily walks would probably eat 2.5-3%.

Likewise, a working German or Australian Shepherd would eat closer to 3.5-4%. By working dog, I mean a dog whos extremely active and has an actual job. For example, herding sheep or patrolling a building.

Heres how to do the math:

Divide your dogs target body weight by 100. Multiply the result with your feeding percentage . That gives you your daily feeding amount in pounds, which you can then convert into ounces.

Heres the example of a 50 lb, active Boxer: 50/100 = 0.5 x 3% = 1.5lbs = 24oz.

Of those 2-4%, you need to feed specific amounts of different cuts of raw meat and/or veggies:

Muscle meat

Raw meaty bone

Secreting organs

Plant matter

Tip: You can now hire me to do the feeding math for you!

How Much Raw Dog Food Do My Boxer Mixes Eat Per Day?

My pups are both adult dogs, and Buzzs ideal body weight is 70 lb, 2% of which are 1.4 lb, and 3% are 2.1 lb.

Throughout summer time Ive been giving her around 8 ounces per meal as the high temperatures just dont allow for a lot of activity.