Today is the switch over

Phrixus · 09-28-2011, 08:02 PM

I registered a couple weeks ago intending to switch my Phrixus (just under 6 month old) and Page (2 yr old Malamute) to Raw - since then Page and her "mom" (my gf) left our family and so it took a bit to get things sorted out... anyway today is the day.

I found a local butcher who sells quite a bit of RMB for around .69/lb - got 2.5lbs of deer neck for a couple bucks today. Phrixus is in his new crate (starting that today too) LOVING one of the necks. Tomorrow morning he'll get about a lb of ground beef, with tomorrow night being a chicken back. The butcher also sells "dog food" which is ground organ meats - I figure half a lb with a light chicken twice a week should get me the OM around 10% a week. From this butcher I can get some deer for the next little while, pork always, beef always and turkey on occasion. I am going to focus on pork ribs, chicken backs for the RMB with turkey/deer while I can, and use mostly beef/pork for the MM. I figure a fish when I find a sale (considered MM even if it's whole right?) same with lamb/goat.

He's 75lbs and I figure for the next little while I'll keep him around a lb a meal. So far I'm thinking about this from a weely perspective. A RMB meal once a day, a MM meal once a day, with wednesday swapping MM meal for OM/Egg/tripe, then on Saturday swapping RMB with the OM/Egg/tripe.

Once he starts to show his true colors (he is 1/2 GSD, 1/2 Bernard/Pyrenees) I may have to up from 2lbs a day towards 3 or even 4 if he starts to push past 140lb (most calculators show he's on track for anywhere from 150-200).

Anyone see where the diet could use tweaking? I am trying to stick with the 45-50 RMB 45 MM and 5-10 OM/etc

onyx'girl · 09-28-2011, 08:57 PM

I tend to feed the portion/meat, bone, organ balance together each meal. A chicken back is too much bone, I would not feed that by itself. Your pup may get constipated if you feed the way you are planning, then get runny poo if you feed a meal of just organ meat.

I don't want a bony meal going thru the digestive tract. When you add all three together the balance is much easier on the system.
I would be cautious on feeding deer necks when starting out.
Stick with softer bones, like chicken, turkey necks or pork neck bones. I fed my dogs turkey wings tonight and it was way more bone/skin than they needed...so I added some ground mix to help and then the portion was huge! I know they'll handle it ok, not something I do often though.

robk · 09-28-2011, 09:19 PM

A German Shepherd / St Bernard / Pyrenees dog? That's going to be quite the dog one day! Kind of sounds like Buck from "Call of the Wild."

Phrixus · 09-28-2011, 09:43 PM

thanks for the advice - I will try to mix a bit of each then. here's the only thing I can add to the conversation at the moment

09-28-2011, 08:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
Phrixus New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Indiana Posts: 20	Today is the switch over I registered a couple weeks ago intending to switch my Phrixus (just under 6 month old) and Page (2 yr old Malamute) to Raw - since then Page and her "mom" (my gf) left our family and so it took a bit to get things sorted out... anyway today is the day. I found a local butcher who sells quite a bit of RMB for around .69/lb - got 2.5lbs of deer neck for a couple bucks today. Phrixus is in his new crate (starting that today too) LOVING one of the necks. Tomorrow morning he'll get about a lb of ground beef, with tomorrow night being a chicken back. The butcher also sells "dog food" which is ground organ meats - I figure half a lb with a light chicken twice a week should get me the OM around 10% a week. From this butcher I can get some deer for the next little while, pork always, beef always and turkey on occasion. I am going to focus on pork ribs, chicken backs for the RMB with turkey/deer while I can, and use mostly beef/pork for the MM. I figure a fish when I find a sale (considered MM even if it's whole right?) same with lamb/goat. He's 75lbs and I figure for the next little while I'll keep him around a lb a meal. So far I'm thinking about this from a weely perspective. A RMB meal once a day, a MM meal once a day, with wednesday swapping MM meal for OM/Egg/tripe, then on Saturday swapping RMB with the OM/Egg/tripe. Once he starts to show his true colors (he is 1/2 GSD, 1/2 Bernard/Pyrenees) I may have to up from 2lbs a day towards 3 or even 4 if he starts to push past 140lb (most calculators show he's on track for anywhere from 150-200). Anyone see where the diet could use tweaking? I am trying to stick with the 45-50 RMB 45 MM and 5-10 OM/etc

09-28-2011, 08:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
onyx'girl Crowned Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: SW, MI Posts: 17,600	I tend to feed the portion/meat, bone, organ balance together each meal. A chicken back is too much bone, I would not feed that by itself. Your pup may get constipated if you feed the way you are planning, then get runny poo if you feed a meal of just organ meat. I don't want a bony meal going thru the digestive tract. When you add all three together the balance is much easier on the system. I would be cautious on feeding deer necks when starting out. Stick with softer bones, like chicken, turkey necks or pork neck bones. I fed my dogs turkey wings tonight and it was way more bone/skin than they needed...so I added some ground mix to help and then the portion was huge! I know they'll handle it ok, not something I do often though. Last edited by onyx'girl; 09-28-2011 at 09:00 PM.

09-28-2011, 09:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Phrixus New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Indiana Posts: 20	thanks for the advice - I will try to mix a bit of each then. here's the only thing I can add to the conversation at the moment Attached Thumbnails

09-28-2011, 09:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
robk Master Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 571	A German Shepherd / St Bernard / Pyrenees dog? That's going to be quite the dog one day! Kind of sounds like Buck from "Call of the Wild."

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