Does not seem to be enough

[TimberGSD2]

I started feeding raw soley about a month ago. I've been kind of winging it on amounts but finally sat down and figured out how much they should get each day based on the info from Lauri's RDR page. My little Phinneas is about 18 pounds, he is probably a 5 on the activity scale and I figured his portion out to be about 4 oz a day. This seems really small to me. He is ok at 18 pounds vet likes him there (although I really think he should be about 16) but I will go with the vet. Does that sound about right?

Any input would be appreciated.

Christina

[mycobraracr]

That doesn't sound right. How old is your puppy? I use 3% of my puppies projected adult weight. The 3% comes from the activity level. I have my puppy at an 8. So for 70lbs it comes out around 2.1lbs of food. I divide the 2.1 by the type of meet.
50% MM
45%RMB
5% OM
Hope this helps.

[mycobraracr]

I just noticed your talking about your min-pin.

[wyoung2153]

Yes that is a little amount. Phenneas should be getting about 7.2 oz. (that's with doing 2.5% of his weight based of the 5 on the nergy scale) What you probably calculated was 18 X .025 = .45 But that's not in oz, that's .45 lbs (did the same thing when I first calculated ) So in oz that would be about 7.2 oz. and using the ratio of 50% RMB, 45% MM, and 5% OM.. you should get:

3.6 oz RMB (Raw meaty bones)
3.24 oz MM (Muscle Meat)
0.36 oz OM (Organ meat)

What do you actually feed, just out of curiosity? Does he seem to like it? I know my Titan didn't like poultry in any way shape or form unless it was cooked or ground... Lol picky boy!

Hope that helps!! Let us know how he's doing!

[ChancetheGSD]

18lb is pretty big for a Min Pin! :O

My 13lb Pekapom gets about 4.4.5oz a day. She isn't super active but she does run our 9 acre farm each day (has to make her pee marking rounds at least 3-4x a day lol) and goes for 2-3 mile walks a couple times a week so she's not a total couch potato either.

If you feel he needs to get down to 16lb then go for it. Like I said, 18lb seems HUGE unless your dog is a mix? Vets aren't going to be honest about your dogs weight, simple as that. Your dog can be obviously obese and MOST vets are going to tell you they are fine because they don't want to offend you. I'd feed about 7oz and see where that gets you after a couple weeks to see if you need to up or lower it depending on how he's maintaining.

Not that I'm automatically saying he's overweight! I don't want my post to come off offensively, just saying that it seems pretty big for a Min Pin. I know when my girl was really overweight, the vet NEVER said anything about it besides "she's fine". 19lb of weight loss later (Yep, no typo...She was 32lb at her biggest!!) I have vets commenting about what great shape she's in. :P

[wyoung2153]

Originally Posted by ChancetheGSD

Vets aren't going to be honest about your dogs weight, simple as that. Your dog can be obviously obese and MOST vets are going to tell you they are fine because they don't want to offend you.

So true. Titan was a solid 96-100 lbs.. depending on the day. he was solid, in shape, not overweight at all.. in fact the vet told me if he gained a little it wouldn't hurt him at all.. Then, after changing his food, changing his routine and adding another puppy, he got stressed out, lost weight and was down to 86 lbs. Took him in because I was worried and the same vet told me the exact same thing "OH he looks great!" When I said he'd lost 10 or so lbs since the last visit, about 3 months prior. She said, "oh well he doesn't look bad or underweight, 86 lbs is a good weight for him. He could gain some if you want, it won't hurt." Um yeah he gained back that weight because he was far too skinny. When my roommate starts asking me if I'm feeding him enough of the new food because his hip bones seem to be protruding.. It's time to up his amount of raw. He is back to normal thank goodness! I just had to feed him 3 lbs a day instead of 2.5. And I added a little cottage cheese.

He's your boy so I would suggest if you think he's too big then you decrease the amount you are feeding him, like what was suggested. When he loses the weight you want. Then you can decide whether that's good amount for him or if you should up it an oz.

[TimberGSD2]

Thanks so much everyone! He is big for a min pin. He is a very badly bred BYB min pin. My friend is the director of our local animal control and these "breeders" decided they did not want to breed anymore so dumped 2 pregnant bitches and the stud at the shelter. Phinneas litter had 4 pups in it and the bitch didn't lactate so they were all bottle raised. I got Phinneas at 3 weeks old. He's quite the entertainer.

I've been feeding pork necks, turkey necks, chicken quarters, ground venison, eggs, and I throw some cottage cheese in there. Phinneas is also a veggie lover so he helps me make salads before dinner in the evening. I just found a new supplier so I will be hopefully adding some rabbit, and beef items.


Thanks so much for pointing that out Whitney! I'm so horrible at math! It was so much easier figuring out for my big dog! Lol.

Thanks for all your help! I greatly appreciate it! And I'm sure Phinneas does too!

Christina

[wyoung2153]

Sounds like a good diet! All I would add to that is some type of OM. Liver, kidney, etc. Mine like fruits and veggies too Titan especially likes Bananas that are on the more ripe side.. it makes them easy to get rid of when they are going brown If they are ripe, he wont eat them.. silly boy! Athena will eat anything you put in front of her face, haha. I also give Cottage cheese and yogurt in the mornings.. they LOVE it. Lol.

And no worries about the math.. I only noticed it after I calculated it myself for you.. and was like OH I see what happened there! plus I did it with my GSD when I first started.. seems to be a common error, lol! So you GSD is on the diet as well??

[TimberGSD2]

Yes Kya is also on the diet and let me tell you it has done a world of difference for her! I put her on a new supplement (Glucosamine,chondrotin,msm, hyalaronic acid, omega3) and the new diet and she is like a puppy again! I really thought this would be her last winter but this combo seems to have taken a few years off, she's like a 6 year old again! She has not been on her rimadyl, tramadol or her cyclosporine for over a month now. (she is also a horribley bred BYB GSD)

I have found a new supplier and have ordered some heart and liver for them as well. I do have a question about the green tripe. What is this considered? Is it OM? Or is it just a "filler"?

You have all been so helpful. Thank you so much!

Christina

[wyoung2153]

That's so awesome to read!!! Do you have any pictures you would like to share???

I do not feed Tripe. Just because I live in an area that doesn't have a lot of small business butchers and the only local butchers we have don't deal with that. That being said.. my understanding is that it is a complete meal. Meaning it can be a stand alone meal. A few people that I know feed tripe on it's own. Some I have heard feeding it with everything else as part of their MM. I hope someone more knowledgeable on that chimes in.. Sorry.

I actually feed prepacked by a family owned butcher. They are in the south eatern region and one supplier just so happens to be near me. (USDA/Human Grade) They sell whole ground chicken, Beef with organ meat, as well as ground Green Tripe. When I talked to them they said that my adult GSD could live off just green tripe. Not entirely sure how acurate it was but found it interesting.