Hi Lopez!
Since you just switched her to HK Base + meat, why not leave her on that for a while?
Here are other references for you to research raw feeding.
http://rawfeddogs.net/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
http://rawlearning.com/
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html (for finding bone percentages)
Raw Fed Dogs - Natural Prey Model Rawfeeding Diet
Natural Raw Diet For Pets - Dogs Healthy Food & Pet Nutrition Products
The Original Top 50 BARF FAQs for Beginners - BARF: A Bones and Raw Food Diet for Dogs
RAW PREY MODEL DIET
By: Nicki Simonson
Some of the benefits of feeding raw:
-fresh breath
-diminished doggy odor
-dogs are mentally stimulated
-dogs generally eat their food right away
-smaller poops
-increased energy
-shiny coats
-slower, steadier growth in puppies (important for large/giant breeds!)
The main points:
-dogs should be fed 2% of their ideal
adult body weight daily*
-the goal is 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% organs.* I generally try to balance this over a week's time.
-go slowly at first... too much, too fast can cause loose stool.
*These percentages are guidelines. My GSD male needs a lot more than 2% because he has such a high metabolism and is constantly moving. Also, some dogs need more or less boneā¦ā¦ just look at the poop. If it's loose, add more bone. If the dog is constipated, add less bone.
More info:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/nicki-simonson/raw-prey-model-diet/437610758104/
I start new dogs on chicken. Many people buy whole chickens and cut them up, but I donāt like to deal with cutting them up so I buy leg quarters. (Bone in chicken breasts are generally a good choice for puppies, the bones are the easiest and there is a good bone to meat ratio). Check the sodium content: if it's over 80, it's enhanced and you'll want to pass. Most of the Gold N Plump sold at my local grocery store is un-enhanced.
You can decide whether or not you want to take the skin and excess fat off the first few days. I did this for a couple of days when starting mine raw, but I don't believe I would've needed to. My dogs were just fine.
Simply hand your dog a chicken quarter (you can feed outside if you like... I fed inside at first because I wanted a more controlled environment). Don't be surprised if he doesn't immediately gobble it up. He may try to lick it to death first.
You'll want to feed nothing but chicken for the first couple of weeks. The bone content will be a bit high... but that's okay since bone = firm poops, and her tummy will be adjusting to the new food.
Don't be surprised if your dog "guards" his food, even if he's never done this before. It is completely natural. Think about if you've been fed nothing but dry cereal your whole entire life and someone hands you a big, juicy steak. You'd guard that sucker, too! He WILL get used to the fact that he's going to get this fantastic food every day and become nonchalant about eating. The key is to NOT mess with his food. If you mess with his food, he'll start to worry that you will take it away.
Don't be surprised if, once he starts to realize how amazingly good chicken is, he horks down his food and then almost immediately throws it up again. Let him eat it a second time (gross, I know, but it's what he'd do if he were a wolf in the wild). My Rottie occasionally does this and then seems to learn his lesson for a time... and for the next few days he'll eat much slower and more carefully. My German Shepherd female is an AMAZINGLY wonderful eater. She carefully chews everything.
Your dog will be on just chicken for two weeks so that will give you plenty of time to choose your next protein source. I decided to go with pork, because it is inexpensive and readily available. When you start your second protein source, add just a bit of it to a chicken meal, so his tummy gets used to this new meat. Gradually increase the amount until you're feeding a full pork (or other protein) meal. Repeat these steps when adding beef, turkey, lamb, venison, etc.
Most pork bones are fine for medium dogs on up, but smaller dogs will not be able to crunch some of the larger ones. I personally do not feed beef bones. They are generally too dense for all but the giant breed dogs. If your dog is careful and will eat around the bone without breaking his teeth trying to crunch it up, you can feed these ārecā bones. It will give your dog hours of entertainment and you some free time. ;-)
When adding organs, make sure you start small, since they are rich and can cause loose stool before the dog is used to them. Organs are the āpowerhouseā when it comes to nutrients, vitamins, etc. If you compare organ meat with vegetables, youāll find a lot of the same nutrientsā¦ but organs have a higher content. That is why dogs do not require veggiesā¦ because theyāre getting what they need from the 10% organ in their diet. Wolves in the wild may munch on grass or eat stomach content, but they generally do this out of preference rather than need.
You must also add a source of Omega 3. It should be a protein source, and not flax based. Flax is not easily converted by dogs and many of them are actually allergic to it. I used to use salmon oil capsules, but with the recent lawsuits over PCPs in fish oil pills, Iāve started using canned sardines in water. I give each of my dogs a can of sardines 3x per week. A typical week looks like this:
Monday: morning ā chicken. Evening ā pork, sardines
Tuesday: morning ā chicken. Evening ā beef, beef liver
Wednesday: morning ā chicken. Evening ā pork
Thursday: morning ā chicken. Evening ā pork, sardines
Friday: morning ā chicken. Evening ā pork, beef liver
Saturday: morning ā chicken. Evening ā beef, sardines
Sunday: morning ā chicken. Evening ā pork
I get other kinds of meat (turkey, lamb, etc.) when they are on sale. I get venison whenever I canā¦ itās the BEST for themā¦. Plus they love it!
[FONT="]BTW---Pork should be frozen for 2 weeks prior to feeding.
Moms :smile2:
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