[Sambuca]

Firstly, thanks for the responses to my other post. Thanks to this section of the forum we decided to take the plunge and get Sam on RAW this past weekend.

Sam is almost 11 months, neutered and about 73lbs. His weight has not changed in the past month.

Here's what we've been feeding him so far:

Fri PM: 16oz Chicken Quarter Leg

Sat AM: 16oz Chicken Quarter Leg
Sat PM: 16oz Chicken Quarter Leg

Sun AM: 16oz Chicken Quarter Leg
Sun PM: 12oz Chicken Quarter Leg, 4oz Chicken Back

Mon AM: 16oz Chicken Quarter Leg

We weren't sure how he would take to the meat since he's only ever had kibble but he took to it quickly! After a few licks he picked up the chicken and started munching away. He now goes through his meal pretty quickly followed by him roaming the kitchen looking for more!

I've started defrosting some tripe and plan to give him about 8oz of Chicken back and 8oz of green tripe this evening. We bought 50lbs of green trip yesterday so we want to start using it as a regular peice of his diet.

We've also purchased a case of chicken hearts that we will start using as MM, once we go through this bag of tripe, and some chicken liver that we will start adding in week 3.

We have a chicken factory close by so it's been easy to buy cases of chicken so now we just need to find a butcher and start adding some beef into his diet after a couple of weeks.

BTW, his poop these past two days has been firm in the AM but a bit runny in the PM (but getting less runny). Both daily bowel movements have been just two small peices!

Comments and suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Zisso]

Welcome to the raw side!! My dogs race to their crates when they see me with that dish! My boy slides into his crate, spins around and licks his chops every time with complete and utter excitement. I have been feeding raw for about a year now and it does my heart good to see their enthusiasm!

 

[ZAYDA]

Sounds like you have a good handle on your raw diet but remember it's all still new to his body so keep an eye on his stools of course but give the diet time. Be careful on the organ meat and the richness make sure to take it s l o w.

 

[Sambuca]

Thanks folks.

We're still getting a mixture of very firm stool in the AM and a bit of runniness in the PM but it seems to be getting better.

We'll keep going slow but we're really optimistic about his new diet!

 

[Sambuca]

These past two days Sam has seemed more tired than usually. For instance, he barely slept during the day on Monday - that's the type of energy he usually has! But today and yesterday he has been sleeping a lot during the day. Took him to the dog park today and he seemed fine though he did show a bit of aggression to a couple of dogs which he normally never does. And tonight I took him to play with my friend's Doberman. They usually chase each other around in the yard but Sam didn't seem like he wanted to play too much.

He seems otherwise fine. We still play fetch regularily but he seems a bit less enthusiastic. It seems that he is low on energy. His appetite continues to be strong.

So my question is am I feeding him enough?

I've been feeding him 2 x 1lb meal per day. He turns 11 months this weekend and he weighs 73lbs with a bit of rib showing. I read somewhere that you should feed puppies 5-10% of their weight while they are growing. That means we should be feeding him about 3.5lbs per day!

Any suggestions?

 

[Verivus]

It may just be that his body is adjusting to the diet change. It does typically take a few weeks before the body is completely adjusted. If your pup isn't losing weight then he is getting enough food and I wouldn't up the food intake. At 11 months your pup is old enough to be fed 2-3% of his projected adult weight. With a very young pup people typically go with two options - 10% of their current puppy weight or 2-3% of the projected adult weight. Once his stool stabilizes either introduce organs or red meat. Red meat is more nutritious then white meat, which is why I recommend introducing a red meat instead of another white meat in lieu of organs.

 

[phgsd]

The 5-10% guideline is for young puppies. At his age I'd feed him 2-3% of his estimated adult weight. I would guess and say he'll put on another 10 lbs or so before he's finished growing so 2.5 lbs might be a good number.

But it really depends on the dog - I would give it at least a few more days before changing how much you're feeding, unless you are already noticing he's losing weight.

I wouldn't be too concerned about his lower energy, his tummy might be a little upset from the switch. Just give it some time

 

[Sambuca]

Thank you Verivus and phgsd!
He hasn't been losing weight but I was just afraid that his energy level was down but now I'm thinking maybe it's just some sort of "bug" or cold that's making him tired.
He is hungry all the time and once he finishes his meal (outside) the first thing he does is come in and start sniffing the kitchen. I suppose many dogs do that.

 

[DeeMcB]

We've been doing raw for a while and Ezra is still low energy after a big meal. I just chalked it up to his body needing its energy to digest and process real food v. junk. He always perks back up.