Dog Community

One Big Risk with Raw/Homecooked

Posted : 4/8/2006 9:33:30 PM

OVER FEEDING! With kibble it's a scoop. With meat it's a cooked chicken thigh cut up, three raw chicken necks, a small potato, a raw egg, one fish body oil capsule opened, a little bit of ground raw veg.

And Nandi, my little old ridgie bitch, has gone from 62 to 69lbs in 7 months.

Oopsie.
Let's revise this menu; 1/3 of a thigh, two necks, 1/2 a small potato, 1 raw egg, little bit of ground veg, one fish body oil capsule opened.

Yipes.
Paula

sandra_slayton

Posted : 4/9/2006 12:25:32 AM

You know those extra pounds can creep upon you unless it is a sudden ballooning like with thyroid....especially so with a dog with long, thick fur. And the same can go for weight loss with dogs with thick, long fur. KayCee put on all that weight when she was having knee problems. She has had it off about a year, but I take her in once a month get her wieghed to make sure she isn't putting any back on.

the_gunny

Posted : 4/9/2006 11:50:30 AM

Weigh the food!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/9/2006 5:00:03 PM

Uh oh! I actually do measure my food with a scoop, but monthly weigh ins are never a bad idea, especially if you're not too far from the vet's office and the dogs are good in the car.

sandra_slayton

Posted : 4/9/2006 5:16:09 PM

I have read on a few boards where some have vets that actually charge to bring dogs in and have them weighed. My vet encourages it, there is no charge, a tech does it and weight is record in dogs record. The scales are actually in the waiting area so that if they are really busy, you can do it yourself. But there is no charge at all for weighing your dog. I was surprised that some vets would charge just for that.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/9/2006 5:22:39 PM

I'd think they'd WANT you to keep your dogs' weighs ideal...

My vet allows it. I usually just let somebody know what I'm doing, and walk behind the reception desk and into the lab area to weigh my dogs.....

kennel_keeper

Posted : 4/9/2006 5:23:54 PM

Weighing the food is a good idea, but you need to know the grams per serving and how many kcals in each item to be accurate.
One thing about raw feeding or homecooking for that matter is, unless you KNOW what each food has to offer (nutrient wise), how do you know your dog/s is/are getting the proper amount of nutrients?
There are alot of people on here that are feeding a homecooked or raw diet, but I never hear anything about how they know their dogs are getting the proper amount of ALL they need. I guess they are using the "condition" of their dogs as a "measuring stick", but then some say that you can't be sure about that either or blood panels etc as they may not always be accurate.
There has got to be some "measurements" on the quanities and varieties to feed to dogs based on weight to ensure proper nutrition. Does anyone here know the answer to this?

Just curious.

loveukaykay

Posted : 4/9/2006 6:06:59 PM

[linkhttp://www.dogaware.com]http://www.dogaware.com[/link]

Scroll down to Dog Feeding Info
There are lots of links to look through there on home and raw feeding. I personally feed Innova with only the occasional frozen chicken thigh for a treat, but that info looks pretty thorough.

paulaedwina

Posted : 4/9/2006 6:11:24 PM

ORIGINAL: kennel_keeper

Weighing the food is a good idea, but you need to know the grams per serving and how many kcals in each item to be accurate.
One thing about raw feeding or homecooking for that matter is, unless you KNOW what each food has to offer (nutrient wise), how do you know your dog/s is/are getting the proper amount of nutrients?
There are alot of people on here that are feeding a homecooked or raw diet, but I never hear anything about how they know their dogs are getting the proper amount of ALL they need. I guess they are using the "condition" of their dogs as a "measuring stick", but then some say that you can't be sure about that either or blood panels etc as they may not always be accurate.
There has got to be some "measurements" on the quanities and varieties to feed to dogs based on weight to ensure proper nutrition. Does anyone here know the answer to this?

Just curious.

Well I still feed kibble at least once a day - my way of making sure they're getting what they need. Other than that I try to stick to a diverse plate - chicken(neck and thigh), ground veg, starch, egg and a fish body oil capsule. Seems pretty diverse. Odds are - especially for a carnivore, I've hit everything I need to.

glenmar

Posted : 4/9/2006 6:28:44 PM

Well, I know because I gave my recipe to a canine nutritionalist and had her tweak it and then she approved it. But I still feed Innova dry in the mornings.

He is The Boss

Posted : 4/9/2006 8:04:28 PM

I've been doing more homecooking and raw lately, but I still make sure that at least one meal is their kibble. I use the recipe Glenda gave me so I know they are getting what they need.. and when I give them raw, I kind of follow the guidelines from Lauri's site as far as amounts to give for weight of my dogs.

mudpuppy

Posted : 4/10/2006 9:16:50 AM

One thing about raw feeding or homecooking for that matter is, unless you KNOW what each food has to offer (nutrient wise), how do you know your dog/s is/are getting the proper amount of nutrients?

and how do you know that you, or your children, are getting the proper amount(s) of nutrients? if you think dry kibble contains every nutrient your dog needs, you are wrong. All the "delicate" nutrients have been destroyed by the time your dog eats it.

dogs actually require far fewer essential nutrients than humans do, so it's much easier to feed them. If you're still nervous, do what so many humans do-- pop a multi-vitamin. Or buy some diet plans from a canine nutritionist (cheapest and easiest to follow are the $5 booklets by Monica Segal). In general, if you feed a good variety of foods, including fish, red meats, organ meats, and certain nutrient-dense veggies like sweet potatoes and spinach it's hard to go wrong.

paulaedwina

Posted : 4/10/2006 10:19:06 AM

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

One thing about raw feeding or homecooking for that matter is, unless you KNOW what each food has to offer (nutrient wise), how do you know your dog/s is/are getting the proper amount of nutrients?

and how do you know that you, or your children, are getting the proper amount(s) of nutrients? if you think dry kibble contains every nutrient your dog needs, you are wrong. All the "delicate" nutrients have been destroyed by the time your dog eats it.

dogs actually require far fewer essential nutrients than humans do, so it's much easier to feed them. If you're still nervous, do what so many humans do-- pop a multi-vitamin. Or buy some diet plans from a canine nutritionist (cheapest and easiest to follow are the $5 booklets by Monica Segal). In general, if you feed a good variety of foods, including fish, red meats, organ meats, and certain nutrient-dense veggies like sweet potatoes and spinach it's hard to go wrong.

That's kind of what I figured when I switched their evening meal to raw/homecooked.

Paula

Pam

Posted : 4/10/2006 10:28:26 AM

Paula, why the white potato? i know it has some valuable nutrients, but can't you get them from boiling the potatoe (removing the eyes) and serving the liquid? It has something good for the thyroid I know that. But it is a carb and they are fattening. After I stopped my bulldog from stealing her brothers leftover rice in his bowl, she lost 4 pounds on just raw meat and veggies. She is 40 pounds so I give about 3oz raw meat (Nature Vaierty patties) and veggies about 50/50 - 3x a day, she is on the Cancer Diet now so she gets broccilli, spinach, pumpkin and extra chicken skin fat. ( No she does not have cancer but a tumor I trying to prevent from spreading)

Anyway, I think raw meat and veggies (no starches) would maintain or lose weight.

paulaedwina

Posted : 4/10/2006 1:46:34 PM

ORIGINAL: Hollysmom

Paula, why the white potato? i know it has some valuable nutrients, but can't you get them from boiling the potatoe (removing the eyes) and serving the liquid? It has something good for the thyroid I know that. But it is a carb and they are fattening. After I stopped my bulldog from stealing her brothers leftover rice in his bowl, she lost 4 pounds on just raw meat and veggies. She is 40 pounds so I give about 3oz raw meat (Nature Vaierty patties) and veggies about 50/50 - 3x a day, she is on the Cancer Diet now so she gets broccilli, spinach, pumpkin and extra chicken skin fat. ( No she does not have cancer but a tumor I trying to prevent from spreading)

Anyway, I think raw meat and veggies (no starches) would maintain or lose weight.

No reason at all except in my mind the meal isn't complete without a starch/carb. I have nothing to back that up mind you.

Paula