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New to natural food diets. Where to start?

Discussion in 'BARF, Raw & Natural Diets' started by Fasb's Owner, Nov 16, 2015.

  1. Fasb's Owner

    Fasb's Owner Forums Enthusiast

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    As I mentioned in another thread, Fasb's not eating well. Does have an appetite for people food, so we're probably going to try that.

    We feel kinda overwhelmed and not sure how to start. Done some research and picked up Lew Olsen's book yesterday. We're going to start with chicken/turkey for a meat. What should we give him with that?

    Basically, I'm asking what would be a decent sample diet for him this week while we're researching the issue? I feel like I can get a handle on this in a week or two, but I need to figure out what to feed him the next couple days in the meantime.

    Thanks.
     
  2. trini

    trini Forums Sage

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    With the chicken or turkey (I would use chicken as it is a less fatty meat), you can add cooked mashed sweet potato, chopped up cooked green beans, a little molasses...and if you want a starch I have found that cooked egg noodles are a big hit.

    Trini
     
  3. Caro

    Caro Moderator

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    Feeding a dog isn't very different from feeding yourself. I tend to give one meal kibble (their smallest meal) and one meal cooked (I used to give chicken necks instead of kibble but Deska has stomach isssues with chicken atm).

    I give seasonal vegetables, whatever is available, and ensure a balance of green and yellow vegies. I use either potato or pumpkin as a base (normal potatoes tho, sweet was upsetting Deska). Make sure you add in calcium into the diet - so a couple of chicken necks or a table spoon of yoghurt. Mine get lactose free milk. When I remember to, I sprinkle dried liver over the top, and I add in their powdered joint supplement. I often add in rice or pasta if I've made some for myself (I eat a lot of rice), sometimes I'll give them oats mixed in as Deska really loves oats.

    I tend to cook up several days worth of vegies and meat at once so I can just combine and heat for meals. If I've got nothing cooked up my quick and easy meal is rice (I store cooked rice in bags in the freezer) with cooked frozen vegies (carrot, cauliflower & broccoli) and a couple of eggs.

    As for meat, I'd avoid turkey atm, maybe stick with chicken. Mine couldn't stomach turkey and when I mentioned that to the vet she said it's pretty common. Mince sometimes has the skin in it so just check it's not too high in fat. Try giving meaty bits some of the time rather than all mince so he has something to chew on (helps with the teeth). Whenever I come across some steaks marked down I buy them for the dogs so they have half a steak each as a treat for a really good chew.
     
  4. Margi

    Margi Premium Member

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    Are you planning to switch to raw or planning to cook his meals? If raw the rule of thumb is to introduce one protein at a time. Chicken is usually the starter meat for the first few weeks. Pumpkin and sweet potatoes are good for digestion and bowels. A little yogurt is good, generally avoid lots of dairy. Beware of liver at first, it can be a wonderful laxative.
    I haven't read her book but I'm sure switching to either raw or cooked food will be a boon over kibble. Been feeding raw 15 years with no issues--I'm sure Fasb will enjoy his new foods!
     
  5. Susan D

    Susan D Forums Regular

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    Cooked, I think. Right now, we're planning to feed him cooked food, not raw. That could change. We don't know enough about this, so maybe we'll decide on RAW after we get further into it.

    Fed him chicken and green beans for breakfast. He loved the chicken. Seemed a little uncertain about the green beans, but he ate them. Also offered him a spoonful of yogurt, but he wasn't interested in it. We also let him nibble a bit at dinner. Seemed fine. My husband will be feeding him his dinner shortly.

    Hopefully he responds to this menu. He seems to be doing well otherwise, so we're hopeful we can keep him eating and he'll stay healthy for a while yet.
     
  6. Fasb's Owner

    Fasb's Owner Forums Enthusiast

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    I want to be sure I'm calculating the portion size properly. I think we should aim for a little more than a cup of food a day. Does that sound right?

    Fasb weights just under pounds. The general formula seems to be 2-3% of body weight. I'm thinking 2% is probably appropriate for a 14 yr. old dog with a dodgy appetite. That works out to 9-10 oz. or just over 1 cup of food.

    Does that sound right? And to measure food, I can just fill a std. measuring cup and get a decent estimate of how much food I'm serving.

    Let me know if I'm missing anything. Want to be sure we give him the right amount of food.

    Thanks.
     
  7. Margi

    Margi Premium Member

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    2% of ideal body weight for a "low" activity dog is a good place to start. If he is overweight feed based on what you want him to weigh and if he is underweight same concept. I feed 6 oz of meat for Koko and Fillion per day and they get about 2 oz of treats daily. Koko is 24.5 lbs and perfect weight for his size. Fillion could actually lose a lb or 2 cuz he's smaller than his daddy. Its worth it to get a small kitchen scale till you are able to eyeball the food. Raw doesn't transfer to cups like kibble does. I still weigh food occasionally cuz its easier to weigh food and keep the fat off them than to get it off them later!
    Your post didnt say how much he weighed so I couldnt respond specifically...
     
  8. Caro

    Caro Moderator

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    I think I feed about 200gms (7oz) of mince meat combined for my two for their main meal, but it does depend on the meat. If they are getting two cooked meals then I guess about 150-170gm of meat (5.3-6oz) for Deska per day (Tully is much smaller) and a couple of chicken necks on top of that.

    The amount of vegies vary, I kind of just go by eye but I guess Deska gets about 1 heaped cup of vegies per meal. It's kind of hard to measure though because things like cauliflower don't fit in a cup that well. The amount of vegies isn't a problem though as they don't carry a lot of calories.
     
  9. Fasb's Owner

    Fasb's Owner Forums Enthusiast

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    Oops. I accidentally edited out his weight. He weights around 29 lbs. Could probably stand to lose some weight, tbh.

    I'll look into getting a food scale. Don't think we have one. We've been breaking the meat into small bits so it fits in the measuring cup more easily. Sounds like we're in the right ballpark, though. Given his rate of decline, I suspect we won't be doing this for very long.
     
  10. Margi

    Margi Premium Member

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    So 8 oz a day then. If you can, feed 2 twice a day, they process "real" food very fast--about 4 hours. Caro and I feed about the same, I see, except she cooks and I do raw. A frequently recommended ratio of meat to veggies is 75-25%, I also see 80-20% used. I hope his new diet improves his condition.
     

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