[Kristin D]

I want to start feeding my 5 year old Miniature Dachshund,Oscar,raw or cooked food. Any advice at all would be SOOOOOO helpful!!!!!:) Oscar is a couple pounds overweight right now because I was on vacation for a week and he stayed at a family member’s house. She didn’t walk him because I didn’t think about asking her to(silly me!!! *Face palm* Lol!!!)and she has a dog who grazes, so Oscar would always eat some(probably most)of his food. Right now he weighs 13 pounds, but I would like to get him down to about 10 pounds(I walk him just about everyday, so he should be back in shape in no time!!!). Now for “some” QUESTIONS!!!!:D YAAAAAY!!!! Lol!!!;P How much raw food per day should I feed him??? Should I start out getting packaged raw food??? Should I just give him the bones or grind them up??? What meats can he eat??? What should his daily, weekly, etc… diet consist of??? How much of what should I feed him weekly, daily, etc…??? How slowly should I introduce him to raw food??? What meats are good to introduce/start out with??? What things should I get to start out with(what kind of meat grinder, what kind of storage containers, etc…)??? What are some good books I should read??? What are some good sources(websites)I should check out??? How should I handle the meat??? How do I clean up and things like that??? Where should I get the meat??? What should I look for in the meat??? How much will this cost per month??? What veggies and fruits should I include in his diet daily, weekly, etc…??? How much low-fat cottage cheese, veggies, etc… should I feed him daily, weekly, etc…??? What kind of fish can he eat??? Should I add fish oil or probiotics or whatever else to his daily, weekly, etc… diet??? That’s it for now!!! Don’t worry, I’ll be back with MORE!!!!:D Lol!!!;P Thanks guys!!!:D

• This topic was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Kristin D.

[InkedMarie]

Kristin, I feed ground raw, mostly from HareToday.com. While its ground, it’s prey model. Whether you feed whole meats or ground or both, Tracey from Hare is very helpful. You could also buy pre packaged raw. I don’t use fruits or veggies do my choice of pre packaged raw would be Vital Essentials.

[Kristin D]

Hi, InkedMarie!!! Thank you for your suggestions and help!!!!:)

[Bobby dog]

Hi Kristen D:
I am not a raw feeder so I don’t have much info to share with you, but I can help you get started with some websites and books. I would like to incorporate more raw foods into my dog’s diet so I try to bookmark websites that are recommended on DFA for future research.

My dog’s diet is mostly kibble, but I feel it’s important to incorporate fresh foods so I follow Steve Brown’s ABC diet for kibble feeders. The rest of his diet consists of fresh vegetables & fruits, eggs, sardines, goats milk, canned, lightly cooked fresh meats, or commercial raw for toppers. I try feeding him RMB’s, but each time he buries them in the yard. I have to be careful with any raw or pet food due to a family member with health issues so I am unable to feed him RMB’s indoors. The meats that I have tried so far don’t appeal to him and I end up lightly cooking them. lol

Here’s some books that several regular posters on DFA recommend: Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet – Steve Brown, Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats – Dr. Karen Becker, Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs: The Definitive Guide to Homemade Meals – Dr. Lew Olson.

Here’s a couple websites:
http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade2.html
http://seespotlivelonger.com/

Here’s a link to the raw dog food forums on DFA for more info:
/forums/forum/raw-dog-food-forum/

[Kristin D]

Thank you, Bobby dog!!! I actually own the book Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs!!! I like it a lot so far!!! It’s a GREAT book!!! I just got Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw food!!! I got chicken to start out with cause it’s easier to digest. I’m gonna be feeding him a forth a cup of kibble maybe less, 2 raw chicken medallions, and a tablespoon of canned food a day. I’m gonna be feeding him the raw at a separate meal than the other food. Does that sound like too much food for a little miniture Dachshund??? I will give him less kibble a day if that sounds like too much. I don’t think it’s too much but I could be wrong. I feed him three small meals a day. I would feed him an 1/8 of a cup of kibble and a half a table spoon of canned food for breakfast and dinner. For lunch I would feed him two medallions. Once again I ask is that too much or too little of food??? Should I give him more canned??? Lol!!! Idk!!! Maybe I should give him TWO tablespoons of canned a day… I am trying to get him to lose weight though… Whatever you guys think I should do please tell me!!! Lol!!!

[Julian R]

Hi Kristin,
I adopted my chow/akita mix almost two years ago and I started feeding him raw meats more or less after a month of his arrival. I started slow, mixing ground beef with canned wet food. I eliminated kibble right away or should I say he rejected it once he was presented with an alternative diet. After about a month of a raw/canned mix, I just fed him raw meats. Once I have made the full decision of a raw diet I searched for commercially available raw meats (http://www.darwinspet.com) but it was not a cheap option. I turned to my local meat markets and bought chicken (breasts, necks, hearts, thighs), turkey legs (cut in pieces), pork neck bones, beef kidney and heart, and ground beef. I followed the advise from (http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjhomemade2.html) to understand the proportions needed (lean meat:bone:fat:organs).
Now let me provide potential answers for some of your questions.
How much raw food per day should I feed him? Raw diet is more nutritious than kibble and canned food so there is not need to feed them as much. Based on your dogs desired weight I would estimate 3-3.5 oz daily.
Should I start out getting packaged raw food? It tends to be more expensive and if there are good meat markets in your area with a good selection, you can buy what you need at a lower price.
Should I just give him the bones or grind them up? Most dogs can handle bone (make sure they are uncooked) but one has to be careful since choking can still happen. Avoid chicken necks since they can cause choking in small dogs. Pork necks are a good option since they are meaty and dogs can easily break them (at least medium-large dogs). Now since you have a small dog you can give him small pork neck bones but not too small that he will try to swallow it whole. Supervision is key here.
What meats can he eat? chicken, beef, pork, venison, rabbit, turkey, duck, lamb, etc
What should his daily, weekly, etc… diet consist of? The article in dogaware.com provides a very straightforward guide to establish your weekly dog diet, in summary it states that it should be 30-50 % meaty bones, 45-65 % lean meat (including eggs and dairy products) and 5% or less of organ meat.
How slowly should I introduce him to raw food? Start slow mixing 3/4 of of his usual food with 1/4 of raw. Increase slowly over a 2-4 week period.
What meats are good to introduce/start out with? Chicken is usually a good start and lean ground beef is also good. Do not feed him chicken with the skin since it will be too rich for him.
What things should I get to start out with(what kind of meat grinder, what kind of storage containers, etc…)? I don’t use a meat grinder and most likely you can ask your local butcher to do the grinding you need. I ended up buying a freezer for his food and I thaw enough for 2-3 days inside the refrigerator. I keep thawed food in a closed large glass container inside the refrigerator.
How should I handle the meat? I have a cutting board, knife and other utensils to handle his food which I do not use for anything else. I wash everything with plenty of dish soap and hot water. I obviously I wash my hands thoroughly after handling raw meats. How much will this cost per month? For my 62 pound, I spend in average $70 a month. What veggies and fruits should I include in his diet daily, weekly, etc…??? About 6 months ago, I found out about a dog raw food vendor that distributes a great variety of raw food in NJ, CT, MA, NH, and VT. (http://www.topqualitydogfood.com/). They don’t mail so one has to picked up at specific services areas where they stop and it is once a month only. Anyway, they have meats mix with veggies and fruits which I give to my dog. You can see more information about giving vegetables and fruits to your dog. Keep in mind that vegetables should be preferably cooked and give as a puree mixed with meat for better absorption. How much low-fat cottage cheese, veggies, etc… should I feed him daily, weekly, etc…??? Cheese is as an occasional part of his diet but I dont feed him daily perhaps once a week but not too much.
What kind of fish can he eat? most fish except salmon or trout fromPacific Northwest. I feed my dog Chilean Salmon.
Should I add fish oil or probiotics or whatever else to his daily, weekly, etc… diet?? It is recommended to complement his diet with fish oil. I am not sure about probiotics, though.

I advise you to take a look at the books recommended if you can or at least check the websites. Also, try to connect with owners of small dogs that feed them raw. I strongly believe it is the best diet for dogs but it requires some learning from the owner.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Kristin:
I am not sure about amounts to feed smaller dogs. But, if I could relay one thing to you it would be to take notice of his appearance. Take the time to feel him to see if there is too much on those little bones or too little. I believe that is very important because each dog is different as far as how much food they need. I tweek Bobby’s food amounts now and then and up the exercise when needed. Bobby always requires the least amount of any food I feed; granted most companies probably suggest feeding more of their product than necessary!

The only advice I can give you is to add up those calories to determine if it is too much for him. It might not be exact, but you should come pretty close so you can figure out the appropriate amounts of each food for your little guy.

Hopefully some smaller dog owners will be by with some advice for you! 🙂

[Author]

Posts