started Franky on Raw today...He LOVE IT !!! but how much ?

[LinoD]

i gave Franky, who's 16 weeks old, Natures Variety today for the first time...i gave him 3oz. and he wanted much more ( three madalins) he loved it !!

but how much should i give him daily ?...he inhaled it ! Frankys about 9 pounds...

the package says 3-4 oz. but web site says 5.5 oz...

thanks, looking foward to hearing from you guys !

LinoD.

[miss heather]

I would go by the website...

the feeding instructions on the package are general - on the website you can indicate how much your dog currently weighs, as well as if they are puppies and if they are <50% of their total (projected) adult weight, between 50-80%, or >than 50%.
at 9 pounds and 16 weeks, eating 100% raw (the site lets you chooses a percentage of each type of food - kibble, raw, freeze dried, etc.) Franky should be eating 15.4 ounces... way more than the 5.5 ounces you mentioned...
make sure you are entering all the correct info and selecting him as a puppy <50% of total adult weight (assuming he will be at least 20 lbs) under "activity level"
if you think he will be less than 20 lbs, and select 50-80%, he should be eating 12.4 ounces

Stella is 6 months old, weighs 14 lbs, and she is eating 16(.7) ounces/day.

I know it seems like a lot... but they're puppies!
They need food to grow into the beefy frenchies they were born to be! appicon and trust me... Franky will enjoy every bite! ;)

Hope this helps!

[miss heather]

oh yeah...

1 medallion = 1 ounce
1 patty = 8 ounces

the patties are a bit cheaper, and since Stella's eating exactly 2/day we're running with those (3/4 for breakfast, 1/2 for lunch, and another 3/4 for dinner)... but you can always mix 'em to get the right amount
(for example to get the 15 ounces for Franky you could feed 1 patty and 7 medallions per day... divided by at least 3 meals at his age)

good luck and happy puppying!

[sakirby]

i agree with heather. as pups, it seems like you are feeding them LOADS. i think it was smart for you to start franky on 3 oz. to see if he liked it and if his belly could handle it. when oscar was franky's age, i fed him 3 medallions in the morning. 3 medallions around 1pm, and 3 medallions at 6 or 7 pm. so, i was feeding him 12 ounces. that is still pretty much what i feed him. you have to feed them so much more than you would think when they are pups. :) and even now, i feed him up to 14 oz. a day which seems a lot. imagine if we had great danes!!!!! $$$$$. :lol:

[LinoD]

oh my... i feel terrible... i only gave Franky 3oz. today... when it should have been around 15 .oz ?! he must be starving ! :(

ok, tomorrow, 3 meals at 5 oz. each...

thanks soOOOO much !!!!!

[miss heather]

:lol: don't feel too bad! Franky will be just fine....
and actually just giving him the 3 ounces was a good way to see how he liked it, and how well his belly will take it (like Sharon said).
he sure will enjoy his increased meals though... watch out for "hoovering"! :lol:

[sakirby]

linoD. don't be alarmed if franky throws up some of the raw in the first few days of transition. it is best to introduce his stomach to it slowly. also (if possible) try to keep franky pretty inactive right after he eats. i still do that with oscar. if he is too active right after eating, he often throws up. good luck!!!!! glad to hear that the meatball likes the raw food :D

[sakirby]

oh yeah, one more thing. i know you are feeding nature's variety but, what kind of meat are you feeding? i would start with the chicken or turkey and then, i would suggest buying bags of different types of meat and rotating them. for example, i usually feed oscar one type of meat (chicken or turkey) in the am, and another type of meat at night (venison or beef or lamb). he loves them all and the variety is good for them. appicon

[franp]

It is VERY important to understand the theory of raw feeding and why variety is important.

In the wild Wolves never ate the same thing day in /day out.. that is why rotating protien is part of the raw diet..

If you have not already read "The Ultimate Diet" by Schultz PLEASE read this book..Feeding Raw is great for our dogs; UNDERSTANDING raw is essential to get the full benefit of raw..
The Ultimate Diet is about the easiet book to read and understand.Most of the others are great if you are an insomniac..

[LinoD]

thanks again !!!

well, i just feed Franky his AM meal of 5 oz. and yep, he loved it !! gone in seconds :lol:

he must of been so hungry, because he didn't even want to go out this morning to pee, he went right into the kitchen were he eats and just stared at me...we then went for a light walk and now he's in his crate sleeping and im going into the shower to start my day...

thanks all !!!! Franky's such a good puppie, last night he went to the door because he had to potty !!!

i love this guy !!
LinoD.

[Carolyn]

Lino....how about some more pictures of your boy? :p

[LinoD]

he threw up a few times last night, we fed him 5 oz. at three meals ( 15 oz. ), i think i went a little to fast into it...im going to cut back to 10 oz. today to see how he does...

more pics soon to come !!!

thanks much !!

[LinoD]

..do you think the food was still too cold and that upset his stomach ? when you guys feed raw, the food is still cold, right ?

i take it out of the freezer the day before and put it in the fridge...

thanks all !!

[franp]

No, you just fed him too much I think..
fran

[sakirby]

i agree with fran. it is fine the way you are thawing the food. just go more slowly. he will be fine if he isn't getting tons of food for a couple of days. i would even try 3 medallions three times a day at first. and see if he throws up. if so, reduce it. if not, increase it. he has to ease into it. also, make sure mr. meatball is as inactive as you can get him to be right after he eats. that will decrease the chances of throwing up.

[EmD, MD]

Hey everybody:
I've fed Penny raw from the beginning (age 14 wks) and I have noticed 2 things: She is still small (17 lbs at age 11 mos). She is long in the body and looks like she "should" have beeen bigger in the shoulders and head. She has gained only 1 lb over the last 3 mos. I'm afraid I didn't feed her enough as a baby but we followed the recommendations from the company (Bravo).
The other thing I've noticed is that she doesn't drink very much water. The guy at the pet store says it's because she gets a lot of water from her raw food.

Any thoughts? Fran?

[franp]

Emily,
The girls in her line do run small.And from what I understand , Raw feed dogs do grow slower than kibble fed dogs.Penny's mom was not a big dog. I believe about 18 pounds.Penny is how old?She is still not done growing. Frenchies grow till they are about 2 or so. Dari did not "get " her head until she was about 2.. So be patient.

And no, raw fed dogs do not drink.The only time Dari drinks is when I give her dog biscuits..The raw has moisture in it.

FYI, her brother Dante is going to be about 22 pounds. NOt that big for a male.. He is a beautiful male and is showing..

[Borgan]

Hi Emily,

I was worried about that same thing too, but have been assured that my dog is not skinny or small - just really athletic. I will try to take a picture of Luna's side profile and post it later tonight...if I can get my little monkey to stand still. She's 22 pounds and almost 2.

-Brooke.

[franp]

Remember, these dogs mature slowly..They grow until they are two or so.
When I look at Dari's pictures I can see the difference over the years. So, don't look at your dog now and think that is what it will be.
At about a year,is when they start to bulk up and thicken. The chest starts to drop at about a year in most lines and the head starts to grow.

Spaying also delays the maturation..

[EmD, MD]

I'm also comparing her to Pierre (Pierre's parents aren't on the board but he is a relative of my dog, used to live a block away) who is a 25 lb meatball. He filled out so quickly.

My vet loves Penny's size and physique and says she is very fit, etc.

All along I've just been a little afraid I didn't feed her enough. But thanks fran and Borgan, I am now reassured. :)