How Much Raw Food Should I Be Feeding My 12 Week Old American Bulldog Puppy?
Hello all – I have a 12 week old female american bulldog and I don’t know how much food I should be giving her a day?
When I got her she was being feed Puppy chow and over the couse of a week to two I switched her to Avodurm because my vet told me to – stupid! I wanted to feed her raw from the beginning so when I transitioned her food to Avodurm I was also adding some raw. After a week or two I have taken her completely off of the kibble and now she just has raw. I have been starving her I think-so any help on how much a fast growing large breed pup should be feed would be greatly apperciated!
I’m also wondering about fruits and veggies? My vet said that it was okay to give them to her. So the last couple of days I have given her some carrots or zucchine, and an apple or banana with the raw meat? Is that okay?
One more ? – I’m also concerned about her stools-they have been very small and hard-I can’t get her to drink more.
This is my first pet – please help! Thanks – Brandy
Similar Posts:
- Suggestions For Raw Feeding?
- Feeding My Dog A Raw Diet. Still Having Issues With Loose Stools
- Started Feeding Raw… Need Some Help Please!?
- Causes Of Puppy Diahrrea When Feeding Raw Food?
- Why, Oh, Why Are Pet Food Companies Like This? How To Switch To Raw?
wowowow! i’m always happy seeing someone switch their dogs to raw diets.
anyways, most of your answers can be answered with one book. (kinda.) its Dr.Pitcairn’s Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. hopefully you’re heard of it before?
it has different diets(pregnant female dogs and cats.. puppies.. dog food boosters you can use with dog food..etc) you can use and talks about vitamins and oils that are essential for dogs that can’t be done just by raw meats and bones. (he says that wild dog/wolves eat some of the stomach contents of their herbivore predator.. others say that dogs/wolves shake it out before they eat it… i’m not sure about this part. )
but of course, its better to feed raw meats and bones rather than stupid commercial foods.
the barf diet says that puppies should eat 10% of their weight at 3-4 times a day. other sites/people would say differently.
i made my dog a diet of some veggies and mostly meat.(a tiny bit of plain non-fat yogurt with it)
i give him some ground meats other days and some meaty-bones the other day. it depends on what i feel like giving him(lol).
the veggie-gravy as i call it, i put in:
1 raw bell pepper
1 raw large carrot(or several small mini-carrots)
1 boiled potatoe (potatoe is okay to give, it has to be cooked or “pre-digested” so that your dog has it easier to digest)
4 pieces of raw romaine lettuce
now, you can make your own mix, i just thought it was good cause my dog won’t normally eat veggies so its easier to just mix it into the food through gravy-style.
i only give him a little within each meal (usually only once a day.) cause vegetables shouldn’t be the bulk of a dogs diet. i give him about 1 tsp for dinner. (he’s a 17lb full-grown male, btw.)
I heard if you give your dog to much raw meat it can give em worms! just what i heard so you might want to research it!
If you’re doing a prey-model raw diet, there’s no need for fruits and veggies, unless you’re giving them as treats. Please come to the Raw Food Diet forum at Dogster.com for some help. The dogs and their parents are really supportive and helpful.
HI, you may want to search on the yahoo groups and find some raw feeding groups to talk to. They can give great advice on how much to feed, how to start, what to expect from the stool, etc.
I know typically the amount to feed is 2-3 % of the dogs body weight, however, a growing pup will probably need more.
Some groups believe in feeding fruits and veggies, some are all about prey-model diets which are only meat. I think they are ok as treats, as long as your dog likes them, and you are carful not to feed toxic items.. onions, grapes, raisens, seeds/pits, and avocados are all toxic.
I feed raw to my golden and Pom too. Just join the Rawfeeding forum to learn and make sure to do everything right. It is not that difficult! Good luck!
wow the apple is probably constipating her I have never heard of feeding a dog like this it must be vary expensive what is wrong with traditional dog food ? anyways your vet can tell you how much to feed her.
Well, you should be feeding the dog about 2-3% of what you think her adult weight should be… Go off her parent’s weight.
Here is a great group with Yahoo that can help you get started with the amounts, etc.http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfe…
Okay, to answer some of your questions… dogs don’t need fruits and veggies. You can give them to her, but she won’t get anything out of them (unless they are cooked or pureed into mush/juice) and they get the same nutrients from bones, meat, and organs. I definitely wouldn’t feed them at the same time as the raw meat. See http://www.rawfed.com/myths
And, dogs that are fed raw have much less waste (stool) because they are actually processing and getting nutrition from all you feed them…So, there isn’t as much waste product for them to expel. And, it might be hard if you are feeding too much bone, but you didn’t mention if you were feeding bone… If not- dogs that are rawfed usually have smaller stool which usually hardens very quickly (within hours) after the dog goes to the bathroom- hard stool (unless the dog is straining) is not a bad thing. It helps the dog to keep the anal sacs emptied. And, dogs that are raw fed don’t need as much water because raw meat is actually 70% water. This means they don’t need to drink as much water out of a water bowl. It doesn’t mean there is something wrong with your dog.
Good luck, and feeding raw really is best for your dog.
If you have more questions feel free to e-mail me.
I don’t know that anyone will like this answer but really ….puppies do grow fast and the worry of commercial dog food is out weighted by the worry of if your pup is getting what he really needs out of his food. Please go read this … http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/raw.html and as recomended by most good vets if you are going to feed your pup meat make sure it is cooked untill it is no longer red. Giving a dog of any age raw meat can lead to it being overly agressive later in life. Raw fruits and veggies are really only good as treats and the most important thing you can do for your pup right now is make sure he gets enough nutriants. If you are overly worried about the amount of water your pup is taking in you might want to try giving him a puppy replacement milk (like the milk he would get from his mom) good luck I hope you can get your pup back up and healthy soon.