Raw Feeding?
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Hi There,
I pick my new baby up in a couple of weeks and she is coming with a bag of the food she is currently fed of course, but my plan is to switch her to the mostly raw diet i feed my other dogs. I give them a couple of meals a week of a good quality dry complete food, but i find them having a mostly raw diet works best for us all and keeps them in the best condition.
I was just wondering what other people think of this diet for a basenji? Has anyone fed them raw? Had any problems with it, or did it work ok? Obviously, i would change her over very gradually, and i tend to give puppies cooked meat to start with as raw meat can be a bit much for their stomaches to cope with at first :rolleyes: But do we think she will like that?
I mentioned it to Maya's breeder and she seemed to think it would be an ideal diet for her, so im sure it would be ok! But just thought i'd ask for some alternative opinions!
Jess
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Absolutely! Raw is wonderful. You'll find there are quite a few raw fed Basenjis. Maybe because we have a "natural" breed that people are more open and interested in the benefits of raw feeding.
No need to cook it first. Just give her a few days before you start to get used to you and your home, etc. so you don't stress her system too much. But a healthy dog should be able to handle it no problem. Also, sometimes it takes them a few days to figure it out, if they've never had raw before.
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our dogs, only get raw food.
I think our youngest one Chafuko, only got twoo weeks when he arrived dry food. -
I generally feed mine kibble but for a treat will give some raw. As a meal in itself, I'm assuming you use raw beef - but how much?
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Thanks for the replies!
With my labradors and pugs they get a mixture, it usually consists of either:
Tripe
Lamb
Beef
Chicken Wings
Chicken Carcass
Liver
Heart
KidneyWe do sometimes cook the last three as it can get very messy otherwise lol And they also regularly have nice big, meaty bones to chew on!
How much would be a good question! My lab has about 1lb a day, with some mixer in there as well (she's on a diet!!) and the pugs have about 1/2lb a day so Maya would have something in between??
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Tillo is also on a raw diet, he is doing great on it. I just switched cold turkey.. no mixing or cooking. Maybe some hot water over it the first few times.. He didn't have any troubles with the transition.
He gets almost 400 grams a day.
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The "how much per day" rule of thumb for raw is generally 2-3% of their ideal body weight. Adjust up or down from there depending on body type, exercise level, metabolism, etc.
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The "how much per day" rule of thumb for raw is generally 2-3% of their ideal body weight. Adjust up or down from there depending on body type, exercise level, metabolism, etc.
I believe this % is for adult dogs. I read somewhere that for pups the rule of thumb is 5-7 % of their actual weight. Am I right because I want to start switching gradually when Bendji is accustomed to his new environment (after a week or so)?:confused: He arrives next Sunday !:D
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I believe this % is for adult dogs. I read somewhere that for pups the rule of thumb is 5-7 % of their actual weight. Am I right because I want to start switching gradually when Bendji is accustomed to his new environment (after a week or so)?:confused: He arrives next Sunday !:D
In all of my raw research, I've never seen that. Although, admittedly, I've never researched raw as it pertains to puppies. When the puppy question has been posed in the raw feeding lists I belong to, the answer has always been 2-3% of expected adult weight. Hmmm.
2-3% of adult weight makes sense to me for B puppies (it's about 8-12 oz./day for an expected 25 lb. adult), but for bigger breeds, it does seem like it might be too much for a pup.
Looks like I've got more learning to do!
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In all of my raw research, I've never seen that. Although, admittedly, I've never researched raw as it pertains to puppies. When the puppy question has been posed in the raw feeding lists I belong to, the answer has always been 2-3% of expected adult weight. Hmmm.
2-3% of adult weight makes sense to me for B puppies (it's about 8-12 oz./day for an expected 25 lb. adult), but for bigger breeds, it does seem like it might be too much for a pup.
Looks like I've got more learning to do!
I'm registered to the Dutch BARF forum and this is their advise for feeding pups raw (though NOT specifically Basenjis !)
I try to translate the Dutch version…:o…When you start feeding puppies at around 4 weeks, you can feed them as much as they want. Try feeding them 4-5 times a day.
When you want to feed them more accurately : feed them 5-10 % of their actual body weight. That is about 50gr-100gr / kg of bodyweight. Feed them on sight, a bit more or a bit less…Because this is indeed quite different from the information that you have it would be very interesting to get a few more opinions before starting feeding our furries
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Well, did a bit of simple calculation and … WE ARE BOTH RIGHT !!
2-3 % of the adult weight (10 kg) = 200-300 gr per day
5-10 % of the puppie weight (4 kg)=200-400 gr per day
So … I'm ready for it !:D
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Well, did a bit of simple calculation and … WE ARE BOTH RIGHT !!
2-3 % of the adult weight (10 kg) = 200-300 gr per day
5-10 % of the puppie weight (4 kg)=200-400 gr per day
So … I'm ready for it !:D
You just have to start feeding.. and then look at Bendji if he needs more or less.. You will do fine :) Tillo started with 200 gr and now eats 400 gr raw and also some kibble as treats.. I weighted Tillo every two weeks, so I could monitor how he was growing. I still weigh him once a month, so I can adjust his food :)
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Thanks Janneke, that's exactely what I intended to do.
I recently bought a digital scale so I can weigh Bendji every week (I'm a scientist you know: I like to google with numbers and statistics) ;) and throw everything into an Excel sheet (with graphs and all …)
Hope to meet you, Kim and all of the furries very soon ! -
Thanks Janneke, that's exactely what I intended to do.
I recently bought a digital scale so I can weigh Bendji every week (I'm a scientist you know: I like to google with numbers and statistics) ;) and throw everything into an Excel sheet (with graphs and all …)
Hope to meet you, Kim and all of the furries very soon !Yes, I also have everything on paper :D
We can't wait to see you too!!! But.. the rain really has to go.. Tillo doesn't want to go out at the moment!! Yesterday he woke up at 9.. slept again around 11.. woke up around 17.00 and slept again at 18.00!! He saw the rain and thought.. nope.. not today :D :D Same story today! Haha.. crazy pups :) -
Well, that's one of the reasons I LOOOOOVE them !!:D
1 more day …;) -
i read through all of these posts and I have a question. First I will be getting my 11week old puppy this November 2010. I have been looking for the right food to feed my puppy and then thinking of if i will continue what my breeder is doing by feeding him raw meat. BUT feeding raw meat must COST a lot of money. Those that are feeding their dogs raw meat, how much are you spending a week? Month? Year? And where do you go get your raw meat? Shoot, buying chicken for my family can hurt the pocketbook. :)
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I buy it together with some of my neighbours, because you get a discount if you buy 100+ kg :D I pay 3.70 euro per kg. I have it packed in 500 gram packages, which costs a bit more.. Tillo eats in the summer 180 gram and in the winter almost 400 gram.
I think it is cheaper to buy meat from a butcher, but I don't have the time to prepare all his meals myself. Now I only have to defrost :D
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I guess i didn't notice that some of the respondents on this thread were outside the US… just like a typical American, not noticing other nationalities. HAHA. but never the less thats over 200lbs of meat at one time. I see how you can afford to maintain a completely raw diet for them. So if i have my conversions right 1KG=2.2046lb , 1euro=1.3958USD. your spending about 2.34USD/lb on raw meat. Your 500g packs are roughly 17onces/1.1lb and you feed them anywhere from 6oz to 14oz daily, that is 42-98oz (2.625lbs - 6lbs) a week. Spending in USD, $6.15 - $14.35 a week... $319 - $746 a year (229.15euro - 534.68euro).... WOW. That is a lot. I think I use raw as a treat/supplement.
Additional question... Do you five them the bones to chew on too? I hear that is good for their teeth.
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I guess i didn't notice that some of the respondents on this thread were outside the US… just like a typical American, not noticing other nationalities. HAHA. but never the less thats over 200lbs of meat at one time. I see how you can afford to maintain a completely raw diet for them. So if i have my conversions right 1KG=2.2046lb , 1euro=1.3958USD. your spending about 2.34USD/lb on raw meat. Your 500g packs are roughly 17onces/1.1lb and you feed them anywhere from 6oz to 14oz daily, that is 42-98oz (2.625lbs - 6lbs) a week. Spending in USD, $6.15 - $14.35 a week... $319 - $746 a year (229.15euro - 534.68euro).... WOW. That is a lot. I think I use raw as a treat/supplement.
Additional question... Do you five them the bones to chew on too? I hear that is good for their teeth.
I'm glad you did the calculating ;) I thought you would figure it out :p
I think there are cheaper options.. Like preparing the meals yourself etc. And I don't know if meat is more expensive over here then in the US? Could be..We give meat bones as well, but not the parts that carry a lot of weight. So we give calf ribs or chicken carcasses etc. But Tillo doesn't always tolerates them well.. he sometimes barfs it up ;)
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I guess i didn't notice that some of the respondents on this thread were outside the US… just like a typical American, not noticing other nationalities. HAHA. but never the less thats over 200lbs of meat at one time. I see how you can afford to maintain a completely raw diet for them. So if i have my conversions right 1KG=2.2046lb , 1euro=1.3958USD. your spending about 2.34USD/lb on raw meat. Your 500g packs are roughly 17onces/1.1lb and you feed them anywhere from 6oz to 14oz daily, that is 42-98oz (2.625lbs - 6lbs) a week. Spending in USD, $6.15 - $14.35 a week... $319 - $746 a year (229.15euro - 534.68euro).... WOW. That is a lot. I think I use raw as a treat/supplement.
Additional question... Do you five them the bones to chew on too? I hear that is good for their teeth.
Many people buy in large quantities in groups to keep the price down, but I have found I can order smaller quantities from my local butcher for a similar price. I can get a 40 lb box of chicken (necks, wings, or backs) for $22.00. So that is like 0.55 USD/lb. I feed two dogs right now and that lasts me a while. I only feed raw one meal of the day, typically. Plus you can go to Sams or Costco and get relatively decent prices on large packages of chicken, etc.
There are a number of Yahoo raw groups for local areas where you can coordinate with others to buy in bulk.
