Another one jumping in!

Spyglass Sally · 08-06-2009, 05:22 AM

Okay guys, now you got another one jumping in - I'm going to try giving Buddy a chicken quarter today! He's never eaten raw, but I've been reading the info here (AussieGirl - thanks for your Sticky and all your writings) and am going to give it a go.

He's a little over 7 months old and weighs between 40-45 lbs so I figure a chicken quarter is probably about right to start as far as size? About 1 1/2 lbs a day, divided into two 12 oz meals, ideally. Is it okay to start out with something that big since he hasn't been eating raw or should I start with a little bit of hamburg? Let me know if I'm doing it wrong. I'll be picking up the chicken this morning and check in before I give it to him. I'm going to wait until this evening so my husband can enjoy the fun!

I'll make a video too.

AussieGirl · 08-06-2009, 06:01 AM

I'm used to kg not lbs

but I checked a converter and the amounts seem about right, just keep an eye on his condition and adjust the amount you are feeding if he gains too much or starts to loose weight (just like the guides on commercial foods each dogs needs are different so the amount recommended may need to be changed a little to suit your dog). Quarters are generally the right size for a meal (I have had some recently though that were a little too small and I just added an extra leg to it

). I have been feeding bigger pieces since we changed her over and never had any issues with the size of the pieces - she gave it a really good sniff, lick and then instinct just seemed to kick in and she knew what to do with it. I prefer bigger pieces as just like rec bones smaller pieces can be a choking hazard and you want to encourage them to chew and rip at it to get the benefits of cleaning their teeth, strengthening their muscles and getting their stomach acids moving. I can't wait to see the video

and hear about his first RAW meal. Hope I've answered all your questions, let me know if I missed anything.

AussieGirl · 08-06-2009, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyglass Sally

Is it okay to start out with something that big since he hasn't been eating raw or should I start with a little bit of hamburg?

It's personal choice - no wrong or right, I will say that a chicken piece is much more enjoyable to watch them eat

Ooops forgot to add that whatever source of protein you choose to start him on you need to stick to for 10 - 14 days. If you're worried about how he will handle a piece of chicken you could always try ground chicken first, depending where you live and what is available to you suitable beef cuts can be hard and a little more expensive to get.

daisy'smom · 08-06-2009, 07:38 AM

Georgie is the same age and she has been on raw for over a week. I was nervous like you but I just "dove in" and gave her a chicken quarter. I could not believe how she took to it! If I were you I would just give her the chicken quarter and let her go at it!! Be sure to get a video!!

whitedaisy · 08-06-2009, 08:33 AM

Yay!!! We got another one!!!

Keep in mind that feeding 1/4s may take a little longer in the beginning while the pup is getting the hang of it but soon enough they will be eating it in the same amount of time as kibble.

whitedaisy · 08-06-2009, 08:36 AM

Also wanted to add that if you pup vomits it back up DON'T PANIC. Duey took awhile to figure out to chew it first and would try to swallow large pieces. He would then throw it up and eat it again. We just learned not to watch him eat!!! Eventually he figured it out.
Some dog only chew enough to make it fit down the pipe.

Spyglass Sally · 08-06-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisy'smom

Georgie is the same age and she has been on raw for over a week. I was nervous like you but I just "dove in" and gave her a chicken quarter. I could not believe how she took to it! If I were you I would just give her the chicken quarter and let her go at it!! Be sure to get a video!!

Curious - what did Georgie's poop do? Did he vomit? Just trying to get a feel for what's to come.

Spyglass Sally · 08-06-2009, 07:19 PM

Well we did it!!!

It went fine - no problems at all. I'm uploading the video to YouTube now and will put a link on the Raw Feeding Videos thread too when it's done, but here's a pic from it:
BuddyRaw.JPG

The whole thing only took about 20 minutes, but the video is 5 minutes. He kinda licked it for a bit, and then slowly ate it. He obviously loved it and kept looking at me afterwards like he wanted more. But I thought we ought to limit him to one tonight, just to see how it goes. Tomorrow we'll give him one in the morning and one at night.

I know you guys said to keep him on this for a week or two before we try something else, but I'm wondering does that apply to offal too? I guess I'm wondering if it's okay that he's missing the nutrients from that for that long.

Thanks for all your help, advice, encouragement. And AussieGirl's Sticky which really simplified it. (Raw for dummies). Hopefully we'll have no issues in the poo area and we can keep this up without problems.

AussieGirl · 08-06-2009, 07:32 PM

Yay, good to hear! Get him on three or four protein sources before you start to add the offal, a few weeks during the transition without offal will not hurt him, but I would never recommend not feeding offal for a long periods. Offal can cause loose stools if added too quickly (it is refered to as canon butt by some RAW feeders), so you want to be able to tell if a certain protein source is not agreeing with him without the offal interfering

whitedaisy · 08-06-2009, 07:54 PM

Wonderful!!! Yep, the first few times it take awhile to eat and soon enough he'll be "wolfing" it down!

With dogs it's variety OVER TIME so it really is okay to not have offal for several weeks while transitioning.