I have a 2 1/2 yr old male GS. WEight 73lbs. I wanted to pass along to all the readers out there my meal plan that I am currently feeding. I would like some feedback to as if what I am feeding is acceptable. I am new to the whole game so I have tried to do my research, but thought that I would throw out my schedual to you all and see if anyone had any suggestions on improvement.


I usually feed 2 times a day. ( morn, night)

I do feed the all natural kibble in the mornings. Usually I will add either an all natural wet food ("Natural Diet" brand) to this or I will add tuna fish from the can with the juice. I will add an egg 2-3 times a week. Other than tuna that I add includes fish steaks, sardines, and canned salmon. I will mix this all up and he loves it. I might add some cottage cheese once in a while on top. I will add some carrots, squash, green beans, smushed every once in a while.

At night is when I feed meat. I will feed usually only one type at a time. This includes Turkey necks, chicken quarters, pork neck bones, venison, elk, liver ( usually added as a side , and deer meat. At times I will add a little kibble at night with tuna, sardines, etc mixed in if I think that the serving portion is not enough.

This is pretty much what I feed. I would like some suggestions to what I might need to change, if anything, since I am a beginner.

Thanks again for everyone's support.

kk

Kelly, why bother to add Kibbles to your night feeding.The meat alone is fine, I would not add kibble to it AT ALL.
Feeding raw and Kibbles together is not recommended.1) it's hard to balance the amount of protein you are giving your dog when you mix the two and 2) it is not good for the digestive process.You have a good plan(I would do both raw meals instead of one) BUT I understand, if you are doing one at least your half way there Keep your raw meal which ever one you decide, to JUST raw no KIBBLES.I do the whole prey model type of raw diet and mine get a small chicken piece of liver everyday , only once a day but I do feed twice a day..All raw .I think you are on the right track just change of few things but it sounds good to me, you might get others to give you some more advice and other ideas.You are on the right path!

yeah Angelique, I agree, and have read about not feeding kibble with raw at the same time. I usually try to stay away from them at the same time.

Is there anything wrong with feeding it in the morning and feeding raw at night? I am doing this now, and there hasnt been any " digestive " problems.... as far as I can see.

Any more comments on my plan anyone? plz

yeah Angelique, I agree, and have read about not feeding kibble with raw at the same time. I usually try to stay away from them at the same time.

Is there anything wrong with feeding it in the morning and feeding raw at night? I am doing this now, and there hasnt been any " digestive " problems.... as far as I can see.

Any more comments on my plan anyone?

 Quote: kelly kovar

yeah Angelique, I agree, and have read about not feeding kibble with raw at the same time. I usually try to stay away from them at the same time.

Is there anything wrong with feeding it in the morning and feeding raw at night? I am doing this now, and there hasnt been any " digestive " problems.... as far as I can see.

Any more comments on my plan anyone?

I'll just ditto Angelique. Looks good.

Kelly,

Your proposed diet is very similar to what I’m doing now with my 3-yr-old female GSD. I don’t make any claim that it’s anymore balanced or suitable than what other people do. I’ve had a couple very healthy GSDs in the last 8 years using something close to what I now do. I’m always reading and looking to make improvements and make adjustments for “variety.”

Sounds like you’ve done all this, but f you haven’t, you should (1) read the articles on this web site about raw feeding, (2) search this forum for info about raw feeding, particularly, IMO, threads and posts by Cindy Easton Rhodes and Connie Sutherland (as extensive and mind-numbing as it may be - there’s a LOT of discussion), (3) consider getting a book on raw feeding - there are several available on this site as well.

For the 8 years or so I’ve been feeding raw, the diet changes and continues to evolve. It so happens I’ve been doing an a.m. meal of Innova Evo, grain-free; about 1/3 cup. I started when a extended boarding session was imminent as I wanted her to be used to it and not have to make a switch away from raw at the boarder. I’ve continued doing it as I think it just adds some more variety/balance to the process -and it’s been the easiest way to get 3-4 pumps of salmon oil down her. But I don’t think there’s any nutritional reason to feed “kibble” - and, as others said, don't mix the raw and kibble portions. I usually add either a raw/hard-boiled egg, a scoop of yogurt or cottage cheese.

The p.m. routine is usually chicken backs and wings with occasional ground beef/veal/turkey/fish or whatever might be in the kitchen. I add probably ½ cup or so of a variety of veggies, depending what’s on hand. You might want to add some additional supplements as the need arises (or seems reasonable.) I sometimes add kelp, glucosamine, E, etc.

And, oh yeah, I’d avoid the mystery meat

Mike

Wow.

May I say that Mike Armstrong knows as much as (or more than) anyone I know about raw feeding and canine allergies, but he's nowhere near as big-mouthed as I am.

Consider yourself highly honored!

I was just flippin' through threads and had to log on when I saw Mike's name.

Thanks, Connie, you may say it, but you forget that 99.9% of anything I do know has come from your library and brain.

Mike

I would be concerned about feeding tuna and fish steaks - it depends on what kind of fish steaks - with any kind of regularity due to the potential of mercury contamination in them. Go ahead and feed them occassionally or as treats, but I wouldn't do it often.

 Quote: Elaine Matthys

I would be concerned about feeding tuna and fish steaks - it depends on what kind of fish steaks - with any kind of regularity due to the potential of mercury contamination in them. Go ahead and feed them occassionally or as treats, but I wouldn't do it often.

Good point. The lower the fish is on the food chain, the less mercury (and other lipid-soluble contaminants). It's not just a matter of size; the contaminents bio accumulate, which means that a fish that eats other fish will have exponentially more contamination than a same sized fish that only eats plants.

The smaller cold-water fish like sardines and mackarel are just as good a source of omega 3's but have the lowest contamination.

(If you can go whole and raw it's far better than canned).

Your current meal plan sounds great, by the way. No need to keep the kibble, sounds like you're doing a very nice job of balancing the diet