"How may poops so you like to see firm log before you add something else to the equation?"


A couple of good poop "events" in a row.

Backs are a great starter RMB... But with a giant breed dog, you'll soon be able to move up to any part of a chicken, turkey, even lamb or goat parts, or pork necks/ribs as RMBs.

Smaller dogs have fewer options--bigger dogs have a wider range of things that are edible bone.

4 pounds is too much food (IMO). You're much better off under-feeding than over-feeding a large breed puppy. Keep him lean.

I also want to add, for clarity:

In the beginning, when adding new things, it is prudent to think of chicken gizzards and chicken breast as different things.

But once you're up and going, I'd rather you have a mindset (for the purpose of variety) that chicken is chicken. A diet of chicken backs, chicken breast, and chicken liver would technically fulfill the requirements of RMB, muscle, and organ. But it wouldn't meet my standard for variety.

The goal is to feed parts from as many different beasts, fowl, or fish as you can.

There's no mandate for wide variety within a single meal (or day, or even week)--but it's important to provide variety that includes several different sources with regularity. An all chicken diet is not an optimal raw diet.

For reference, my GSD - now 90 pounds - never went much over 2# a food a day, not even as a pup. Highest amount fed would have been 2.5#. He is low energy though.

My GSD and Leonberger (both in the 90-pound range) have always eaten slightly less than 2 pounds a day.

Treats.... Different varieties of Zukes, paws gourmet, plato, and sometimes cooked steak or chicken.

I have been following a few threads and gaining info as well as using the search function like crazy.

Poop last night was a few solid balls then soft serve this morning was a solid hard log followed by a ball. Still very firm/hard. Doesn't appear to be struggling. We are keeping a "log" of meal sizes, what they consist of and poop times and what type they are to help with seeing progress or to see where something may have started going wrong, etc.

Books I have "raw dog food", "natural nutrition for dogs and cats the ultimate diet" and lew olsons book as well.

Makes sense as far as a parts of chicken are considered different in the beginning, but later not considered variety. Variety is key later on once the full switch is made...got it.

I will drop down to 2.5% of his expected adult weight and see how that goes. Like u said better to be under than over.

So going off of 3lbs I would be adding about 2-2.25 lbs of boneless thigh or gizzards or breast or whatever we start with (is one better to start than the other) depending on how much meat the backs have on them.

He usually eats everything without hesitation but last night he only ate a back after several attempts. This morning took forever to finish up his meal. Didn't seem to be into it. He started teething, wonder if that has something to do with it. Or just too much food over the last few days.

Thanks!

Oh and plan on adding the muscle a little at a time watching poop as we increase percentage of muscle and take away bone percentage

The ballpark ratio, by weight, should be about half RMB, a little less than half muscle meat, and about 10% organs. Everything else--veg, carbs, eggs, yogurt, supplements, etc. (if included at all) should be minor contributions by weight.

Last few poops are still logs. . Added a little b/s breast to the backs over yesterday and this morning. Poops still good. Has not gone yet after this mornings meal. Will add a little more this evening. I chose breast because I had read that the white meat is less likely to cause upset while making the switch.

At what point to I start adding the skin back in? Do you normally wait until you have progressed to all of the components and are completely switched over (meaning he is eating RMB's, muscle, and organ)?

As far as the 50% RMB's You would increase the muscle meat portion to compensate for an RMB without a lot of meat such as backs correct? For example, If i was to feed a leg quarter, I would feed a smaller portion of the muscle meat group than if I was feeding a back for the RMB.

I guess that is where the variety over time kicks in.

I'm not trying to make this difficult although I feel maybe I am . I just want to make sure my pup makes the switch properly, grows properly and he gets all the nutrients he needs as we go.

Connie I am going to go find some HK today and give that a shot, and at at least have it on hand. It sounds like that is a sure way not to mess this up. I want to make sure his bones, etc are nourished properly especially since he is going to be a big boy. I tried calling THK for some advice on which food to start off with for a larger breed pup, but they were closed early on Fridays. I saw a few are good for all life stages including puppies.

Thanks for the help.

If everything is going well, start adding the skin next. Next meal give him, say, a third of the skin from a chicken back.

If the next poop is good, then up it to 2 thirds. Next meal, all of it.

It sounds like your dog is transitioning well to his raw diet. Which is great--and they way it should be. None of mine ever had any "issues"--each new item was added in pretty quick succession and they were fully ramped up to eating anything within 10 days or so.

This extreme vigilance about new foods and obsessing over poops is especially important for dogs that are having trouble. And that does happen sometimes. But easy toleration of a raw diet--in my experience--is the way it usually goes.

I'm not saying you should throw caution to the wind. Just reconfirming that it sounds like you're doing it correctly, and your dog is adapting to new foods just like he should.

***do be careful with the liver when you start that. That is the one new food that has the highest likelihood of causing diarrhea. Add it slowly. And don't ever feed more than 10% or so of any single meal in raw liver.