I was feeding Volhard but have noticed that by not giving any grains the lst couple days my GSD has bee nitching alot less and less irritated. Volhard has me feeding him 15 ounces of meat a day and 3.5 tablespoons of bone meal. However that is only one meal a day. Their other meal consists of a grain and dairy based formulation, both of which I am trying to stay away from. My question is what supplements do I need and how much food/meat should I feed this dog a day. I do not want to feed bones. Should I double the meat everyday and double the bone meal> DO i need to supplement with extra fats??? I have been feeding ground chuch as the meat. I also add 1/2 tsp of kelp and 3/4 tsp of alfalfa as well as 1.5 tsp of cod liver oil and 1.5 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. In his grain meal, the supplements were 1 tbsp safflower oil, 1 b complex pill, 300 iu vit E, blackstrap molasses. I basically dont know what to keep as supplements and how much meat and calcium and fat a 90 pound GSD needs.

yes i am literate here is the mistake free version

I was feeding Volhard but have noticed that by not giving any grains the last couple days my GSD has been itching alot less and less irritated. Volhard has me feeding him 15 ounces of meat a day and 3.5 tablespoons of bone meal. However that is only one meal a day. Their other meal consists of a grain and dairy based formulation, both of which I am trying to stay away from. My question is what supplements do I need and how much food/meat should I feed this dog a day. I do not want to feed bones. Should I double the meat everyday and double the bone meal. DO i need to supplement with extra fats??? I have been feeding ground chuck as the meat. I also add 1/2 tsp of kelp and 3/4 tsp of alfalfa as well as 1.5 tsp of cod liver oil and 1.5 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. In his grain meal, the supplements were 1 tbsp safflower oil, 1 b complex pill, 300 iu vit E, blackstrap molasses. I basically dont know what to keep as supplements and how much meat and calcium and fat a 90 pound GSD needs. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

With billinghurst the diet is 60-80% bones. about 1/2 of that is meat, so feed according to that using the billinghurst recommendations.

So 66% bones is 33% bone (calcium supp for you), 33% meat, 33% veggie mush (contains organs, etc.)

That means 50/50 meat and other stuff. For calcium, 2/3 a large eggshell per lb of meat. I'm not sure how that translates into bone meal. Bone meal has phosphorus, so you need to add more calcium to get the correct Ca:P ratio.

90lbs x .02 (2% body weight fed daily) x .33 (to get 1/3) x 16 (convert to ounces= 9.5 oz of meat and 9.5 oz of other stuff. That's for a house pet, and you might have to feed up to 15 oz of each or more.

Hope this gets you started, but don't take my word as I'm far from an expert on the subject.

Which version of her book are you following? Mine is a few years old, but only says to feed a bone every 2 to 3 weeks.

Quick note on Ca and P in bones, the ratio of Ca:P in the bones of most vertebrates is 2:1, however the dietary ratio to maximize bone strength will be less (somewhere between 1.4:1 - 1:1, depending on species, growth stage, and other health factors). Feeding an excess of either will reduce the efficiency of absorption and utilization of both.