I did try to find this answer, and couldn't. I found lots of advice on what to feed, but not amounts. Maybe I'm anal, I do the math and weigh. I have been told I will outgrow this when it comes to raw.

I have been feeding my very large dog a raw diet for almost a month, but for several reasons (one being this large bag of kibble I still have) I haven't switched the Chi's. I have given them tastes, which they love, and am now feeling guilty that the "real" dog gets meat (I know, they are real dogs too) and they don't. My older one (10 yrs) weighs almost 9 lbs, my younger one (7 yrs.) weighs almost 7 pounds.

When I do the math at 3% of thier weight, this works out to be 4.32oz. and 3.36oz. respectively. This does not seem like nearly enough food when I look at how much kibble they eat and maintain a nice weight. Do you follow the same formula with a tiny dog, or do you give them more? I mean, over two meals, this would be just a couple of mouthfuls! And the amount of organ meat would be very little also, almost miniscule.

Thanks for your help.

PS. Leonidas refused to eat the sheep head, just kept trying to bury it, but other than that has eaten everything fine, even ostrich ribs!

Did you actually weigh out and look at the 3 or 4 ounces of RMBs?

I have a 19-pound dog (I know that's twice as big as yours) who gets 7 to 8 ounces a day, and while it looks small beside the big dogs' food, he looks small next to the big dogs.

You will see the same improvements in health, vitality, and food enthusiasm in the small dogs as you do in bigger ones.

I recommend that you start with the 2.5% or so (and yes, the 5-10% of organ meat is very small) and watch their weight and shapes, adjusting if necessary.

Trust me: if it's too little or too much, you will see body changes very fast. And 2 to 3% of the weight for an adult is a safe starting point, IME and IMO.

Widget doesn't get much more than maybe 4 oz...1/4lb...if I do my math right. If he's eating something easily measurable (like THK or some kind of ground, pre-made raw) I even feed him less sometimes, as since he's gotten older and is neutered , I have to watch his weight like a hawk, especially w/a puppy around who tends to leave her food to be scavenged. There are days when he'll get a whole drumstick, but then I'll fast him for a day. On a normal day, I'd honestly say about 4oz is all he gets. Remember, quality, not quantity, applies here too. I don't worry about how much they eat as long as it's the RIGHT stuff, and you will see pretty quickly if it's too much or too little. I prefer my Chi to be lean, with a waist, and not look like a bowling ball on toothpicks with a head. You will find that it is awesome for cleaning up those nasty little dog teeth. I feed a lot of tripe to Widge, too, both for his teeth and the enzymes as he gets older (he's right in between yours at 8).

I'd make the switch asap. Chis can be really conniving if you anger them.

Edited to say it is easier w/tiny dogs to buy a pre-made sometimes than do all the cutting portions down to their size. BUT-you have 2, so that might be easier. Since the rest of my dogs are huge, I just feed Widge tripe, some THK, and Bravo elk or chicken, or Nature's Variety. Of course he does get RMBs too. The salmon oil and vit E is really fun to split into toy sizes, lol. I buy 200mg e, which is the smallest I have found so far.

Edited by Jenni Williams (02/10/2008 10:31 AM)
Edit reason: afterthought

Regarding outgrowing the precision of how much you feed:

I think you should just weigh out the portions a few times until you can get an eye for the correct size. If the dog gets a little more or less here and there it doesn't matter so much, as long as the weekly amount is correct.

You know what though, now that I think about it, with a tiny dog, precision is probably much more important...do what you will...



Edited by Rick Miller (02/10/2008 10:51 AM)
Edit reason: 'Cause

 Quote:

I'd make the switch asap. Chis can be really conniving if you anger them.

I know what you mean! I have caught them going into his crate when he isn't around looking for scraps, and stealing small bone fragments to chew on if he leaves any! I think the other day they may have been plotting his death......

Thanks for the advice. I think it may be time.

So far for the E I have been using a 1000mg gel cap, poking the end, squeezing almost half on Leonidas' food, and a drop on each chi's food with thier 1/2 or less squirt of oil. I estimate they get somewhere under 200mg, how much should they get?

I do the premade with my 5 pound dog. She will crunch on neck bones but that is it for bones. If she gerts too much muscle meat then she gets loose stools. With premade I do not have to be so worried about nutrients. This might just be easier for me because I have such a fussy eater. She hardly gets much in her bowl.

 Quote: Shody Lytle

... So far for the E I have been using a 1000mg gel cap, poking the end, squeezing almost half on Leonidas' food, and a drop on each chi's food with thier 1/2 or less squirt of oil. I estimate they get somewhere under 200mg, how much should they get?

I'd get the 200 IU (E comes in international units rather than mgs) caps and squeeze out 1/4 to 1/2 for that size dog.

I'd stick with the 1000 mg of fish oil per ten pounds of dog weight, so for a 5-pound dog, about 500 mg., or about 1/8 teaspoon.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I'd get the 200 IU (E comes in international units rather than mgs) caps and squeeze out 1/4 to 1/2 for that size dog.

I'd stick with the 1000 mg of fish oil per ten pounds of dog weight, so for a 5-pound dog, about 500 mg., or about 1/8 teaspoon.

I pierce or squeeze the 200mg gelcaps. Should've specified that earlier.

Oh, and it's entirely possible that they were plotting Leonidas' death.

Well, I did it. I successfully switched the Chi's to raw. So far, so good any ways. I am giving the bigger just over 2 OZ. each meal, smaller just under. Breakfast a chunk of meaty bone, with a little ground turkey or a piece of gizzard if needed to reach the allotted weight. Dinner ground turkey & gizzard, once some green tripe. No organ meat yet except for what has been on the back pieces they got. How does this sound? I will be adding more meat sources as I go of course.

The only real hard part so far is the tiny amount of supplements, but do-able. I know about the salmon Oil and E, but how much C and kelp/alfalfa should dogs this small get? I have also been giving then each a small pinch of digestive enzymes with breakfast.

Funny, the main difference I have notice is it used to take them FOREVER to eat thier kibble. Now they wolf thier food down. It takes them a little while with the bones, they haven't really used those muscles in a while, but what a difference! They used to almost act like they were afraid of thier kibble, and snuck up on the bowls, grabbed a few pieces, ran back a few feet, then ate them. Not now, it's wolf, wolf, wolf.....