Darwin's raw dog food

[bett]

haretoday had different proteins, in a roll, ground with the bone and some have innards , tripe. it comes frozen, i defrost, cut up, and refreeze , and honestly , eli, a 25 lb frenchie, gets 8 oz 2x a day. he was up to more when he was younger but now, that seems to be the right amount.

every dog is different so don't know how anyone can accurately project how much each dog needs to eat. eli eats as much as vangie who is 65 lbs. and he is just about at his final weight . maybe 3 more lbs. max.

none of my dogs are overweight at all. so…..you have to look at your dog, feel his ribs and then adjust accordingly. sometimes you can up the amount and other times, you need to lessen. depends on may things-acvtivity , metabolism, age, etc.

and, fyi, it depends , even with kibble , how much to feed.
i have jake on farmina, most times, and had to lower the amount as it was just too much for him. when i go to fromm, i up it to a cup. 3/4 for farmina.

and , i wonder, what in the hell is "too much love?"

[bett]

99.99% of all Labradors are pets that sleep most of the day while owners are at work. So I would bet the ranch that lovely dog has very average needs, plus it is a female and it is a safe assumption the dog is spayed. So 1.5 - 1.75 cups of a 37/18 food is right on the mark.

Labradors as a breed are very easy keepers, as well, to the point that the majority are overweight.

The owner said this happened on Fromm, so in all likelihood to much attention is being paid to this dog at mealtime and it is smart enough to be playing the owner.

Sorry just being frank for the benefit of the animal.

Everyone is guilty of obliging the animal, me included, but it has consequences.

gee, do you have cameras watching your dogs?

my old man jake, does a lot of sleeping these days.
but, vangie and eli are always tumbling, chasing, playing, and i know this, because i am home, training eli, since april when we got him.

and many labs are overweight, but folks on this board, seem to be aware of that scenario, and try and not have porkers.
stick around, and you will see pictures of "our "labs, frolicking, swimming, agility. very few are pudgy.

hard to make generalizations.tho i am sure there are some who indulge to the point of chubbiness, not 99.99% here.
it's not being frank, actually, it's making a strong statement without real back up. you'd be surprised how knowledgeable some of us here are.

[Berna]

Feeding kibble, or feeding a homemade diet respectively, is the owner's choice.

You can starve your dog for a couple of days until he starts eating (and he will, unless there's a medical issue), or you can choose to feed your dog something different and more natural.

I don't see the point why you would insist on telling someone that he has spoiled his dog; it's not an issue here - the OP wants to transition his dog to a different diet and is seeking for opinions - and you should respect that.

[Woofie]

heck if I was a dog and offered kibble - I'd starve myself too.

Sorry...but I see no flavor or joy in eating dried pellets every day.

I'm not referring to those owners who add toppings or canned food to the dry food; or trying to harm/hurt anyone's feelings - but truth be told, if you were asked (forced) to eat dry pellets everyday, would YOU relish with it?

[shellbell]

Hershey anyone? Or Monster's Dad, wasn't that other name used?

[Candy and Spike's Dad]

I don't consider myself spoiling Candy. If she doesn't want to eat kibble, why force it? The meal time is supposed to be happy and fun, not being forced to eat something you don't want to. She is not sleeping all day while I am at work. A friend of mine come to my house to take them for hiking or swimming every day for an hour or two during the day. When I get home, I take them to swimming or walk after work. They don't live long and I want to make them happy every day.

[Woofie]

They don't live long and I want to make them happy every day.

This totally sums it up = excellent response!

If she doesn't want to eat the kibble, feed what you want - can't say as I blame you at all.

Creek won't touch kibble; hasn't since she was 7-8 mnths old; tried several formulas. She'd eat them for a day then throw the bowl across the room - I gave up. Since I went raw, she hasn't missed a meal - doesn't matter what it is.

[Moby and Barley's Mom]

I make raw food for my older dog - which he eats for breakfast - with Candidae grain free dry food in the evening. It takes about 1 1/2 to make enough patties for about 36 - 40 days. I grind green vegetables (whatever I have on hand - broccoli, kale, spinach, etc.) carrot, apple, 6-8 eggs, cottage cheese, flax seed oil, and about 18 pounds of raw hamburger. I make them into patties and freeze them - taking out three at a time. (The wrapping of the patties is what takes the longest time!) It costs about $38-$45 a month. I started this diet when he was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor and a spindle cell tumor and we had them both removed in April. We were told that it was likely that the spindle cell on his leg could very likely return as there was no way to get totally clean margins without removing his leg - which we were not going to do with an almost 13 year old lab. VERY GLAD WE DID'NT! Since being on the diet - he is glossy and shiny - and seems much healthier. No hint of tumor growth. It does take some time - and I don't do it for the puppy - but I am very glad I make them for the old guy!