Do I Need to Supplement with Raw?

Mavis · Jan 13, 2015

We've had Bambi for almost three weeks now. She is three years old, retired breeder, just had a litter in Sept. OMG, I am smitten. She is like my baby!

The breeder said to give her half a chicken leg (bones, skin and all - raw) for two days out of seven - one day the thigh and then a few days later the drumstick. I am afraid to start this and haven't so far. a) I really don't know anything about feeding raw, b) will it upset her stomach or bones splinter and hurt her insides? c) will it mess up her digestion/poop? The breeder said she needs it for the extra nutrition/minerals that isn't in her dog food. Right now I am feeding her Fromm Pork and Peas and will switch to a different Fromm protein when this bag is done. I think she is kind of thin (I can feel her backbone when I get her) but I don't know how to put weight on her. When I increase her food a little, she just winds up pooping more. She has adjusted so well to our home and our other dog, Ginger. Can you help?

Also, her nose is dry. Should I be using a balm on it? What brand do you like? Do you clean ears every week regardless?

Thank you!

blushy · Jan 14, 2015

Congrats on getting a Frenchie! Bambi is an adorable name!

Not 100% sure on the feeding raw chicken... That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen imo. But don't just take my word, I'm sure others who are more experienced will pop in to help!

For the dry nose I use Burt's Bees Nose/Paw Lotion. It's $7.99? But the bottle will last forever/til it expires & you have to throw most of it out lol. Seriously. You basically need 1 tiny drop and it starts to help.

Our Frenchie Isabelle gets a bath once every 3 weeks (she's not really ever outside) so we monitor her ears during that time, since we clean them on bath day, and I usually wipe them with a cotton pad & witch hazel inbetween those times.

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winginit66 · Jan 14, 2015

Glad to hear she is settling in!!! I don't feed raw (ours get Blue Buffalo and home cooked) but there are lots of others here who do feed raw.. [MENTION=194]mhuinker[/MENTION] [MENTION=380]KimB3384[/MENTION] [MENTION=377]MaplesMommy[/MENTION]

MaplesMommy · Jan 14, 2015

Hi there,

The bones would not hurt her because you are feeding it raw. Its only the cooked bones that splinter and should definitely be avoided.

When you feed a raw diet,you feed 80% muscle meat,10% bone, 10% organ. There are many,many discussions out there as to wether or not thats all dogs need,or if veggies and supplements should be given etc etc. This is a whole nother topic,dont get me started lol
An adult dog need about 2% of his body weight daily.You would have to weigh your dog and then calculate how much that is.
Imo Id give the chicken leg moreso as a treat/snack and not as a full meal. If you want to go raw, Id buy pre-balanced raw foods and then feed that.

If you want to do it yourself and mix and balance you really need to know quite a bit about nutrition and even then I like to recommend the already balanced pre-made raw diets u can purchase.

Also, I dont know your dog but some dogs are gulpers and tend to swallow everything whole. I know Maple is one of them. I feed her ground up bone mixed with the meat because she would swollow the whole bone if she could (and depending on the size could potentially be a choking hazard). When I give her bones to snack on (and clean her teeth) they are always huge so that she is not even tempted to put the whole thing in her mouth

That said : If u dont want to feed raw, there are still some things you can add to your dogs dry diet to make it a little more nutritious.

mhuinker · Jan 14, 2015

We feed Fromm Pork and Peas, Surf and Turf along with mashed, uncooked, peas & carrots, very finely mashed, as well as raw. The raw we use is Blue Ridge Beef venison. I don't agree with the raw chicken because of bone splintering, sounds dangerous to me. We have pretty much kept ours on the same diet, with a few tweaks here and ther, as the breeder had them on. I think, fed properly, is very beneficial for them!

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Mavis · Jan 14, 2015

Thanks everyone. Blushy, how often do you apply the nose balm?

I'm sorry I'm obsessing about the food thing, but I really am. I'm afraid to feed her in between meals. This breed is such an enigma to me. Can I give Bambi "treats" in between meals to have her gain some weight? I would feel her healthful things, like the raw prepackaged food above or even the mashed up peas and carrots, or quinoa. What do you guys do? I would like to give Bambi some food or treats in between meals, but I am afraid she will just poop it all out without processing. She is a tiny frenchie, but based on the pictures of everyone's dogs I see, I think she could stand to gain some weight.