Question about weight gain

PenelopesMommy · Dec 17, 2015

This may seem like a dumb question but do you guys use measuring utensils when feeding, specifically when you were trying to add weight? Or eyeball it? Lol

MaplesMommy · Dec 17, 2015

When I first started feeding raw I measured everything

But after a while you get a hang of it and know how much to feed just by looking at it.
If you are trying to gain/lose weight, Id probably measure it,unless you are really good at estimating weight/volume, which I personally am not lol.

Tgirl · Dec 18, 2015

Yay I'm glad she is gaining!! When I got Twiggy she had just nurses pups and was 24.5 pounds. She needed to be more like 22 or 23 so I have the opposite problem.

Cbrugs · Dec 18, 2015

I'm new to feeding raw so I am still measuring everything out.

KimB3384 · Dec 18, 2015

Mavis said:
whoo, hoo!!! Fat frenchies rock - more to kiss! :biglaugh:

I swear she just came up to me and said, "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard." I don't know what that means, but I think I should be worried.
[MENTION=1642]PenelopesMommy[/MENTION] - there are seriously no dumb questions around here. I do use a scale to measure her meals. I want to keep track of how much she's getting so I know how to adjust. Plus, I mix most of her meat with tripe so it's easier to know how to break out 6 oz. if I see the numbers on the scale. I bought a cheap digital one on amazon and it's been fabulous.

Mavis · Dec 18, 2015

KimB3384 said:
I "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard." I don't know what that means, but I think I should be worried.

It means when a girl with big boobs does a shimmy - I had to ask at first, too.

Ha, ha!

Mavis · Dec 18, 2015

[MENTION=188]Cbrugs[/MENTION], when you say "raw," is that from the pet store fridge section, or is it food that you make?

PenelopesMommy · Dec 18, 2015

Lmao you guys seriously made my day with the milkshake comment &#55357;&#56834;&#55357;&#56834;&#55357;&#56834; and [MENTION=380]KimB3384[/MENTION] thanks I actually have a food scale so I'll try measuring it out. I was definitely eyeballing it (hangs head) lol

Cbrugs · Dec 19, 2015

Mavis said:
[MENTION=188]Cbrugs[/MENTION], when you say "raw," is that from the pet store fridge section, or is it food that you make?

It's frozen all meat, no veggies or fruits, with the bones and organs already ground up and they are in patties. I can get the Vital Essential brand locally at a pet store.

Mavis · Dec 19, 2015

Cbrugs said:
It's frozen all meat, no veggies or fruits, with the bones and organs already ground up and they are in patties. I can get the Vital Essential brand locally at a pet store.

Is the price comparable to high end kibble like Orijen? How much do you purchase, how often?

KimB3384 · Dec 19, 2015

Mavis said:
Is the price comparable to high end kibble like Orijen? How much do you purchase, how often?

I was feeding VE before I switched to the place I buy from now. If you don't mind putting in a little bit of work and get their chubs (which are 5 lb. tubes of meat that you either slice or scoop yourself) as opposed to their patties, it's pretty comparable. I think I was spending about $65 a month when I did their beef. It sounds like a lot but I seriously haven't had a vet bill, other than a yearly check-up, since switching to raw.

Are you considering a switch from kibble?

Cbrugs · Dec 19, 2015

Mavis said:
Is the price comparable to high end kibble like Orijen? How much do you purchase, how often?

I'm spending more a month with the raw versus kibble but it's worth it. Jax's itching and paw licking has significantly decreased with raw. Plus I mix the raw with tripe and quinoa so I'm not using all raw which helps with the cost. Also, some proteins are cheaper than others. Jax goes through just about 2 pounds of raw per week.

Mavis · Dec 20, 2015

KimB3384 said:
I was feeding VE before I switched to the place I buy from now. If you don't mind putting in a little bit of work and get their chubs (which are 5 lb. tubes of meat that you either slice or scoop yourself) as opposed to their patties, it's pretty comparable. I think I was spending about $65 a month when I did their beef. It sounds like a lot but I seriously haven't had a vet bill, other than a yearly check-up, since switching to raw.

Are you considering a switch from kibble?

For about six months now, Bambi's allergies have pretty much disappeared (what a blessing). We spend probably $65 a month on her kibble because she eats a ton (as much as Ginger), and we feed her either Orijen or Arcana and she has done well. I've never looked at the raw food in the pet store and wondered about it because it is pretty much a mystery to me. I'm so glad that Bisou has responded so well to it. It is such a relief when they are allergy free.

KimB3384 · Dec 21, 2015

I know lucky people who are able to do raw really inexpensively because their dogs can eat things like chicken, turkey, beef, and pork, so they stock up when meat is on sale at the grocery store. I have a super allergic dog who gulps her food, so I have to be careful what I feed her and how it gets fed. That's why I let someone else do most of the work. The place I get my food from now has a great selection of regular and unique proteins and it's already ground up at the right proportion. Chunky Brewster, er, I mean Beezy is getting 4 oz. of meat per meal, plus 2 oz. of tripe, so we go through 15 lbs. of meat every month. I can get meat for her at an average of $5.99/lb. which works out to $90 a month. I think I'm going to start backing her off slightly and maybe only give her 5 oz. a day to see if I can maintain her weight at that level. That should save me a few dollars. Feeding two dogs a raw diet - particularly two allergic dogs - could be pretty costly. If you can get away with Orijen or Acana and not have any issues, that's your golden ticket. I've learned that you DO NOT mess with what's working!