your first weeks EASY!
this is based on what im currently working through with some experienced raw feeders and are their suggestions. IM STILL LEARNING MYSELF
2% of the dogs ideal weight for a normal activity level, up to 3% ideal weight for a high energy dog.
the first week, that weight will be 100% chicken backs (or quarters)
assuming thier poop is ok move onto the second week if not generally just keep up that weeks regime untill the stool firms (adding baked sweet potatoe will help very runny stools at ANY time.)
in your second week you want to introduce another easy food Turkey Necks are a favorite amongst those ive talked to.
chicken backs/quarters 2, days then turkey neck the next, then chicken back/quarters 2 days then necks the next. ect.
third week add a ground meat, ground turkey or beef is good (i prefer beef if you using turkey necks cause i like some veriety.)
i was told with the ground meal do your ground meat, add 1 egg (inc shell and a small baked sweet potatoe)
on one day during the week, add your ground beef meal.
4th week, add a fish meal, most of those ive talked to use canned salmon and makerell and add a small baked sweet potatoe, but you want that meal about 2 days away from your ground beef meal.
ie chicken monday, ground beef tuesday, chicken wednesday, turkey necks thursday, fish friday, (see that 2 day gap) though im sure if you wanted to do differently thats fine, and some people DONT add fish they just add salmon oil to the dogs diet but i like the veriety.
now you have your BASIC diet.
thats it...
now say you have acess to rabbit and deer and beef ribs ect, now your dogs got his full spectrum down you can pick one of the chicken days and add some rabbit, deer, goat, beef ribs, pork ect one week, see how the dogs do with that, try a different RMB each week untill the dogs are used to each meat your gonna feed and alternate those out, id do the "other" meats once a week in place of the chicken.
ive been told to introduce organ meat (liver, kidney and pancreas) VERY slowly and not untill after the first month. and by little i mean 2-3 times a week (start with once a week) they each get a THIN slice or small cube. too much organ will be fairly quickly responded by runny poop lol so youll know pretty quickly if its too much too soon. organs will NEVER be fed as a meal but instead a little bit should be added to another meal 2-3 times a week.
Green tripe is also somehting many people add after the first month, its very good for them and in the method i personally prefere to feed would be the only source of vegatable matter. its aparetnly pretty stinky though and NOT a must have. fruit and vegies are ok as an occasional treat but many dont even bother adding vegies or fruit to thier dogs diet (on the premis they would only eat those things if their prey animal had reacently eaten them hence the green tripe)
as for knowing if your feeding enough, just watch your dogs figure...if your dogs looking a little slim, give a little more, getting a little rotund cut back a bit.
the other question would be how do i knwo meat to bone, the poop should be small and firm after there used to it, and should be easy passed and after about 2 days outside turn white and turn to dust.
if the poop is very dry and powdery and whitish theres too much bone, add more muscle meat.
if the poops a little too soft, too much muscle meat add more bone.
ive always been told its 100% safe to thaw your meat in the fridge (or even counter top) overnight for the next mornings meal and then during the day for the evening meal, so dont worry about having to keep it frozen up untill justbefore feeding time.
the biggest peice of advice i was given was KEEP IT SIMPLE. if you cant freely get rabbit of deer, dont introduce it as a diet staple, use the meats redily available, and dont try to add too much complication to it.
this is the way ive been taught to raw feed over the past year of info searching, and is what im going to be switching my dane pup on once he comes home.
hope that helps.
http://www.eastwooddanes.com/SampleMenu.html
the sample menue here is essentiall what ill be following and while its a dane sight should translate to any breed so long as you keep the weights according to each of your dogs.
hope that helps!
