# my dogs act like they are starving...



## peachykeen (Aug 5, 2011)

and they have been losing weight. we have been on raw less than two weeks and i am not sure what to do now, to continue or go back to kibble. i can understand the dogs losing a bit of weight at first, but it is hard to look at them and see their ribs. (they are boxers who have no extra weight to spare.) also, they stand in their kennels and look at me, like they are saying "come on mama, feed us already!" kitty woke us up several times last night and when we followed her to see what she wanted, she went to stand in her kennel.  they each get two leg quarters a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, which is slightly _more than their percentages indicate they should have. i have been advised not to add another protein yet and i have also been told to feed less than their percentages, not more, so i just dont know what to do now. any thoughts or advice is appreciated._


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

If their stools are solid you can try adding in more. The percentages are just a guideline... some dogs DO need more and boxers pretty commonly do. My Italian greyhound is getting around 6%.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

While people can give u advice on what has worked for them, u know ur dogs and u know what they need. All dogs are different. Duke is on about 3.5% and he's only 3 weeks in, but I'm confident I'm feeding him a good amount and he's handling it well (stools are fine and has "leaned" up but not really lost weight, which is good for him). 

You have to do what you think is right. If their stools have been ok, then you can add another protein. Or perhaps you might like to try upping the percentage and seeing how they go on that? 

It's all a bit of trial and error, what works for my dog may not work for yours or the next persons, so u just gotta see how they go when u change things up. And while all dogs will lead u to believe they're starving (duke could eat an entire cow carcass and still get excited about food), if they're getting too skinny and it's concerning you, try adding just a LITTLE more and see what happens. 

Whatever you decide, I hope you keep up with raw and try and push through the first difficult stages. There's quite a few people with boxers who seem to struggle a bit at first, so I'm sure they can give u some sound advice  good luck!!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Talk to puppypaws, she has a boxer that eats way more than usual, I think boxers may have a higher metabolism, although when you can transition to a richer meat this is when they will be able to put the weight on. If the poo is fine then I would increase the amount your feeding by just a little and go from there.


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## BoxerPaws (Jul 19, 2011)

Try to look up some of the pictures I've posted of Zoey. We're a MONTH in and she's STILL getting less than 2%. She's SKINNY! But we've had transition (read: digestive) issues, so I'm forcing myself to keep her meals small until we've got several days of good poop behind us.

PuppyPaws has a Boxer who easily eats 3 times what the _normal_ amount for her weight would be.

Make sure you're weighing the leg quarters you're giving; they can vary in size, and in the beginning, I know I'm way more comfortable weighing everything out and knowing for sure how much she's getting than just assuming it all weighs the same.

If you've been removing the skin from the legs, too, try adding it back. The extra fat will help. I'm so looking forward to the days I'm not skinning most of Zoey's meals anymore!!


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

How much DO you feed them?

I would agree with everyone else with there being a HIGH chance that they ARE still hungry!:wink:

And like Robin said, Annie needs like WELL over her "suggested" amount to stay beautiful...and once Linsey figured that out all is well!:thumb: :biggrin:


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

IF their stools are good and they can handle the skin and fat on the quarters I would up their food slowly - maybe add and leg to one and the thigh to the other ans see how they do for a couple of days. Most of my dogs do great of 2% my yongest collie gets almost 3% and my shelties get 3%. Some dogs need more and that is ok/ The recommendation to feed less is because during transition some dogs get very loose stool or have digestive issues, also feeding too much can cause loose stools. Up your food a bit and see how they do, if they are ready their stools will remain good and if you give too much they will soften. I am glad they are doing well overall. Don't give up just take the time to acclimate them and adjust to what they need percentage wise.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Like everybody else said, if they are losing weight adjust the amounts you're feeding, if they get fat... decrease.

One thing i'd add is maybe getting some fatty cuts, or even some straight fat which helped me keep weight on my kid in a BIG way!! you can get the kidney fat which is usually less than 1$ a lb and they love it


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## peachykeen (Aug 5, 2011)

thanks everyone. scarlett o' - they are getting 2 quarters each, per day, which is slightly more than 2 pounds. i have increased the amount of skin and fat and their business outside is looking perfect, so i think i will add some boneless chicken breast. i cant add an additional thigh or a leg because one of mine swallows first, then if he has to, he chews. (he is my 'special' son, lol.) i am just uncomfortable with this trial by error method, i am very methodical when it comes to important things and this is testing me. but if it doesnt kill me (or my dogs) it makes us stronger, right?!


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## jenv101 (Oct 13, 2010)

I'm noticing the same thing with my eldest dog losing weight. I started him at 2%, then upped to 2.5. We're on our third week and I think I may need to increase to 3%. For now though, I just call him 'mr. bony butt' - he seems to like that :wink:

Don't worry too much just increase slowly, and you will get there!


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## hovad123 (Dec 7, 2010)

My 85lb ibizan hound and 100 pound corso get about 3.5 to 4.5lbs of food respectively. I have a fenced in yard and they spend all day running and since I feed prey model they get almost no carbs so when they whine I give them more. I can see three ribs on my IH and one on my corso. 

Go to your local butcher and ask them if they will sell you pork trimmings (the leftover fat with some meat from when they cut up big chunks into chops etc) on days when my dogs are out for 5 + hours running around I give them strips of fatty pork and they seem happy (and it's cheap).

I think the 2-3 % guideline is for slightly less active dogs (my mom's french bulldog got fat on 2.5%)


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## BoxerPaws (Jul 19, 2011)

hovad123 said:


> .
> 
> Go to your local butcher and ask them if they will sell you pork trimmings (the leftover fat with some meat from when they cut up big chunks into chops etc) on days when my dogs are out for 5 + hours running around I give them strips of fatty pork and they seem happy (and it's cheap).
> 
> I think the 2-3 % guideline is for slightly less active dogs (my mom's french bulldog got fat on 2.5%)


I wouldn't do this just yet at only a couple of weeks in. That's a new protein source, so you have to take adding new proteins slow! Then again, your Boxer babies seem to be taking to it more easily than mine! So they might be ready for another protein.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

How are there poos, I would think you could try a new protein if you have been in for two weeks if all has been going well and also up there food.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

being mindful of the fact that your dogs are on raw for a short period of time, there's that balancing act we do to keep them from having cannon butt...

i realise it seems like trial and error...it is and it isn't.....mainly because each dog is different, which is why we are careful to use the words guidelines.....nothing is carved in stone.

the same would go for amounts to feed in kibble.....the bag states the recommended amount and if i feed that to my dogs, they become roly poly...

if the stools are okay, add more to what they are eating....if their stools are okay on both bony and boneless, maybe it's time to intro a new protein....

chicken is the easiest to digest and as you get more and more into the richer proteins, i think you'll find the weight loss will stop.....

please don't give up....there's a huge support group here to help you.....


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Every dog is different. Ziva my min pin requires about 6-8% of her body weight in order to maintain a semi normal weight. Zoey gets about 2-2.5%, and Shellie gets about 2%, yet is very active....but Shells also has a thyroid problem.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

You said that you cant add just another leg or thigh...but have you tried(or do you) feed frozen at all? I feed my boys frozen and thus can add in smaller chunks into the gulper's food to make it into his daily amount!:smile: (Just a thought!)

But I would do as the others have said, remember that this is just starting out...and once they are on to beef, pork and more you will be able to up their fat intake and get them more satisfying meals!:thumb:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sounds to me like your dogs need slightly more food than the average guideline....but its just that, a guideline to get a general picture of how much to feed everyday. 

Increase their food rations very gradually, even if it is painful to see ribs jutting out. They aren't starving, or anything close to that. They just need more food per day, which you achieve by trial and error. BUT increase food gradually to avoid any sick dogs. If you were to just double their rations tomorrow there is a good chance that they would get sick...and then you'd be ten steps backwards. Its easier to take things slow than to rush them. Trust me, been there done that. Its not pretty. Over time they will build lean muscle like they should and have adequate fat coverage. 

I'd start off giving them more of the food that they know and their bodies do well with before adding in different proteins. Increase the amount of bone in chicken and turkey before adding in red meats like beef and pork. Once your dogs do well with increased %s of chicken/turkey for approximately a week, then add in red meats. 

Once you've gotten past the initial transition you'll be hooked to raw feeding for life. It just takes a bit longer for some dogs to get the full hang of things. Not to mention red meats are more appropriate for a dog to eat compared to poultry...its just that poultry is less rich and easier for dogs to digest in the beginning. You might find that once the transition to raw is complete that you'll go back down to the average ration because red meat is a part of the mix. 

Good luck and I hope this helps!

ETA: My dogs are STILL starving....after three years. They just LOVE their food. Its like they appreciate it more and that drives them to be more motivated for it. Don't worry about them seeming to be "hungry" LOL


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## BoxerPaws (Jul 19, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> You said that you cant add just another leg or thigh...but have you tried(or do you) feed frozen at all? I feed my boys frozen and thus can add in smaller chunks into the gulper's food to make it into his daily amount!:smile: (Just a thought!)


I did this for Zoey this morning! We had a few awkward, smaller bony chunks from the chicken my husband portioned out the other night. I knew she's pretty much try to swallow them and be done in 2 seconds, and I had a couple of small strips I'd cut off her drumstick last night to get that DOWN to portion size. So, I put some water in the container and then threw it back in the freezer. She spent a good half hour working at breakfast this morning!! She couldn't gulp anything down.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

BoxerPaws said:


> I did this for Zoey this morning! We had a few awkward, smaller bony chunks from the chicken my husband portioned out the other night. I knew she's pretty much try to swallow them and be done in 2 seconds, and I had a couple of small strips I'd cut off her drumstick last night to get that DOWN to portion size. So, I put some water in the container and then threw it back in the freezer. She spent a good half hour working at breakfast this morning!! She couldn't gulp anything down.


HAHA...yep!! I do this for my Brody quite often...more so when the kitties werent eating my "scraps" but even now when I have smaller things that he needs to eat!:biggrin: And for My Mum's Hub as well!:thumb: It works QUITE well doesnt it!?!:biggrin:


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## BoxerPaws (Jul 19, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> HAHA...yep!! I do this for my Brody quite often...more so when the kitties werent eating my "scraps" but even now when I have smaller things that he needs to eat!:biggrin: And for My Mum's Hub as well!:thumb: It works QUITE well doesnt it!?!:biggrin:


Yes! It worked amazingly well! I must consider doing it with drummies and wings from now on, considering she almost always gulps them down, and then ends up walking in circles, obviously uncomfortable, before regurgitating to try again!


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

As for the being hungry part... My little bluetick pup gets 2 lbs per day. He is the kind of dog who could eat 10 lbs of meat and STILL beg for Dude's food. It doesn't matter how much he has just eaten. He is still hungry. To give Dude a break from him sometimes we feed separately. Buck always eats first and as soon as I let him in he comes straight to the kitchen to try to convince me to let him have Dude's food too. My mom used to fall for the "oh he's hungry" when my brittany would beg while she was making dinner. She would always tell me that "I know you forgot to feed him today" because he was acting like he hadn't eaten in days but really, he just wanted people food. It doesn't matter how much they eat. They will always act hungry.

However, I too, would start feeding more of the same meats you are already feeding. Dude, even though he has great metabolism, gets less than 2% while Buck is getting closer to 3%. They definitely are guidelines. Look at kibble, for example. Dude weighs 76 lbs. He got Pedigree (I know, I know!) until he was 7 and I switched to raw. Pedigree says I should feed my 76 lb dog 5 1/3 to 9 cups of food daily. He was "slightly soft" and he was fed 1 1/2 cups per day. They wanted me to multiply that by 5!!! He would have been OBESE if I had followed their guidelines.


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## Angelwing (Feb 20, 2011)

All 4 of my animals eat around 6% of their body weight. And they are not overweight. I'm not sure how average 2% really is but when I was feeding 2% everybody was disgustingly thin. Slowly increase food amount until you figure out the proper percentage.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

let's see. my pug weighs 20 lbs. if i feed him 6 oz a day, he gains weight. i have to feed him five ounces per day to maintain. so that's less, i think, than 2%

my corgi, the same thing...i have to feed her less than 2%. she gets around 8-9 ounces per day....and she weighs 38 lbs...

i think, it comes down to exercise. they are walked two short walks and one about a mile per day. i don't think it is enough to warrant very much food.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Mine all did the same thing at first during the transition. Not only did they lose some weight, but they shed like all out crazy! Then all of a sudden, the shedding stopped,(gorgeous new coats) and they started gaining weight back. I think it has to do with the "detox" process they go through during the transition. If poops are all good and firm you can try to add some more food if you like. Some dogs require more, some less.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Oh, and I forgot to mention to, mine acted like they were starving at first to, but again I think it was a kibble related thing. Not that they were truly "starving", but maybe craving something they were getting in the raw that they weren't in kibble. And once they gained weight back, they have all seemed satisfied ever since. Don't give up, keep going. What you are going through sounds like a normal part of the transition to raw.


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