# How much meat to feed dog/lb?



## LovingLakota

Hello, I am changing my dogs diet - I am going to be feeding her cooked meat, does anyone know how many ounces/ lb to feed a dog to give them enough caloric intake? 

She is 55 pounds.

THANKS


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## ziggy29

LovingLakota said:


> Hello, I am changing my dogs diet - I am going to be feeding her cooked meat, does anyone know how many ounces/ lb to feed a dog to give them enough caloric intake?
> 
> She is 55 pounds.


Is there any reason why you would be feeding cooked instead of raw? It seems to me that a dog's diet is probably better served with raw meat than cooked meat and it wouldn't need the extra prep work in the kitchen. Raw bones are also much safer for your dog than cooked bones which can splinter and cause damage or even choking in the worst case.

The best way to determine the "right" amount is to monitor the weight and figure of your dog. Dogs vary in need by not just weight but by age, breed and activity level, so the "right" amount can be somewhere in quite a range. I've seen some say about 2-3% of body weight per day is in the typical "ballpark," maybe a little more if the dog is highly active. For a 55 pound dog that might mean 1-1.5 pounds a day, more or less, which you can adjust based on your dog's weight and appearance -- more if they are losing weight (unless they need to), less if they are putting it on. 

Over time I suspect you'll be able to find the right amount where your dog seems to be maintaining close to an ideal weight. Because there can be so much variance between dogs for any given weight, there's some trial and error -- as much an art as a science.

And finally, if you plan to move entirely away from processed kibble and/or cans, the Raw Feeding forum would probably have many more knowledgeable folks about that feeding method as well as how to "transition" your dog's diet. Might be worth checking over there, too! :smile:


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## DaneMama

A diet of JUST cooked meat is not balanced. What else are you planning to feed along with that?

You will have to get vitamin and minerals into their diet that are naturally found in bones. Mimicking something that is natural with something that is not natural is tricky and can be hazardous to your dogs health. Since raw bones are already balanced and complete there is nothing you would have to add to the dog's diet. I don't know much about homecooked diets, but I do know that you have to use supplements or bone meal to replace the nutrition in bones. 

You will also have to add in a carb source to add bulk to your dog's stool, without bulk (fiber or raw bones) your dog will get horrendous diarrhea. Since rice, corn and potatoes are not biologically correct OR nutritionally available as raw bones they are obviously not ideal. 

Basically making a homecooked diet is the same thing as making kibble. The good thing about homecooked is that you know pretty much exactly what's in it compared to
kibble. 

I hope this helps, and definitely ask any and all questions you might have!


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## CorgiPaws

I'm with the others, why go through the trouble of cooking, when you can just feed it raw?

A balanced diet consists of more than jsut muscle meat, it contains, meat, bones, AND organs from a variety of animals to be considered ideal. But, since you plan on cooking, it's important to note that cooked bones are very dangerous and bones should always be given in raw form only, and never weight bearing bones of large animals (knuckles, femurs) because of their density. 

Cooking also destroys nutrients in meat, making it less "useable" to dogs, which is one huge reason that a prey model raw diet is SO ideal. 


That being said, a starting point would be 2-3% of the ideal adult body weight, but watch body condition more than anything. But remember JUST COOKED MUSCLE MEAT is not balanced, and you will need to find balance or you're asking for trouble. 

Best of luck, and feel free to join us in the raw section for more advice.


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## malluver1005

LovingLakota said:


> Hello, I am changing my dogs diet - I am going to be feeding her cooked meat, does anyone know how many ounces/ lb to feed a dog to give them enough caloric intake?
> 
> She is 55 pounds.
> 
> THANKS


What else besides meat are you going to give her?


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## Jop29

LovingLakota said:


> Hello, I am changing my dogs diet - I am going to be feeding her cooked meat, does anyone know how many ounces/ lb to feed a dog to give them enough caloric intake?
> 
> She is 55 pounds.
> 
> THANKS



I would add Dr Harveys Veg to Bowl to a homecooked or Raw diet, to answer your question I got this off their manual

how much to feed daily

Weight of dog in Pounds/Protein in ounces daily

2-8, 4-5 oz. 


9-16, 7-8 oz. 


17-25, 9-10 oz. 


26-50, 12-13 oz. 


51-80, 16-18 oz. 


81-120, 20-24 oz.


they also recommend adding oils to a homecooked or Raw diet. 

flaxseed oil, borage oil, salmon oil, sasame oil, hemp oil etc.

choose either one or rotating is best


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## jdatwood

Jop29 said:


> I would add Dr Harveys Veg to Bowl to a homecooked or Raw diet


Why? Dogs are not omnivores and can't properly digest this veggie slop you're recommending. It's a waste of $$ and time to add this into a carnivore's diet.

At $13/lb for freeze dried veggies I can think of an almost endless list of meat, bone & organs I'd rather spend my $$ on...


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## Jop29

jdatwood said:


> Why? Dogs are not omnivores and can't properly digest this veggie slop you're recommending. It's a waste of $$ and time to add this into a carnivore's diet.
> 
> At $13/lb for freeze dried veggies I can think of an almost endless list of meat, bone & organs I'd rather spend my $$ on...


I understand what your saying but no matter what there are people who still/like the fact of adding veggies into their dogs diet, read my post again I never said I recommended it, I said thats somthing that """I""" would do


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## DaneMama

Jop29 said:


> I understand what your saying but no matter what there are people who still/like the fact of adding veggies into their dogs diet, read my post again I never said I recommended it, I said thats somthing that """I""" would do


I'm not trying to argue, but posting up saying that you would use a product in conjunction of what the OP was stating....isn't that a recommendation? That is definitely how I perceived your post, recommending that the OP add in the product that you use personally to a homecooked diet.

While we may not agree on the "whys" of feeding it, you are more than welcome to recommend anything at anytime on this board based on personal opinion. Heck, I do it everyday as well as the majority of the members here LOL :biggrin:


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## jdatwood

Jop29 said:


> I understand what your saying but no matter what there are people who still/like the fact of adding veggies into their dogs diet, read my post again I never said I recommended it, I said thats somthing that """I""" would do


I guess I'm confused now.

Why wouldn't you recommend it then?

I understand that people want to feed vegetables to their carnivores for whatever reason. What I can't wrap my head around is paying* $13 per pound* for freeze dried veggies


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## Jop29

jdatwood said:


> I guess I'm confused now.
> 
> Why wouldn't you recommend it then?
> 
> I understand that people want to feed vegetables to their carnivores for whatever reason. What I can't wrap my head around is paying* $13 per pound* for freeze dried veggies



No I do recommend it because of the extra Vitamins and minerals in it, but I never said it on my other post because some people may disagree with it in the same way others disagree with each other on raw/kibble diets, so I was only giving my own opinion about it

Fruits & Vegetables for Dogs | eHow.com

this is one of the reason why I like to give veggies to my dog, and do you feed your dog kibble? Probably almost all of them have small amounts of veggies in it. and the reason why I would add a little veggies to homecooked or Raw diet is because with that kind of diet you have to make sure you do it right but with the added veggies you can make sure or worry less that your dog is getting enough nutrients What I like about Veg to Bowl is not only that it has veggies in it but has some herbs that dogs can benifit from


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## DaneMama

I'm really confused about your logic here, and its not the whole "feeding veggies to your dog" dilemma that we see ALL the time here. Its the fact that you post up mentioning it, which comes across as recommending it, but then later state that you *don't* recommend it and now you say that you ARE recommending it. So...why post up about it in the first place???


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## Jop29

danemama08 said:


> I'm really confused about your logic here, and its not the whole "feeding veggies to your dog" dilemma that we see ALL the time here. Its the fact that you post up mentioning it, which comes across as recommending it, but then later state that you *don't* recommend it and now you say that you ARE recommending it. So...why post up about it in the first place???


I never said that I didnt recommend it I meant that its up to you whether you want to feed your dog veggies or not because I believe you can do it either way, its just that some people like to do it and some people dont!

(sorry for the confusion)


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## DaneMama

Jop29 said:


> read my post again I never said I recommended it, I said thats somthing that """I""" would do


This conveys you saying you don't recommend it to me at least?



Jop29 said:


> I never said that I didnt recommend it I meant that its up to you whether you want to feed your dog veggies or not because I believe you can do it either way, its just that some people like to do it and some people dont!
> 
> (sorry for the confusion)


It really is completely up to the person on whether they think its right to feed veggies and fruit to their dogs. I don't understand why we get so many threads that turn into such a debate over something that is just so miniscule. Its like we all feed a more appropriate diet than most kibbles out there so why sweat the small stuff?

Don't be sorry for the confusion, it seems it was a misunderstanding on both sides :wink:


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## jdatwood

danemama08 said:


> I don't understand why we get so many threads that turn into such a debate over something that is just so miniscule. Its like we all feed a more appropriate diet than most kibbles out there so why sweat the small stuff?


I just can't fathom spending that kind of $$

We pay ~$0.60/lb for quality meat, bones & organs.

I can't wrap my head around paying $13/lb for dehydrated vegetables


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## DaneMama

jdatwood said:


> I just can't fathom spending that kind of $$
> 
> We pay ~$0.60/lb for quality meat, bones & organs.
> 
> I can't wrap my head around paying $13/lb for dehydrated vegetables


I'm in complete agreement with you, but everyone here is entitled to their own opinions, even those who we don't agree with :wink: :tongue:


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## jdatwood

danemama08 said:


> I'm in complete agreement with you, but everyone here is entitled to their own opinions, even those who we don't agree with :wink: :tongue:


Never said they weren't :tongue: Just trying to understand the logic


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## DaneMama

jdatwood said:


> Never said they weren't :tongue: Just trying to understand the logic


Understanding the logic is the difficult part...especially since you don't agree.


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## harrkim120

It wouldn't be as convenient, but if I was going to add veggies to my dogs diet I would rather do the work of cooking them or blending them up rather than spend that much on dried ones. 

It's probably still cheaper to buy fresh veggies, herbs and a vitamin supplement, and give each individually.


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## CorgiPaws

I'm not getting into the veggies/ no veggies debate because i'm sure we could find 137463174 threads debating that in one quick search. 

All I have to say is that for $13/lb... For ANY kind of feed, I'd expect my dogs to poop gold to offset costs.


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## harrkim120

CorgiPaws said:


> All I have to say is that for $13/lb... For ANY kind of feed, I'd expect my dogs to poop gold to offset costs.


I wonder what the goose that laid golden eggs ate.....:biggrin:


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