# help new here for raw feeding



## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

Hi am new here in raw feeding. .I have 9 months choco female labrador. .her weight is 45lbs. .i wanna switch her to orijen to raw feeding. .am gonna start to feeding her quarter leg chicken. .am plannig to feed her morning quarter leg chicken, lunch half breast part, dinner is wings? is that right? do i have removed the skin of chicken first? because this will be her 1st time in raw feeding. .can anyone discuss the measurement for me. .3%X45lbs=1.35lbs? am i rigth to my computation? do i have to feed her 1.35lbs of chicken?


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

Welcome aboard the best forum on the net .

yes you are right in that you need to be feeding up-to 1.35 lbs a day. I started with 2% body weight and worked up to 3 % as she adjusted.

The first thing I would recommend you do is read these websites

Skylar, Zack, and Abby on the WEB
and
How to get started | Prey Model Raw

Both invaluable resources for the newbe

I would start with a days fasting then on to chicken backs (also called carcass' took me ages to find that one out doh!) I would also only be feeding twice a day based on the age - it will also give her bigger meals. Removing the fat and any left over organs is advisable for the first days of feeding to remove the chance of stomach upset. The bigger the portion size also the better - so I would bot be feeding wings to a 45 lb dog when I could feed a leg.

Good luck and go slow and ask all questions


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

I just want to say again to start out on the lower side of the amount you feed. In the beginning less is more. While your dog learns to chew, eat, and digest raw meat and bones it is best to start out slow.

My 50 pound Pointer gets about 1 lb of meat a day and we are 3 months in. So I'd start out with a pound or less a day in the beginning. 

For sure start out with only bone in chicken for the first two weeks. I would recommend chicken backs for the first week or so and then start adding in drumsticks (if your dog is a good chewer), thighs and/or quarters. I also agree with eternalstudent to remove all the organs and possibly some of the skin for the first few days, slowly trimming less and less....while making sure that stools stay nice and firm.

Just remember to take it slow. Feed less than what you want or think you need to. Don't move on to another protein until you have nice solid poops for a few days with the current protein your feeding (two weeks in the beginning with only chicken and then every week add a new protein as long as things are going well). You will be seeing some pretty weird poops in the beginning....just know that this is normal.

Good luck! We are here to help you! :smile:


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Based on what other have said, I think the safest bet is to start with parts that have more bone in them (backs, thighs), and feeding a little bit less at first is better than feeding too much.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

Welcome to raw feeding. 
This forum is a wealth of information, it certainly made it much more simple for me when I made the switch.

Remember, there are no stupid questions.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Hello and welcome! You've gotten some wonderful advice so far...Please don't hesitate to ask any and all questions!


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

Thanks guys for the support. .am gonna do first is. .not to feed her for 1 day then the next day morning am gonna feed her quarter leg frozen with the skin remove and organ? and defrost in water? then in dinner am not gonna give chicken wing with the skin removed also? am I not allowed to give it to her the chicken wings? because am gonna buy a 1 whole chicken to be chop in 2 quarter leg, 2 breast and 2 chicken wings. .I have already search many thing to raw feeding. .the only problem I am thinking is the diarrhea. .


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

The first day I would just give her the leg quarter and see how that goes. If all goes well, give another leg quarter and the wing the next day. Slowly add more food in to maintain her ideal adult weight. If you notice diarrhea, feed 1/2 portion the first day and see how it goes. Keep us updated!


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

Do i have to remove the skin? it will be skinless quarter leg? hehe. .tom she will be on fasting for 1 day. .hehe. .then the next day it will be feeding time of defrost quarter leg. .


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

You don't have to, but it's a good precautionary measure for diarrhea. You don't want to always remove the skin, but just gradually cut less and less skin off as time goes on and you notice normal consistent bowel movements.


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

thanks for your support guys. .hehe. .


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

do i have to defrost the chicken? before i feed to my larbrador. .


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

rcdahl said:


> do i have to defrost the chicken? before i feed to my larbrador. .


You don't HAVE to, but some dogs might not like rock-hard frozen meat.

I tried to give my guys frozen meat once and they looked at me like "What IS this thing? How do I eat this!?"


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

rcdahl said:


> do i have to defrost the chicken? before i feed to my larbrador. .


Sometimes I feed my dogs frozen meat when I forget to thaw it but usually its thawed.


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

My dogs will eat it frozen, but I generally thaw their meals. I do give Quinn a frozen meal now and then if i need to keep him occupied for awhile. I first started feeding some raw meals when a vet recommended giving a frozen chicken thigh to Quinn as a treat.


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

my mom was so angry to me when i did not feed my choco lab today for 1 day. .then i explained to her so that the body will detoxify the dogfood but she still insist it. .tom its gonna be a skinless quarter leg for the start. .or chicken soup part?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

What do you mean chicken soup part? 

The skinless leg quarter should be fine, but if you have access to chicken backs (I think thats what you mean by soup part?) those would be better to start off with.


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

I fed her this morning quarter leg part i remove the skin. .but she want more. .at dinner i will give her chicken soup part. .that is the chicken back. .hehe. .


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

as of now there is no reaction yet since i gave her quarter leg this morning. .at dinner I will give her a chicken soup part. .


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

just to give update she poop this night firm stool. .i gave her quarter leg in morning for the 1st time and chicken back in the evening. .that night she poop a firm stool with less smell. .rather then the smell before with the orijen puppy dogfood so stinks. .hehe. .here in the philippines our chicken is small so the parts of chicken that are selling here is small part. .I need to 1.35 pounds the feed her. .can i give her quarter leg this morning, for lunch is breast part of chicken and dinner is chicken soup part. .its the back of the chicken but small. .


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

update again her 2nd day of feeding on raw morning leg quarter, apparently my mother gave a breast part on lunch time i said twice a day feeding but she still insist. .I explained to her and let her read your comment but she sympathize our dog. .can't blame her. .because she really loves our dog. .and on dinner may lab ate chicken soup part. .our chicken here here in Philippines is small. . he he. .her poop is firm and stool. .here is my question. .when i see her stool is so small. .i think is not even 1 inch. .but not a diarrhea. .nor anything. .when i gave her i think he was able to chew good even at the first time. .I gave her a quarter leg then he walking circling it. .its like a act that he kill the quarter leg. .funny. .


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Small stools are normal on raw, they can use a lot more of the nutrients in raw foods so there is less waste from them. Glad to hear all is going well!


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## Lin (Nov 4, 2010)

It's been so nice reading your first steps on feeding raw.

My puppy is now five months old and she's been eating raw for a month, and aside from a couple of panicky moments (my husband and I, not her) she's doing great. You've come to exactly the right place to talk about your successes and your worries. In fact, I think the hand-holding is what got us through a couple of rough patches.

It really is an adventure as to how it works for you and your pup.

I look forward to reading more about your success.


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## rcdahl (Nov 28, 2010)

Hello guys, for update
4th day of raw feeding her stool is firm. .and so small. .hehe. .he pooop 1-2 times a day. .my labrador started at leg quarter then chicken soup part. .our chicken here is small unlike to your country. .this morning i feed her quarter leg, lunch is half breast part and on dinner is chicken soup part. .then after 1 hour to her dinner she pooop firm. .for the start how much organ do i will give? and what organ? can i give pork heart, beef heart to? is that protein source? then can i ask what part of bone that i can give gor her to chew or play with. .here we don't have antlers, and bully stick. .


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

rcdahl said:


> Hello guys, for update
> 4th day of raw feeding her stool is firm. .and so small. .hehe. .he pooop 1-2 times a day. .my labrador started at leg quarter then chicken soup part. .our chicken here is small unlike to your country. .this morning i feed her quarter leg, lunch is half breast part and on dinner is chicken soup part. .then after 1 hour to her dinner she pooop firm. .for the start how much organ do i will give? and what organ? can i give pork heart, beef heart to? is that protein source? then can i ask what part of bone that i can give gor her to chew or play with. .here we don't have antlers, and bully stick. .


Don't feed organs so quickly. I suggest waiting about 2 months before introducing organs into the diet. The first 2 weeks I suggest feeding chicken only. The 3rd week, you might introduce turkey or maybe pork. You want to introduce things slowly to give the dog's body time to adjust to digesting real food. Yes you can feed pork or beef heart but not for a couple of months.


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