kristinavb Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 So, my Huskies are all Raw-fed and they thrive amazingly on it. I'm curious to know if as many people Raw feed their BCs? I plan to start Seamus on raw once he's lost some weight.. If anyone does feed their BCs raw, about how much %body weight do you feed? And how active are they? Seamus will by no means be a "working" dog. There aren't many sheep in Florida (that i'm aware of anyway... ) So it will mostly be running and playing exercise. In the range of 1.5-2hrs daily. And then more on weekends and days i work. Any insight appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Yes, I raw feed both of my Border Collies, and they do very well on raw. I'm not sure exactly what percentage of their body weight they get. I kind of eyeball their portions! If I start feeling too much rib, I increase the portion. If I don't quite feel enough rib, I decrease. I know that's not helpful, but, yes, I do feed my Border Collies raw! Seamus is going to look a lot like Speedy (the black and white in my signature picture) when he loses the weight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinavb Posted April 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Yes i've notticed they do look a bit alike. He's quite the handsome guy! It was so funny today seeing him stand next to my bosses female BC... He looks like he could be 3 of her! Are your portions more on the larger scale or the smaller? I've heard some place that Border Collies need less food than other breeds..? Not sure if that's true which is why i was trying to get a number. Think they said it had something to do with them gaining weight easier than other breeds? Not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 I feed both of mine raw, and they do great on it. I base my portions for Rig, an adult, on 2.5% of his body weight. Cricket, the pup, was based on 3% of predicted adult weight, but still using the too much/too little rib theory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 It's 2.5% of the dog's TARGET body weight, not necessarily their actual weight. I adjust both up and down as needed depending on exercise level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 It's 2.5% of the dog's TARGET body weight, not necessarily their actual weight. hehe, yes, that's what I meant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njnovice Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Yes i've notticed they do look a bit alike. He's quite the handsome guy! It was so funny today seeing him stand next to my bosses female BC... He looks like he could be 3 of her! Are your portions more on the larger scale or the smaller? I've heard some place that Border Collies need less food than other breeds..? Not sure if that's true which is why i was trying to get a number. Think they said it had something to do with them gaining weight easier than other breeds? Not sure. I think that just depends on the dog's individual metabolism honestly. Mick will gain weight in winter and shed it in the spring, and he gets fed the same all year. Beag porked out after she got spayed and she was fed less than Mick was and was overall a bigger dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinavb Posted April 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Sounds good. I'll probably start him at 2.5% once he takes some weight off. Then adjust the % if he still needs to loose some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 It's interesting to me that you are going to wait until he loses weight to change to raw. I would actually change to raw to help the dog lose weight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Cressa Posted April 22, 2010 Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 Both mine are raw fed. they both eat about 3% of their body weight. I do ribs test to see wether to add or subtract food. Troy is 49 lbs and eats about 1.25lb of food. He is an unalter male so am hoping when he is alter that will decrease! Cressa is 29 lbs and eats about 12oz of food. Cressa is just a very intense active girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinavb Posted April 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2010 It's interesting to me that you are going to wait until he loses weight to change to raw. I would actually change to raw to help the dog lose weight! I actually am just nervous to put him on a totally new food and have it being cut back so much from what he was probably eating before. I'm also not too sure at what his ideal weight SHOULD be. I'd love to switch him now, i hate to feed kibble! Just not sure how really. I've never had an overweight dog before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 23, 2010 Report Share Posted April 23, 2010 I actually am just nervous to put him on a totally new food and have it being cut back so much from what he was probably eating before. I'm also not too sure at what his ideal weight SHOULD be. I'd love to switch him now, i hate to feed kibble! Just not sure how really. I've never had an overweight dog before Since you don't know his target weight, you could set a goal - say a loss of 5 pounds. You could start at 3% of the dog's current weight minus 5 pounds. After a few weeks, you would be able to tell if he is losing, and at what rate, and then tweak accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onice Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 I only feed my dogs raw and they are gaining a bit extra weight but they burn it off quicly this summer when they get alot of excersice and swim every day so I am not worried. I have been feeding them raw for two months now straight and I probably am overfeeding them so I am starting to cut some off but they get enough. I feed them 4% of their bodyweight but recently there has been a less excersice. I also use the rib theory but because I am new to this I am still learning. But I see it on my dogs if they are too fat og too skinny, I know exactly how they are suppose to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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