laurie etc Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 Question for those who feed raw... Now that Spring is here (and my dogs are outside more) my dogs are dropping too much weight on the regular diet they get. I'm considering adding a) more fat, or oatmeal or some other calorie source. They currently get a combination of premade raw (Bravo) Lamb or Beef, veal neck bones, turkey necks, chicken backs, eggs, sometimes a small biscuit when they get crated. I'd rather stay away from worthless carbs just for weight gain, such as more biscuits, kibble or starches. Whole grains would be OK if they work. None of my current dogs seem to have a grain issue. Rebecca/Bounce - you use cooked Oatmeal? How much do you feed? Any digestive/gassy issues from it? Anybody have any "economical" healthy suggestions? I'm feeding 6 dogs, so would rather not increase my food expenses too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 I use the Volhard formula and my super gassy dog doesn't have a problem with it. She does gain weight like crazy so she actually isn't on it. Neither is my grain intolerant dog. I didn't have great success with maintaining weight on my "hard keepers" on the Volhard - the only thing that does that is volumes of real rmbs. For instance, if I let Jen eat as much as she can, she'll eat four to five pounds of rmbs a day and still be very slim though nicely muscled. My pup eats much less, as you'd expect, but so do my other two "hard keepers". I got tricked by my chicken supplier this winter - the chicken quarters that made up the bulk of our diet were cut much leaner, without warning. I had to do some quick rememdial work on my hard keepers and I used Satin Balls for that (http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satin...satinballs.html). We've got our kitchen mostly shut down again (someday we WILL be done remodeling!) so I'm using the Merrick dry kibble at the moment on my grain-tolerant dogs and they look great. My checkbook does not, however, so I'm eager to go back to our normal routine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurie etc Posted April 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 Maybe I should increase the fatty meats? Like chicken w/skin or add some "cheap" ground beef? The RMB's I get are pretty lean, too. Satin Balls are Gr.Beef, oats, egg, molasses, right? My guys are well muscled, just feeling too boney at the moment...I tried some oatmeal this morning, they all loved it. Guess we'll see how they digest it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 The cheap ground beef is definitely high fat. The Satin Balls are based on this, plus the carbs and a bit of additional oil. The Satin Balls meat I use is 25% fat! IF you use mostly lean meat then you probably do need to consider something with more fat on it. Variety is the key to this approach - it's one reason I don't got for the prepackaged diets even though they are so convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna frankland (uk) Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 TRIPE!!!!! tripe is very good for putting on weight as well as all the lovely enzymes etc it contains. make sure you get green tripe, not the stuff for human consumption. also lamb is very good, breast of lamb is very popular in my house! pork is said to be good by some people, but i have never fed pork myself. you could try simply feeding more? the ox hearts that i get are very fatty, to the point i have to cut some of it off or my two start looking like barrels! i have heard that for some people feeding huge meals less often helps with weight loss, perhaps feeding smaller meals more often will have the opposite effect? hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurie etc Posted April 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 I've heard tripe is great, and I've always wanted to try tripe with my dogs, but can't find anywhere locally that carries the unbleached variety - or that I trust (the local renderers here are scary to me). Anybody know where it can be obtained in the West VA/Northern Virginia/DC/Hagerstown-Baltimore Md area? I'm willing to travel to some extent...if I can find a reputable source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bounce Posted April 14, 2005 Report Share Posted April 14, 2005 My guys love their oatmeal. Everyone has gained weight on Raw except Bounce. Too much weight for Sara, Tex and Spencer, I'm adjusting portions. I cook up the oatmeal in the morning, when I have my first coffee. I use Quaker large flake and it is cool when I return from work 2 hours later. I then boil some duck/ goose eggs and mash them in. Somedays I use a good quality canned food with no corn/wheat and with a vitamin suppliment instead of eggs. Bounce gets a heaping big bowl, everyone else just a few scoops. They then get their raw meat, veggies and a bone for dinner. They dislike kidney but will eat everything else. Bounce is too thin but very healthy otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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