Feeding raw and a question about weight...

[T Doll]

I have a question for those of you who feed your babies raw medallions. Mocha is on Nature's Variety and according to the feeding guide, he should be getting 1.7oz a day. I just round up and feed him 2 medallions (which equals 2oz). This still doesn't seem like enough food to me? He's 3lbs and has a small frame, but people usually comment on how skinny he looks. I don't want to be under-feeding him, but I don't want to over-feed him either. For those of you who feed raw medallions, how many do you give your furbaby a day and what is their size/weight?

When I brought him to the vet at 3 months for his puppy shots, he turned out to be a little underweight and my vet instructed me to increase his feedings. Well, about a year later when he went in for an annual checkup, my vet didn't say anything about him being underweight, so I always assumed his figure/weight was ok. But I kind of get concerned when other people think I don't feed him enough. I was wondering if anyone can tell me how to determine whether or not your baby is under/over weight? What should a "good" weight look like?

[Wylie's Mom]

Marcel is 3 lbs and gets 1 oz. per meal (same as 1 medallion) (am and pm)

Wylie is 6.5 lbs. and gets 2 oz. per meal (am and pm)

With any diet, it's good to start somewhere - and then feed to condition, meaning, increase/decrease based on how your dog's ribs feel. Since the recomm. for your baby is 1.7, but Mocha is underwieght - I'd def. go for 2 oz to boost him up a bit.

[T Doll]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Marcel is 3 lbs and gets 1 oz. per meal (same as 1 medallion) (am and pm)

Wylie is 6.5 lbs. and gets 2 oz. per meal (am and pm)

With any diet, it's good to start somewhere - and then feed to condition, meaning, increase/decrease based on how your dog's ribs feel. Since the recomm. for your baby is 1.7, but Mocha is underwieght - I'd def. go for 2 oz to boost him up a bit.

The thing is, I don't know if he really is underweight or not? He was underweight when he was 3 months old, and the vet made sure I increased his feedings and checked back with her to see if he gained any weight. He started to gain weight nicely and the vet wasn't concerned anymore. However, this was when I was feeding him Solid Gold kibble. I started feeding him raw once the kibble ran out. So since I've been feeding him raw, it just doesn't seem like a lot of food (with the kibble, it looked like he was getting more food).

I'm tempted to start feeding him 2 1/2 medallions a day, but since he's not a very active dog, I don't want to feed him too much that he wouldn't be able to burn it off. It seems like you feed Marcel the same amount that I feed Mocha. Do you ever find that it doesn't seem/look like enough food? My family has always been like "I can't believe that's all you feed him...how can that be enough?"

[BonBon]

Have you tried leaving a little dry kibble out for him to free feed on during the day? It may help you decide if he's still hungry or if he's getting enough to eat.

[txrosegirl]

for miss buffeys weight and activity level, she is supposed to get 1.8oz (1.8 medallions) per day total...i feed her a little over 2oz per day and she is healthy (might be able to stand losing a couple ounces as you cannot feel her ribs unless you push down but i personally think any skinnier and she would look gaunt) and happy so i will continue to do 2oz +

[T Doll]

Originally Posted by txrosegirl

for miss buffeys weight and activity level, she is supposed to get 1.8oz (1.8 medallions) per day total...i feed her a little over 2oz per day and she is healthy (might be able to stand losing a couple ounces as you cannot feel her ribs unless you push down but i personally think any skinnier and she would look gaunt) and happy so i will continue to do 2oz +

I was wondering how do you divide up the medallions to equal her daily amount? Do you take the left over peice and carry it on to the next feeding? I was also wondering how much Miss Buffey weighs? Thanks for your reponse

[RebelBelle]

Jamie weighs 3.5 lbs. The NV guide fluctuates so greatly based on activity level. So I feed him 1 medallion 3 times a day (AM, Afternoon, Evening). Sometimes he eats it all and sometimes he doesn't. I tear it into bites and put it down. If after 20 minutes he hasn't eaten it, I throw it away. I'd rather waste a little food than feel like he's hungry...

Some days Jamie is very active and very hungry. Other days not so much. I think it's up to you. You may just want to get some healthy snack to supplement with like yogurt or veggies. Jamie's loves the baby carrots and fruit.

[txrosegirl]

Originally Posted by T Doll

I was wondering how do you divide up the medallions to equal her daily amount? Do you take the left over peice and carry it on to the next feeding? I was also wondering how much Miss Buffey weighs? Thanks for your reponse

well i have 4 bags of medallions (unopened) and i am using up the big 8oz patties right now. when i get to the medallions, i will just give her 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. it is hard sectioning the big patties into exactly 1oz servings which is why i know i am feeding her more than 1oz at a time lol i even tried to use my postal scale but really, it is more hassle than it is worth and i am pretty good now at eyeballing the amount

i will say miss b gets lots of treats throughout the day and bully sticks every day as well. as far as leftovers go, i have never had leftovers LOL

she is a year and a half and about 3.6lbs hope that helps!

[txrosegirl]

and i also had a concern about the feeding amount (i am with you - it just does not seem like a lot of food) and called NV. they explained it is like human food - the better the quality, the less you need to meet all your nutritional needs and miss b has actually gained about 3oz since she went totally to raw so i know she is getting enough food

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by T Doll

The thing is, I don't know if he really is underweight or not?

I'm tempted to start feeding him 2 1/2 medallions a day, but since he's not a very active dog, I don't want to feed him too much that he wouldn't be able to burn it off. It seems like you feed Marcel the same amount that I feed Mocha. Do you ever find that it doesn't seem/look like enough food? My family has always been like "I can't believe that's all you feed him...how can that be enough?"

I always feel the ribs - I don't want them to feel too "buried" (ie, kind of unable to feel them) and I don't want them to feel to prominent (not enough fat, too "sharp" and excessive delineation btwn the rib cage and "waist" - do you know kinda what I mean?)

The volume in raw is hard sometimes to get used to - mostly I think bc it just "looks" smaller. Bc it's not processed, the nutritional value is very dense - so you really don't need to feed a lot of volume. Marcel is always satisfied - it's Wylie who would probably eat an entire bag if I put it in front of him .

Sometimes it helps to compare kibble and raw. Take Marcel - if I was to feed him NV's kibble, I'd feed about 1/4th cup per DAY. For his current raw, I feed roughly, in tablespoons, just under 4T a day - which is just under 1/4th cup - it really just looks a lot smaller.

[T Doll]

Originally Posted by RebelBelle

Jamie weighs 3.5 lbs. The NV guide fluctuates so greatly based on activity level. So I feed him 1 medallion 3 times a day (AM, Afternoon, Evening). Sometimes he eats it all and sometimes he doesn't. I tear it into bites and put it down. If after 20 minutes he hasn't eaten it, I throw it away. I'd rather waste a little food than feel like he's hungry...

Some days Jamie is very active and very hungry. Other days not so much. I think it's up to you. You may just want to get some healthy snack to supplement with like yogurt or veggies. Jamie's loves the baby carrots and fruit.

He gets a lot of snacks throughout the day (usually Yogurt Drops, Yorkie Yummies, Buddy Buscuits), but I never thought about giving him veggies. Next time I'll have to share some baby carrots with him

Originally Posted by txrosegirl

well i have 4 bags of medallions (unopened) and i am using up the big 8oz patties right now. when i get to the medallions, i will just give her 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. it is hard sectioning the big patties into exactly 1oz servings which is why i know i am feeding her more than 1oz at a time lol i even tried to use my postal scale but really, it is more hassle than it is worth and i am pretty good now at eyeballing the amount

i will say miss b gets lots of treats throughout the day and bully sticks every day as well. as far as leftovers go, i have never had leftovers LOL

she is a year and a half and about 3.6lbs hope that helps!

Ohh ok, I originally thought that you peiced off a section of a third medallion to make it equal more than 2oz, which is why I asked what you did with the leftover peice lol. Thanks for clearing that up!

Originally Posted by txrosegirl

and i also had a concern about the feeding amount (i am with you - it just does not seem like a lot of food) and called NV. they explained it is like human food - the better the quality, the less you need to meet all your nutritional needs and miss b has actually gained about 3oz since she went totally to raw so i know she is getting enough food

It just doesn't look like a whole lot of food, does it? My family has always been like "I can't believe that's all you feed him...how can that be enough?" Good to know it's a normal amount though

[T Doll]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I always feel the ribs - I don't want them to feel too "buried" (ie, kind of unable to feel them) and I don't want them to feel to prominent (not enough fat, too "sharp" and excessive delineation btwn the rib cage and "waist" - do you know kinda what I mean?)

The volume in raw is hard sometimes to get used to - mostly I think bc it just "looks" smaller. Bc it's not processed, the nutritional value is very dense - so you really don't need to feed a lot of volume. Marcel is always satisfied - it's Wylie who would probably eat an entire bag if I put it in front of him .

Sometimes it helps to compare kibble and raw. Take Marcel - if I was to feed him NV's kibble, I'd feed about 1/4th cup per DAY. For his current raw, I feed roughly, in tablespoons, just under 4T a day - which is just under 1/4th cup - it really just looks a lot smaller.

Yes, it certainly does look smaller. When Mocha was on the kibble, I fed him 1/4cup a day also. I didn't realize the raw amounted to nearly the same amount, so thanks for the comparison

I don't really know what you mean by "delineation btwn the rib cage and waist" though? I can feel Mocha's ribs and while they don't seem to be overly sharp, I do think they could have more meat on them

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by T Doll

Yes, it certainly does look smaller. When Mocha was on the kibble, I fed him 1/4cup a day also. I didn't realize the raw amounted to nearly the same amount, so thanks for the comparison

I don't really know what you mean by "delineation btwn the rib cage and waist" though? I can feel Mocha's ribs and while they don't seem to be overly sharp, I do think they could have more meat on them

You're welcome.

It's sort of hard to describe, as you can see ! You know where the ribs sort of end - and then you have the dog's "waist" (lol) below the ribs? You don't want that waist area to be too "sucked in" or concave. Like, a too skinny dog would feel "too ribby", then as you moved your hands down the cage, and moved to the waist - the waist would drop in way too far (feeling too small). You do want a bit of transition btwn ribs/waist, but it shouldn't be severe. Argggh - is that better? LOL, I'm not very good at this.

[T Doll]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

You're welcome.

It's sort of hard to describe, as you can see ! You know where the ribs sort of end - and then you have the dog's "waist" (lol) below the ribs? You don't want that waist area to be too "sucked in" or concave. Like, a too skinny dog would feel "too ribby", then as you moved your hands down the cage, and moved to the waist - the waist would drop in way too far (feeling too small). You do want a bit of transition btwn ribs/waist, but it shouldn't be severe. Argggh - is that better? LOL, I'm not very good at this.

I think I get what you're saying now. Although, that would mean that Mocha is indeed too skinny His waist looks and feels rather small, but I always thought that was just his body shape/type...kind of like how some women can have tiny waists without being terribly skinny. If I only look at his tummy, he doesn't look too skinny at all. The tummy area around his err, "peepee" - below his ribs look nice and full. If I increase his feeding and he puts on some weight, will the waist start to fill out or will his tummy just look bigger?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by T Doll

I think I get what you're saying now. Although, that would mean that Mocha is indeed too skinny His waist looks and feels rather small, but I always thought that was just his body shape/type...kind of like how some women can have tiny waists without being terribly skinny. If I only look at his tummy, he doesn't look too skinny at all. The tummy area around his err, "peepee" - below his ribs look nice and full. If I increase his feeding and he puts on some weight, will the waist start to fill out or will his tummy just look bigger?

It's kinda hard to say, all dogs are a little different. He would probably fill in a little w/ more food. If ribs are a bit prominent, and waist feels a little hollow - you might want to feed a bit more for 3 weeks or so - and see how he feels then. His body shape might just be a bit different than others too.

Hmm...like, Marcel - even though he is "small", he feels very solid - ribs just right, no skinny areas, good rib/waist transition - I sort of eventually learned what "right" felt like for him. I wish you could feel him to see what I mean. LOL - I wish you could cop a Marcel feel.