Nature's Variety Question
 

How much do you feed your baby a day? I am going to start Reese on it, but am not sure how much to give her. She is 6 1/2 lbs. I figured from what it said on the sight it should be about 2-2 1/2 medallions a day?? Does that sound right??

oops..I meant website...what it said on the website...not "sight"..I am a teacher for heaven's sake, you would think I could spell!!!

sounds right to me.. Layla is 6 lbs and i would probably start by giving her two and seeing how hungry she was after... play around with it and see if she tells you that she is still hungry.. you know the next day to give her a bit more.. also Layla is MUCH more active in the winter than the summer... so also go by her activity level.

Lacy is 7lbs and I feed her 4 a day. She's moderately active.

When I first started feeding her nature's variety raw I put her activity level as low and it recommended 2.5medallions a day. She started getting pretty skinny that first week. Once I changed her activity level to moderate on their chart, it said to feed closer to 4. And that has been perfect

Do you feed anything other than Nature's Variety..I am slowly switching from Natural Balance kibble to raw and my holistic vet told me that Nature's Variety has everything nutritionally she will need...we have had tons of problems with allergies and are hoping that this will help Reese a lot...

dont' feed kibble WHILE feeding raw but when you say "do you feed anything else" she can still eat veggies and chicken and fruit... is that what you meant?

I feed Kalina 4 ozs per day, which is four 1-oz. nuggets (I use Primal but I think they weigh the same as NV). She is 5# and active and still growing. When she is finished growing I may have to cut down a little unless she grows to 7# in which case I'll keep it the same. I also give her a RMB a couple of times a week.

How are you slowly switching? All the research I did told me it was best to just switch cold turkey and Lacy did fine with that. Mixing kibble and raw can make them really sick.

Nature's Variety has everything they need in it. The only thing I noticed was that I thought the omega FAs were a little low so I'm giving her fish oil & vitamin E. I also give her a supplement called Juice Plus for dogs but I don't think she really needs it..just thought it couldn't hurt

When raw feeders say gradual switch they don't mean mixing the kibble with it, just introducing each new thing one at a time. For example, as you are doing pre-made stick to only one type (as in only one meat) and then once you are sure she is fine with that you can try her with another flavour and so on. Just makes it easier on them.

Oh, the hollistic vet told me to switch her gradually and start off giving her only 1/4 of her food raw, then slowly increasing until completely on it...she said she can get sick by switching right away
I also wanted to know that kinds of things you feed as far as treats, things to chew on for teeth, and if you ever switch off the Nature's Variety and give something else. I am looking for all the advice I can get here because this is all new to me. I have gotten some books, but I find people with experience is so much better!!

I'd just switch her. Lacy didn't have a problem with the switch. Lacy chews on bully stix but I've given her raw chicken necks before too. I also give a tablespoon of Solid Gold Green Tripe (it's canned..can't find fresh here :( ) some nights. I try to only give her grain-free treats

I switched Kalina cold turkey and she was just a puppy. She did great.

Thanks for all your help...Just a question....is this a very expensive diet to have her on. Please don't get me wrong, I am going to do it, and I will do whatever it takes to keep Reese as healthy as possible..I am just wondering how it will effect my monthly budget...This stuff is pretty expensive right?? But as long as it has all of what she needs then it's worth it...

another question...how do you break up the feedings...1 a day (the holistic vet suggested it) or more than one....and how much in each feeding??

lauraopi, I am also watching your thread and I am going to switch my Yorkies too. I just ran out of food today and I am going to do it cold-turkey and post how it goes for us, for you too :p

I am almost out too...this is a little scary for me..i just want to do what is right for Reese

I have been feeding Tia my shih tzu cross natures variety kibble in the morning and the raw medallions in the evening . She has been on this diet for five years, Remy my yorkie pup has been on this diet for about one month ,she is 10 1/2 months old now. The raw is a little more expensive ,that is why i feed a good kibble in the morning. Both dogs get raw knuckle bones to chew on as well as bully sticks. Treats are raw veggies some fruits the odd biscuit. Tia also has a problem with some dog foods making her sick so the raw was a good solution to that problem for me. Tia came to me as a puppy mill rescue and was in very bad shape , it took a year of trying different foods to find some that didnt make her throw up
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this is Tia today
Eileen

Lacy eats 4 medallions a day - 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. I alternate venison and rabbit each day. The rabbit is the most expensive at $15 for a 3lb bag of medallions (48 medallions) and the vension is about $13. The Chicken/turkey is the cheapest at closer to $10. Beef, Chicken, and lamb are somewhere in between there but don't know for sure what they are priced at.

I feed Nature's Variety and a few other pre-made diets as well. morgan is 4lbs and gets 3oz a day. I switched her cold turkey. I usually buy two bags at a time. Then when i get home i separate the food into meals in sandwich bags and freeze them all. I take out 1-2 days of food at a time and put it in the fridge. It isn't expensive to me, doing it this way because the food lasts at least 1 1/2 months before i have to go buy more. I also supplement with a join sup and fish oil. She usually gets 2oz in the morning and 1oz at night. i sometimes feed her just once a day but she's a piggy and likes to eat so i separate the meals to make her think she's eating more. I also give raw chicken drumsticks and turkey necks sometimes as a meal. For chewies she has bully sticks, buffalo tendons, and beef tendons to keep her occupied.

I love this diet and so does Morgan.

I recently found another brand that i like. Its called Animal Food Services. It comes in little nuggets. so what i do is measure out 1oz or 2oz in sandwich bags depending on which meal i want it for. Then when it comes time to feed i just dump the contents of the bag in her bowl and don't have to touch it to break it up. :) much cleaner IMO.