Making the decision to feed raw can be extremely nerve racking, but having a plan can help. For starters you will want to feed your dog roughly 2-3% of their body weight per day. If your dog is very active you would probably want to start out around 3% or so and if your dog is less active then start out with 2%. During the first couple of weeks monitor your dogs weight, if the maintain then you are at a good amount. If they loose or gain (assuming your dog is at an ideal weight to begin with) then increase or decrease accordingly.
Now onto what your going to feed. This is the really SCARY part. It is very hard to go from a "balanced nutrition" in a bag, to taking your dog's health into your own hands. This is something that I really struggled with when I decided to switch. We have been taught that the only way for our dogs to get a balaced diet, is by feeding kibble. Believe me I went back and fourth for quite some time before actually deciding to make the switch. I was so worried that I would feed too much of this, or not enough of that. The thought behind raw food is balance over time. If you feed a variety of foods and meats, then your dog will get what it needs. Heck, thats what WE do and we manage just fine in my opinion. So onto the point... a basic guide of what to feed:
If your not feeding veggies:
- 65% raw meaty bones
- 25% muscle meat
- 10% organ meat
Feeding veggies:
- 50% raw meaty bones
- 20% muscle meat
- 10% organ meat
- 20% veggies
These are the two most basic options. There are some people who choose to feed veggies for the nutrients and vitamins, and some that choose not to because they don't feel it's necassary. I will discuss each in another post, along with the subject of supplements.
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