Well, first things first, you would need to know what is the estimated ideal adult weight for your pup, ie how much would your pup weigh (roughly) when he is bigger. From there, you would need to determine the percentage of how much to feed based on the weight.

For example, Scottie is about 6+kg now (he is going to be 2 years old this year). The ideal weight for a Min Schnauzer is about 5.4 to 6.8 kg (Wikipedia), so I put Scottie's ideal weight as 6kg. From there, I give him 2% of his body weight in amount of food (coz he's still a bit chubby) which is about 120g per day.

For puppies, they should definitely take more than 2% coz they're growing fast. A puppy can be fed up to 4% of the ideal adult weight if the puppy is very active and not too chubby... Ultimately, it's up to us as the owners to 'Know Our Dogs' and monitor them constantly. If the pup is chubby, feed less and if he is too skinny, up the amount. Hope that helps!

Thanks Rayne , he is abit chubby , decided to gave him 3 times/day and around 150gram since he is now growing fast.

hi..do u guys grind all the ingredients together before feeding ur doggy or juz cut into pieces and feed them? I'm thinkin of tryin barf cuz my MS puppy's poo vr smelly..and bad breath oso...

I do not grind anything at all for Scottie...I follow the Prey Model, which does not require any grinding. I posted an article about beginning the Prey Model diet a few pages back, so maybe you can take a look at it and see which model suits you better

thanks 4 de info!!
do u think that izzit too young 4 a 2month-old puppy 2 switch his diet to the prey model diet?

Nope, it's not too young to start at all! In fact, when I had Scottie's pups with me, I also feed them raw as is (meaning with bone on) since they were 7 weeks old Easier bones like ribs or keels or backs help them adjust faster. When they're older you can give them harder bones like wings or drumsticks. Puppies take to raw easier than adults in my opinion...they adjust really quick and it's a joy to watch them eat and enjoy the food


However, I don't think it's necessary to feed bone ALL the time...you would need to monitor your pups to see if their poops are getting crumbly. Too crumbly or powdery indicates too much bone, and you could probably feed them boneless meats for the next one or two meals. For the prey model, bones are only 10% of the amount of food we're feeding, so it's really not much. Read up more on the Prey Model first before embarking on it, as you need to know EXACTLY what you are feeding to your pup

ok cool!
Thanks alot for all the info..hopefully that my elmo will enjoy his new diet...

Actually where do they get d carbohydrate fr barf diet? Can i add in rice js 4 d sake of carbohydrate? Some said grain products r not suitable 4 dogs....rice belong 2 it rite?? Can potato fit in??

This post has been edited by Robey Lim: Apr 12 2009, 04:44 PM

Errm...not sure about the BARF model, but the Prey Model does not have any form of carbohydrates at all. Dogs don't need (and can't digest) carbohydrates at all, actually. Some are even allergic to any form of grains. Raw potatoes cannot be given too much, as they can be toxic (the 'ears' of raw potatoes are toxic).

Hmmm...tats wat i read 2, but wat really confused me is some actually recommend grain puduct such as brown rice...n even my vet asked me bout wat carbohydrate source i fed! ....

I guess it's up to you to decide...but from what I've read, if we are to mimic the diet of wolves in the wild, it doesn't really make sense to feed our dogs grains, as wolves don't have rice cookers in the wild, and they don't really eat grains as is.

It depends if your dog is allergic or not but there is no need for carbs in their diet. You can like add 1 teaspoon of cooked brown rice. I do that once awhile only. The Barf diet mix I get got veggies and fruits in it for fiber but it is up to you. My dogs do well with prey diet too.

Hahahah yah, wolves got no rice cookers. They may take the vegetation in the stomach of the deer or any animal they feed on, that's it I guess.

Usually in BARF, there is some form of carbohydrates in root vegetables already.
Root vegetables are starchy and sugary, thus providing the essential carbohydrates.
Example is carrots.

It would be easier for them to digest fats and meat for energy. This way they get pure energy. It is good for them to have a certain percentage of fat content in their food. But you gotta make sure its raw. We humans don't eat raw fats cos we can't stand the texture and taste thats why we cook it.
But keep in mind that cooked fats are carcinogenic(cancerous), thus you see quiet a number of dogs in vets suffering from cancer.

You can feed rice. There is no harm in small amount. Just that you will notice the larger amount in terms of stools as rice is not properly digested by their tummies. I know some of my aunts who still add rice to their barf, as they just feel that the furbabies are not getting enough to eat.
Its perfectly normal to think this way.

Anyway a dog's taste in food is very different from human. I can only wonder who tastes the commercially manufactured food and tells the manufacturers if there is not enough chicken or if it needs more taste. I can only pity that person lo.

Anyone know where to buy Alfalfa Powder ?

Has anyone tried feeding heads? Like pig's head, goat's head?

Hi,

I have a 4 mths old pup and am currently feeding her raw for abt 2-3 weeks but I don't seem to notice much enhancement, besides no bad breath & less stool.

She was seriously ill b4 that, not eating, drinking & cud barely sit up. Even vet cudn't find out the real cause besides telling me she's viral infected & be prepared for the worst. Parvo & temper test shown -ve tho. I force fed her with lotsa glucose water to make sure she's hydrated. When she was a lil better, i fed her cooked chicken meat then switched to raw chicken meat when she'd recovered, till now.

she visited vet quite often for different illness, coughing, skin condition swollen eyelid n the last round was mentioned abv.

Recently, I often find mat on her though i brush her everyday. It also cause her lotsa pain when i try to remove matted hair. im not too sure what's considering shed alot, but i constantly find lotsa hair on my shirt n her bed (she's a Westie & suppose to shed lil)

besides that, she often chew her feet and rub her face. her right eyelid get cyst like inflammation again. cud it b due to her constant eye rubbing act?

im not too sure if its food allergy (i only feed her chicken meat & gizzards), but i heard that only happen to pup above 5 mths?

wud appreciate if anyone can advise me what to do on her condition. To me, it seems like feeding raw leads to other problem.

thanks!

This post has been edited by geraldine.g: Oct 1 2009, 11:35 PM

did you try any red meat and bones?
i don't think you can only feed chicken.
Red meat superior to white meat.

This post has been edited by mecharojak: Oct 1 2009, 11:47 PM

Nope, only chicken atm.

From my understanding from diff resources over the net, every dog started off with chicken meat for couple of weeks, which is what im doing.

anyway, i can only find lamb or beef from supermarket, which is abt RM22/kg, way above my budget.

TESCO sells australian LAMB shoulders for rm4-5 or so.
For a small dog, that is 2-3 servings.

My Corgi gets tired of her food if i feed her the same thing for more than 4 days. I stock my freezer with a variety of different meats.

wont the bone be too hard for a 4 mth pup?