[huskyfan]

Hi Everyone,

Koa our husky has been on a raw diet now for almost a whole week, and I must say she is doing awesome!

By the calculations that I have read she should be eating about 14 to 16 oz. of meat a day. She is 42 lbs. and gets at least 2 good walks a day and maybe a trip to the park to run.

She looks like she has slimmed down a bit and looks nice and lean, though she is really whining for food about an hour or two before we usually feed her.

Are my calculations correct? Is it normal for them to cry for their meals? When she was on kibble she never whined for her food like this.

Just want to make sure I am feeding her enough! Oh, and also she is 8 months old and has reached her adult weight, height etc.

Thanks,

 

[RawFedDogs]

By the calculations that I have read she should be eating about 14 to 16 oz. of meat a day. She is 42 lbs. and gets at least 2 good walks a day and maybe a trip to the park to run.

Don't worry about volumes so close as to measure oz. Think in terms of feeding her somewhere from just under a pound to a pound or a little over. Exact measurements aren't made with this diet. If you think she is loosing weight, feed her a little more. If she's gaining, feed less.

She looks like she has slimmed down a bit and looks nice and lean, though she is really whining for food about an hour or two before we usually feed her.

She will naturally look a little thinner with this diet. She will loose excess fat and will build muscle. However, remember that the volume you are feeding now is just a starting point. Adjust the volume up or down depending on how she is looking.

Are my calculations correct?

Close enough for govt work.

Is it normal for them to cry for their meals?

My dogs still get excited starting about 15 minutes or so before normal feeding time. They get up, move around, and get close to me. They get real excited when I head for the laundry room where their food is. They start dancing around with a happy dance. This is after 7 years of feeding raw.

When she was on kibble she never whined for her food like this.

Hehe of course not. Would you get as excited over a bowl of dry Total cereal as you would over your favorite meal?

Just want to make sure I am feeding her enough! Oh, and also she is 8 months old and has reached her adult weight, height etc.

If you think she's getting thin and is acting hungry way before meal time, you might up the volume a little but keep an eye on her. If she starts getting too heavy, cut back a bit.

Oh, one more note: You won't feed the same amount each meal. Some meals will naturally be larger than others. Thats just the way it is in the real world. Animal parts come in varying sizes.

 

[rannmiller]

I agree, just keep an eye on her. Since she's still young and filling out, she may need a little bit more than a pound to help with that. But it's true, raw fed dogs are usually quite lean and well muscled.

And she's probably whining because she may need a tiny bit more food than what you're giving her since she has a fast, adolescent metabolism right now and is getting a pretty good amount of exercise. Maybe feed her a little more only on the days she gets the extra dog park fun :smile:

But yeah, she's probably just really excited for her favorite meal and is still so amazed it's happening to her. Huskies are smart pups so she's just figured it out early that meal time now equals the best meal of her life!