[JaniceG]

We will be getting our doberman puppy in mid-July and the breeder will have him on Royal Canin Maxi puppy food. The forum has already converted me to do a raw diet without vegees/fruit, but I still have a few questions.
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1) How do I transition him from this manufactured food to raw. Some have said "Just do it!" and yet others say take your time. I don't want to make him sick as soon as he gets home, so what would be the safest way. If I should transition, how quickly?
2) How much do you feed a growing pup? I have heard 2-3% of body weight, 5% of body weight, and even 2-3% of potential adult body weight.
3) The breeder said to give him beef femur and knuckes to chew on, but I am still confused to what type of bones to actually FEED him and add into the weight fed.
4) I think I undersand to start him off on chicken for at least a week, but I am still confused on skin on or off.

 

[RawFedDogs]

All are good questions.

1) How do I transition him from this manufactured food to raw. Some have said "Just do it!" and yet others say take your time. I don't want to make him sick as soon as he gets home, so what would be the safest way. If I should transition, how quickly?

Both are correct. They are talking about different things. "Just do it" means to drop the kibble and begin the raw diet immediately. "Take your time" means add different meat sources slowly. Start off with chicken for a week or so then add something like turkey for a week or so then pork, then fish, then beef, etc. Don't feed any organs for a month or so and begin slowly with them. Start with a very small amount. Just a pinch and grow it until it's the amount you want to feed. Puppies tend to have fewer digestive problems switching than adult dogs do. Probably because they haven't been eating kibble for years.

2) How much do you feed a growing pup? I have heard 2-3% of body weight, 5% of body weight, and even 2-3% of potential adult body weight.

General rule of thumb for a puppy is 2-3% of their EXPECTED IDEAL ADULT weight per day. For a young puppy, this should be spread over 3 or 4 meals a day. I would stay closer to 2% for the first few weeks.

3) The breeder said to give him beef femur and knuckes to chew on, but I am still confused to what type of bones to actually FEED him and add into the weight fed.

Forget the femur and knuckle bones. Those can cause problems and can be a hazzard. You won't feed him bones at all. You will feed him animal parts which contain bone ... chicken quarters, backs, pork ribs, etc. All of those are meat that contains bones. We call them RMB's (Raw Meaty Bones). That will be the majority of what you feed.

4) I think I undersand to start him off on chicken for at least a week, but I am still confused on skin on or off.

Leave the skin on. If he has digestive problems, you might want to remove the skin but until he does, don't worry about it.

You will probably want to feed him small parts in the beginning. Things like chicken wings, necks, drumsticks, etc. By the time he is an adult, those will be much to small for him. Once he gets large enough to swallow those things whole, you want to move to larger pieces like chicken quarters, bone in breasts, etc.

Also in the first couple of weeks, depending on how much trouble he has chewing bone, you might want to smash the RMB's you feed him with a hammer to break up the bone some. You shouldn't have to do that more than a couple of weeks.

Check out my web page in my sig for more information. If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

 

[bdb5853]

We will be getting our doberman puppy in mid-July and the breeder will have him on Royal Canin Maxi puppy food. The forum has already converted me to do a raw diet without vegees/fruit, but I still have a few questions.
'
1) How do I transition him from this manufactured food to raw. Some have said "Just do it!" and yet others say take your time. I don't want to make him sick as soon as he gets home, so what would be the safest way. If I should transition, how quickly?
2) How much do you feed a growing pup? I have heard 2-3% of body weight, 5% of body weight, and even 2-3% of potential adult body weight.
3) The breeder said to give him beef femur and knuckes to chew on, but I am still confused to what type of bones to actually FEED him and add into the weight fed.
4) I think I undersand to start him off on chicken for at least a week, but I am still confused on skin on or off.

1. No transition. Don't buy kibble. Stock up on chicken breasts, bone-in, and some chicken quarters. His first meal at your home should be a raw meal.

2. 2-3% of expected ADULT weight, or 10% of his current weight. Split up into several meals throughout the day. He will be your guide. Keep him lean. If he starts to get roly poly pudgy, cut back. If his ribs start to show or his spine/hip bones become prominent - feed more.

3. Edible bone. That means chicken, turkey, rabbit, pork. Maybe some beef rib racks. No weight bearing bones from large animals like cows. They can break teeth. By the time you are worked up to feeding half a chicken, pork with bone-in roasts, etc..... he will be getting all the edible bone he needs.

4. A puppy requires very little transition. They are very adaptable. I'd leave the skin on. He will probably tolerate it just fine. Do chicken for several days to a week and then move on to other proteins. You don't need to go super slow as you do with an adult. He can eat pork, beef, rabbit, bison, venison, as well as all the fowl - chicken, turkey, quail, etc.

 

[JaniceG]

Chewing bones

If you don't give them femurs or knucke bones to chew on what do you give them to keep them from doing some destructive chewing?

 

[LabbieMama]

If you don't give them femurs or knucke bones to chew on what do you give them to keep them from doing some destructive chewing?

I have a 7 month old Golden pup that LOVES to chew anything and everything. I've found the tough Nylabones are wonderful!

 

[DaneMama]

If you don't give them femurs or knucke bones to chew on what do you give them to keep them from doing some destructive chewing?

Raw beef ribs. The bones are dense enough to stand up to tough chewing but not so dense that they have the potential to break teeth. We thaw a whole rack and give each dog a few ribs attached and so they have to strip the bones of the meat. The bones lay around and they chew on them when they feel like it. We then thaw another rack and throw the old ribs away the next week.