[PalmettoPaws]

Hi everyone,

I have a Catahoula Leopard Dog pup named Isabelle who is approximately 12 weeks old. I rescued her a month ago and decided to put her on Wellness kibble. Well since then she hasn't had diarrhea, but she has been pooping very very often and it's softer than I would think it should be. She also has dry skin and dandruff. I initially wanted to do a combination of kibble and raw with her (I have an adult dog also, a 4 year old Standard Poodle and she does great on this) I have been giving the pup some chicken every once in a while, like I said I've had her a month now and I've given her raw twice so far. I've been cautious because I didn't want to upset her stomach. The raw never seemed to give her any problems though.

Three days ago my mother accidentally fed her my adult dog's food and she had a horrible case of diarrhea. I fasted her (I know not the best thing for a puppy but everything that went in was coming right back out and making it worse lol) and started feeding her boiled chicken and white rice. The problem seems to be gone now but at this point I'm considering starting her on full raw instead of slowly adding back her kibble. But I have a few concerns first.

1. I live in a small town in a rural area and my resources are limited. Her diet would have to consist primarily of chicken and turkey. I can find beef heart, beef tongue, liver and kidney and of course things like ground beef, pork chops and roasts but that's pretty much about it. There's the off chance that we'll have some deer meat but with the success...or lack thereof that my neighbor has had with hunting this season it's pretty doubtful lol.

2. How much do I feed her? I have read 2-3% of her adult weight but I really don't know how much that will be. She is a rescue and though it's likely that she is a purebred Catahoula I'm really not sure. Her weight right now at 12 weeks is 15lbs (or was before the diarrhea issue)

3. What do I feed her? I know it's best to start out with one meat and that would be chicken. I have given her small thighs and drumsticks. But should I give her quarters? Leg quarters? Backs?

Thanks in advance and I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Melissa

 

[RawFedDogs]

1. I live in a small town in a rural area and my resources are limited. Her diet would have to consist primarily of chicken and turkey. I can find beef heart, beef tongue, liver and kidney and of course things like ground beef, pork chops and roasts but that's pretty much about it. There's the off chance that we'll have some deer meat but with the success...or lack thereof that my neighbor has had with hunting this season it's pretty doubtful lol.

Hey Melissa. I think you are making a wise decision. I live in a small town in West GA and have no problem getting raw food to feed my 2 Great Danes. If you are in a small town, there is probably a locally owned independent grocery store (not a chain). Go talk to the meat manager in person and ask him if he will order things like chicken quarters, chicken backs, beef heart, turkey necks in bulk. They will be much cheaper this way. You will need a good bit of freezer space to get stuff in bulk. You should be able to find a small used freezer pretty cheap. You will be able to find pork roasts and beef roasts on sale from time to time. Get them when they are on sale. Throw in some fish also. It is pretty plentiful and if you have to feed canned fish, thats ok but you need some fish.

2. How much do I feed her? I have read 2-3% of her adult weight but I really don't know how much that will be. She is a rescue and though it's likely that she is a purebred Catahoula I'm really not sure. Her weight right now at 12 weeks is 15lbs (or was before the diarrhea issue)

The volume of food doesn't have to be that accurate. It's merely a starting point anyway. After you begin feeding you will adjust volume up or down based on the build of your puppy. You want to see the back couple of ribs and a definate waste line behind the ribcage when viewed from behind. You don't want to see hip bones or spine. Adjust your feeding volume based on those criteria. I think your dog will be in the 50-60 lb range. Start her off with around a pound/day and see how it goes.

3. What do I feed her? I know it's best to start out with one meat and that would be chicken. I have given her small thighs and drumsticks. But should I give her quarters? Leg quarters? Backs?

I would begin with chicken backs for a week. The next week add chicken quarters or breasts to the mix. The next some turkey or pork. This is assuming all is going well and sloppy stools haven't entered the picture. Check out my website linked in my sig for more detailed information. If you have more questions, please ask.

ETA: If you don't have freezer space and it's not practical to get one right now, buying food in oneseys twoseys is ok. It's just more trouble and a little more expensive.

 

[PalmettoPaws]

Thanks for all your great advice. We unfortunately don't have a small independent grocery store. We only have one grocery store locally and it is a chain, it's also way over priced but the prices on chicken and turkeys necks aren't that bad lol.

I have a chest freezer. I can't use it for ONLY dog food, but I can dedicate probably half. I do want to get another freezer for only dog food but that will have to wait a bit longer lol.

One more question, I bought some chicken backs this afternoon. How many times per day should I feed her?

Thanks again!
Melissa

 

[DaneMama]

Thanks for all your great advice. We unfortunately don't have a small independent grocery store. We only have one grocery store locally and it is a chain, it's also way over priced but the prices on chicken and turkeys necks aren't that bad lol.

I have a chest freezer. I can't use it for ONLY dog food, but I can dedicate probably half. I do want to get another freezer for only dog food but that will have to wait a bit longer lol.

One more question, I bought some chicken backs this afternoon. How many times per day should I feed her?

Thanks again!
Melissa

I would start out feeding her 3 times a day for her age. But at first I would just feed only a one chicken back per meal, until she can handle more. That might not sound like a whole lot but too much raw meat in the beginning can cause some dogs to be sick. Its better to be precautionary when switching and not bombard their system with too much of a good thing. Good luck and keep us posted. And no question is a stupid one so don't hesitate to ask away :biggrin:

 

[RawFedDogs]

When I got Thor, he was 12 weeks old and weighed 26 lbs. I gave him 4 backs a day and fed him twice a day (2 backs each meal) and he did fine. 3 backs a day seems a little on the heavy side for your pup to me. I think I would feed him 2 backs a day for the first week. The 2nd week feed him a back and a quarter each day. That will increase the size of his intake the 2nd week. We will see how he does after that and adjust the food volume.

 

[PalmettoPaws]

Sounds good to me. Thanks again!