Ask The Vet: Switching to a Raw Diet
Question:
I have a somewhat overweight Corgi that I am trying to switch from a high protein kibble to diet of mostly meat. How many ounces of meat should she get in a day, and what else does she need to round out her diet?
Answer:
I wish I had a simple answer to this question, but the truth is ---it depends.
There are a number of factors that influence how much food you should offer your dog. First, it is important to remember that every animal is unique, and their nutritional needs will vary depending on their activity levels, environment, and metabolic rate. If we fed the exact same amount of the exact same food to a dozen 25 pound dogs, it is likely that some would gain weight, some would lose weight, and some would remain the same. Also, different foods have varying amounts of fat, protein, and carbohydrates; even "meat" spans a wide range ---for example, from chicken to lamb to beef. The cut of meat will make a difference too ---a chuck roast has much more fat, and therefore calories, than a cut like a bottom round. In fact, even the same cut of beef can have very different nutritional values, depending on what it is fed ----grain fed beef has 10 times the amount of saturated fat as grass fed beef, which means that grain-fed beef has a lot more calories per pound than grass-fed (not to mention radically different amounts of critically important omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids! ---We'll talk more about that in another post).
So there is no hard and fast rule about the appropriate amount of food to feed a dog.
That said, when shifting a dog from a processed food to a home-prepared diet, I usually aim for about 1/4 pound of fatty muscle meat (I like grass-fed chuck roast) per 25 pounds of dog per day. If you are using leaner meat, feed a bit more ---but the fat is an important nutrient, so don't avoid it unless your pet has a history of medical issues digesting fat. When changing a dog's diet, I recommend introducing the new food gradually: start by just mixing a little of the new food in with the old food, and slowly increase the portion of the new food while decreasing the amount of the old food, over about 7-10 days.
When other foods such as eggs and organ meats are added to the diet (and they should be!), I reduce the muscle meat a bit to compensate. It is extremely important to make sure you are feeding a properly formulated, complete diet ---for example, dogs have much higher calcium requirements than we do, so it is very easy to short-change them on this crucial nutrient, unless you are regularly feeding raw knuckle bones or an adequate amount of a good, raw ground bone calcium supplement (feel free to contact me directly for a list of recommended supplements to balance the basic meat/eggs/organs diet). Bone content is also important for stool quality. I applaud those who are willing to go to the effort and expense of preparing "real food" for their pets; just remember, it is important to make sure you are following a veterinarian-approved recipe to avoid deficiencies.
All right, back to the "how much?" question. After a few weeks of feeding a consistent diet, evaluate your dog's condition. Is she gaining weight? You're feeding too much! Is she losing weight? In that case, the amount you are feeding isn't keeping pace with your dog's energy expenditures. Since you said she is overweight, that is what you want ---but remember, you may need to increase the ration a little once she comes down to her target weight.
I often find that as we improve their diet, pets become much more energetic ---more energy means more exercise, and more exercise helps burn off that excess fat!
Good luck!
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of House Call Of The Wild.
I have a somewhat overweight Corgi that I am trying to switch from a high protein kibble to diet of mostly meat. How many ounces of meat should she get in a day, and what else does she need to round out her diet?
Answer:
I wish I had a simple answer to this question, but the truth is ---it depends.
There are a number of factors that influence how much food you should offer your dog. First, it is important to remember that every animal is unique, and their nutritional needs will vary depending on their activity levels, environment, and metabolic rate. If we fed the exact same amount of the exact same food to a dozen 25 pound dogs, it is likely that some would gain weight, some would lose weight, and some would remain the same. Also, different foods have varying amounts of fat, protein, and carbohydrates; even "meat" spans a wide range ---for example, from chicken to lamb to beef. The cut of meat will make a difference too ---a chuck roast has much more fat, and therefore calories, than a cut like a bottom round. In fact, even the same cut of beef can have very different nutritional values, depending on what it is fed ----grain fed beef has 10 times the amount of saturated fat as grass fed beef, which means that grain-fed beef has a lot more calories per pound than grass-fed (not to mention radically different amounts of critically important omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids! ---We'll talk more about that in another post).
So there is no hard and fast rule about the appropriate amount of food to feed a dog.
That said, when shifting a dog from a processed food to a home-prepared diet, I usually aim for about 1/4 pound of fatty muscle meat (I like grass-fed chuck roast) per 25 pounds of dog per day. If you are using leaner meat, feed a bit more ---but the fat is an important nutrient, so don't avoid it unless your pet has a history of medical issues digesting fat. When changing a dog's diet, I recommend introducing the new food gradually: start by just mixing a little of the new food in with the old food, and slowly increase the portion of the new food while decreasing the amount of the old food, over about 7-10 days.
When other foods such as eggs and organ meats are added to the diet (and they should be!), I reduce the muscle meat a bit to compensate. It is extremely important to make sure you are feeding a properly formulated, complete diet ---for example, dogs have much higher calcium requirements than we do, so it is very easy to short-change them on this crucial nutrient, unless you are regularly feeding raw knuckle bones or an adequate amount of a good, raw ground bone calcium supplement (feel free to contact me directly for a list of recommended supplements to balance the basic meat/eggs/organs diet). Bone content is also important for stool quality. I applaud those who are willing to go to the effort and expense of preparing "real food" for their pets; just remember, it is important to make sure you are following a veterinarian-approved recipe to avoid deficiencies.
All right, back to the "how much?" question. After a few weeks of feeding a consistent diet, evaluate your dog's condition. Is she gaining weight? You're feeding too much! Is she losing weight? In that case, the amount you are feeding isn't keeping pace with your dog's energy expenditures. Since you said she is overweight, that is what you want ---but remember, you may need to increase the ration a little once she comes down to her target weight.
I often find that as we improve their diet, pets become much more energetic ---more energy means more exercise, and more exercise helps burn off that excess fat!
Good luck!
Have a question for the Veterinarian? Use our Ask The Vet Form here.
This post was generously contributed by Dr. Stanley of House Call Of The Wild.