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Reply To: Help with starting my dog on a raw diet.

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Hound Dog Mom
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Hi Cyndi –

No one’s ever accused me of being good at math either…well at least not calculus lol. Raw food calculations are one of the few mathematical calculations I can handle though!

In general, dogs should eat (as a percentage of their weight):
-1.5% for weightloss
-2.0% for inactive dogs
-2.5% for adult dogs of average activity level
-3.0% for active dogs or dogs of average/low activity needing to gain weight
-3.5% for very active dogs or active dogs needing to gain weight
-4.0% for working adult dogs and puppies (8 weeks – 1 year)
-4.5% – 8.0% for heavy-duty working dogs, puppies under 8 weeks and pregnant/lactating females

Based on these guidelines, assuming Baily is of average activity level Bailey should be eating:

53 lbs. X 0.025 = 1.325 lbs. or 21.2 oz. per day

To factor in her 24 hour fast:

[(21.2 oz./day)(7 days/week)]/13 meals per week = 11.42 oz. per meal

Keep in mind – these are just guidelines, you’ll need to assess her body condition frequently and adjust her portions accordingly. Gus eats about 2.5% of his body weight, Mabel eats about 3.5% of her body weight and Gertie eats about 4.0% of her body weight (with their weekly fast factored in). Also – these calculations are for the meat portion (muscle meat, organ meat, bone) only. Don’t count veggies toward the calculation.

  • This reply was modified 11 years, 11 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.