Skruffy n Flea Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 k, so i don't believe i have SWF ... BUT i do have two small dogs that if not for their inbreeding, might be considered SWF... i'd initially fed bella on self-prepared raw meat and veg ... then i did enuf research, and after about 6 mnths fed her BARF! it took a while for her to get used to it so i added some wee bits of bbq chicken [no skin] ... byron, my 3yo rescue [since 10/09] came along and he took time adjusting too so i gave him the same latitude... bella = 19 months and byron = maybe 3 years NOW it's as follows: morning: less than 1/4 cup science diet small bits, 4 natures gift treats, about 4 teaspoons vip sausage; and then at night 1/4 barf brick, 2 chopped circles of carrot [20c size], love 'em liver sprinkle [1/4 ts], 1 dst spn science diet small bites, some thumb squishes of bbq chicken, all mixed up [into this mix is 1 tsp organic vinegar and 4x caps fish oil] with some more thumb squishes of bbq chicken on top... every work day: one RMB [lamb/beef] each ... gone, if i find it when i clean up the yard at night... they eat BEFORE we eat so they get about another tblspn of bbq chicken after we've eaten... CAN SOMEONE TELL ME: is this too much for their tiny bodies!??! i can feel their respective rib cages ... but not so much YKWIM?!? help me out here dolers ... ima novice and i only wanna do the best i can for these two dogs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobite Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Basic rule of thumb for MOST dogs is that if you can easily feel their ribs they are about right. Remember this is not a one-size-fits-all rule.... Are they happy, fit, lots of energy ? This is good. Do they often leave food ? this is bad. They all have "sulky" days where they leave food, some breeds worse than others, some individuals worse than others... Hope this helps Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 Basic rule of thumb for MOST dogs is that if you can easily feel their ribs they are about right.Remember this is not a one-size-fits-all rule.... Are they happy, fit, lots of energy ? This is good. Do they often leave food ? this is bad. They all have "sulky" days where they leave food, some breeds worse than others, some individuals worse than others... Hope this helps Dave dood, you're a damn near dog send! you answered all my frikken questions without me having to ask U kinda ROCK! as for easily feel their ribs nah, i can't so much ... i gotta feel around a bit ... is the 'rib test' closer to their belly!??! or is it up near their spine!??! near their belly is a lil bit easier but i need to get it right, ya know!? i'm near the point of thinking 'HTF can i trim it down?' i took a look at science diet 'lean' was it!??! today! do i need to put 'em on a diet!?!? holy crap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Have you asked your vet? Most vets will often be able to tell you if your dogs are overweight. When you are so unsure, I would be concerned about you putting the dogs on a diet. I have come across one owner who made the same mistake and when I touched her dog, it was skeletal, under a mass of hair and noone had known that she'd been starving her dog for a long time. It was a large breed and she'd cut the food down to a bone a day. Scary stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) Get rid of this because it's full of junk!! less than 1/4 cup science diet small bits, 4 natures gift treats, about 4 teaspoons vip sausage; and1 dst spn science diet small bites If you are going to feed vegtables then you need to food process them to break down the cellulose walls. Food processed green leafy veggies, fruit and whole eggs would be more beneficial then two chunks of carrots. 2 chopped circles of carrot [20c size] This would be more then one days meal for a small dog! If the pugs have bones then that is their meal for the day. every work day: one RMB [lamb/beef] each ... gone, if i find it when i clean up the yard at night... If you are feeding raw then you should only be feeding 1.5% to 2% of your dogs ideal body weight. It sounds like you are feeding alot more then that. I would think about adding chicken necks, offal, fish etc. Get rid of the processed food it's not needed. Why the BBQ chicken? Edited February 5, 2010 by puggy_puggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) morning:less than 1/4 cup science diet small bits, 4 natures gift treats, about 4 teaspoons vip sausage; and then at night 1/4 barf brick, 2 chopped circles of carrot [20c size], love 'em liver sprinkle [1/4 ts], 1 dst spn science diet small bites, some thumb squishes of bbq chicken, all mixed up [into this mix is 1 tsp organic vinegar and 4x caps fish oil] with some more thumb squishes of bbq chicken on top... every work day: one RMB [lamb/beef] each ... gone, if i find it when i clean up the yard at night... they eat BEFORE we eat so they get about another tblspn of bbq chicken after we've eaten... IMO this isn't a good diet. I would scrap the Natures Gift treats (only use them for training), the VIP sausage and the liver sprinkles. Also why do you feel it necessary to feed bbq chicken? If the carrot is raw it won't be processed and will come out the same way it went in, but if they enjoy crunching it up that's fine. Fish oil should be given 1x 1000mg capsule per 10kg bodyweight, 4 capsules is far too much. I'm assuming that the vinegar is apple cider vinegar and not ordinary vinegar? I'm also not a great fan of Science Diet. The bones are good They would be far better off with a quality dry food (Eagle Pack, Artemis, maybe Royal Canin) and raw meat and bones (chicken wings, a piece of chicken carcass, necks, small beef brisket bones), you can add a small amount of cooked liver a couple of times a week and some canned oily fish such as mackerel or sardines. An occasional raw egg and some yoghurt will be beneficial. if you want to feed vegetables (not necessary, but won't do any harm) lightly steam them or if you want to feed them raw put them through a juicer as dogs cannot break down cellulose. ETA only feed tiny portions, you are feeding your dogs way too much food! Edited February 5, 2010 by Miranda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Sound like a lot of food to me If you want to make it easier on yourself switch them to a better quality dry food- eg. Royal Canin, Eagle Pack, Artemis, Nutrience, Advance etc (there are plenty around) and simply feed them that for one meal and the BARF patties that you are already feeding for the other. If you are feding commercial barf there's no real need for supplements either :p The bones are good. You could substitute their morning meals with a bone too on some days, or if they like carrots give them one of those to chew on. Not hard at all! I wouldn't be feeding roast chicken/treats/liver sprinkles all the time though, it's just junk and roast chicken is FULL of salt. Keep that for training treats instead. I wouldn't be worried about putting your dogs on a diet either. Just look at your dog - if the dog looks too fat then alightlyreduce the amount of food you are feeding and if they start to look to skinny then feed more. You'll probably find that they'll lose any excess weight if you cut out the junk though ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Sorry.. if they are small white and fluffy there is no escaping the fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowgirl Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 Good on you SnF for asking questions and wanting to know more about your dogs and their health . The others have addressed some of the specific food concerns and it's worth taking it into consideration. Regarding your dogs' weight, feeling their ribs is only one indication, if you look at the dog from above there should be a nice indent after the rib cage. Here's a couple of Body Condition Charts that might help :D http://vet.osu.edu/1851.htm http://www.gfah.com/medical_notes/Dog_body_assessment.htm Don't worry too much about weighing out the food. Feeding guides are just that, a guide, each dog is different and needs to be fed according to its individual needs and condition. I have 3 small dogs and I know if they ate what your guys eat they would be little porkies in no time . I just look at my dogs and feed accordingly. If your dogs have lost their waistline, reduce their food a bit until you reach what looks like an ideal weight. ... your pooches are little cuties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 thank you everyone for your input *emoticon removed* i knew i was on a winner when i found this forum ... you lot are the best, fo shizle *punches air* first things first: yellowgirl, you have dogs that are after my heart!!! i adore that breed TO BITS but i digress ... i took a look at both the sites you linked and i believe i can honestly say that both my fluffies are moderate or ideal so i'm happy about that ;) AND i've also taken on board the other remarks you made. thank you very much *emoticon removed* next: i think the general concensus is that i am over-feeding them but i may have made what i feed them sound bigger than what the meals actually are - in essence, their morning snack is likely less than a 1/4 cup of food each while their evening meal is about the same ... their bellies are never swollen after eating and in fact feel the same as if they'd not just eaten. the bones we give them are small bones, half ribs and the like sooooo trimmed of meat that they are essentially meat-flavoured bones and are just something else to help keep them both occupied, keeping their teeth healthy and clean while we're out earning their keep!!! i did also misrepresent the ACV [mother n all] and the fish oil caps: i add one tspn of ACV and 4 FO caps per whole barf brick [from which i get four meals] ... both dogs are around 6kg each, maybe a lil heavier... k, down to tin tacks: science diet: being a novice, i took the word of their vet but since then and having researched an alternative up the wahzoo, artemis and eagle pack came up trumps BUT my local petbarn doesn't stock either of them *pfft* ... i can order artemis online and have it delivered, which is likely what i will do having had this discussion, so i better hop to it and get a pack before i run out of what i have left of SD... barf: it is the brand brought to us by dr billinghurst so yes, i shouldn't need to supplement ... i don't know what to do here! byron's itch seems to have settled since i intro'd the ACV and FO caps! Are they happy, fit, lots of energy ? This is good.Do they often leave food ? this is bad. They all have "sulky" days where they leave food, some breeds worse than others, some individuals worse than others... Hope this helps Dave i didn't answer this first time around dave ... they are both happy and fit, and they both seem to have an abundance of energy and a healthy curiosity ... neither of them leave food, they both however have turned from away from food because they've had a YUGE day playing at the off leash dog park and prefer to sleep than eat they both have hearty appetites the next morning *emoticon removed* i would think this bodes well *emoticon removed* Have you asked your vet? Most vets will often be able to tell you if your dogs are overweight. we checked with our vet when they had their yearly last october - all was good *emoticon removed* that was however 3 mnths ago *blinkblink* When you are so unsure, I would be concerned about you putting the dogs on a diet. I have come across one owner who made the same mistake and when I touched her dog, it was skeletal, under a mass of hair and noone had known that she'd been starving her dog for a long time. It was a large breed and she'd cut the food down to a bone a day. Scary stuff. you are absolutely correct ... any diet should be under a vet's supervision and what i need to do is just cut back on their portions a lil bit *emoticon removed* morning:less than 1/4 cup science diet small bits, 4 natures gift treats, about 4 teaspoons vip sausage; and then at night 1/4 barf brick, 2 chopped circles of carrot [20c size], love 'em liver sprinkle [1/4 ts], 1 dst spn science diet small bites, some thumb squishes of bbq chicken, all mixed up [into this mix is 1 tsp organic vinegar and 4x caps fish oil] with some more thumb squishes of bbq chicken on top... every work day: one RMB [lamb/beef] each ... gone, if i find it when i clean up the yard at night... they eat BEFORE we eat so they get about another tblspn of bbq chicken after we've eaten... IMO this isn't a good diet. I would scrap the Natures Gift treats (only use them for training), the VIP sausage and the liver sprinkles. Also why do you feel it necessary to feed bbq chicken? thanks miranda *emoticon removed* my plan is over the next week or so is wean them slowly off the NG treats ... they don't make good training treats but chewing them does exercise their lil jaws *emoticon removed* i'll start that in the morning ... the VIP sausage i'll use up but use less of *emoticon removed* i find it 'greasy' in any event... the liver sprinkles and bbq chicken: neither of my dogs seem particularly interested in barf ... the tiny amount of liver sprinkles and the small amount of cooked chicken and they go ape shit ... neither leaves a scrap of food in their bowl *emoticon removed* ... 'sept for byron and his aversion to carrots *emoticon removed* why bbq chicken!? it is just that we usually have it in the fridge ... they'd both do handstands for chicken, they LURVE chicken and rice, snarf it down ... today i cooked a YUGE batch of boiled chicken, they wouldn't leave the kitchen!!! If the carrot is raw it won't be processed and will come out the same way it went in, but if they enjoy crunching it up that's fine. Fish oil should be given 1x 1000mg capsule per 10kg bodyweight, 4 capsules is far too much. I'm assuming that the vinegar is apple cider vinegar and not ordinary vinegar? I'm also not a great fan of Science Diet. The bones are good *emoticon removed* k, i deal with carrots a lil later on ... but bella LOVES carrot and crunching on it puts a smile on her face ... byron, meh, he leaves his carrot for bella - we have a routine *emoticon removed* They would be far better off with a quality dry food (Eagle Pack, Artemis, maybe Royal Canin) and raw meat and bones (chicken wings, a piece of chicken carcass, necks, small beef brisket bones), you can add a small amount of cooked liver a couple of times a week and some canned oily fish such as mackerel or sardines. An occasional raw egg and some yoghurt will be beneficial. if you want to feed vegetables (not necessary, but won't do any harm) lightly steam them or if you want to feed them raw put them through a juicer as dogs cannot break down cellulose.ETA only feed tiny portions, you are feeding your dogs way too much food! miranda, you are a wealth of information and i'm so pleased you took the time to tell me all that stuff ... artemis is already on my list, raw meat they get from barf, and the meat stripped off the bones ... bella has a delicate constitution when it comes to chicken wings and necks o_O [unpretty] so to avoid those occasions, i don't have it available... i've started to intro fish ... tuna and salmon, both in springwater [!?!?] but only when i do chicken and rice so as to intro them to it slowly but it isn't very often, so i'll get onto that ... i'll look into the cooked liver [how does one prepare it!??!] ... can i mix raw egg with rice!??! is there a food combo i should avoid!??! can egg, liver, chicken and rice be eaten together for example!??! what yoghurt do you suggest!??! obviously natural, but any particular brand!?? as for veg, someone else said what you said, so ima gunna hafta break out the oscar *emoticon removed* Sound like a lot of food to me *emoticon removed*If you want to make it easier on yourself switch them to a better quality dry food- eg. Royal Canin, Eagle Pack, Artemis, Nutrience, Advance etc (there are plenty around) and simply feed them that for one meal and the BARF patties that you are already feeding for the other. If you are feding commercial barf there's no real need for supplements either *emoticon removed* The bones are good. You could substitute their morning meals with a bone too on some days, or if they like carrots give them one of those to chew on. Not hard at all! I wouldn't be feeding roast chicken/treats/liver sprinkles all the time though, it's just junk and roast chicken is FULL of salt. Keep that for training treats instead. I wouldn't be worried about putting your dogs on a diet either. Just look at your dog - if the dog looks too fat then alightlyreduce the amount of food you are feeding and if they start to look to skinny then feed more. You'll probably find that they'll lose any excess weight if you cut out the junk though you and miranda are the shiznite! i'm already commited to artemis so no conflict there *emoticon removed* i think i may have created a pair of lil monsters cuz i'm over-mothering them, but i know with careful planning and slow introductions, i can turn their palate desires around *emoticon removed* as for substituting their brekkie for their daily bones, i explained about the bones earlier... roast chicken and liver sprinkles: mentioned also above BUT for the SALT content and thank you for bringing that up ... this past week i've decided to boil their chicken! first lot today and it's perfect ... i wanted to save the broth but that can come later when i've gotten into a routine of mixing up their diet a lil bit *emoticon removed* Sorry.. if they are small white and fluffy there is no escaping the fact. *emoticon removed* o_O really!??! *giggles* yup *emoticon removed* Good on you SnF for asking questions and wanting to know more about your dogs and their health *emoticon removed* . The others have addressed some of the specific food concerns and it's worth taking it into consideration. Regarding your dogs' weight, feeling their ribs is only one indication, if you look at the dog from above there should be a nice indent after the rib cage. Here's a couple of Body Condition Charts that might help *emoticon removed* http://vet.osu.edu/1851.htm http://www.gfah.com/medical_notes/Dog_body_assessment.htm Don't worry too much about weighing out the food. Feeding guides are just that, a guide, each dog is different and needs to be fed according to its individual needs and condition. I have 3 small dogs and I know if they ate what your guys eat they would be little porkies in no time *emoticon removed*. I just look at my dogs and feed accordingly. If your dogs have lost their waistline, reduce their food a bit until you reach what looks like an ideal weight. ... your pooches are little cuties *emoticon removed* thank you again yellowgirl ... i've bolded what concerns me most! bella and byron are likely very similar to a cc in size ... what weight are your dogs!??! what is their feeding routine!?!? just as a guideline mind you ... not a comparison *emoticon removed* finally - yeah, okay guys, enuf laughing... vegies: i know barf contains the elements a dog needs to survive and i do know it isn't necessary to add vegies but i know there are additional benefits that some vegies do provide ... i get it now that what i'm doing isn't providing any additional benefit except that bella loves to crunch [and i love the sound of her lil mouth crunching and that look she gives me when she's crunching]... saving that question for puggy_puggy *emoticon removed* again dolers, you have proven to be an absolute minefield of valuable info ... if i didn't have you, i'd be none the wiser and my fluffies would be heading for detox *emoticon removed* dog, i hope you buggers read my reply to y'all *scowl* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 JAYZUZ! how does one deal with emoticon usage on this forum!?!? it took me longer to remove them all than it did to write the freakin' post! MOG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 Get rid of this because it's full of junk!!less than 1/4 cup science diet small bits, 4 natures gift treats, about 4 teaspoons vip sausage; and1 dst spn science diet small bites If you are going to feed vegtables then you need to food process them to break down the cellulose walls. Food processed green leafy veggies, fruit and whole eggs would be more beneficial then two chunks of carrots. 2 chopped circles of carrot [20c size] This would be more then one days meal for a small dog! If the pugs have bones then that is their meal for the day. every work day: one RMB [lamb/beef] each ... gone, if i find it when i clean up the yard at night... If you are feeding raw then you should only be feeding 1.5% to 2% of your dogs ideal body weight. It sounds like you are feeding alot more then that. I would think about adding chicken necks, offal, fish etc. Get rid of the processed food it's not needed. Why the BBQ chicken? you don't beat about the bush do ya puggy i've dealt with all of the above so... ...my question to you babe: If you are going to feed vegtables then you need to food process them to break down the cellulose walls. Food processed green leafy veggies, fruit and whole eggs would be more beneficial then two chunks of carrots. please help me out here with a recipe ... treat me like a noob, i'm not that proud ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Hi SnF, I'm not going to add any feeding advice, I'd only repeat what someone else has said already. However, I am a bit confuzzled about this ...................... BUT i do have two small dogs that if not for their inbreeding, might be considered SWF... How does being inbred not make them SWF? How are they inbred? Re the bones - there is no need to cut the meat from the bones .. unless you are feeding them bones after you have cut the meat off to eat yourself. If the bones are just "normal" butcher type bones, they don't have heaps of meat on them, so leave it. Meat with bones gives you a good C:Ph ratio, which is important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 Hi SnF, I'm not going to add any feeding advice, I'd only repeat what someone else has said already.However, I am a bit confuzzled about this ...................... BUT i do have two small dogs that if not for their inbreeding, might be considered SWF... How does being inbred not make them SWF? How are they inbred? Re the bones - there is no need to cut the meat from the bones .. unless you are feeding them bones after you have cut the meat off to eat yourself. If the bones are just "normal" butcher type bones, they don't have heaps of meat on them, so leave it. Meat with bones gives you a good C:Ph ratio, which is important. hello jed ;) re SWF ... i likely misused the term 'inbred' ... bella is a cross bred JR/malt likely on purpose [or not] while bryon is an unknown, likely a JR/Malt/Chi and maybe just a lil bit more ... perhaps! dunno tho SWF has never really been explained to me but i got the gist that it was likely a malt, ts or similar type small dog ... bella is fluffy but she's predominatly wire-haired and bryon has long hair that lays flat against his skin... as i said, if not for their 'breeding'... as for trimming the meat off bones, the butcher is a lil bit generous and i decided to to trim because i was concerned that they were being overfed... there is quite a bit of meat, not to mention fat, on the bones! my prime need for giving my dogs bones is to keep their teeth and gums in healthy condition ... they share, when one drops the bone, the other takes over and vice versa ... they chew and chew and chew the bare bone 'til i remove it... i hope that helps clarify Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 SWF = Small White Fluffy dogs, no matter what the breeding. Bones with meat can be a meal, not just a toothbrush, and a nice soft bone like part of a chicken frame or a half turkey wing with meat etc on is a wonderful meal. oh, and you need not put *emoticon removed* in your writings ,we don't mind if you remove them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowgirl Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Don't worry too much about weighing out the food. Feeding guides are just that, a guide, each dog is different and needs to be fed according to its individual needs and condition. I have 3 small dogs and I know if they ate what your guys eat they would be little porkies in no time *emoticon removed*. I just look at my dogs and feed accordingly. If your dogs have lost their waistline, reduce their food a bit until you reach what looks like an ideal weight.... your pooches are little cuties *emoticon removed* thank you again yellowgirl ... i've bolded what concerns me most! bella and byron are likely very similar to a cc in size ... what weight are your dogs!??! what is their feeding routine!?!? just as a guideline mind you ... not a comparison *emoticon removed* Hi SnF, my clan are all 'around' the 6kg mark. My recently aquired senior girl Pepper was very fat when I got her a few weeks ago but she is gradually losing her extra porkiness. I feed mine am and pm on 'Fido's Formula' (similar concept to BARF ... but better :p ), they have around a tablespoon each meal, depending on the dog. Raw bones 2-3 times a week and natural treats in between. My older boy, Sarge loves to chomp on a raw carrot, he's getting everything he needs in his diet so I don't think there's any harm in letting him enjoy his favourite crunchy treat every now and then Another dry food you might want to look at is Nutro www.nutro.com.au . I rarely use dry food but I do occasionally include some for a bit of variety. Off topic but my nosey side now wants to know why you removed all your emoticons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Hi SnF! I enjoyed reading this thread very much! mainly because of your enthusiasm, its very contagious! :D anyway I'm just also saying that I think Nutro is great food. But it sounds like you are really on track with the BARF/raw diet now! Yellowgirl SnF would've had to remove the emoticons because there is a limit to how many you can have in each post ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 SWF = Small White Fluffy dogs, no matter what the breeding. ty persephone i concede! graciously too i might add Bones with meat can be a meal, not just a toothbrush, and a nice soft bone like part of a chicken frame or a half turkey wing with meat etc on is a wonderful meal. i must ponder this some more ... altho i've modified their food quantities over the past week or so i like the idea of leaving them with a rmb each while we're at work. our butcher is really quite generous with leaving meat on the bone but because i do feed them brekkie and dinner, i cut the extra meat off, leaving barely any meat at all, and they get this raw meat as treats! we have established a feeding routine tho... oh, and you need not put *emoticon removed* in your writings ,we don't mind if you remove them! k, this is valuable info cuz some peeps can be a lil precious, ya know?!? thanks for the HU and for your comments too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 Don't worry too much about weighing out the food. Feeding guides are just that, a guide, each dog is different and needs to be fed according to its individual needs and condition. I have 3 small dogs and I know if they ate what your guys eat they would be little porkies in no time *emoticon removed*. I just look at my dogs and feed accordingly. If your dogs have lost their waistline, reduce their food a bit until you reach what looks like an ideal weight.... your pooches are little cuties *emoticon removed* thank you again yellowgirl ... i've bolded what concerns me most! bella and byron are likely very similar to a cc in size ... what weight are your dogs!??! what is their feeding routine!?!? just as a guideline mind you ... not a comparison *emoticon removed* Hi SnF, my clan are all 'around' the 6kg mark. My recently aquired senior girl Pepper was very fat when I got her a few weeks ago but she is gradually losing her extra porkiness. I feed mine am and pm on 'Fido's Formula' (similar concept to BARF ... but better ), they have around a tablespoon each meal, depending on the dog. Raw bones 2-3 times a week and natural treats in between. My older boy, Sarge loves to chomp on a raw carrot, he's getting everything he needs in his diet so I don't think there's any harm in letting him enjoy his favourite crunchy treat every now and then Another dry food you might want to look at is Nutro www.nutro.com.au . I rarely use dry food but I do occasionally include some for a bit of variety. Off topic but my nosey side now wants to know why you removed all your emoticons k, so my two are about the same *ish* in weight and and i've visually measured their meals and i reckon they'd be about the same - roughly a tablespoon each ... i don't have a tablespoon actually so i used a soup spoon and with the food spilling over i gauged that if i had a tablespoon it would be about that amount tres scientific don't ya think right, so i checked out 'fido's formula' [cuz i'm up for *better*] and ya cheeky thing, i decided you run the joint but alas it would be prohibitive me ordering direct just to try the stuff out *shrugs* ... but if ya ever wanna branch out with a supplier in sydney, give me a hoy k, so i do raw bones at most 5x a week, and i mix up a couple thin slices of finely chopped carrot in their evening meal each day ['tis good roughage cuz i see it in their nuggets ] i checked out the nutro and i appreciate the suggestion, but ima gunna go with the artemis it sounds like ya dun good with 'porky' pepper *giggles* ty yellowgirl for being so generous with your info i don't think i'm too far off being a good provider... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruffy n Flea Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) Hi SnF! I enjoyed reading this thread very much! mainly because of your enthusiasm, its very contagious! anyway I'm just also saying that I think Nutro is great food. But it sounds like you are really on track with the BARF/raw diet now! Yellowgirl SnF would've had to remove the emoticons because there is a limit to how many you can have in each post wtyvm and thanks for taking the time to visit and comment! as for nutro my concern is the amount of grains the product contains ... ima gunna try artemis first cuz byron has a couple skin issues that i just cannot for the frikken life of me pinpoint so without putting both fluffies on an exclusion diet, ima gunna change it up and see how they go re emoticons *nods* correct ... what a pita that was!!! frikken edit: SPELLING!!! Edited February 13, 2010 by Skruffy n Flea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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