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Old January 22nd, 2010, 02:35 AM
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Marcha Marcha is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Greater Victoria, BC, Canada
Posts: 510
I had to smile at eating the whole leg - Bodhi will occasionally do that too. So we give her leg AND thigh together. Too big to gulp down.

You've got a pup, so you're going to want to give a bit more than 2% of the dog's weight (Cassiek is talking about adult ratio). When Bo was between 5 and 6 months old, we gave her roughly 7% of her body weight, split up over three meals of 2%, and if she was still hungry at the end of that third meal, she'd get the last 1%. But it's all give or take - we don't have a scale at hand. Just eye-balling it, really. She's now 8 months, and 80 lbs, and we're going for 5-6%. We started adjusting it down when she stopped eating her entire meal. But then again, she's still got growth-spurt days when she can't get enough food, so we increase it for the day.

The other day we got 10 lbs of pork roast for $10. Chopped it up into 4 big chunks. Bodhi LOVES the larger pieces that she can really work at. She'll wolf down the patties if we have those, but she takes her time with the large chunks. She's also a LOT more mellow after she's had something to sink her teeth into than if she inhaled something that was pre-ground. Just something to consider as you decide on what to feed your sweet guy.

Also, the ratios of bone to offal to muscle... don't sweat that too much. It's not an exact science, just a guideline. It doesn't have to be on a day by day basis either. See that your dog gets that per week. It's easier that way. As you get to know your pup's needs and likes and dislikes, you can start to mix and match more. For now - just take it easy, go one kind of meat at a time so that you're sure it's working for him...

A final note - something he likes or dislikes now, might change a few months down the line. Bodhi hasn't wanted frozen meats since the beginning, but lately she's actually not too bothered by it. So keep an open mind about what is happening, don't write anything in stone, and enjoy the process of finding yummy foods for your pup and getting to know him ever so much better than you would on kibble.

Do we get to see pics of your fella? Pretty please?
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