I am getting a Labrador 8 weeks old puppy in two days and want to follow the prey- model diet. After reading a lot on the net I wanted to check with people who have done it , if my conclusions are correct.
Feed puppy 2 or 3% of adult body weight = around 600 g of meat a day
out of these 600 80% meat 10% bone and 10% organs = 480 G of meat and the rest bone and organ
Some people say feed chicken including bones and some say it's too dangeours. Also can I switch cold turkey and how ? What would his first meal consist of ?
Can someone give me examples of say the first couple of days ? How often should I feed organs ? 10% of their daily meal or couple of times a week and in bigger amounts ?
I understand the diet well but struggle with how to start the diet for a young puppy
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
I don't exclusively feed raw (need waaay more research), but I'll try and help.
Raw chicken bones are absolutely fine to feed your dog. They are soft, pliable, easily digested. Let's say you feed your dog a chicken thigh - the bone is SURROUNDED by muscle meat, therefore when it's chewed up, it won't cause any harm to your dogs' esophaegus or stomach.
I do however feed my dogs chicken frames with no trouble.
I starred for my contacts who feed prey model raw with huge success. They'll be of more help than I am.
ADD: There is a Yahoo Group that's soley about raw feeding your pet. I'll try to find the link, but it's a very good forum that will help you immensely.
Your calculations seem correct.
Chicken bones are safer than all other bones. They're softer and easier to digest than other bones. Cooked bones are bad. Yes, don't even buy kibble, just give him a chicken quarter and let him go at it. Chicken quarters or chicken breasts are best as a first time meal.
The first few weeks should consist of only meat and bones. After he is settled on meat and bones, introduce small amounts of organs. Either way, daily or less frequently is fine. I find it more convenient to feed organs in larger amounts 3 days out of the week with larger bone meals.
Here's the best most informative group on prey model raw: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
Good luck! The diet is so rewarding and fun :)
Growing puppy I say 3% or let the pup self regulate, you'd be surprised how much better they are at it than most adults.
Chicken bones are fine
First meat should be chicken and chicken only. Bone in breast or another portion more meaty than boney. Yes you can switch cold turkey. you can feed the meat cold or let it come to room temp(yes this is fine) first thing in the morning so the pup is sure to be hungry and just put the piece down on something or hold it and let the pup go at it.
Do this for about a week and then slowly work in other meats, organs and eggs.
Here are some links for you check out
http://www.raw4dogs.com/calculate.htm
http://preymodelraw.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawpup/
http://rawfed.com/myths/#articles
http://rawdiettruth.blogspot.com/
http://rawfeddogs.net/
Yay! Your gonna love this diet. It is very simple. Your calculations are correct. Chicken bone are dangerous if cooked because they splinter and cause internal damage. Raw, they are fine. But start of with chicken wings with small bones. My full grown husky has problems with the legs. She cannot eat it unless I cut it into pieces. I usually give a small piece of liver a day or one full liver a week. Organs can upset their stomach if fed to often. The first couple of days, your pup will try to swallow her food whole. make sure she does not. And always supervise until the reach 4-6 months. The first couple of days, she might get an upset stomach. Don't worry shell get used to it within a week.
Good luck!
raw feeding prey model diet puppies