raw feeding?

kyralyn

I read up that you should feed your dog 3% of it's body weight daily, but do shikoku's need more since they're very active?
So, shikoku's range from 35-50 pounds. So the shikoku's should only get a little over 1lb of raw meat/bones.etc per day? Shouldn't they get more for being so active? How much should be given daily?

JessicaRabbit

My Shikoku and from what I have read on the forum self regulate. She will not over eat and often will lean toward barely being peckish. This as opposed to my pit bull who only weighs five pounds more than my shikoku and 50lbs less then my Akita and she eats slightly more than my Shikoku and Akita combined plus a third meal in the middle of the day to keep her at slightly underweight.

But it really is going to be dependent on the individuals activity level and chemical makeup.

dlroberts

Ditto to what Jess said.

Saya

Saya self regulates pretty well she will not over eat of coarse she is a shiba inu so shikoku might be different. I feed Saya 2% of her weight she is doing fine any more she usually refuses.

She gets two walks a day plus training plus she wrestles with Bella. In fall, winter and early spring we go for three walks a day..

Saya only gets two bone in items a week the rest are meat and organs. Some dogs are different and might need a little more bone.

tjbart17

I feed Koda around 3% of his bodyweight. He's 15 months old, and up until a few weeks ago I fed him 2.5% of his body weight which is 53 pds. He does self regulate, but throwing away raw sucks and stinks up my garbage cans so I try to keep on top of knowing his eating patterns. Seems like in the past few weeks, he wants to eat more. Koda by definition is slightly underweight, or what I would call "show" size, slender.

Maymay gets 3% of her body weight. She is 21 months old, and has no fat on her body, but is very muscular compared to younger Koda. She weighs 40 pds.

It's difficult for me to picture an overweight dog that does a 100% raw diet.

shibamistress

I have no idea how much I feed, because I just monitor the dog's weight, and adjust the amount of food (chicken backs) accordingly. I have to say, Tara, that unfortunately dogs can become overweight on a 100% raw diet. My Toby is now obese because my husband overfed him while I was out of town, and I've cut back on is food a lot, and take him for walks, but its a slow loss here (in his case, I'm wondering if his thyroid meds need to be upped, because in my experience most dogs gain/lose quicker than he is on a raw diet). My Shibas are about 30 lbs (female) and should be 40 (male who is now 46 pounds!) and they either a small chicken back (no neck) or a portion of a large one (Bel) and one or two necks or a portion of a back (Toby).

But it's not just him: my friend's dogs have been fat when she's overfed them, so it's pretty much like anything else--you have to monitor their weight.

My girl Shiba has self control and only eats as much enough to stay slim, but Toby would eat and eat until he burst (or he'd guard the food and begin eating again later!)

tjbart17

Is it Toby's diet or his thyroid problem?

I should correct myself and say that I can't see any dog who has NO health issues being overweight on a raw diet.

shibamistress

It's hard to tell on Toby. He's always a little fat, because he will eat like crazy, but I think right now he is fatter than usual because of his thryoid issues. But even healthy dogs can get too fat on the diet....Even my thin little girl shiba did once, when I left her with a housesitter who overfed her (and usually Bel won't overeat, but she did then!)