Advice on raw feeding ? 7 month old male Great dane pup ?

my pup is about 30" high at the shoulder and weighs 45 kgs(about 100 lbs) now.i just started feeding him raw chicken @ 2% of his body weight.since he eats a lot and is going to get a lot heavier ( his sire is about 38" high) chicken is a little cost effective compared to other meats.is only chicken enough for him ?do i need to feed the entire bird including the skin, intestines ?should i add rice/ other grains or any vegetables ?do i need to add any supplements like vitamins/ calcium ?Please advice so i can give him a balanced diet.

www.Amazon.comThere are tons of books on raw diets and all the foods that are acceptable to feed your dog. From what i read so far, there are a whole lot more ingredients that your dog should have.

it has been proven that human food only counts for 30% of a dogs RDA so you still need to feed him dog food that is healthy for him like science plan+ its expensive but worth it

Yes, definitely calcium and vitamin D, that is crucial for bones, especially for great danes and other large breeds. Get a supplement with both calcium and vitamin D. Feeding your dog only chicken is not giving him all the nutrients that he needs. You need to give him grains such as brown rice and fruits and veggies. Also, include other kind of meats as well. Diet needs to be balanced.

Find out if he likes fish, with fish you get Omega 3 fatty acids,fish oil, EPA and DHA and great vitamins for a nice shiny coat.Even with the short hair. Fish & fish oil is great for any aged dog. It's great for development of eyes, brain function and motor skills.Plus also usually salmon(packed in fish oil not water) is as a rule much more affordable than Chicken is. And you don't have to feed your dog the entire tin, usually with a table sized spoon fill you can get a week out of one tin. And you know where the food is coming from too!

Don't bother with grains, they are a foreign form of food and not usable in the body. I wouldn't bother with veggies and fruits, either.A prey model diet is the best form of raw diet, in my opinion. You feed about 3% of the dog's ideal/projected adult weight, and the ratio is 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other organ meat. It's really not that terribly difficult. It's not like any living creature gets the exact proportion of necessary fats, proteins, carbs, vitamins and minerals at EVERY meal, EVERY single day. I raw fed my pup for a week and he loved it and did amazing on it - he lost the stink from the breeder's, his poop became solid and compact and didn't smell at ALL, and he put on good weight. We switched to grain-free kibble (Taste of the Wild) as my husband feeds him throughout the day and is rather squeemish about handling flesh and whatnot. Well, he now poops a TON, it stinks to high Heaven, and he has gas quite often. So after this bag, he's going back to raw.Here are few websites to check out for more information:http://www.rawmeatybones.com/http://www.rawlearning.com/http://www.rawfeddogs.net/http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/I hope this helps you!

Chicken is fantastic but yes, you do need to vary the diet. A little red meat once or twice a week. And yes, organs are a must. You must feed 5-10% liver, you also need to feed other organs. Don't worry about vitamins other than vitamin e because a raw diet is a species appropriate diet and doesn't require many supplements. You must, however, supplement omega 3 and 6 via salmon oil, cod liver oil, or fresh fish.

If you are going to go with a raw diet, it's advised that you feed him several kinds of meats. In order to avoid any type of vitamin deficiency its a good idea to get him some doggy vitamins and joint supplements so that his bones grow correctly. It's also a good idea to add rice and some vegetables. To me, it seems you are right on track.

The idea is to feed pups 2-3% of their expected ADULT weight. Some people feed 10% of current weight until the two amounts match but i have always found it easier to just base it on the adult weight.You've mentioned kg so I'm assuming you're Australian?? I find kangaroo a great source of lean meat that is also high in omega 3. Most of our meats are paddock raised so it is not as important to supplement with fish oils - I only use a few capsules a week for my dogs and cats. This is the only supplement that you may need to use - everything else is supplied by feeding a species appropriate diet. It is important to remember that too much of a nutrient can be just as damaging as too little - this is why it is only recommended to feed liver as about 5% of the total diet - to avoid vitamin A toxicity.Just chicken is OK in the short term but it is best to feed from a variety of sources. I find ox or lamb hearts are a good inexpensive meat and feed this several times a week.The idea is to approximate feeding whole prey so it is vital to feed meat, meaty bones and organs not just meat. Some people use a ration of 80:10:5:5 (meat:bone:liver:other offal) and others (like me) feed alternate meals. The idea is to achieve balance over time (a week or two) rather than in every meal. Aim to feed about 2/3 meat/muscle (including heart) and the rest a combination of meaty bones (chicken halves, meaty pork ribs) and organs like kidney, liver, brains etc. Liver shouldn't be fed more than once a week or about 5% of the total diet.I would say a definite NO to the grains but if you really feel the need to add some vegetables then just feed some leftovers once or twice a week (but no more than about 5% of the total diet) and try to avoid high carb ones. Dogs don't have the digestive system for vegetation so the majority of nutrients will leave the same way they went in but if it makes you feel better then go for it.Good on you for researching a more natural diet for your dog. I would recommend joining the RawMeatyBones group (based around Tom Lonsdale’s books) http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/RawMe…Related links http://www.rawmeatybones.com - This is Dr Lonsdale’s site"Dogs are Carnivores" An article clearly explaining the physiological reasons behind this classification and the effects of feeding inappropriate foods http://www.thewholedog.org/artcarnivores… A feeding guide published by Dr Tom Lonsdale, a vet who advocates raw feeding and has been widely publishedhttp://www.rawmeatybones.com/diet/exp-di…A website debunking some of the many myths regarding raw feeding and bones.http://rawfed.com/myths

Yes, you need to vary his diet. Fish, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Turkey, Deer or what ever else you can get your hands in your area. Look for hunters that will give you scraps & bones. Also Green Tripe is very good!! I also like to give them yams or sweet potatoes with their fish meal. I like to mix in an egg, Vit C & fish oils with this meal. BARF- Raw food is great! Book by Sue Johnson "Switching to Raw" http://www.switchingtoraw.com/ Very easy to follow. There are raw/barf groups on Yahoo for [email protected] [email protected]