Feeding for Ultimate Health...

[Silvester]

Originally posted by yukidomari :

"Unlike cats which are obligate carnivores, dogs are pretty much opportunistic carnivores. They'll eat most anything they can get their paws on, but their bodies are still built optimally for meat. From time to time the dogs get veggies & fruits here too.. but as a recreational treat, not as a main part of their diet. "

Yeah, that´s again exactly the point ... !

You need only have a look at the teeth of cat compared to dogs and you see the difference - cats are much more specialized in being carnivores.

Or for example take bears - and compete the teeth of a brown bear to those of a polar bear. You can notice easily that polar bear is highly specialized meat- eater and in the opposite brown bear are much more omnivorus.

The last molar teeth in the jaws of dogs have also a form to enable them to consume vegetables too.
But the rest of teeth are all those of a typical carnivorus animal.

Nice weekend to everyone here !

[Vaiva]

I see a lot of you mix dry food and meat But this can cause a gastritis for your dog. Just for digesting raw meat a stomatch has to be much more "sour" than for the dry food. I feed Brukne only raw bony meat, organs, sea fish since she was 5 months and i am really happy about this kind of feeding (especially when I have to pick her poo when walking ), she also sometimes gets a mixture of curd, kefir, raw egg, some oil (linseed or olive) and honey
At the moment my freezer is full of... boar Brukne is happy

[pdmcgrane]

Just curious- how much food should a 5-6month old Vlcak get? I feed the recommended amount, but it seems that my puppy still remains on the skinnier side- although it seems that this breed is more of a skinny/lanky breed in puppyhood (more so than other dog breeds). Currently I'm feeding her a raw food (meat, bones and organs) and de-hydrated raw food diet along with vitamins. How much weight a week should she be gaining during this period? What month in her life will see the greatest weight gain? How much should a female Vlcak weigh when she's 5-6 months old? I'd appreciate everyone's advice!

[Vaiva]

Originally Posted by pdmcgrane

Just curious- how much food should a 5-6month old Vlcak get? I feed the recommended amount, but it seems that my puppy still remains on the skinnier side- although it seems that this breed is more of a skinny/lanky breed in puppyhood (more so than other dog breeds). Currently I'm feeding her a raw food (meat, bones and organs) and de-hydrated raw food diet along with vitamins. How much weight a week should she be gaining during this period? What month in her life will see the greatest weight gain? How much should a female Vlcak weigh when she's 5-6 months old? I'd appreciate everyone's advice!

Well, a skiny dog is always better than a fat one. Have you tried not measuring the food - just giving the amount a young dog wants to eat? If he has a sense of "enought" (mine doesn't), this could be the answer I am speaking about raw meat diet in this case.

[Mikael]

Like this ???



Best regards / Mikael

[Vaiva]

Originally Posted by Mikael

Like this ???


Best regards / Mikael

Well If the amount of bone and meat changes places in this photo... this would be just perfect

Where from do you take these photos?

[Mikael]

Originally Posted by Vaiva

Where from do you take these photos?

The Wolfdog.org gallery´s But I use the F5 method on the front page to view as many "photo of the moment" as possible in one minute Just press F5 and you get a new photo

But that one I had in my computer from before...

Best regards / Mikael

[pdmcgrane]

Originally Posted by Vaiva

Well, a skiny dog is always better than a fat one. Have you tried not measuring the food - just giving the amount a young dog wants to eat? If he has a sense of "enought" (mine doesn't), this could be the answer I am speaking about raw meat diet in this case.

Hah hah, if I let her eat as much as she wanted she'd explode! :0)

[Vaiva]

Originally Posted by pdmcgrane

Hah hah, if I let her eat as much as she wanted she'd explode! :0)

Just try it once or twice. People say, that when dog knows there will always be plenty of food, he doesn't try to eat EVERYTHING as fast as possible anymore And you start to know how much a dog exactly needs (again - talking about RAW, not dry food or mixed way of feeding).

[Pavel]

Its very funny (and sad same time) to read this discussion. Lunas Mom ask about the best feeding and when get a answer, that best one is raw, then argumentate, why is it not true.
I feeding my all dogs (CsW only) only raw and I dont see any problem. And raw get by me just puppy about 3 weeks old. I never used industrial produced food. My oldest - Nancy have just 13 years and no problems.
For info, my dogs eating
1. Full chicken (means really full, incl feathers, head, legs etc.)
2. Ostrich stomachs, heads and feets (some time whole ostrich)
3. Raw eggs, vegetable and fruits
4. Some times rests from kitchen as well

[Vaiva]

Originally Posted by Pavel

Its very funny (and sad same time) to read this discussion. Lunas Mom ask about the best feeding and when get a answer, that best one is raw, then argumentate, why is it not true.
I feeding my all dogs (CsW only) only raw and I dont see any problem. And raw get by me just puppy about 3 weeks old. I never used industrial produced food. My oldest - Nancy have just 13 years and no problems.
For info, my dogs eating
1. Full chicken (means really full, incl feathers, head, legs etc.)
2. Ostrich stomachs, heads and feets (some time whole ostrich)
3. Raw eggs, vegetable and fruits
4. Some times rests from kitchen as well

You are happy you can get full chicken... I kind of envy you But we still give Brukne chicken heads, feet (very healthy for joints), just no featthers
Pavel, and how do you prepare vegetables? A lot of dogs eat whole carrots, apples, tomatos etc., but it is said that if you want your dog to assimilate the vegetables, they should be mashed into piure or boiled a little. So I am too lazy to prepare separate meals for my dog - only sometimes I add a handful of spinach into her sour milk. And the uncleaned cow's stomatch is a good substitute for vegetables

[Pavel]

Originally Posted by Vaiva

Pavel, and how do you prepare vegetables? A lot of dogs eat whole carrots, apples, tomatos etc., but it is said that if you want your dog to assimilate the vegetables, they should be mashed into piure or boiled a little.

Mostly fruits must be not prepared. dogs likes it so, how is growing (poor our appeltree and plum-tree
Same is by vegetables. But many times i mash vegetables with joghurt or sour milk and its a very lovely "energy drink" for my dogs as well .

Originally Posted by Vaiva

How and where can one get a whole ostrich ??? Are you living next to a Zoological garden or an ostrich - farm , dear Pavel ?

Near Prague si a special ostrich slaghter house, where I get similary rests like you from chicken. And because by transport very seldom, but sometimes ostrich die, then I can get him. Its a whole story, which can be in first moment for many people very couriously

[Vaiva]

Originally Posted by Pavel

Mostly fruits must be not prepared. dogs likes it so, how is growing (poor our appeltree and plum-tree
Same is by vegetables. But many times i mash vegetables with joghurt or sour milk and its a very lovely "energy drink" for my dogs as well .

Well, Brukne also knows best what is good for her. Canaby leaves (my friends parents have bees and some of these plants always grow in their garden ,because they use them for some bee-thing ). Also blackberries in a wood. She picks them with her lips and looks like a bear then. And she roles on blackberries too, and her neck becomes purple. She also knows wich mushrooms can be eaten raw (like russule).

Originally Posted by Pavel

Near Prague si a special ostrich slaghter house, where I get similary rests like you from chicken. And because by transport very seldom, but sometimes ostrich die, then I can get him. Its a whole story, which can be in first moment for many people very couriously

You are a lucky person, Pavel

Angelika, I also live in a very civilized part of Lithuania - 5min by feet from the old-town of Vilnius (capital of Lithuania). Just I am not so ritch to buy kidney or liver in a supermarket, but I have time to get it from other places

[Silvester]

In this case i completely agree to what Pavel wrote before !

The only strange thing for me is... "(some time whole ostrich)"...

How and where can one get a whole ostrich ??? Are you living next to a Zoological garden or an ostrich - farm , dear Pavel ?

And how long time does one dog feed on it , until the whole ostrich is completely eaten ? An Ostrich is weighting up to 120 kg ....

[Vaiva]

Originally Posted by Silvester

In this case i completely agree to what Pavel wrote before !

The only strange thing for me is... "(some time whole ostrich)"...

How and where can one get a whole ostrich ??? Are you living next to a Zoological garden or an ostrich - farm , dear Pavel ?

And how long time does one dog feed on it , until the whole ostrich is completely eaten ? An Ostrich is weighting up to 120 kg ....

People grow ostrich for meat So it is possible to get the parts that are not used anymore or if the whole bird doesn't suit for people's food for some reasons

[Silvester]

Originally posted by Vaiva:

"People grow ostrich for meat So it is possible to get the parts that are not used anymore or if the whole bird doesn't suit for people's food for some reasons "

Of course i know this. But this was not the question - i´m wondering how one can get , transport and feed a whole ostrich to his dogs...

(May be he ment only young ostrichs..?)

I´m curious on Pavel´s answer here...

[yukidomari]

Originally Posted by pdmcgrane

Just curious- how much food should a 5-6month old Vlcak get? I feed the recommended amount, but it seems that my puppy still remains on the skinnier side- although it seems that this breed is more of a skinny/lanky breed in puppyhood (more so than other dog breeds). Currently I'm feeding her a raw food (meat, bones and organs) and de-hydrated raw food diet along with vitamins. How much weight a week should she be gaining during this period? What month in her life will see the greatest weight gain? How much should a female Vlcak weigh when she's 5-6 months old? I'd appreciate everyone's advice!

In our raw feeding circles the general rule of thumb for feeding puppies is to feed 2-3% by weight of the projected ADULT weight. And adjust accordingly to individuals. Not having had a Vlcak yet, I can't tell you what the adult weight really should be, but even if I had one, all dogs are different. The correct and optimal weight for any dog of any breed is one where you can feel their ribs ever so slightly when you touch their sides without pushing much at all. Lots of breeds have the 'lanky ugly puppy stage'... way too much legs without an adult coat yet, makes for a funny looking dog.

In my experience with other breeds in general though, pups usually grow up first and then outwards, some taking up to 2 years to fill out completely.