DenyseRizzo
Junior Grey Lover
Dutch aka "Flying Norwood" Jan 6/11-April 1/14 <3 Irri aka "DC Iridescent" May 2/09 =)
Posts: 151
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Post by DenyseRizzo on May 11, 2014 5:34:42 GMT -5
Hey All! So I had a question about feeding. I read on this forum (in an older thread) that a new greyhound's metabolism is high when they come off the track, so they should be fed more for the first while. So when I looked up how much raw to feed her weight (She's approx. 59lbs) the result was 1.5lbs of raw. So since the raw I buy comes in 2lbs packs, I gave Irri 2lbs on the first day, and yesterday (split up 1lb in the morning and 1lb at dinner).
Even though I'm feeding her more than her weight calls for, she still seems so so hungry! She looks at me after she eats like "Wait, that's all you're giving me?" How much raw did you feed your girl greyhounds right off the track? And how much after that?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2014 8:22:18 GMT -5
no girlies here but I just kept feediing and didn't weigh anything until I saw some nice weight gain on them. not much help Denise, sorry! M
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laara
Junior Grey Lover
Posts: 112
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Post by laara on May 14, 2014 18:26:27 GMT -5
I would say keep it at the 2 lbs for now, maybe bump it to 2.5 but I wouldn't go any more than that. You can offer a few dehydrated treats as well if you think she needs them. Slappy has been retired for over 3 years now and still inhales his food and looks for more…lol. I think they'll take all they can but honestly, fat Greyhounds just look awkward. I think I saw that they should gain 3-5 lbs over their race weight as a good retirement weight. Slappy's race weight was 79 lbs and he tends to bounce a bit between 79 and 85 lbs. I find it really changes frequently but could have something to do with how long it has been since he had a meal. The day he went to have his eye examined he was 82.2 lbs, two weeks later he was 79 on the day of surgery and ten days later he was 80.3. Hope this helps
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greysrgreat
Junior Grey Lover
Bently (racing name Dreckly) & Holly (racing name Ears Comer)
Posts: 160
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Post by greysrgreat on May 29, 2014 19:56:31 GMT -5
We feed raw using the following formula - www.raw4dogs.com/calculate.htmso for our almost 60 lb Holly, it's 12 oz per meal (or .75 lbs per meal => about 1.5 lbs per day. I'm fairly sure that she'd eat more - she's a true hoover but like laara says, she'd just look awkward and maybe a bit funny!!
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Post by newtothis1 on May 30, 2014 17:08:44 GMT -5
I feed my boy 2lbs, when he came off the track and now. He is at a perfect weight. He does also get one cup of kibble every other day and treats. If he seems extra hungry, if he has been racing around a lot, I will give him extra. They sure can burn off the food pretty quickly when they run. He usually wolfs down his food, but some days he leaves his breakfast and eats it at some point through the day, while I am at work. The same with dinner, sometimes, it's gone on seconds other times he waits until later. He weights 70lbs.
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aeiou
Grey Puppy
Posts: 82
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Post by aeiou on Jun 6, 2014 10:36:05 GMT -5
LOL You have to feed what keeps her weight stable. My 12 year old, who we've had for almost 8 years, is on raw and he eats faster than I have ever seen him before when he was kibble fed. He's about 73 lbs and eats 15.5 - 16 oz twice a day, plus treats. He gets more than is recommended for a dog his size but it's his metabolism. He burns it so quickly that he needs the extra to keep those ribs covered. He'd probably eat until he burst if I let him at it, so I understand the "But I'm still hungry" look you're getting. It just means she REALLY enjoys her food. I'm going to be transitioning our new guy to raw soon. He's 55 lbs and I'm expecting he'll probably eat around 2 lb/day too. He puts away almost 5 cups of kibble every day right now and hasn't gained any weight (in fact, he lost about 2 lbs). But he's only 2 so again, that metabolism is working very hard.
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quietstorm
Hound Nut
Officially at Capacity!
Posts: 1,593
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Post by quietstorm on Jun 19, 2014 9:14:36 GMT -5
When my 2 boys first came home (77 and 88 lbs when they arrived) they were eating 4 lbs a day to keep the weight on. And we still go through stints where feeding the 'regular' amount isn't enough so I bump it up. Regular for the boys is 1lb 10oz and 1lb 14oz. I still weigh everyone's food every day but also watch the ribs to see if anyone is getting too skinny or fat. We had a bout this winter where Ranger wouldn't keep anything on and he was up to 2.5lbs a day. Rudy (a skinny saluki mix) is only about 46 pounds and she eats 1lb + and stays skinny (she is NOT a dog that would eat until she burst, unless it's treats) and then there's Hogan the beagle mix, who weighs 49lbs and he only gets 9oz a day. So it really is all about their metabolism and how they do with the food.
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Dexter
Newbie
the rubber backing just kept them from slipping
Posts: 19
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Post by Dexter on Jul 5, 2014 9:42:49 GMT -5
Hi. When I first brought our baby home we started with the raw diet but I felt so unknowledge able I was worried I was not feeding enough so I went to IAMS so that I could measure it out properly and know he was getting enough. I was also buying and making my own food and found with my schedule it was becoming overwhelming. But Dexter is not doing well on the IAMS. He eats it fine but he has really bad gas and is constantly eating grass and throwing it up. I want to go back on the raw food but I am not sure what the best way of going about this. His racing weight was 86lbs. When we first got him home he lost a lot of weight. On the IAMS his weight is maintaining but from reading the blogs here I see that it was normal for him to have lost weight when he fist got home because of his increased metabolism. What should I do now and is there anyone who make raw food that I can purchase so that I don't have to make it all the time. I have a hard enough time coming up with interesting balanced meals for the humans in my family, i need some of the guess work taken out of feeding my grey. Also, what is an average raw food cost?
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quietstorm
Hound Nut
Officially at Capacity!
Posts: 1,593
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Post by quietstorm on Jul 13, 2014 10:25:42 GMT -5
Dexter there are all kinds of pre made raw mixes that have everything your dog needs in them. In our house, we feed the mix alongside bones, that way we don't have to worry about 'did we remember to feed organs today' or any questions like that. The mix has everything in it. A typical meal for our greyhounds would be a big turkey neck, close to 1 lb or so, and then top it up with mix. Or maybe 2 or 3 pork riblets, some tripe, and some mix. I am like you - making dinner for the humans is a cumbersome task that I dread - but feeding the dogs really has become quite second nature (maybe because they don't complain like the humans). Nobody turns their nose up at anything - they eat every meal with enthusiasm! Cost is very dependent on what you are feeding, and you can mix it up to keep the costs low. Feel free to email me if you have questions - I am by no means a raw feeding expert (like by NO means) but I do believe that you can feed raw for the same, or less, cost than a decent kibble (sorry, probably not for less than Iams). And my dogs haven't been to a vet in ?? Pauline (info@nothingadded.ca)
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Redhead
Grey Lover
Teague (Natural Red Head)
Posts: 823
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Post by Redhead on Jul 13, 2014 10:47:56 GMT -5
Where are you located? There are a lot of people who grind and sell raw mixes (not the pet store stuff which is crazy expensive, and of poorer quality IMO). I have a list of some of the places who sell raw mixes if you let me know where you are. I get it for about $2 a pound which is cheaper than the grocery store, but it isn't cheap.
You can feed both raw and kibble. I have had many dogs that don't do so well on plain kibble, but if raw or cooked food is added, it firms things right up. I feed a raw/kibble mixture a lot of the time due to having limited affordable raw resources in my area. The pups do great on it.
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Post by echandler on Jan 13, 2016 22:51:46 GMT -5
Hello everyone,
Does anyone know/can recommend a place that sells raw dog food mixes? I am looking to switch to raw diet but all the prices I found in different pet food stores are very expensive.
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