I used to give my dogs, a Lab and a Golden Retriever, dry dog food. Have just started to cook for them last month and they seem SO happy (although I´m not a great chef but they never complain!). Usually there are meat, vegetables and rice -- what I´m not sure is the amount of meat. I´m now feeding each dog (weights 37-38 kg) 300 grams/day, divided to two meals. Is it enough? Also, don´t want them to get too much protein which could harm their kidneys as one is 7 1/2 years old.

i think 300gr is good!dogs find our food more delicious than theirs.the probleme is that after you feed then meat and rice e.t.c they won´t want their dry food at all!i do the opossite thing with my dog!at the begining i gave him real food but he bacame realy fat!after that i gave him dry food but he din´t eat it t all!after a few months of trying to eat it i make it and now he is eating only dry food and sometimes our food!and his weight is very good!!

I feed my dogs dry food twice a day and raw meet twice a week plus raw vegetables and fruits daily. They are both in great shape and healthy but then again they are only pups (8 months) so lets see

Where is the thread
http://en.uniteddogs.com/forum/23/fl/68/t/9766
I wrote there yesterday and now my post has been lost. If you have objections to my post, please do let me know what they are. Thank you.

I do not believe that the amount of meat is critical. It is more important that the meat is of good quality. I think that anything between 200g to 500g per day is enough for a medium size dog. You need to guide yourself by the quality of your dogs poo. If it is dark and runny = too much meat, if it is light and paste like = too much biscuit and not enough meat.

how often are we suppose to feed our dogs raw meat?

There is much debate among experts on this topic. I have a friend who just opened a shop for dogs, with all whole foods. Raw is the best for the dogs, but some dogs do not take to it like others. It is something that you must try very slowly. At first, try just a spoonful of raw at each feeding, with your regular food. After 2-3 days give 2 spoonfuls, but remember to subtract a proportionate amount of the regular food. After some days, you can see how your dog´s system can take the raw. He may get soupy poops, a sign to back off and either use cooked, or slow your process down. I noticed that Basher´s coat is getting really soft on the new diet.

We took millie off of grains and most kibbles are full of grains and fillers.
So it´s ´´o´´ grain dog food and raw meat. With meaty soup bones daily.
What a differant in her and maggie the pup is fed the same way.

Stools are hard and turn white in a few days and easy clean ups.
Dogs are happier and it´s easier for me.

We took millie off of grains and most kibbles are full of grains and fillers.
So it´s ´´o´´ grain dog food and raw meat. With meaty soup bones daily.
What a differant in her and maggie the pup is fed the same way.

Stools are hard and turn white in a few days and easy clean ups.
Dogs are happier and it´s easier for me.

Skull really likes eating chicken... I mean the whole chicken in once! I do not have any problem with that but I am really afraid of the little bones that the chicken has! I think that they are dangerous for my dog´s health. When I actually feed him chicken I wait for him to finish his food in order to check that he is just ok!

Chicken bones can be dangerous especially if the chicken is cooked. Perhaps you should bone the chicken for him. If you want him to eat bones, you should give him large raw beef bones.

To be honest, i ahve never hed my dogs raw meat. I have always stayed with the dry comercial foods. I´ll have to see about feeding them some meat now and then.

Varying the diet is always a good idea. Well nearly always. Some dogs have very particular needs, but most dogs do benefit from a more varied diet.

My dog is getting dry food in the mornings and evenings. In the afternoon he will get a snack. I dont want him to be over weight. The vet gave me a compliment that he looked good and his weight was fine also. So i think im doing good with the food

What kinds of meat do you give your dogs?

I feed my dog on cooked chicken because it is more digestible than red meat. I do give her dry foods as well such as whole wheat and complete dog food. Lightly boiled beef mince is pretty good basic meat, but I mean quality mince fit for human consumption.

I give my dog raw only - she´s 5 months old, so 2 ounces 3X a day. It´s 95% meat and the remaining 5% bone, veg, fruit, essential oils, herbs. I vary it between rabbit, deer, beef, lamb, chicken & turkey. For treats, I give only 100% meat, freeze dried (liver and chicken). I also give sardines once a week and raw chicken necks (3 vertabrae per meal).

I give them cooked chicken (different parts e.g. tenderloins, breasts, thighs, sometimes livers) and any kind of fish I see in the supermarket on shopping days.

is fish good for puppies? i´ve read that it might give them skin allergies... how do you determine the weight of meat you are suppose to give to your dogs/puppies?..

I think fish is good. Dogs that are allergic to chicken are OK with fish. About the amount -- I´m not sure, that´s why I started this tread. I just experimented it and eventually came up with 300 grams a day per each of my almost-40-kg dogs, which I still don´t know if it´s right. But so far they look healthy, not so fat nor so skinny.

Here´s a quick feeding guide for raw food...though it´s for a specific brand you can buy, it will still give you an idea of how much raw to give your dog. Pick ´Raw´ and then proceed from there (the other choices are for the other types of foods the company offers).
For my pug, it tells me to feed 7.4 oz daily.....
Hope this helps!
http://www.naturesvariety.com/feedguide