So, what do you feed your dog?

[Momily]

Lyle is eating all kinds of healthy things these days, which is quite a change for the dog who would only eat Mighty Dog on homecoming. I'd like to feed a wide variety of food, but am not sure how to put it all together into one diet.

Can you tell me what your dog eats on an average day -- (e.g. not just "we feed raw" but "he ate 1 pork neck, 1/4 lb of green tripe and an apple today)? How much he or she weighs would be helpful to.

[SevenVeils]

My dog weighs something like 150 lbs (haven't weighed him lately, could be more or a little less) and I feed him 4 to 6 cups of Taste of the Wild grain-free kibble per day, depending on his body condition.

But he is of breeds which are notably easy keepers- a much smaller dog of many breeds would eat a lot more than he does.

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by Momily

(e.g. not just "we feed raw" but "he ate 1 pork neck, 1/4 lb of green tripe and an apple today)?

I don't have an "easy" answer because we do feed raw but it varies so much. We feed chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb, and some fish as well. I have two dogs, one is 35 lbs and a fairly easy keeper and the other is 75 lbs with a more active metabolism. This is further complicated by the fact that I haven't weighed their food for the last 3 or so years.

Today they will be having turkey drumsticks - 2/3 of one for Chaos and 1 1/3 for Mayhem. Served with a side of pork liver. Tomorrow will likely be pork heart - 1 for Chaos, 2 for Mayhem, with a few chicken feet (2 and 4 respectively).

[angie7]

Don't really have an easy answer either since each day varies. Tonite my dogs are getting chicken backs with a side of liver. Tomorrow, who knows

[Momily]

Does anyone feed their dogs Honest Kitchen dehydrated food? I've had a few free samples of this in the kitchen since Lyle came home, and I haven't bothered to open them. I couldn't imagine that picky Lyle would eat something the texture of microwave oatmeal. Then when we went to the dog health food store to get some more EVO this weekend the person there went on and on about what a great food it is, and gave me another sample. So, I tried it. I have never seen him this excited about food other than the day I made bacon! Then he had the nicest poops he's ever had (TMI I know), which is great since loose stools has been an issue for him.

It's definitley more environmentally friendly, and it doesn't smell bad at all (the canned food stinks up my whole kitchen!) so if it's a healthy choice I'd love to switch to this. They suggest mixing it with "raw or cooked meat" in a 2:1 ratio. Well, we do a whole lot of cooked meat as training bits (maybe a cup a day at this point). So, could I just feed him 2 bowls of Honest Kitchen for breakfast and dinner?

[graceomalley]

My dog is about 55lbs and today she has eaten a grocery catalogue that blew into the yard, some bark that she pulled off a tree and bits of a plastic milk carton that she got out of the recycling bin when the kids didn't clamp the lid on tight enough .

Her diet varies but through the day she usually eats 2 lamb neck rosettes, 4 chicken feet, a chunk of liver (we stick to 10%), a chicken carcass and a turkey wing. She loves turkey drumsticks (dinosaur bones - she gets excited) so when they're cheap we get them in bulk. It all depends what the raw dog food warehouse is selling - they had kangaroo carcasses last week but roo makes dogs stink. She enjoys a few whole eggs occasionally and once a week I give her fish oil. Oh - I found octopus really cheap at the markets recently but she didn't like it. She's not a big fan of fish either - weird.

[*Eva*]

Well we feed raw but we just started a little over a week ago so she hasn't had to many different foods. We've been feeding her approx 2lbs of food a day but she's a super easy keeper seeing as she's a Rottie (105lbs). We started off the week with chicken leg quarters and now this week she had one leg quarter and a lb of pork necks (which she LOVED!).

[Sailor]

My dog weighs 95 pounds. I feed raw. To be more specific, I feed him whatever meat we're eating for dinner, just in raw form. Yesterday and today was chicken. Tomorrow will be fish.

I also give him a raw egg now and then - it's fun watching him get to the inside. And, of course, he gets organ meat too. I use chicken necks as chew toys. I don't ever give him fruit or veggies. But, I do give him a peanut butter filled kong.

Sometimes when my partner goes for ice cream, he shares it with my dog. But, that's a very rare treat!

[graceshappymum]

Our Grey weighs about 80 lbs, he eats on average two pounds of food a day, chicken carcass, chicken quarters, a bit of liver every now and again. Also missing link, because, while he loves fish and eggs (shells and all) they give him crazy gas.......so the missing link balances out the minerals and vitamins in his diet.

[rhubarbarin]

Today my 12-year-old, 20 lb dog had 4 chicken necks for her first meal, she will be having about a 1/2 cup of ground beef tripe for dinner.

My 9-year-old, 75-lber had a turkey neck, he will be having about a cup and a half of whole ground rabbit for dinner.

They eat a combination of bony parts and ground whole carcasses. I feed all kinds of animals: pork, goat, rabbit, mutton, turkey, chicken, duck, white fish, salmon, mouse, beef, beef tripe.

They get less if they seem fatter, more if they look thinner. Neither of them eat all that much since they are getting old, unless I am walking them they just lie somewhere comfy all day.

[mistymama]

Well we feed raw and it really varies day to day. Our dog seems to do best with a light meal, then a larger one. He still eats twice a day because he is a puppy.

He's 13 pounds today he had a bone in, skin on chicken thigh with two sardines for breakfast, and will eat a full chicken wing piece w/ two small chicken livers & a turkey heart for dinner.

When he looks fatter, he gets less for a few days. If he looks thinner or has had a lot of exercise, I'll feed a little more.

I balance out boney pieces (pork neck, wings, drumsticks) with hearts, egg or plain chicken breast chunks. I try to feed liver a few times a week with the boney meats (helps keep the poo firm).

Raw feeding is really very easy and you kinda learn as you go.