Advice please - best RAW for weight gain

[T@rd1s]

Hi all,

My new Neapolitan female Belle is 17mths old and only 35kg (78lbs). That's small for her age, but she looks and acts healthy. I can feel her ribs, but you cannot see them.

I immediately changed to RMB/raw diet when I adopted her, with no gradual change. Typical day = Chicken carcass for breakfast, chicken quarters, heart, wing tips, necks for dinner. Cow femur for chewing during the day. Beef diet starts this week (as her stools are fine).

Exercise for her has dramatically increased, as she was a rescue. We now walk around 3-4km in the am, followed by a dog park meet with another Neo (I'm sure you can imagine the exercise there!) and another 3-5km and dog park with mixed breeds at night. Weekends much the same but different times.

I'm trying to help her in gaining weight. Can I get your feeding ideas?

PS: Limited availability of game meats here.

 

[angelbears]

Being on the slim side is what you want for these giant breeds. If you can't see her ribs I would say she is at a good weight. Too much weight is very hard on their joints. If you can post some pictures of her standing I'm sure others will chime in.

I feed raw also. Be careful it has been my experience that raw can put the weight on fast. It is much harder to lose weight than to gain. Sounds like you are doing an excellent job.

Welcome to the forum and thank you for rescuing.

 

[musicdeb]

Continue doing what you are doing re: raw diet. angelbears is right, keeping her on the lean side is better for her bones/joints, as they continue to grow until 2-3 years of age. Be more concerned with body condition than body weight. Where does she fall on the body condition chart?



Do you have her on glucosamine supplement which can help with joint health?

Using Glucosamine to Prevent Canine Osteoarthritis - Whole Dog Journal Article

 

[DMikeM]

Please get rid of the cow femur unless it is for meat. Weight bearing bones like that should not be given to our dogs. We call them Wreck Bones because they wreck teeth.

The easiest way to add weight with a raw diet is ground beef or fatty chuck roasts and fish, like frozen mackerel. Just adding 1 fish a day can do what you are looking for.

 

[musicdeb]

Good catch, Mike, re: femur bone.

 

[Brinsdad]

Tripe is good all round good or just adding a little bit extra of what ever you are feeding , but like others have said lean is good better to be lean and on small side than large and overweight


No love like a bully love

 

[DMikeM]

Good catch, Mike, re: femur bone.

Yeah, if we all had wolves or dogs like Kangals it would be okay to feed those big bones. But our wolf descendants just don't have the thick enamel in their teeth like their ancestors. Slab fractures are a really painful thing for dogs. And who wants to pay a couple grand to have stainless steel teeth implanted in their dogs mouths?