# Question for anyone who feeds Primal only



## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

If anyone feeds their dog/dogs only Primal for their meals, I would like to know how much per meal you feed and how often you feed. I would also like to know if your dog gets treats between meals. I know all dogs are different, but it would just give me a guide. Lulu is fed one block in the AM and one block in the PM. The AM meal is freeze dried, and the PM meal is frozen. She gets very few--sometimes no treats between meals. I rotate, but at the moment she is getting lamb in the AM and beef in the PM. She is losing weight. This worries me as she lost weight right before her episode with her liver in Feb. 2013. I am going to take her urine in to have it checked, but I thought I would see if maybe I'm just not feeding her enough.

Thanks in advance for any responses.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Eden eats only Primal. She gets freeze dried Duck. 3/4 of a block twice a day. She is 3 pounds 3-4 ounces. Did you start with their feeding guide? I'd try feeding her a bit more and see. They really do not get treats and when they do, it is Whole Life freeze dried sweet potato. The size of a pea.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Right now I'm feeding only Primal and Odie must be a piggie! She eats four meals a day, equaling 3 blocks total and she gets probably 2 of the orijen freeze dried treats per day. She weighs 4.85 lbs but I wouldn't mind her getting back up to 5. 


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

I am feeding Tootsie only Primal. she weighs 9 pounds though. she gets 2 blocks for each feeding and eats 2 times a day with no treats except sometimes a couple licks of yogurt

I used the feeding calculator on the Primal site as a guide to try to figure out the right amount to feed her. 

here is the link to it
Feeding, Transition and Safety for Raw Dog Food Diets


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Sounds like you might have to up her feeding a little bit. I don't feed just primal. I alternate meals, but I give 2 blocks of the primal duck. She's 7 1/2 lbs tho. She doesn't really get snacks. Maybe the occasional garden green bean.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Also it depends on the dog's metabolism. I swear BG eats more but Sonny is bigger. No clue how or why


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I called myself following the feeding calculator pretty fairly. With beef though she would not quite get 2 blocks a day--1 per meal, but I don't feed only beef, so I give her the full block with her one beef meal. A great weight for her is 5 lbs 8 to 10 ozs. She has gotten as high as a bit over 6 lbs, and I back her down on her food. Right now she's at about 5 lbs 3 - 4 oz. That's too low. I'm going to add a meal and have her urine checked. If their are crystals in her urine, we will do full bloodwork as before. I am just hoping I'm just not feeding enough. 

Thanks everyone for your answers!!


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Tina, let us know what the results are of the urine test. now you got me thinking about my Tootsie but I think she is fine. she actually has lost a lot of weight since I switched her to the all Primal diet. but I wanted her to lose weight so, I was going by the lose weight option on the feeding calculator. now she's at the perfect weight and she has only been maintaining for a short time. I don't want her to lose anymore weight. she loves to eat and will eat as much as is offered to her. also, we have been going on some long walks, so ... I think that will make a difference too. maybe I need to increase tootsies food too ....


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Elaine, I went by the non-active option on the feeding calculator. I didn't want Lulu to lose weight, but she is not a very active dog. I guess she may be more active than I thought.  Or she has a faster metabolism. IDK


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

lulu'smom said:


> Elaine, I went by the non-active option on the feeding calculator. I didn't want Lulu to lose weight, but she is not a very active dog. I guess she may be more active than I thought.  Or she has a faster metabolism. IDK


That is BG! She is not one to run like Sonny does etc but she eats more and never gains weight!


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Huly said:


> That is BG! She is not one to run like Sonny does etc but she eats more and never gains weight!


That's Odie too! She's a runner but doesn't get the chance a lot since we don't have a yard so it's walks only usually. I never have to worry about how much I feed her, I give her as much as she wants. I think her weight loss might have been because of the possible IBS, not sure.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

My husband told me today that yesterday when he said to me that Lulu was hungry it was right at her PM feeding--not quite time and certainly not late--he said he knew she was hungry because she was sitting on the couch shivering. That broke my heart. I was in the bedroom and didn't see her. I fed her when he said that, but the last time she was hungry like this between meals was when I was feeding her the frozen Nature's Variety. The last time she lost weight like this was when she had liver issues. She's not drinking water like she did with the liver issues that I can tell.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

I would just increase her food a tad or give a snack in between times


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I have taken Lulu's urine in for testing. We will see. I fed her the regular AM meal yesterday, then I fed her around 3:30-4 PM, and I was going to feed her again around 9 PM. Well, at 7 PM she was letting me know I missed the regular PM feeding. LOL Routine is king!! I didn't have the heart not to feed her knowing that's what she wanted and didn't understand why I wasn't providing her food as usual. Then at about 10 PM, I gave her a little snack. Too much I know, but I'll work it out when my little girl's not so hungry.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

UPDATE: I took Lulu's urine to vet yesterday and it was perfect. No infection, no elevated white blood cells, no bilirubin, no purine crystals. The vet said that this didn't necessarily mean she isn't having a problem with her liver it just isn't showing up in her urine. The only way to know now would be a blood panel. He said normally when he says this to people they baulk at the money, so his suggestion would be to increase her food and see what happens. I made an appointment for next Wednesday for a full blood panel and I will increase her food. If she puts on weight between now and then I can always cancel. She is not drinking water like she did last time--that along with the clean urine and no other "funny" behavior makes me think I am just not feeding her enough.

BTW, I looked on the Primal website and chose the beef formula. It says that it is 179 cal. per oz and it takes 3 nuggets to make 1 oz., but they only recommend feeding 1 nugget per meal for a non-active dog Lulu's weight. I think I've really been underfeeding her. That really breaks my heart!!


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Haha, sounds like Lulu knows how to trick mommy into getting more good food. I told you on the phone that I believed Midgie was doing the same thing to me. Her feeding times are similar to your with an occasional snack around 7 when everyone has their evening snack. If she wasn't getting an evening snack, she would start scratching so I would give her a chunk of meat, but I was putting Benedryl in the meat. As soon as I realized what she was doing, I stopped and changed a few things around the house and now the allergy issues are at a minimum. It's green bean season and she's been loving her fresh green beans. 
I would definitely increase Lulu feedings. When they're this tiny, maintaining their weight can be difficult because they can loose or gain so fast and 1 pound can make such a difference. Do you wet the Primal down? If so, she may be getting the water she needs thru that. I always wet the Primal & ZP down, but Midgie also seems to drink about 1/4 cup of water thru the day.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

So glad to hear Midgie's allergy issues are at a minimum now! Woo Hoo!! What about the red bumps? My life has been SO CRAZY as I told you I haven't had a chance to check back on her. I'm soooo sorry!  I truly thought Lulu's weight loss had to do with the fact that she's not used to me being gone so much, and she may have stressed and lost weight. I truly believe now I'm just not feeding her enough. I'm just confused though--if those that feed homemade raw feed 1 oz of meat per meal and 3 nuggets of the beef equals 1 oz, how can 1 nugget be enough? Or is comparing the two like comparing apples and oranges even though they are both raw? 

I need help from some raw feeding experts!!


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

lulu'smom said:


> So glad to hear Midgie's allergy issues are at a minimum now! Woo Hoo!! What about the red bumps? My life has been SO CRAZY as I told you I haven't had a chance to check back on her. I'm soooo sorry!  I truly thought Lulu's weight loss had to do with the fact that she's not used to me being gone so much, and she may have stressed and lost weight. I truly believe now I'm just not feeding her enough. I'm just confused though--if those that feed homemade raw feed 1 oz of meat per meal and 3 nuggets of the beef equals 1 oz, how can 1 nugget be enough? Or is comparing the two like comparing apples and oranges even though they are both raw?
> 
> I need help from some raw feeding experts!!


Every dog is truly different and because they are so tiny their weight can fluctuate so fast caused by anything. Stress can definitely cause weight loss or gain. With this heat, many dogs sweat off the calories and some dogs appetite go way down. Just increase her feeding a little bit and she should be fine. If you're worried about water intake, add a little more to the Primal. The flavor from the food is enticing to lap up the water.

I'm so proud of myself Tina!! I didn't panic and run her to the vet. I did some research and wiped her bumps down with hydrogen peroxide and started giving more baths like you told me and it worked. Plus a put a foot-soak bath by the front door. (It's white distilled vinegar and water). Every time she goes out and comes back in, I soak her little feet, so the foot chewing has decreased significantly. The bumps are gone. Don't really know what caused them. Also vacuumed and wiped the floors down with vinegar too. She's actually laying out on the front porch right now enjoying the cool morning. Thank you so much for your help. She's been eating the heck out of my garden green beans. 
Here's the cabbage we grew for a contest: We didn't win, but I was delish!!








This is my blueberries, grapes, zinnias, etc..:








This is my Garden of Eden Experiment! Think I need a bigger garden next year! LOl









You're doing a great job and Lulu looks great! Try not to panick too much. They are way more healthy than we give them credit for.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

OMG!!! Lisa! You should have won! Did they have to haul the other cabbage in in the bed of a truck? LOL Your garden sure does look like the garden of Eden!! Lulu LOVES green beans! She would be so jealous of Midgie.  I'm so thankful to know those red bumps went away, and with a diligent Mom like you she gets to have some peace from her allergies! I know she's enjoying this morning. Hope you and your girls have a great summer!!!


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

WOW That is amazing Lisa! WOW WOW WOW

I am so glad Lulu is doing better


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## ittychichilover (Feb 10, 2013)

Ziggy eats only Primal now. He was gaining with S&C and so I switched him back to Primal again. I use their new bag of Primal Pronto tiny bites duck. You don't have to thaw it like the nuggets and it does it within a few minutes. Perfect tiny bites for chi's! Ziggy loves it straight from the freezer or set out for a minute or 2...and he's picky along with allergies. He's losing weight, which was needed! He's back to his normal 5-6 lbs and was getting close to 8 before the change. I only give him 2 treats a day. One is duck kisses by S&C and a small piece of Kona's Chips turkey jerky made in USA, which he LOVES!!! Maybe give a little more protein if you want to add weight and less to lose. This is what I was told by my holistic vet.


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## Dave (Aug 28, 2008)

The girls eat only Orijen. It is an all natural no chemicals, no added junk at all food and they love it. As for the treats, the same, just Orijen treats. It is a higher end priced food but the alternatives in my area anyway are limited. Not a lot of good quality food. As for the feed schedule, food is always available. They have a dish in the kitchen, one in the dog room and Bella has a small dish that is close to her bed in the kitchen. For some reason she feels the need to sneak up on her food if its in the community dish so she gets to eat from her bed. She isnt spoiled though, honest.


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