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This is a question that many dog owners ask at one point.  The answer is obvious, but I've been feeding raw for years. For someone new to the diet, trying to envision how much food to order and how much it'll cost drives this question. When I think back to when I started feeding raw, I remember how confusing it was; we're coming from the “cups” world of feeding kibble to a world of grams, ounces, and pounds.

In this post, I'm going to share…

• How I figure out how much to feed my dogs.
• What I do when my dogs don't eat their food.
• What I do when my dogs seem hungry after they eat.
• What I do when my dogs are gaining weight.
• What I do when my dogs are losing weight.
• The tools I use that make raw feeding easier.
• How much it costs to feed my dogs a raw food diet.

Figuring Out How Much to Feed Dogs

There are several raw feeding calculators available online. The calculators use our dogs' age, weight, and activity level to determine how much to feed daily. Or you can use the following guidelines:

• Adult Dogs: calculate 2-3% of their body weight. For a 50 lb dog, that would be 1-1.5 pounds daily.
• Puppies: calculate 10% of their current body weight, switching to 3% when their growth slows. For my dogs, that's about 7-8 months.

When Dogs Won't Eat Their Food

I don't have a lot of experience with picky dogs, but there have been times when one of my dogs didn't want to eat, and the following worked to boost their appetite:

• I add warmed bone broth – the smell of the bone broth and taking the chill off the food makes the meal more tempting. Some dogs don't like eating raw straight from the fridge.
• I add another meal topper – raw goat's milk, kefir, sardines, mackerel, salmon, freeze-dried pet food, green beans, poached eggs, gently cooked ground beef, turkey, or chicken.

Sometimes, our dogs are trying to tell us something. Scout wouldn't eat chicken. He'd smell his food, step back, and sit down. So I stopped feeding him chicken. Our dogs can't tell us what they can and can't eat, so we must watch their signals. And, sometimes, a dog isn't feeling well, and they need a break. I don't have an issue fasting adult dogs. If it's a puppy, I'll be more concerned and contact our veterinarian if they won't eat.

When Dogs Seem Hungry After They Eat

If I'm feeding my dogs the proper amount, they're not losing or gaining weight, and their stool is solid and small, then I ignore them. If those puppy eyes get to me, I may give them a low-calorie treat like recreational bones or low-glycemic vegetables. I keep organic, low-sodium, canned green beans on hand for these occasions.

What I Do When My Dogs Are Gaining Weight

If one of my dogs is gaining weight, and that's not the plan, then I do two things:

1. We take longer, more frequent walks.
2. I decrease their meals and eliminate snacks.

If this doesn't work or there are signs of a health issue, I contact our veterinarian.

What I Do When My Dogs Are Losing Weight

If one of my dogs is losing weight, and that's not the plan, then I do two things:

1. I increase their meals.
2. I add a digestive supplement or enzymes to their diet to improve nutrient absorption.

If this doesn't work or there are signs of a health issue, I contact our veterinarian.

Tools I Use that Make Raw Feeding Easier

Raw feeding can be complicated because we're coming from the convenient world of kibble to taking charge of our dog's nutrition, and everyone is lining up to tell us that we will fail. But this isn't true. I was so overwhelmed initially, and someone told me to focus on my dogs – ignore the people in the groups, ignore the pretty meals on Instagram, and focus on the dogs in front of me.

Focusing on my dogs, I use the following tools (and products) to make raw feeding easier:

• kitchen scale
• a base mix – to fill any nutritional holes
• flat/pasta dishes
• Neater Feeder raised dog dishes
• dog scale

How Much Raw Feeding Costs (for Me)

I spend, on average, $335/month for three large dogs. This includes food, treats, and supplements. I can do this by shopping through a raw food co-op, outlet, and ethnic grocery stores. I stock up on supplements on Black Friday weekend and when they have good sales (at least 30% off or more). I make homemade dog treats and have a subscription through Real Dog Box.

Read More About Raw Feeding

• Books to Help Dog Owners Feed Their Dog Better
• The Truth About Raw Feeding
• What You Don't Know About Chia, Hemp, and Flaxseeds
• Vitamin D Deficiency in Dogs: Symptoms and Solutions
• Is the Billinghurst Institute Professional Raw Feeding Course Worth It?