sourced from: Bravo
How long can you keep in the refrigerator?
The general rule of thumb is that the meat will stay fine for 2 to 3 days, and sometimes longer. If it smells bad to you, don’t feed it.
Another method of handling meal amounts is simply to thaw the meat, divide it into meal size portions, put those portions into plastic bags and refreeze the individual meal bags for later use as needed. While we are warned against re-freezing meat for ourselves, it is a necessity for many people feeding raw diets. There have not been any problems with this as long as the thawing and re-freezing is done with some amount of common sense.
How long can you keep in the refrigerator?
The general rule of thumb is that the meat will stay fine for 2 to 3 days, and sometimes longer. If it smells bad to you, don’t feed it.
Another method of handling meal amounts is simply to thaw the meat, divide it into meal size portions, put those portions into plastic bags and refreeze the individual meal bags for later use as needed. While we are warned against re-freezing meat for ourselves, it is a necessity for many people feeding raw diets. There have not been any problems with this as long as the thawing and re-freezing is done with some amount of common sense.
Tips for thawing and re-freezing:
Thaw the meat in the refrigerator and once it is soft enough to handle (there should still be ice crystals in the center of the meat), immediately portion it out and re-freeze.
If you need to thaw the meat quickly, thaw on the countertop, but bag it and re-freeze it while there are still ice crystals in the center of the meat.
Place your thawing meats in another plastic bag or container just to make sure the meat juices don’t leak out.
Thaw the meat in the refrigerator and once it is soft enough to handle (there should still be ice crystals in the center of the meat), immediately portion it out and re-freeze.
If you need to thaw the meat quickly, thaw on the countertop, but bag it and re-freeze it while there are still ice crystals in the center of the meat.
Place your thawing meats in another plastic bag or container just to make sure the meat juices don’t leak out.
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Feeding:
Try to feed meals at room temperature. While the GI system can handle very cold and frozen foods, it is able to function more efficiently when the food is warmer. How much to feed: |
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It’s important to realize that every animal has a unique metabolism. Housemates, Dandy, a 3-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, and Barney, a 4-year-old Newfoundland, both eat the exact same amount of food everyday despite their huge size difference. It is also important to know that metabolism changes with age, size, frame type, state of health and activity level. With all that in mind, you will need to monitor your animal to find an ideal maintenance diet. But we have these basic guidelines to help you:
THE BEST METHOD: Begin feeding the same amount of food you are currently feeding. If you are feeding one cup of kibble per meal, feed one cup of raw diet per meal. In 7 to 10 days, check to see how your pet is doing, and adjust the amount you’re feeding up or down as indicated by your animal’s condition. If your animal is overweight, or moving in that direction, feed LESS. If your animal is “ribby” or underweight, feed MORE.
OR:
For a mature dog, feed her approximately 2% of her total bodyweight. For a 50 lb. dog, this means feeding 1 lb. of food per day. This amount can be fed in a single meal or divided into multiple meals. In general, feed young, small, active, underweight, and growing dogs more food; and feed older, sedentary, overweight, and larger dogs less food.
OR:
For a mature dog, feed her approximately 2% of her total bodyweight. For a 50 lb. dog, this means feeding 1 lb. of food per day. This amount can be fed in a single meal or divided into multiple meals. In general, feed young, small, active, underweight, and growing dogs more food; and feed older, sedentary, overweight, and larger dogs less food.
