Alnutrin "scoop" from Hare Today

[abby2932]

So I was making my first batch of Rabbit the other day (3lbs) and I was supposed to add 3 scoops of Alnutrin (12grams) in about 1 cup of water. I was scared to add it to the food without weighing it first because I didn't know if it was supposed to be a level scoop or a heaping scoop or a packed scoop or some other kind of scoop! I tried to measure it out to be exactly 4 grams per scoop but my food scale isn't EXTREMELY precise. It measures grams by 1 gram at a time not by .1 so it could have been slightly off?

Am I totally over-thinking this part? Should I have just measured 3 level scoops and dumped them in the water and mix it into the 3lb of food? 

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

It's been awhile since I used Alnutrin, but I'm pretty sure it's one LEVEL scoop per lb of meat.   Strange that the instructions on the package don't say that...I'm sure they used to be very specific, because I'm an overthinker (like you

) and KNOW I would have questioned it, same as you. 

Something I found very interesting about Alnutrin is that only if you order it from Hare-Today does it come with a scoop!  I started ordering straight from the manufacturer, and the instructions are different (by weight rather than by measurement), so I had to call them to try to figure out how much to use.  I asked them where the scoop was and that's when they told me the scoop is a Hare-Today thing.  Interesting, huh?

 

[abby2932]

Thank you!!

I did know that the scoop was a Hare-Today thing. I just wanted to double check and measure it out also, according to the instructions on the Alnutrin bag. It only says one scoop per pound of meat! So I wanted to be extra sure. When I measured 4 grams (plus the weight of the scoop), it was a slightly heaping scoop. I think going forward, I may just scoop a level scoop per pound of food or could that not be enough??

Do you (or most people) use a kitchen scale that measures down to a tenth of a gram or just whole grams? I eventually want to incorporate PMR and I thought that a scale that measured whole grams would suffice but now I'm thinking that I need to get one for tenths of a gram instead?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Hmmm....I use the ounce function on my scales, although It WILL measure in grams (I've just never tried it).  I know it will go to .00 places  in ounces.   If you need to measure in tenths of grams, isn't there a way to convert that to parts of an ounce?  I'm sure someone good at math could figure out the conversion (that wouldnt be ME

)

 

[lcat4]

I use Alnutrin, purchased from the manufacturer.  I started out using a 1 gram scale, but then worried, like you, that it wasn't precise enough.  I ended up buying a small 1/100 gram scale that cost less than $20.  It won't weigh anything very heavy, the scale itself is only 2x3 inches, but I only use it for the powder.  I use small plastic containers that weigh next to nothing to hold the powder.   The scale has a tare option to remove the weight of the container.  I use my bigger 1 gram scale for measuring meat, water, liver...in the big mixing bowl. 

It's one more thing to set out on the counter when making their food, but gives me peace of mind that the measure is correct. 

 

[abby2932]

Thank you both!

I am going to buy another scale for the powder that measures 1/100th of a gram, as LCat does, for the peace of mind. Gosh the initial costs of raw feeding sure do add up!

Hopefully I'm OK with the three pounds I already prepared....

 

[mildlyironic]

Sorry, hijacking this thread! I also got nervous, since I couldn't tell how accurately I was using the Alnutrin scoop - let alone whether the scoop was a sufficiently precise measurement. For some reason, I kept having problems getting just a scoop's worth of Alnutrin out of the bag - some would spill out, my fingers would get covered, etc. I ended up erring on the side of too much Alnutrin in the batch, rather than too little. I assumed it wouldn't make that big of a difference, since other raw-foodies add extra supplements to Alnutrin anyways, such as more egg yolks.

However, I'm also an over-thinker, and got nervous. Are there any negative side-effects to adding additional Alnutrin? (I didn't dump the entire bag in, if that's what people are worried about. It just...was not too precise, between heaping vs level scoops and the Alnutrin that stuck to my fingers as I reached into the bag, etc.) 

 

[abby2932]

I feel more comfortable making sure each batch gets 4 grams of Alnutrin. I heard some people say that it is better to slightly under-supplement than over-supplement. However, the Alnutrin scoop from hare today does not hold 4 grams. it would need to be a heaping scoop or even a level scoop and a half possibly.

I feel better weighing it with mt scale that goes to 1/100 of a gram. I ordered the scale from Amazon for about $10

 

[mildlyironic]

I feel more comfortable making sure each batch gets 4 grams of Alnutrin. I heard some people say that it is better to slightly under-supplement than over-supplement. However, the Alnutrin scoop from hare today does not hold 4 grams. it would need to be a heaping scoop or even a level scoop and a half possibly.

I feel better weighing it with mt scale that goes to 1/100 of a gram. I ordered the scale from Amazon for about $10

Deeeerp. I have a scale, and from now on I think I'll definitely measure the Alnutrin on the scale. I'm just wondering if the 38 pounds I've mixed up should be chucked or fed. It'd be a waste to throw it, but I also don't want to end up poisoning my kittens by accident

 

[abby2932]

no,no,no I think you should be fine. I mentioned that because you said you usually give a little more than a scoop per pound, right? well if you are weighing it, 4 grams is a little more than a scoop per pound so you should be right on the money! But I do prefer to use the scale as I don't feel comfortable eyeballing or guestimating when I make their food.

 

[mildlyironic]

no,no,no I think you should be fine. I mentioned that because you said you usually give a little more than a scoop per pound, right? well if you are weighing it, 4 grams is a little more than a scoop per pound so you should be right on the money! But I do prefer to use the scale as I don't feel comfortable eyeballing or guestimating when I make their food.

Pheeew - thanks! And yeah - definitely using a scale from now on so I don't need to worry about it anymore!