register for free
View our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
Ripsnorterthe2nd
Dogsey Veteran
Ripsnorterthe2nd is offline  
Location: Co. Durham, UK
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 11,213
Female 
 
09-05-2006, 09:31 PM
Unless there was a possible underlying medical reason why they might be putting on weight I would simply give them less to eat.

Like Jess said, it really is surprising how little dogs need to sustain their body weight. Reduce the amount fed until they stop getting heavier and if they don't it's off to the vets I think!
Reply With Quote
zero
Dogsey Veteran
zero is offline  
Location: UK
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 7,369
Female 
 
09-05-2006, 10:36 PM
well it's recommended that you start them off on between 2 to 3% of their weight in food, you said you started at 3% and dropped to 2.5% and there wont be much wrong in having them at 2% to see how they go and you might end up bringing it back to 2.5% in the end once they settle.

I started mine off on 2.5% they get breast of lamb, lamb neck, ox tail, whole chicken, chicken wings, lamb meat, beef, ox heart, ox liver, lamb liver, pig kidney, whole fresh fish, tripe, eggs etc and I tried them on rabbit too but my girl doesn't like it at all. They have stayed about the same weight, but just look healthier
Reply With Quote
colliemad
Dogsey Senior
colliemad is offline  
Location: uk
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 564
Female 
 
10-05-2006, 07:38 AM
Unless there was a possible underlying medical reason why they might be putting on weight I would simply give them less to eat.
About three years ago the two adult dogs (I didn't have the pup then) were on JWB and deef lost a LOT of weight. JWB told me to increase the food but it made no difference. My vet did tests and could find no reason for it but he got so thin (just under 17KG) that she warned me I could lose him. I changed him to Burns and he gradually regained the weight he lost but he has always been on the lean side. I used to give him enough food for a 25KG dog and he was never more than 20Kg but the vet said that was his minimum weight and if I could maintain it then just to do that. I am fairly confident that there is no medical reason for the weight gain, it seems that they are just doing particularly well on this new way of feeding. They are off to the vet on Monday for a check up so I will see what she says, i think she is going to be very surprised
Reply With Quote
colliemad
Dogsey Senior
colliemad is offline  
Location: uk
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 564
Female 
 
10-05-2006, 07:46 AM
however as the vet pointed out yes Amy is big but.....it isnt fat its muscle building up on her.she still has a well defined waist & you can feel her ribs but she is solid so maybe thats whats happening with yours?
They have definitely gained muscle, they are all feeling pretty solid but Kelly has a little more over his ribs than I would like. His body shape means that he could be overwieght and still have a waist, my friends dog is the same shape and rather fat but she thinks he is ok cos he has a waist.....

Deef isn't as bad but I don't want him to be either, Sol is just fine bless him.
Reply With Quote
jess
Dogsey Veteran
jess is offline  
Location: Scotland
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,578
Female 
 
10-05-2006, 08:03 AM
I have the feeling you are so used to having thin dogs (and having been so worried about them losing weight) that you are prob just giving them too much. I bet I wouldn't even think they were fat (can you still feel their ribs?) it's just you so being used to them being under-weight. As someone else said they do change in body shape, maybe that's the wrong word, but all the 'barf' fed dogs I have ever felt, feel 'loose' around the skin, and do have more muscle (which is good) and commercial fed dogs at the same wight feel 'thicker' (it's hard to explain, but like there is something under the skin, not fat, just a toughness).
Regarding the diaherea with the carrots and things. If it was me (and you don't have to do it, just some advice) I would grate up carrot into their patties just a small amount so it doesn't affect them. Then increase it very gradually over a few days. When I say increase I mean only slightly so that the stomach gets used to it. It does affect some dogs, having trouble digesting the cellulose... but once the stomach settles it should be fine. To aid digestion I would give some probiotic yoghurt or cottage cheese, again a small amount at first if they are not used to this.
I am very very lucky with mine, they can literally eat anything and be fine. When I said I can see changes from week to week, I don't weigh my dogs, this is just by eye. This week they are very very shiny for example (which tells me I can lay off the oils for a bit), and Jaz has lost a bit of weight (which is super, as he had an accident a few weeks back and I was feeding him lots of extras to make up for him feeling so rotten).
I love this diet. I ran out of food yesterday for the dogs and was too late to go to the butchers, so I defrosted some mince (supposed to be for spag bol on friday but nevermind!) and boiled up some couscous and grated in some cucmber. yum. I love having the freedom to feed whatever I like and vary it from day to day. I am sure they love the variety too. As I said I am lucky that they can cope with anything and always have solid droppings. Apologies to keep going on and on about raw feeding but it really really makes me happy that my dogs are just glowing with health.
Reply With Quote
colliemad
Dogsey Senior
colliemad is offline  
Location: uk
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 564
Female 
 
10-05-2006, 08:34 AM
I have the feeling you are so used to having thin dogs (and having been so worried about them losing weight) that you are prob just giving them too much. I bet I wouldn't even think they were fat (can you still feel their ribs?)it's just you so being used to them being under-weight.
They definitely aren't fat but I don't want them to get that way either and at the moment they seem to be gaining weight steadily..... Yes I can still feel their ribs. You could be right and it could just be me being paranoid as I am used to them being very lean.

As someone else said they do change in body shape, maybe that's the wrong word, but all the 'barf' fed dogs I have ever felt, feel 'loose' around the skin, and do have more muscle (which is good) and commercial fed dogs at the same wight feel 'thicker' (it's hard to explain, but like there is something under the skin, not fat, just a toughness).
That makes sense to me. Deef used to feel just like that but now he has definitely got more muscle and around his scruff and shoulder you can now get hold of handfulls of fur and skin and it doesn't feel the same.

I give carrot mushed up with their veggies and I do put a fair bit in there without any problems but I haven't actually tried giving them raw pieces for a while so I will try again, they do get the yoghurt though, they really love that.

Kelly can pretty much eat anything, he has never had dire rear or been sick in his life, not even from carrot, he just wouldn't wast food that way Sol isn't much different but Deef is the one that I have to watch. I know their diegestion is getting tougher, they have so far had no problems with anything (apart from Deef with the raw fish) but I am in no hurry to shovel lots of different things down them.

Apologies to keep going on and on about raw feeding but it really really makes me happy that my dogs are just glowing with health.
go on all you want, mine love it and so do I, it's easy and they are definitely doing far better than they ever did on dry food
Reply With Quote
jess
Dogsey Veteran
jess is offline  
Location: Scotland
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,578
Female 
 
10-05-2006, 08:39 AM

I know, it's good aint it ! The other good thing is more and more people seem to be hearing about it, a few years ago people looked at me like i had just stepped out of a mental asylum, if I mentioned ''raw meat''. It's funny how things change, but then everything in it's own time.
Maybe ten years from now we will all be looking like that at the people who will be still feeding commercial...
Reply With Quote
colliemad
Dogsey Senior
colliemad is offline  
Location: uk
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 564
Female 
 
10-05-2006, 08:53 AM
few years ago people looked at me like i had just stepped out of a mental asylum, if I mentioned ''raw meat''.
I get that look now when I mention feeding raw chicken carcases or wings........... I am looking forward to discussing it with my vet on Monday. She is not a fan but I know she won't lecture, the only thing that will concern her is the bones, she won't bat an eyelid over the rest of it. CAn't wait to see her face:smt077
Reply With Quote
jess
Dogsey Veteran
jess is offline  
Location: Scotland
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,578
Female 
 
10-05-2006, 09:23 AM
i know, lots of people still have bone issues 'bones of contention'. My vet doesn't recommend it, and I told him I probably know more about dog nutrition than him! Then last summer Jaz swallowed a lolly-pop stick (unbeknown to me) and then six weeks later went off his food, couldn't walk. I rushed him to the vet and they did an x-ray and there an object had punctured his intestine, and caused a massive infection, he almost died. The vet was jumping up and down and raging at me for feeding bones. I went to work the day he had the operation, feeling like I had caused the problem, potentaily killing my own dog. Then I went in later and he didn't say anything about it, I had to ask to see it !!! It was very green and covered in werid stuff, but never the less still identifiyable as a wooden lolly-pop stick ! From then on I have known that vets don't like bones, but it's because they don't know much about them. They are taught that human-made food is the best thing for a dog. My pup, now 6 months has two front teeth that look as if they haven't got enough calcium and aren't properly formed. I took her into the vet (different one) when they came through and asked why this was happening, would they all look like this (every other one is perfect, just the front top two, but they don't do much chewing so not worried) anyway, she told me that it was bones that were breaking the teeth... Now I actually stood there and laughed at her. Raw bones that I feed are soft, I can cut them with scissors... there is no way, they don't use the front teeth for chewing up bones! My feeling is that she either broke them on other teeth (similar hardness) or on picking up something like a stone. She plays rather violently with my parents pup of the same age, so the vet then said ''oh that'll be the reason then''.
I just don't discuss feeding with vets now, most of them don't have any experience in raw, and lots of them are not open-minded enough. Incidently, Akela now has her teeth all grown in and it's easier to see (in my opinion) that they are not broken, it's like they have not formed properly, like they were missing some elements...
Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 2 of 2 < 1 2


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools


© Copyright 2016, Dogsey   Contact Us - Dogsey - Top Contact us | Archive | Privacy | Terms of use | Top