Puppy growth rate concerns-GSD - Page 2

I feed raw and have for years it works. But you will kill your dog on what you are feeding. 

You need to add bone to the diet, grind them if you need to.  Feed chicken or turkey necks raw, no problems with splinters.

Read up on raw feeding percentages, you have a good start with what you want to do. 

Yikes!!! OK, we bought some necks from your previous suggestion. I will revise her diet as we change her to full raw......

Am I the only one taking issue with a vet who says a puppy is UNDERWEIGHT because ribs can be felt "slightly" while running hands over them??!

That is not underweight! Last two ribs should be slightly seen, not protruding, and there should be minimal fat covering over the rest.

As far as food, yeah, frustrating. Everything changes so much I just started my own company so I can control what is in the food.

the average dog in the US is overweight and under exercised. processed food can be a factor in rapid growth and obesity. but hey the vet cross trained in canine nutrition with bags of scientific diet and colorful dental chews for sale knows best. good luck @jenni78 with that project. I think the raw/natural blend market might actually have some room for growth, but bagged kibble is so pervasive in 2019...

No Jenn you aren't; that was my immediate reaction on seeing it too, but I didn't post on it. The vet profession IMO bears a large percentage of the blame for the current 'obesity epidemic' in pets, simply because they have for some years now been promoting this ideal that you should not be able to see the ribs, only feel them.  Pet owners who don't know better have been taking this as carte blanche to allow their dogs and cats to carry an extra half-inch of flesh (fat) just so they cannot SEE a rib or two.

 

But of course, its okay, 'cos now vets can make a fortune, if so inclined, out of running 'pet slimming clinics'.

In his book, Von Stephanitz, father of the breed, warned us over and over again against two great wrongs we can do to our shepherds: commercial processed foods and kennels. He admits he used both kibbles and kennels, saw how miserable physically and psychologically his dogs were and abandoned both practices.
But of course who cares what someone said almost 100 years ago? After all, today, we are dealing with the "modern german shepherd"...

I have been to and gotten into conversations about "feeding" and what to feed and what not to feed with a lot of Vets...So many of them will ONLY say feed the kibble...and if you bring up RAW Diets they talk badly about them...
I have been lucky to know a lot of old style breeders and trainers who many years ago introduced me to RAW Feeding...
Everytime I'm asked by a Vet what I feed...my wife kicks me under the table to not get into it...I've even been asked by a Vet..."Would You Eat That RAW"? I mean this has really gotten me thinking about Vets and just how much training they've gotten on Nutrition...Seem to be very little...
I know what I know because I have experience with dogs and what works and what doesn't...Vets know what they know...mainly...because this is what they've been taught or have read...

~Bob~

We, humans, also eat RAW: italian dish carpaccio, sushi or raw eggs in creamy cakes. You can tell that to a vet next time.

I truly hate to prolong this post; however, I thought I should update on the status of the puppy.

This entire problem for us started when we brought the puppy home. This is our third GSD and my wife's fifth. This puppy had more flatulence than any other dog we have owned. It woke us up at night. The kids were gagging from time to time. We were feeding her the best or what we thought were the best foods available. We had the Vet. X-ray the dog looking for a blockage. The Vet. found nothing and her response was, different dogs different breeds...

Last weekend, after being told I could kill my dog with the improper diet, I pulled up some raw diet recipes and I broke out the 1 HP meat grinder only used during hunting season. We tossed the entire chicken quarters in with the bones, organs, vegetables and even the baked egg shells. We mixed this all together weighed meals out and started feeding her on Saturday with this diet. By Monday the puppies stool is lighter and she had no more gas problems. And four days later, she still has no more gas problems. I just got off the phone with the Vet. The Vet. said most likely a coincidence. The Vet. also cautioned us to stay away from RAW feeding due to Salmonella and other diseases. This process has been very frustrating, but I believe I'm doing best for the dog at this time.

As far as her growth, I think she is just gonna be a big girl or at least bigger than our other dogs. She nor our other dogs have been overweight. We live in an area most people refer to as remote; however, our dogs have lots of room to run and swim all summer and play with the kids in snow all winter.
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I have seen dogs eat some pretty disgusting stuff. Literally scraped off the road, dead for days stuff, cow/horse/rabbit piles, drink from disgusting filthy mud holes just to name some. Never had one get sick from it except for giardia a few times.

I have had them get diarrhea from changing dog foods, go figure.

I fed raw, mostly chicken quarters for many years and never had an issue. I was much more careful that I didn't get salmonella/ecoli from handling the raw.

jmo,
Rik