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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > Too Skinny For My Liking (22 replies)
Too Skinny For My Liking by Erikalovesvonlupine on 18 October 2010 - 17:08 |
| Hey guys, My shepherd just turned 6 the last day of August. He's always been thin, he weighs 86 lbs approximately, but he's one of our big boned guys. You can see his ribs and his bones, but he eats up to 8 cups of high protein food a day. When I took him to the vet the vet said that he could maybe put on a pound or two. What type of diet should I feed him, or what have you guys used to make your dog gain weight. I've tried a lot of foods and nothing seems to work! Thanks, Erika |
by buckeyefan gsd on 18 October 2010 - 19:10 |
| i feed raw ,but i cant imagine a dog of any sort "needing" 8 cups of food a day. what do you feed? maybe you need better food not more food. why feed high protien food to a 6 year old? is the dog super active or something(a fence runner)? |
buckeyefan gsd by Psycht on 18 October 2010 - 19:21 |
| Has he been checked out for EPI? 8 cups of food seems like a lot but I don't have GSDs. |
Psycht by shostring on 18 October 2010 - 22:40 |
| Hi what kind of food do you give him he does not need the high protien or the 8 cups put him on a good adult food give him 1lb of beef raw or cooked with his kibble feed twice per day morning and evening it could be the high protien is to much for him good luck |
by GermanShepherd<3 on 18 October 2010 - 22:50 |
| It is not recommended to feed kibble and meat, either raw or cooked from my understanding..better to just stick with one.. What are you feeding? If it's kibble is it premium quality and not commerical? Too much protein for a dog that age is not healthy and could cause problems..and 8 cups of food seems so much..if you are feeding kibble only, then it is obvious that it is a low quality food.. If you cook or something, the 8 cups of food is like a double portion! It usually takes about 4 cups if you home cook.. give us more info on what you are feeding exactly..and any other beneficial info..how much excercise does he get per day? high active or low active dog? Good luck. |
by Mark Smith on 19 October 2010 - 02:20 |
| 86 pounds is not skinny. Read the dog food bag. No corn or wheat in your food. Those are fillers and go right through their system. My beast weights 90 pounds and eats 2 cups of holistic food a day. |
Mark Smith by Erikalovesvonlupine on 19 October 2010 - 17:39 |
| I fed him holistic food, but now he eats high protein natural choice because we are constantly working and doing obedience. 8 cups is around what he eats but hes always gotten high quality. I'm with a German Shepherd dog club so I get food from my trainer. I'll post a picture. |
by Erikalovesvonlupine on 19 October 2010 - 17:41 |
| Or actually just search my dog. King Von Lupine. You'll see his ribs and what i'm talking about. |
by BoCRon on 19 October 2010 - 18:58 |
| Saw the pic. Weight looked great. |
BoCRon by animules on 20 October 2010 - 02:01 |
| Your vet is correct, a couple pounds wouldn't be bad but he looks fine now. This food? Natural Choice Adult High Energy Dog Food |
animules by madAB on 20 October 2010 - 02:59 |
| Definitely not too skinny. That is a great healthy weight for an active dog. The heavier they are the harder it is on their bones / joints. |
by Ruger1 on 20 October 2010 - 03:00 |
| A touch thin IMO... |
Ruger1 by Erikalovesvonlupine on 20 October 2010 - 12:41 |
| Thanks, Everyone is always complaining to me about his weight but I tell them the same thing. And yeah it's the natural choice high energy adult. |
by ONSLOW on 20 October 2010 - 15:47 |
| Has your vet checked your dog for worms????? My first g/s was also very skinny but he was checked out by 3 vets and they all told me he was fine. My wife & I would take him to the park twice a day and he would run & run, does your dog do this? if so he could be ok. I also think 8 cups of food per day is a lot. Good luck. Brian. |
by Prager on 20 October 2010 - 16:00 |
Is this the dog? If this dog is healthy and free of worms lively and happy, then he is not too skinny!!!!!!!!!!In my book he is in perfect weight. Most dogs are too fat thus when people see dog in good weight they think that he is too skinny. Feed meat. I recommend it to be cooked lightly . Meat, pasta, blended raw vegetables, sea salt, organic Greek kefir or yogurt, sea salt, fish oil. Prager Hans http://www.alpinek9.com |
Prager by Erikalovesvonlupine on 20 October 2010 - 17:55 |
| Yes thats him! And thx I wanted to start feeding meat, but what do I feed him and when? |
by animules on 21 October 2010 - 02:16 |
| I would switch from your current food to something else. 30% is not considered high by many people. Also, the first five indgrediants are: 1.Chicken Meal 2.Ground Rice 3.Corn Gluten Meal 4.Poultry Fat 5.Dried Plain Beet Pulp I am having great results with less amount fed using Acana . www.waggintails.com/p-8297-acana-provincial-grasslands-grain-free-dry-dog-food.aspx While just 33% protien, the ingrediants are much more what I would like to see. I am feeding less per day then when I was using another name brand. Prager gave a great recipe also. :) He's a nice looking dog. Good luck with him. |
by Jenni78 on 21 October 2010 - 15:08 |
| If you have a Costco near you, and price is a consideration, check out Nature's Domain grain free. $29 for a 35lb bag. Great results w/all of mine, which is a first, and I have fed just about everything among the super premiums. I do supplement w/raw, always will, if I don't feed all raw, but mine are all doing marvelously well on this food. |
Jenni78 by Erikalovesvonlupine on 21 October 2010 - 17:00 |
Thanks for the links guys! I'll switch and then i'll update you. |
by CrysBuck25 on 21 October 2010 - 17:13 |
| Erika, If that's too skinny, then my Oakley is too thin! Actually, you'll find that almost everyone you meet will tell you that a GSD at that weight is too skinny. That is simply not true. A GSD that resembles a sausage, hard packed with fat, is not a healthy dog, and will suffer from many of the conditions associated with excessive weight in humans, including diabetes. It is far better to be thin than fat, and you'll have to toughen yourself up and ignore when people tell you he's too thin. My stepson fed Nutro Natural Choice puppy and dog food to his Giant Alaskan Malamute, and she was always thin, her stools runny, and she ate 40 pounds of the stuff per week. She's larger than your boy, around 125, I'd guess, but that kind of volume of food, along with the runny stools, was a dead giveaway that the food was not being utilized. She's doing far better now than she was then, and, I hate to say it, he's feeding her Kibbles N Bits, which is mostly corn. Oakley is eating three cups a day of Diamond Beef and Rice dog food, which isn't my favorite dog food, but she's doing very well on it. I keep her thin, like your boy, for the very reason that it is healthier for her, just as being lighter is better for us humans. It always makes me cringe when I hear people tell me that my girl is so skinny that she must be dying, but they have a dog that is so fat that it can barely lick its own backside, can barely walk (waddles), and has coat issues. I bite my tongue, because I don't want to point fingers when it comes to risking health of one's dogs or kids. Oakley has a nice coat, she is very flexible, and she doesn't waddle. She can move when she wants to or needs to, and is just generally in good spirits and healthy. I can live with opinions that don't match mine; I know what's best for my dog. Crys |
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