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by HighDesertGSD on 17 February 2009 - 21:02
This thread is timely in that my usually finicky Am Showline girl has started to eat quite well. The improvement seems to be lasting, knock on wood. The breeder fed her raw until six month, I don't. I believe this has been a major reason.
She eats definitely better than before since about nine months ago, after I switched to a kibble that (incidentally?) contains some corn as the fifth ingredient. Before then I had shunned grains and only reluctantly tried this food with some corn. Perhaps the small amounts of corn is a good source of fiber, I am still wondering why. Dog don't eat well sometimes because of the ANTICIPATED digestive discomfort. Her stool is now well-formed but soft.
After she had her pups two months ago, she continues to eat well. It is more amazing in that this food is less expensive, about $25 for 50 lbs, 24 protein 18 fat. Chicken-by-product meal is the first ingredient (good stuiff, don't laugh).
I still have to add a small amount of fresh meat to get her to eat well. I generally cook a couple of chicken thighs for 3-4 days of feeding, average one with skin on and one without skin. The bulk of the white lumps of fat are removed and discarded first. The kibble is soaked with the broth. Fish oil, two one gram capsules a day, is added. The meat is added later. I sometimes eat the drum stick myself. I estimate that the final food is about 27 protein -22 fat, rather rich. She is still about 3 pound too thin, IMO, but the target weight of 69-71 pounds is not too far off, I think. Small addition of meat will not upset the CA/P ratio enough to be a concern.
The female pup from her that I am keeping attacks food with vengence, not in the gene!. She eats three times a day, about 60-70 seconds each meal. For this little girl, I soak the food with plain warm water, so that she does not develop any finicky habit. I add some 31-21 pup food into this 24-18 food, resulting in about 26-19 for the pups. Pure fish oil, to about 0.1% on dry weight basis of DHA, is the only supplement to this little girl. She is doing very well. Very shiny coat, about 15 pounds at the end of the 9th week, expected mature weight and size about the same as mom, 70 pounds, 24.5 inches
She eats definitely better than before since about nine months ago, after I switched to a kibble that (incidentally?) contains some corn as the fifth ingredient. Before then I had shunned grains and only reluctantly tried this food with some corn. Perhaps the small amounts of corn is a good source of fiber, I am still wondering why. Dog don't eat well sometimes because of the ANTICIPATED digestive discomfort. Her stool is now well-formed but soft.
After she had her pups two months ago, she continues to eat well. It is more amazing in that this food is less expensive, about $25 for 50 lbs, 24 protein 18 fat. Chicken-by-product meal is the first ingredient (good stuiff, don't laugh).
I still have to add a small amount of fresh meat to get her to eat well. I generally cook a couple of chicken thighs for 3-4 days of feeding, average one with skin on and one without skin. The bulk of the white lumps of fat are removed and discarded first. The kibble is soaked with the broth. Fish oil, two one gram capsules a day, is added. The meat is added later. I sometimes eat the drum stick myself. I estimate that the final food is about 27 protein -22 fat, rather rich. She is still about 3 pound too thin, IMO, but the target weight of 69-71 pounds is not too far off, I think. Small addition of meat will not upset the CA/P ratio enough to be a concern.
The female pup from her that I am keeping attacks food with vengence, not in the gene!. She eats three times a day, about 60-70 seconds each meal. For this little girl, I soak the food with plain warm water, so that she does not develop any finicky habit. I add some 31-21 pup food into this 24-18 food, resulting in about 26-19 for the pups. Pure fish oil, to about 0.1% on dry weight basis of DHA, is the only supplement to this little girl. She is doing very well. Very shiny coat, about 15 pounds at the end of the 9th week, expected mature weight and size about the same as mom, 70 pounds, 24.5 inches
by blair built gsd on 19 February 2009 - 03:02
call natures farmacy talk to them they are very helpful
by Uber Land on 19 February 2009 - 03:02
Highdesertgsd,
I've had the same thing happen here, I've fed Solid gold and other non-grain foods. its seems to go right thru my dogs and puppies . I've gotten a couple pups from other breeders the past year that were raised on a grain free kibble (solid gold was one), the pups were thin and had little muscle tone. I switched to a different puppy food that had a little corn and the pups seemed to double in size in less than a week, they gained weight, muscle mass and tone, looked like totally different pups.
I think they need a little in their diet, but not to the point as say Science Diet where the first ingredient is corn.
I've had the same thing happen here, I've fed Solid gold and other non-grain foods. its seems to go right thru my dogs and puppies . I've gotten a couple pups from other breeders the past year that were raised on a grain free kibble (solid gold was one), the pups were thin and had little muscle tone. I switched to a different puppy food that had a little corn and the pups seemed to double in size in less than a week, they gained weight, muscle mass and tone, looked like totally different pups.
I think they need a little in their diet, but not to the point as say Science Diet where the first ingredient is corn.
by Bucko on 19 February 2009 - 17:02
I recall from a thread that this could be an all too common sign of renal issues. Get those levels checked.
NEVER let a dog go more than four days without eating, even if you have to cook steak. Even if the original cause was psychological, it will seem be anatomical, as the pH gets so high that the GI system gets damaged.
NEVER let a dog go more than four days without eating, even if you have to cook steak. Even if the original cause was psychological, it will seem be anatomical, as the pH gets so high that the GI system gets damaged.
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