Geesh. . . another dog food question

[bskeeter]

I hate to even bring this topic up again because it has been so discussed many times over, but I didn't really find what I was looking for. Sorry if my answer is there and I just missed it.

 

Took my 37 lb. Aussie to the vet today. She is a non-stop moving machine. I can't keep weight on her. I was worried there was something physically wrong with her. She really does look and feel underweight. Her hip bones are poking out and her ribs hardly have any covering on them. Dr. said to change her for from Nutro Natural choice Lamb and rice to a higher protein food to see if that will put a little more weight on her.

 

Has anyone tried the Nutro Natrual Choice High Engery food? It's 30% protein instead of 24% that she is getting now. I've been searching the internet for all the different brands that have been mentioned on the board a nothing comes close to the 30% range.

 

Any input would be helpful. Thanks a bunch. This little Aussie is running herself skinny I'm afraid.

 

[Allie Oop]

We've tried the Nutro Natural High Energy and Allie LOVES it. However, I can't say that she has gained any weight on it. She is still at the same 30 lbs. she's been at for the last 9 mos. Hips are bony, spine a bit pronounced and her ribs show (depending on if her fur is wet or not), but she is very healthy. We are currently mixing it with the Nutro Holistic Lamb & Rice and Blue Buffalo, but I have tried the straight stuff with her. I suspect she just won't gain weight easily. I like doing the mix better because I think she is getting better nutrition. She also gets some fresh cooked vegetables and meat a couple of times a week.

 

 

Your pup looks very healthy and happy to me. If she is eating well and her coat looks good, I wouldn't worry too much (unless your vet felt there was a problem). Give the high energy a try, it may work well for you.

 

One caveat -- my cat also likes the Nutro High Energy and is constantly sneaking into Allie's bowl to eat it every chance she gets, so if you have cats you might have to keep it out of their reach.

[SoloRiver]

Nutro's high energy food gave Solo incredible diarrhea. I've never had luck with Nutro foods in general, with any of my dogs (including my late Pomeranian) but I know other dogs do fine on them.

 

If you're looking for something that packs more calories you could try Innova (either the normal kibble in the green bag, or the EVO which has no grains). Both are quite rich, and have a tendency to make the average dog fat, which may work out perfectly for you. My dogs usually eat EVO when they have kibble (I tend to change their foods around periodically, no real reason) and they do well on it, including my own perpetual motion machine, Fly, who is fit to the point of looking like an action figure. Solo, who is an easy keeper, also does well on EVO, but I feed him a tad less than the bag recommends, and Fly gets a tad more.

 

I wouldn't be worried about my dog being thin unless she also lacked muscle and tone, personally. Better a bit thin than too fat!

[silhouettestable]

Check this out:

http://www.drtims.com/

Their "Pursuit" has 30% protein, 20% fat and their "Momentum Premium" formula has 37%/23%

 

I found the link to that site on the home page of www.sleddogcentral.com I went in looking for a different site I've come across before that had Eagle Pack advertised as "rocket fuel for dogs". I haven't yet come back across that particular site yet, but I did come up with this:

http://www.eaglepackracing.com/ultrapage.html

They've got a new formula called Eagle Pack Ultra Power and it's 34%/24%

 

If I come across the "rocket fuel" page I'll post it, but if you want to find more high energy, high calorie foods I'd suggest searching out info on dogsledding. Sled dogs have such high energy requirements that you might have better luck looking there.

 

Wow! ETA here's another one, Dawe's 48/32. It's powdered, you mix with water and it can be fed exclusively or mixed with kibble.

http://www.newnorth.net/~cloud/index.html.htm

 

...and, Caribou Creek Gold 37/25

http://www.cariboucreekgold.com/ingredientsblue.htm

[BayouBC]

I've had trouble maintaining my boys' weight on different foods. Kodah (BC) and Reece (ACD mix) both loose weight easily...which is funny since Reece is the laziest of my crew. Pith, my other BC, tends to chunk up easily.

 

They're mainly eating Innova EVO right now, and I've found it to work well to keep weight on the two that keep dropping pounds (no medical reason) and to maintain Pith at the weight he needs without getting pudgy.

 

However, since I can only get EVO across town at a smaller pet store that closes far too early, when I -can't- get over there to get it, I have the boys on Nutro High Energy, and it seems to work pretty well too. Both with EVO and Nutro HE, I'm feeding less than I was on Canidae or Premium Edge, and their weights aren't jumping all over the place like before.

 

If you're really trying to put weight on, I'd recommend trying EVO. It's a 40% protein and something like 26% fat. Just feed more than you would if you were trying to maintain weight.

[Allie+Tess&Kipp]

Tess and Kipp did well on Natural Balance kibble. Then I couldn't get that nearby and tried Solid Gold and they both lost a bunch of weight and scared the wits out of me. I switched them to Canidae but then their coats got weird, so I got Natural Balance again until I could find something that would work that was available nearby. Now they get Prairie and they do really well on that so I am sticking to it and just rotating through all the flavors.

 

I think you need to try things out until you find the right one for your dog.

 

Here is a link that lists some good foods that might help you. You could check out the web sites for fat, protein, etc. and how they compare to what you are feeding now and the results that other folks say they get with certain foods, and hopefully work out what would be best for you.

 

http://www.oes.org/page2/1342~Dog_Food_--_...og_Journal.html

 

Allie + Tess & Kipp

http://weebordercollie.com

[kelpiegirl]

One of my Kelpies is prone toward being REAL skinny. Hips point, and when she lays down, there is measurable height of the ribs- she is too skinny. ONe thing that I know makes her skinny is coming with me each day to work- boring, but she is up and awake the entire time, and then if you put work on top of it (herding or geese work), well, back to Kate Moss dog. She is also hungry a lot. I bought these large biscuits made my I forget the company- some organic, natural, blah blah blah, but anyway, they are quite large, and it take some time to eat them, but it *really* fulfills her need to scarf, and it has added a bit of weight- perhaps?

I like them skinny too, but not overly.

Julie

[mjk05]

Your pup looks very healthy and happy to me. If she is eating well and her coat looks good, I wouldn't worry too much

I agree 100%. Just like some people, some dogs are skinny. One of our kelpies eats 2-4 times as much as most of the other dogs, and he's still scrawny. He is always moving, loses about a kg with a weekend of heavy work, and I've given up trying to fatten him up. Its just him, he's shiny and healthy and fit. And frankly I prefer it to the dogs that tend to be fat.

 

[PSmitty]

Call me crazy, but when I switched Lilly to Evo, she actually lost weight. I wanted her to drop 3 or 4 lbs, and she did, with no other changes to her lifestyle. I thought it was the lack of grains, but that might not be it at all. I don't know. Jack is really thin, like the Kelpie above, you can always see his ribs, and feel his hips and spine, easily, too. Gorgeous dog, Mjk05! I upped his Evo portion slightly, but he still hasn't gained any. I think they both look good though. Lean and muscley!

 

I guess I'm supposed to have a point here. I would whole heartedly recommend Evo, I think it's a superior food to almost any commerical food, but I don't know if it would help with weight gain. Worth a try, though.

[2 Devils]

I feed Evo and my bc pup (turned a year last week) stands about 19" and weighs a whopping 24 lbs... she is all bone. She gets 2 cups a day and does not put on weight. I also give her norwegian salmon oil to help her coat. She gets a lot of treats and such. I don't worry about the weight anymore. She will fill out in time and if she doesn't that is ok too. I prefer a skinny dog.

[kelpiegirl]

Sam

My Kylie looks a lot like your boy- but with more tuck up- there is NO fat on her body- vet even remarked at that. When your boy lies down, do you see the big steps (ribs) I do? I guess I like them lean but not to the point where when they bump you it is their hard bones on me!

Julie

[Journey]

Did your vet say there was anything "wrong" with her though? If all is well and her just being "boney" is a problem for you then I say "put on some sunglasses"

 

Seriously, if all is well then why switch foods? I haven't tried EVO, though my holistic/chiro/acupuncture Vet says she has more clients now that EVO is out than before, seems it's too rich for the average dog and they are getting IB from it.

 

If your pup is active, healthy and happy you may just have to give her time to grow up and mature.

 

Karen

[Bordercentrics]

Ruby is another dog who runs for hours every day. She's built very narrow and it's hard to keep weight on her. We use Innova adult (green bag) and she's doing well on it. She eats about 2 1/2 cups per day and weighs about 31 pounds.

 

[juliepoudrier]

I wonder if you shouldn't do some research on the diets mushers feed their dogs. I always increase the FAT in my dogs' diets, and go to fat to put weight on before increasing protein (which is pretty high in many foods anyway). I've always understood that hard working dogs use energy from fat, so increasing protein without considering the amount of fat they're getting and perhaps increasing that may not be terribly helpful for putting weight on them. JMO.

 

J.

[bskeeter]

Bailey is healthy and happy all in all. The Vet thought she was a little thinner that she really should be. I trust this vet. She knows working dogs and knows how they need to be "built" I guess you would say. She was checked for worms - no worms. She will be 2 yrs. in Dec. She is just a non-stop running/working machine.

 

I was just really concerned that her "figure" was looking more on the "skinny" side of normal for a working dog. I definitely don't want her fat. After all, she only has short little leggies. I would rather have her slightly skinny over slightly fat.

 

I sure appreciate everyone's input. I think I'll try the Nutro Natural High Energy since that is the brand that we are currently feeding. Maybe that will help some.

[Allie+Tess&Kipp]

I always increase the FAT in my dogs' diets, and go to fat to put weight on before increasing protein

This is what I did. It seems to make the most sense (and it worked for my two).

 

Allie + Tess & Kipp

http://weebordercollie.com

[Deb Mickey]

Gonna jump in here with my question. I feed Natural Life Lamb & Rice to my 3 dogs - Oscar & Annie do fine, but Jill's coat is dry and rough looking and her skin sensitive. Any ideas?

 

thanks!

[sea4th]

thyroid test first. If that comes back OK, try adding fish oil or salmon oil caps, or just try another food.

[Deb Mickey]

Thanks!

[Root Beer]

Deb, I have some ideas.

 

Speedy has big dry skin problems in the fall, along with seasonal allergies. This year I've been giving him cod liver oil and it seems to be helping a lot. I throw some on Sammie and Maddie's kibble from time to time, too. Their coats look good this fall.

 

I've also found that a few spoonfuls of Stonyfield Farm plain yogurt has helped Sammie's coat get nice and shiny in the past. I either mixed it in with his food, or gave it to him as an afternoon snack.

 

I've fed Sammie and Maddie the Wellness Sensitive Solutions (Duck) in the past and they both had splendid coats while they ate that. It's pricey, but you can get it at Knisley's if you wanted to try.

[Northof49]

As dogs burn fat first when using up energy, like someone else mentioned, it is the fat content that you need to up in a dog's food, that's why the sled dog diets are so high in fat.

 

You also have to be careful about a Vet's idea about weight - I often find that dogs they say are too thin are at an ideal weight for working and sports. I usually go by the feel of the spine and my dog's hip bones before I go by how the ribs feel. A lot of the dogs that they say are too thin I would like to see another 2 - 4 pounds off of to be the ideal weight for doing agility, etc.

 

As well, if you feel your dog is in fact underweight and needs a bit put one, if you are intersted, I have an excellent homemade supplement that is good. It's easy to make and not expensive and quite a few people use it to maintain that extra pound or two that their dogs need.

[bskeeter]

Northof49,

 

Re-reading the thread has got me thinking about the "fat" content thing. I really think just one pound would make a big difference on Bailey.

 

If you want to share your homemade supplement on the board great, if not, you could PM it to me.

 

Thanks,

Deb

[Kat's Dogs]

Northof49,

I know that our vet think Dazzle is too skinny (because she said so). Although she did admit that she is more "on track" than all the other dogs she saw that day. However, for what Dazzle does - she is the perfect weight, not to skinny. I hate that vets tend to want dogs to be "fatter". Becaue then, if you go and tell someone their dog is overweight by 20 pounds or more, they just say "my vet said that she is PERFECT!" or "no, you dog is just WAY to thin - you can feel her RIBS!".

 

I think it is interesting that a lot of us CAN'T get any more weight on our dogs (Dazzle is that way) - makes you wonder how much people are feeding their fat dogs...

[MaggieDog]

This discussion got me thinking so I posted a new topic in the photo section so we can post pics and basic info our dogs. I figure it would be a great thread to refer people to when they have weight questions, plus it would be neat to see how everyone's dogs compare.

 

Maggie isn't that active (i.e. she's not a working dog) but I keep her light because she does a lot of jumping. I try to keep her at a 4 on the Body Condition charts you see. My vet has never said anything about her weight and I'm happy with it.

[Kat's Dogs]

I looked at Maggie's pics, she looks a lot like Dazzle. That is really lucky of you to have found a such a great vet!