MrSnappy Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 For the first time in our lives, I have dogs that are too thin*. This has never been an issue for us before. Tweed has always been an 'easy keeper' and at times in his life has weighed as much as 50lbs. He is now 34 lbs. Piper is less than 25lbs and I can feel every rib and hip bone. I like really lean dogs, but this is skinnier than I would like - someone pointed out to me recently that she is too skinny. My mission is to fatten her up, and maybe put a lb or 2 on Tweed as well. They are negative for parasites, and they don't exactly get excessive exercise. I have usually found that they put weight ON in the winter, but not this year. I suspect it has something to do with the ultra lean turkey necks they get for dinner, as opposed to fattier chicken. Is there anything I can do besides upping their food intake that can help? I feed raw, so nothing canned or cooked please. * does not include Woo. "Still fat after all these years" is his life's motto! RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 If you are feeding very lean food, how about adding some fat to replace that lost by switching from chicken to turkey? I would think some butcher would be amazed and happy to sell you some beef or pork fat trimmings that you could cut up and feed in small amounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesney's Girl Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I too have noticed really lean Turkey necks lately as well. What if you tried feeding some chuck cut of beef or brisket? Those are fattier meats. I'm sure some ground beef would help too. Pork shoulders also seem to have a nice portion of skin and fat on them. If you can afford it (I know I can't unless gotten in bulk) lamb is usually pretty fatty too. You could try some whole fatted cottage cheese. Or fatty cheese burgers? <-- Jk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I'm sure you'll get a million replies saying "they aren't balanced!" but my friend has great success with a super skinny picky eater by feeding her satin balls a couple times a week. Easy to find the recipe on the internet. I *sigh* don't need to use them because my gang never seems to get too thin..... Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted November 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Sorry I should have mentioned that my dogs eat a rotation of different meats for breakfasts - turkey necks are strictly for dinners. They get beef, lamb, chicken, herring, buffalo and turkey for breakfasts, along with generous helpings of cottage cheese or yogurt, salmon and olive oils. I have upped all their amounts (except Woo's) but I'm seeing no difference. I guess I could try adding something fattier on a regular basis. I'll go scope out the butcher today. I do buy all my foods in bulk so there are 50 days worth of turkey necks in my freezer! The turkeys appear to be a lot skinnier lately, judging by their necks ;-) RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Here's a recipe I read on a forum where somebody doing marathons or canicross was looking for high-energy snack ideas for their dog. The person who posted this didn't say if he cooked it or just spread it on the sheet, let it set (maybe in the fridge or freezer?) and then cut it into pieces. "I make high energy snacks for our dogs for mid distance races. I use 5 Lbs of bacon drippings, 5 of liver, 2 Lbs of rice, 12 eggs and add about 1 cup of honey. This makes 3 cookie sheets about 3/8" thick and I get 24 per sheet. Each piece weighs about 3.5 oz and is just under 500 cal. per piece. You can modify by half or what ever you would like for less quantities." When asked he said he gets that amount of bacon drippings from restaurants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted November 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Wow! I'd be terrified of being mugged by my dogs if I tried to sneak 5lbs of bacon drippings into my house! ;-) RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Hello all, I buy flax seed in bulk, grind it in my coffee grinder and top dress the dog's food with it. It's very high in fat and accomplishes my goal of addng fat without adding protein. My dogs like it and do very well on it. Flax seed is the main ingredient in Missing Link, but buying flax seed in bulk is far less expensive. I pay .99/lb for it at the feed store. Wow! I'd be terrified of being mugged by my dogs if I tried to sneak 5lbs of bacon drippings into my house! ;-) RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 What an interesting alternative! I usually have plenty of beef fat available here and so that is what I use. Do you find that the flaxseed makes for softer poops at all? I am always looking for something that will maintain firmness (or at least won't loosen my guys up). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in AZ Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I have a question. Is there any danger, such as increased risk of pancreatitis, when substantially increasing animal fat in the diet? I wouldn't think such would be the case for flax seed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I always wonder about the digestibility of certain plant fats. As for animal fat, as any other change in diet, make the change gradually and I don't think there will be a big problem unless you overdo it. I'm sure someone who knows more about this will contribute to the discussion. I hope... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesney's Girl Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 I can imagine if it's a grossly obese dog and feeding them more animal fat would put them at risk for pancreatis. But clearly by RDMs description her dogs are consuming an insufficient amount of fat to be a healthy weight. I also think that simple animal fat in correct proportions would be fine, it's the greasy fats in commercial dog chews and table scraps that I would think to worry about. Bacon grease is something I would wonder about. I don't know. Someone has to know more though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 Green tripe may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted November 11, 2008 Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 The lean hard-working dogs seem to be able to handle the extra fat because they are using it, not just letting it accumulate in their body. The sled dog board I frequent has a forum dedicated to food and feeding and the topic of fat seems to come up a lot. Everyone on there is training and/or racing their dogs (some do sprint but many are doing distance or mid-distance) and they have lean dogs that they want to keep that way, but I think most feed about a 30/20 kibble or 35/25 and also add extra meat and fat. Many use meat grinders and will grind up just about any kind of meat they can get their hands on, including fatty stuff like beaver. They also like to snack the dogs on high fat/high energy stuff that won't be too heavy in their bellies when they're taking breaks during the longer races. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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