Dog Food Question

Emmie1020 · #1 12-04-2007, 05:22 PM

Does Anyone have a suggestion for me to put my dog on a special food. She is Super active and free feeds but is still really Ribby and solid Muscle. I try to keep weight on her but her motabalism is so High. Any Suggestions?

#2 12-04-2007, 05:47 PM

I personally really don't like to free feed dogs. I find that most dogs actually eat less this way than if you do set meals. Switching to mealtimes can result in less eating for a few days, but they generally tend to figure it out quickly. It's a function of supply and demand - if you limit the supply, the demand goes up. I have a write up on feeding meals and why I think it's important at: http://tellatail.com/articles/Mealtimes.html. The biggest reason though is to alert you when there is a health issue (dog's appetites are frequently an early warning system when something is wrong).

That said, I do have one of my dogs who is very high energy and high metabolism and I feed him a high protein/high fat food (Innova Evo). I definitely would not feed this food to my other dogs as they would get fat on it quite quickly! Ren eats 3.5 cups per day of Evo to maintain his 63lb weight, while Zack and Jasper eat only 2.5 cups per day of a normal protein/fat food to maintain 65/67lb weight. Huge difference in activity level and metabolism between them! If you are going to feed a high protein diet over a long period, I've heard you need to be concerned about the effects on their system (just like you would with humans) - haven't researched it beyond that as my only other option for ren would be to feed ~5 cups/day of a regular food or to switch to feeding a raw diet which my husband isn't willing to do...

Nutrition and food is a hot topic for a lot of people - I'm sure you'll get a lot of different opinions on this

Whole Dog Journal is a good journal to subscribe to as far as getting info on nutrition, diets, raw feeding, home cooking, supplements, etc. Their website is: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

#3 12-04-2007, 05:50 PM

By the way - what are you feeding now?

PrinceAndyFlores · #4 12-04-2007, 05:51 PM

we use the eukanuba athletic dog food. It is pretty expensive but works great!!!!

#5 12-04-2007, 06:11 PM

From my research over the past several years on feeding my dogs (and having a dog with major allergies), and from teaching pet dog and puppy classes for the past several years as well I've come to a few conclusions.

My first conclusion is that if what you are doing works for you, then there's nothing wrong with it

There are 3 "tiers" of commercial dog food (this is according to wendy and is just an opinion). There's the "crap" that nobody should be feeding their dog. Then there's the "medium" level that includes the eukanuba, science diet and iams brands as well as others and then the "high end" level of foods. My distinction between medium and high end is if a food has corn or meat by-products (the parts of the animal such as beaks, hooves, etc) then it's medium level. If it doesn't have corn or meat by products and doesn't have a ton of weird stuff in the ingredient list then it's high end. There are many, many high end food brands and it's impossible to just recommend one. So many things to consider such as protein source(s), protein and fat levels, which grain is used, allergies and sensitivities, etc.

Then there's the decision of which supplements your dog needs added to that food such as salmon oil, glucosamine, skin supplements, etc.

Then there's the people that home cook or feed raw - I haven't gone to that level of research as much as I do think it's probably the most ideal way to go.

I know feeding your dog can be an emotional topic for some so I do just want to reiterate that this is just my opinion and if what I think is different from what you think I mean no offense. In fact, I'm always trying to learn more about nutrition for dogs, so I'd love to hear what your research and experience has turned up.

Emmie1020 · #6 12-04-2007, 06:51 PM

Thank You All.... I am Currently Feeding Just Iams. Its Hard for me not to free feed cause of My Chihuahua's. But the Food Needs to Change For Both Charity and Her Brother Panzer.. He has Lost More Wieght Since we Moved To 12 Acres of Land for them to run and Hunt Rabbits all day. But it May not be bad Weight Loss. He has Gained and she has Gained Muscle in Places I didn't Even know Dogs had Muscles.. LOL.....

Well I will keep a Eye out for What Everyone has Recommended...

Sassy Girl · #7 12-04-2007, 07:03 PM

Wendy - you posted some really good info...I totally agree on free feeding, I don't recommend it at all to anyone I know either.

I feed my dogs Innova EVO RM - Red Meat. I have found this works for my pack, even w/the many different breeds and body types. Gunner actually used to be one of my more difficult to maintain, he was very thin for over a year and it didn't matter how many cups of food I would give, I couldn't pack it on. After two years of searching we landed on the EVO RM. I tried several of the top tier foods that friends had recomended however I am happiest w/the results from this food.

Another area I've found that people are misinformed on is the amount to feed their dogs. I was told by a student that he fed his dog 6 cups per feeding - and this guy was not alone. You only need to feed your dog enough to maintain a healthy body weight. Now that we're hitting winter, really think about how much you feed your dog considering the lower activity levels in the winter.

There is a wealth of info on the web, here's a pdf on body weight. Vets use a 9 point scoring system to evaluate body condition, this gives you three nice examples: http://www.purina.com/dogs/health/Ad...yCondChart.pdf

cbrrescuemom · #8 12-04-2007, 09:29 PM

and occasionally Deli Fresh.................. Hmmm, the entire chessie crew eats EVO - Kona, Stanley,Tonka and Ida. Perhaps it is our secret weapon!

My short list for adopters contains food made without corn, wheat, or soy. Foods with high quality protein sources have been proven to extend the health of dogs. And, you feed less volume.

Will your dog live on lower quality foods, yes, but experience has shown me that the incidence of skin, ear, coat and major health problems will be much higher.

EVO - grain free
Solid Gold - Barking At The Moon (grain free) available at PetCo
Wellness - Core (grain free) available at PetSmart
Canidae - All Life Stage - not grain free but a very good food -
Natural Balance - Ultra - not a grain free but a very good food - available at PetCo
Natural Balance also makes a grain free variety

SplishSplashCrash · #9 12-04-2007, 10:19 PM

No free feeding.

I feed raw.

Lori&Dexie · #10 12-05-2007, 04:52 AM

Raw here also. I would love to see a picture of your dog that you say is too thin. If she is muscled and otherwise healthy I would not worry about the thin. I keep my group very lean and muscled and my vet is thrilled. I would not free feed and would switch to a high end food. I know innova is great for putting on weight, but again if she is very active she is not going to gain fat.