|
Pit Bull Lover
|
 |
« on: June 08, 2007, 05:55:07 PM » |
|
I've posted before about having switched my dog from Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice to Canidae Lamb & Rice. It's been a couple of months after switching foods, and now I've got an overweight dog on my hands and I don't know what to do. (Free feeding's a cinch when your dog's reluctant to eat her probably poisoned food!)
Most days, Bunny wants to eat twice a day and always seems to want more food when she's finished her reduced-size servings. She'll go back to her empty bowl several times to lick at it. (On Nutro, she'd sometimes eat one bowl every 1 or 2 days, and practically never ate two bowls a day). I'm at a loss because I don't want to be cruel by depriving her when she's hungry, but I've never had a fat dog before. Help!
Once or twice?
Feed mornings? (I hate to leave her at home and hungry while I'm at work.)
Feed evenings? (If she's hungry, it feels like I'm being cruel not to feed her.)
|
|
|
|
« Last Edit: June 08, 2007, 05:57:42 PM by Pit Bull Lover »
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
karvskitties
|
|
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2007, 06:06:30 PM » |
|
I've posted before about having switched my dog from Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice to Canidae Lamb & Rice. It's been a couple of months after switching foods, and now I've got an overweight dog on my hands and I don't know what to do. (Free feeding's a cinch when your dog's reluctant to eat her probably poisoned food!)
Most days, Bunny wants to eat twice a day and always seems to want more food when she's finished her reduced-size servings. She'll go back to her empty bowl several times to lick at it. (On Nutro, she'd sometimes eat one bowl every 1 or 2 days, and practically never ate two bowls a day). I'm at a loss because I don't want to be cruel by depriving her when she's hungry, but I've never had a fat dog before. Help!
Once or twice?
Feed mornings? (I hate to leave her at home and hungry while I'm at work.)
Feed evenings? (If she's hungry, it feels like I'm being cruel not to feed her.)
Have you tried a wet food in the Evening? Or the morning perhaps? I feed twice a day (was free feeding prior to recall - and then up until transitioning to Wet Food). I now feed mainly twice a day (dry in morning/wet in evening). I leave out food, and they finish when they are ready. Sis has 2 dogs - only feeds once a day (in morning - and they are hungry throughout the day - trying to control pooping in house). However, the Jack Russel Terrier was overweight - and is now a normal weight. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
karvskitties
|
|
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2007, 06:18:51 PM » |
|
You can also look up the kcal, because it will depend on the size of the animal, etc. Wet food helps in alleviating some weight gain - because they are getting more nutrients on DMB than dry food (hence my suggestion).\
Arabiannikki is correct that twice a day (or maybe more with smaller amounts) is best.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
~Martha~
Guest
|
|
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2007, 07:40:12 PM » |
|
Have you tried feeding them raw food? My DDs pit, lab and doxie all went from dry to raw....and tho they look much slimmer their weight has stayed the same according to the vet.
She feeds them twice a day.
Just a suggestion. If you'd like a recommended book to help in that direction ~ available from the library~ I'll get a title for you.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Scratch
|
|
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2007, 08:28:51 PM » |
|
Pit Bull Lover,
Canidae makes a food for senior/overweight dogs. It has turkey, chicken, lamb, and fish proteins. Maybe you could switch to that. Canidae is a very good food. I fed it to my last shepherd. My new shepherd has poultry and rice allergies so I had to pick another food. Also, cut down on the food amounts and consider adding some string beans and such. As long as there are no adverse reactions. Give frozen baby carrots for treats.
I feed twice a day.
Breakfast is Timberwolf Elk and Salmon, Fage yogurt, Missing Link.
Dinner is Timberwolf Elk and Salmon, Nature's Variety Raw Beef, Missing Link.
Scratch
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Pit Bull Lover
|
|
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2007, 01:57:21 PM » |
|
karvskitties, Arabiannikki, Martha, Scratch: Thanks to all for info and opinions.
karveskitties: Canned food for one meal's a good idea. I wonder if it's acceptable to add low-cal, home-cooked or raw veggies to super premium canned to make it more filling? I'll have to look into that while I'm also researching different canned foods and low-cal dry foods.
Arabiannikki: Thanks for all the practical info, including "make sure you are feeding for the weight you want the dog to be not the weight she is now," which I completely overlooked WRT the dog, even though it's common advice to dieting humans. Bunny's annual exam is coming up and I'm going to ask the vet for a weight-range recommendation. (I must say, I'm embarrassed to be taking the chubby beast to the vet -- but at least I can blame it partly on the dogfood switcheroo.)
Martha: I haven't tried a raw diet for her, but would consider raw (non-meat?) components added to a super premium commercial diet. I've certainly had folks recommend raw meaty bones -- which I've considered but haven't yet tried. The raw meat philosophy is a tough one for me, for a number of reasons, but I'm willing to learn more about it, so please do post the book title.
Scratch: I'll look at the Canidae senior/weight control. I'm sure Bunny would go nuts over your dog's delicious-sounding and healthy food!! I'm sorry you have to deal with food allergies, and I'm intentionally not feeding Bunny the more "exotic" proteins/grains right now so I'll have something to switch her to if she develops a food allergy later on. (My dog before Bunny had evolving food allergies, and I'm lucky there weren't so many exotic commercial food combinations 15 years ago, or Daisy would probably have run out of non-allergenic food options long before she ran out of time.)
Thanks again!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
~Martha~
Guest
|
|
« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2007, 08:15:52 PM » |
|
Here's the book info:
Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats
by Richard H. Pitcairn
Release Date:
2005-08-11
-- Review
Over 400,000 copies of this treasured classic have been sold since its original publication more than 20 years ago The book that is the definitive guide to a natural lifestyle for dogs and cats is now completely updated and revisedfor the first time in 9 years. Writing with the warmth and compassion that have won them a national following, veterinarian Richard H. Pitcairn and his wife Susan Hubble Pitcairn, noted specialists in chemical-free nutrition and natural healing for pets, show dog and cat owners how to provide the very best in companionship and lifelong care. They now cover environmental matters, including pollutants both inside the home and out, as well as recent hot-button topics, such as Mad Cow disease, Lyme disease, and the West Nile virus. Theyve updated dozens of recipes for delicious and healthful pet food and treats. With a guide to handling emergencies and an in-depth Quick Reference section, they give specific instructions for preventing, diagnosing, and treating a wide range of animal diseases and disorderswith special attention to homeopathic, herbal, and nutritional remedies. --
Some Comments from buyers of Dr. Pitcairn's book:
... Because of the recent pet food problems, I decided that we really needed to be more "pro-active" in our pets' care. This is a good place to start. Easy to read, but not simplistic, starts with the basics. I recommend this book to responsible pet owners.
Great Book on This Topic!!
What a great book on this topic!!! Easy reading, great recipes, and lots of information about cats and dogs in general.With the recent scare of tainted dog and cat food that was killing family pets in North America I decided to go this route with feeding our 2 dogs. Our golden retriever is already showing many signs of improvement by eating a healthier diet, not to mention, SHE LOVES HER FOOD!!!She has food alergies and was randomly sick from her food.Now I know what she is eating, and feel safe knowing she is getting all the nutrition she needs!!!Our Jack Russel Terrier also has adjusted well to the change in her diet!!!I highly recommend this book, 400,000 copies sold speaks volumes!!!! I think this is an issue we should all consider.
Thanks Dr. Pitcairn
Excellent book
This book is great. Lots of info on natural medications for animals, diets and receipes for easy meals to make. Definately value for money
--------------
Hope this helps.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
dingbat
|
|
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2007, 08:57:42 PM » |
|
Help! pitbull lover It has been our experience that once you switch to super premium foods you feed much less, it all depends on how much exercise she gets. We have some very large dogs(125lb) here on 2 cups of food a day. They really don't get as much exercise as I would like, situations being what they are. The problem we experienced was that they were used to eating larger amounts, they do get used to the smaller portions in time. I would suggest feeding her once a day, again depends on how much you are feeding, which I didn't see in your post. If you are feeding more than 2 cups then I would split it into 2 feedings. good luck db  |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
|
|
|
|
Scratch
|
|
« Reply #8 on: June 12, 2007, 07:22:43 PM » |
|
Pit Bull Lover,
When I adopted my shepherd he weighed 95# and looked bloated on top of all his allergy issues. They were feeding him 6 cups of Purina One a day and who knows what else. He is now 92# and looks perfect. He eats a total of 2 1/2 cups Timberwolf, 4 Natures Variety raw medallions, 6 fairly small treats, 2 TBSP Missing Link, and 2 TBSP Fage yogart. Point is the cost is probably not much different as dingbat has also pointed out. And he came with an overwelming amount of vet records in a one year span. I have not had to take him once. That means if the prior owners had fed him a better food they could have saved over a thousand dollars at the vet. Now that's a lot of food money.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
dingbat
|
|
« Reply #9 on: June 12, 2007, 07:44:32 PM » |
|
They were feeding him 6 cups of Purina One a day scratch I have heard stories of people feeding 10-12 cups of pedigree a day, yuchh  If or when you switch to a premium food the amount drops drastically, the cost may be just slightly more. IT costs us about $200 for food that lasts 6-7 weeks. If we break that down to 7 large dogs, that comes to about $4 a week per dog or $0.57 per dog a day. That really isn't that much, wish I could eat that cheap, of course they get treats, bones etc. but the difference in food is negligible. Glad your shepherd is doing better, amazing what a good food will do, and some love helps a lot too. db  |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
|
|
|
|
~Martha~
Guest
|
|
« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2007, 09:28:26 PM » |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
dingbat
|
|
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2007, 09:33:01 PM » |
|
How do you do it Huh Inquiring minds want to know. Martha We don't feed raw or cooked, couldn't afford that. They get a high quality food (keeping our fingers crossed) the food costs about $35 a 35lb bag, pick up 5 bags at a time, costs about $185-190. They get fed about 2 cups of food a day each dog, lasts about 6-7 weeks, comes out to about 57cents per dog per day. Hope that helps, like I said bones and treats not included. db |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
|
|
|
|
~Martha~
Guest
|
|
« Reply #12 on: June 13, 2007, 05:42:11 AM » |
|
Oh...thanks. After the second "switch", we stopped using dry. They had always had a mix of canned and dry...all of their lives. Of course, the canned was involved in the first recall, so we switched to NB. Great lotta good THAT did! Gave it all up and went to home cooked and some raw. (Can't just get bones like we used to either!) They missed the canned stuff, so we are back on canned (Evanger's) with added people food... Tried to spread one can of mackrel and one can of salmon around to make 7 servings for "breakfast". Most of them would eat an entire can each...so this was more a motel's "continental breakfast" than a good ole southern breakfast. and....yep, they noticed. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
dingbat
|
|
« Reply #13 on: June 13, 2007, 09:52:38 AM » |
|
Most of them would eat an entire can each.. Martha Our big males would probably eat the can too. We are still feeding NB ultra, and it has been OK, so far, no vomitting, diarrhea. All of them are in good shape, weight, coat so we will stay with that for now. The older ones are getting breeder's choice active care chicken, has lots of natural glucosamine in it. I don't envy anyone out there cooking for their pets, has to be a ton of work and expense. Raw didn't work here, they got real territorial very quickly. Last thing I want here is fighting dogs, have had that a few times in the past, not fun. Try to break up 100+lb dogs fighting, not easy. Ours are in separate groups, all of them are rescues and have some unresolved issues from the past. Some get along, some don't, they have to be kept separated, oh well. db |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
|
|
|
|
~Martha~
Guest
|
|
« Reply #14 on: June 13, 2007, 08:43:48 PM » |
|
Most of them would eat an entire can each.. Martha Our big males would probably eat the can too. db Oh they do that too. I've considered making a collection of some of them as candle holders ~ with those little/big holes in the side to let the light shine out so nicely. Considering there will be no money for gifts after all this new high dollar food plus shipping charges that are unreal...for just a couple of cans of spray paint and some glitter I could have newly-made ones for every occassion. Gee, and no two designs alike even. How's that for special? |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
