This is my first post, so I'm a newbie. Also a newbie at having a GSD. Having registerd about a month ago, my main intent was to discuss barking. I have read several threads on incessant (where's my spell checker?) barking and don't feel so bad when the doorbell rings and Anja goes to the door, barks like crazy to announce her presence and that someone has invaded her territory! Seems like a typical stranger greeting.

My main concern now is her eating habits. This has been an up and down cycle for the last 3-4 months. She was raised on Iams Large Breed Puppy food and as a 6 mo. old pup didn't have much of a problem eating it. I did add yogurt from time to time as an added treat because someone at puppy class said it somehow was good for them. We have since stopped that.

Now that she is 1 year old in a few weeks, she pretty much ignores her food and if I follow the "leave it down for 20 minutes" rule she will go for several days without eating. I'm a softie and want her to eat, so we sometimes "doctor" her food up with a little ground beef. She goes nuts over that! Prior to obedience training in February she was 62 lbs, then went down to 56 lbs and back up to 63 lbs after her heat cycle. I suspect she hasn't gained much due to her fussy eating. Early reports when she was 12 weeks old were that she would get to 80 lbs. Not at this rate she won't!

Add to that some goofy thing where she began favoring her back left leg and limping, which happened prior to her heat cycle. Then it seemed to go away for a while during her cycle and now she's limping again. The vet said initially she might have stepped on something, but there was nothing to be found. He said because she is limping she is stessed and therefore not interested in her food. Is that true? I want to find out what is causing the limp! Oh, and does she limp when it comes time to play frisbee, or chase a ball, or play with my son's Yellow Lab? Absolutely not! Throw a stick or branch from the yard into the woods and she's all over it!

I'm considering changing her food, but am reluctant to do so until I find out about the limp and if that is causing the eating problem. I've been refered to a better food called Owen & Mandeville pet foods, or O&M for short. Their web sit is: (http://www.ompetproducts.com/main.html). Has anyone heard of this company?

Any comments from the experienced verterans would be appreciated. Sorry for such a long post.

Welcome to the board!

i am somewhat of a newbie too, and you will find good advice on this board.

As far as the eating is concerned, I have not heard of the company you posted. You should look up the ingrediant list, and compare it to say Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, which are the more premium kibble. I, also, have a dog who will starve herself rather than eat dry kibble. I am currently researching switching to homecooked, or raw (haven't decided) food. You want to look for human grade meat, not by-products on the label. The above all have high quality meat as the first ingrediant. It is the quality of the protein (which is why I am switching to homemade) that is important. And if yogurt makes her want to eat, why not do it? Yogurt is good for the GI tract.

As far as the limping is concerned, take her to the vet and have xrays done. My dog did the same thing, limped when in a moderate trot, but when in drive chasing a ball, no limp to be seen. One day, she couldn't walk. Diagnoses was Hip dysplasia, not too bad now, but later <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> . Take her in, if you havn't already, and have her hips checked.
good luck.

Thanks, Melissa. I have done researh into other brands and the ones you mentioned are probably in that list. I would likely stay with a dry kibble, but of a higher quality that Iams, which is not to say that Iams is bad. Don't know if I'd go the homemade route yet.

The limping....yeah, I was afraid the word dysplasia would crop up. I wouldn't think you'd see that in a 1 year old pup though, would you? The vet visit and x-rays may be the way to go. Have you heard of any herbal supplements that will help HD?

I wouldn't worry so much about your dog's weight. She is only a year old and still has another couple of years to continue growing and filling out. As far as the limping, aside from dysplasia, it could be Pano which results from fast growing bones which causes pain and discomfort. If that is the case, they eventually grow out of it. I know there are some supplements and things that are supposed to help with Pano. My guess is when you throw a stick she is in such high drive to go after it that she forgets she is in pain. I've seen dogs with Pano do their training with no problem, then right afterwards begin limping again. It's not uncommon for Pano to move around to other legs too. One day she may favor a back leg, and two weeks later be favoring her front leg. I have fed the same brand of Iams until recently switching to another brand. Lucky for me I don't have finnicky eaters.

As far as the food goes, just do your research and then make an informed decision. Whole Dog Journal gives a list of the top ten wholistic dog foods, Ed posts a link somewhere on his site...I think it is under training articles or Q and A. These foods are rich in high quality protiens, tho, so make the switch slowly, or you will see gastric distress, loose stool, etc. Also, the site http://www.greatgoldens.com has dog food reviews, and ingredient anylysis for many dog and cat foods. Iams uses feed grade ingredients, and corn as a fill for protein replacement. Not the best, and for a few dollars more, you could get better food.

Hip dysplasia can show up at any age, I've seen goldens with total hip replacments at 6 months. For what it is worth, usually you see some limping occur WITH the heat cycle, as the female hormones prduce some laxity in the joints, But for peace of mind, I would xray, just to be sure. Keep her thin, at 1 year old she should be a lanky teenager, not buff. You should see the last 2 ribs, and feel most of them under the skin, not the hipbones or spine all the way down, tho. If she has hip problems, this is very important.

Supplements- I use Grand Flex, it is a glucosamine supplement that supports joint health. There are several others on the market, but this one seems to have the greatest bioavailability, and the most economical. Ed sells it here, for a good price. Also look up the previous posts under Hip Dysplasia. Lots of info.

Good Luck!