Well first of all, I would like to say hi. I have been a lurker here for I don't know how many years and finally just decided to sign up and waited a little bit more to make my first post. I have been with rottweilers for a while and don't plan on leaving anytime soon. It is my breed and my life. On to my question.

So I have been feeding raw food for many years to my dogs. I am an extremely active person so I am used to feeding a bit more to my rottweilers to keep the weight on. I have raised puppies on it as well so nothing too new. Now my puppy is a walking stick of dynamite who puts the energy levels of all my other dogs to shame. She also is the most vocal dog I've had as well too but that's a different story. Anyways, she has been on raw food since the beginning so it is nothing new for her. But as she is getting older, her metabolism is speeding up as well. This is where I am running into the issue. I am currently now at an average of 5 lbs of meat a day and it seems like an extreme amount for a puppy. Mind you, she doesn't look the part as she is lean. I like to see the last set of ribs, and I can still clearly see them. She eats a variety of meats and is doing extremely well at this weight. It just seems like complete overkill to me for her size at 55.0 lbs. Any thoughts or ideas about this?

-Lamarr Couttien

Hi Lamarr.:smile:

Will she not hold weight if you feed less? I ASS-U-ME you've tried that, but thought I'd ask anyway.

9% falls into the puppy range of 5-10%.

If you feel it is abnormal I'd opt for a vet trip. Maybe get some blood work and an overall wellness check. Just to make sure all her bodily functions are working accordingly.:smile:

BTW, what foods do you typically feed?

Thanks for the reply as I was worried I wouldn't get too much help on this. I also forgot it was the weekend so thats another reason to contribute to the lack of responses at the moment.

I am not worried enough for that veterinary exam, but however, I have done BW and she has been checked multiple times. I don't have my information on hand, but everything checks out normal. I am in the field so I perform these tests regularly. It is like when you work as a doctor, your kids are always sick. Well my dogs always seems sick or something is wrong.

Yes, if I give her less food, she will start getting too skinny. She is at the perfect weight at the moment and so I am thinking to stay at this amount for now. Also, as I am a stats guy, I have been keeping an eye on her weight and amount she has been eating, and she has been roughly eating 1% more of her body weight each month. I am asking this because if she keeps going the way she is, we will be hitting 10% in a matter of weeks and so on and so forth. I know she will slow down eventually but I am not used to a dog speeding up the way she is at the moment.

As for the food, she is on Chicken, Turkey, Buffalo, Pork, Venison, Ostrich, Veal, and Lamb. She handles all just as well, there is no difference between meats, and she likes them all. I avoid beef because a few years back I had a dog who couldn't handle it and have never gone back. Either way, I know it is normal while we are inside 10% but she is looking at I might have to go out of the percentage mark in order to keep weight on her. Hopefully that answered some questions. Let me know if you want any other information.

-Lamarr

I actually was avoiding this post so that more experience puppy folk could get to it first.

I saw it had fallen off the "24 hour active topics" so I figured I'd go ahead and answer, and if you got nothing from my post, at least it would be bumped back to the top again.:smile:

You won't hurt my feelings if you fish for more, better answers tomorrow when more people are checking out the forum.:smile:

Would you say that chicken takes up a large portion of her diet?

Thats not a bad thing, but it might help to feed some of the fattier meats like pork or lamb more often. Maybe more of those fatty meats could cut down on her amount of food daily.

Also, do you know exactly where your buffalo comes from? Pay close attention to the package, as you may not be avoiding beef after all.

A lot of buffalo these days is actually beefalo. The 2 are so similar they can breed together.

She may actually do pretty good with beef. All things in moderation.:wink:

Out of everything, I use chicken the least as it isn't my favorite. I don't buy packaged and I pay for quality. I know it is Buffalo, I know where it comes from, and never even heard of beefalo. I'll keep an eye out for it though. But on the flip side, I have been considering giving beef for this girl as her stomach is a rock. I was actually in the shop the other day debating about whether to grab some of it or not. Thanks for the help as you actually got me thinking outside of the box even more so. Hopefully we get more information as the new week starts.

-Lamarr

Well, even if you never touch beef, you've got amazing variety in your dog's diet.:smile:

With a "hard keeper" like her, I think I'd simply pay special attention to make sure that her meals weren't too lean.

Glad I could be of some help.:smile:

I've noticed (as you obviously have) that growth starts to slow down after teething. So you can probably expect to get up to that full 10% and maybe more, but it will soon drop off as her growth levels off.

If she's as active as you say, it doesn't surprise me at all that she's in the top range of the puppy metabolism.

Yes very much so active. I am watching her right now and she will not stop. Neither does that knub of a tail she has either.

I am just hoping it is sooner than later that she will slow down. Thank you for the encouragement as I feel better knowing she is just a little demon. She is one of those dog that will not hold back anything whether it is for a swim, a walk, or even a nap. She learned that power naps are the way to go in order for her to keep the maximum amount of energy up without missing out on too much around her. Crazy.

I was thinking about everything I can do in this situation. Do you think if I spread her feedings over 4 times a day instead of 2 that it would help her? Just trying to figure out more ideas.

-Lamarr

My puppies eat 4 times a day until 3 months old, 3 times a day until 6 months, then 2 times a day when older than 6 months. Pups generally can't eat enough calories with their little bellies so they have to eat more often.

 Quote: Lamarr Couttien

Do you think if I spread her feedings over 4 times a day instead of 2 that it would help her? Just trying to figure out more ideas.

Can you explain what you mean here? What are you trying to help her do?