The vet tech said something about the higher protein and more calories in the "puppy" foods. So if this is true what can I do to supplment it? I will admit, when we got our pup he was very thin, but in the past 6 1/2 weeks he has gained 10 lbs. I think that shows progress. Am I correct?

IS he too thin?
Most vets think fat dogs are the right size.

Is the puppy the appropriate weight now?

Yes, puppy foods have more calories to sustain the rapid growth of a puppy. My point was about the commercial foods based on grains instead of real meat (not byproducts). Grains are the first ingredient on some of those lists!

So my point really was this: If you choose to go the commercial food route, satisfy yourself that you approve of the contents, and go over it with the vet if you feel better about it. If the first ingredient is a grain, I’d say no, period, and I would certainly ask the vet why s/he was recommending it.

I was NOT saying that puppies have the same needs as adult dogs.

P.S. I am NOT a vet! These are my well-researched (and experienced) OPINIONS only.......... If I write an opinion here, you have my guarantee that it’s backed up with years of experience and/or serious research.

Yes, he is on the thin side but as I said before, gaining weight nicely now.

Growing puppies (especially large breeds that are prone to displasia) should be kept on the thin side, Vicki, so that the growing joints and bones are not overly stressed. Now, I'm not saying starve the puppy, but you should be able to just see his ribs, and you should be able to feel them when you rub his sides. His spine or hipbones, on the other hand, should NOT be protruding as they would on an emaciated dog.

Keeping large breed puppies thin until they are through growing goes a long way towards good bone and joint health as an adult.

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Thoughts anyone? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

How about this one... your vet's an idiot.

My two cents: ready to spend so her eit is...( these are all copied from medical websites about diet exercise etc, about the proteins in eggs etc.)
The protein in eggs has a biological quality greater than any other natural food. In fact many manufacturers of protein powders often base their products on egg protein such as albumin because of its protein quality.....
It's plain to see that eggs are good for your eyes. That's because egg yolks contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants from the carotenoid family that contribute to improving eye health and protecting eyes from ultraviolet rays.
One raw egg has 6 grams of protein..doesnt sound like alot but youd be surprised....
Eggs are an excellent source of high-quality protein. In fact, the quality of protein found in eggs sets the standard for determining the quality of other dietary protein. Protein is essential for building and repairing body tissue. Muscles, skin and organs are all made from protein. Protein is evaluated according to its effectiveness in building new body tissue - and the protein found in eggs surpasses all other foods with a rating of 93.7%!


OK I'll stop now,just a couple facts you may nicely tell your vet about...we have fed our two adult shepherds raw eggs since they were pups, they both LOVE em, as does their pup..and neither have had any ill effects from them, actually both are very healthy.

now that my two cents have been spent on my pepsi...I'm broke

Dana

I eat raw eggs!



Find a new vet.

I did some research on this as I recall learning early on raw eggs were bad due to avidin but then the BARF folks said not an issue.

I think the deal with raw eggs, like anything else, is quantity.........you would not make them the primary source of protein in the diet - if the diet only contained raw eggs that would not be good and there were some studies showing poultry raised on dried whole eggs as THE major protein source did poorly, but as a supplement eggs have all kinds of neat stuff in them.

I like to give and take B-vitamins anyway. They are water soluble and hard to overdo. (I don't go bonkers with megadoses but take more than the RDA)

Here is a decent article -
http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=72