 One GSD too thin, and one too heavy -- advice?
#402816 - 01/14/2017 03:01 PM |
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Have two wonderful GSD, male 10 yrs and female 6 years. Male has had EPI since puppyhood and takes pancreatic enzymes. Has kept weight on sometimes, but now he is thin again, good-sized and weighs 73 lbs. Healthy and active. Feed 3/4 cup sweet potatoes as part of every meal and he eats 3x daily. Feed Honest Kitchen and raw chicken necks or mackerel. Just started him on a course of B12 shots. AND the female is smaller but weighs 89 lbs. and looks chubby. Have tried cutting back on food, seems like such a small amount she eats (plus training treats). Any suggestions to fatten one and diet the other? Thanks!!
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Re: One GSD too thin, and one too heavy -- advice?
[Re: Michael Reis ]
#402822 - 01/15/2017 06:19 AM |
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Hi, Michael. I have the same problem as you. I have two Pits, one adopted stray, they have all the ideal weight. I can easily feel the ribs when touching them, but they are not visible.
My 4th one though, a Lab-Mix, 68 lbs doesn't loose weight. In the beginning I gave her 1,3 lbs of raw meat diet, sometime yoghurt, an egg and certain veggies and fruits. Then I reduced it to 1 lb, then to O,8. I feed only during training.
Treats which I give for things like redirections is deduced from the daily portion, which I weigh up in the morning.
I don't know what would be her ideal weight, I tried to find out googling, but as I don't know here breed for sure,( I have her from the street),I couldn't find it out. I only know she must be much too heavy because of the rib test. I can't feel any.
“If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs, then you are a leader” – Rudyard Kipling |
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Re: One GSD too thin, and one too heavy -- advice?
[Re: Michael Reis ]
#402825 - 01/16/2017 12:25 AM |
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My now passed GSD had EPI dianosed at 8-1/2 yrs old.
I fought different diets for more then 6-8 months with the Panecure enzymes.
I went to an all natural diet for about a yr or more and things changed a bit again so I went back to commercial dog food again.
Did well for a while then he seemed to change for the better when the B12 was started.
From there he stayed quite healthy till 12 !/2 when arthritis finly brought him down.
There is a saying with EPI that brings us to the down side.
No two dogs respond exactly alike.
There is a good site on the net called EPI 4 dogs.
Excellent info there with plenty of folks with much experience.
The overweight dog I can only say unless there is a medical issue or the dog has free access to it's food then it boils down to the humans to control their intake.
old dogs LOVE to learn new tricks |
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Re: One GSD too thin, and one too heavy -- advice?
[Re: Michael Reis ]
#402826 - 01/16/2017 04:25 AM |
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But I control my dog's intake exactly and they never have free access to food. So that means I'll have to go to the VEt with my Lab-Mix? All have about the same size and the other 3 get 0,440 lbs more than the Lab. She simply doesn't loose weight.
“If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs, then you are a leader” – Rudyard Kipling |
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Re: One GSD too thin, and one too heavy -- advice?
[Re: Michael Reis ]
#402830 - 01/16/2017 07:27 AM |
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Have you had the thyroid levels checked on the overweight dog? Or for that matter, just a general check-up by your vet to address your concerns about her weight? Thyroid issues are usually a pretty easy fix when they occur, but there are other more serious issues that can cause a dog to be overweight. Like people, though, most of the time, it's simply a matter of taking in more calories than you are burning. How much exercise is she getting? If she's mostly sedentary, maybe you can find a way to do more physical activity with her.
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Re: One GSD too thin, and one too heavy -- advice?
[Re: Michael Reis ]
#402835 - 01/16/2017 12:22 PM |
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Thanks, Cheri. I think I'll have to consult the Vet. Though It is possible that she doesn't get enough exercise. More ore less 15 minutes formal exercises twice a day plus 1 hour walking or a mixture of walking , swimming, flirt pole). As I have 4 dogs and have to do everything with each one separately I cannot do more. How much time for such activities do you usually spend for one dog? I'm personnaly more thinking about a medical cause, because the other 3 get the same amount of exercise time and more food and have ideal weight.
“If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs, then you are a leader” – Rudyard Kipling |
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Re: One GSD too thin, and one too heavy -- advice?
[Re: Christina Stockinger ]
#402858 - 01/17/2017 02:00 PM |
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For whatever it might be worth:
I feed my 80 pound Male just a little bit LESS food than my 65 pound Female eats -- Both are quite healthy & get the SAME amount of supervised Exercise ... Bottom line: no 2 dogs have an exactly identical Metabolism (some just burn More calories & some just burn Fewer calories, even if all other things are equal) 
My male is somewhat MORE active during Free-Exercise time in the backyard than my female, but I still need to feed him LESS than her Ration -- My female is somewhat more "edgy & drivey" in Temperament than my male, so I think she "burns up more Nervous Energy than he does, even while idle" (???)
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Re: One GSD too thin, and one too heavy -- advice?
[Re: Michael Reis ]
#402866 - 01/18/2017 06:04 AM |
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Yes I know it depends a lot on the individual metablism. I have read that Labs have the tendency to to put on too much weight. Don't know if it is true.
Do you think a daily portion of 0,88 lbs (raw food diet) could be too much for a 68 lbs dog?
“If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs, then you are a leader” – Rudyard Kipling |
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