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Keeping weight on a dog
Posted on 4/9/23 at 8:22 pm
Posted on 4/9/23 at 8:22 pm
We moved out to 20 acres which of course my GSP loves but we can't keep weight on the dude.
He is a smaller GSP anyway but you can see his ribs and spine, maybe 50-55 lbs. We feed him twice a day, if he finishes his food and is still hungry we give him more. He is on the high protein food from tractor supply.
He basically wakes up in the morning, runs for an hour, comes home, eats, then runs till dinner.
Should I be concerned? Is there anything else I can do or should do?
He is a smaller GSP anyway but you can see his ribs and spine, maybe 50-55 lbs. We feed him twice a day, if he finishes his food and is still hungry we give him more. He is on the high protein food from tractor supply.
He basically wakes up in the morning, runs for an hour, comes home, eats, then runs till dinner.
Should I be concerned? Is there anything else I can do or should do?
Posted on 4/9/23 at 8:27 pm to BoogaBear
Gsp burn a ton of calories. Get higher quality food with more protein. I use taste of the wild for my lab. Use higher protein one in winter when fattening him up. Summer i do lower protein to slim down
Posted on 4/9/23 at 8:45 pm to oleyeller
This is what we have him on, 27% protein.
Oddly, he looks exactly like the dog on it
Oddly, he looks exactly like the dog on it
Posted on 4/9/23 at 8:45 pm to BoogaBear
Add a dash of olive oil and/or raw venison or get a higher quality food.
Posted on 4/9/23 at 8:59 pm to BoogaBear
Our GSP was the same way. We fed him Diamond Natural when he had 5 acres to roam and never felt like he was skinny. Now we have about 75 he can roam as he pleases and he started losing weight. We switched to Purina Pro Plan and he’s back to the weight he was before we gave him more area to roam.
Posted on 4/9/23 at 10:31 pm to BoogaBear
When one of our hounds got exceptionally poor, my grandmother would take it and fatten it up right quick, usually with cream gravy over the food.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 3:26 am to BoogaBear
That's a pretty poor quality dog food. I suggest switching to something more calorically dense (more calories per cup of food), and where the first ingredient isn't some vague "meat and bone meal"
Better options at tractor supply include:
Victor hi-pro
Diamond High energy formula
Purina Pro Plan Sport (performance 30/20)
Purina dog chow high protein
4Health Strive (any of them)
Each of these foods have over 400 cals/cup, more fat and protein, and will help your very active dog stay in better shape.
Better options at tractor supply include:
Victor hi-pro
Diamond High energy formula
Purina Pro Plan Sport (performance 30/20)
Purina dog chow high protein
4Health Strive (any of them)
Each of these foods have over 400 cals/cup, more fat and protein, and will help your very active dog stay in better shape.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 5:50 am to BoogaBear
Higher protein should do the trick.
Get ready for them protein farts though.
Get ready for them protein farts though.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 5:59 am to BoogaBear
If you have time on the weekends for a few hours of meat, bone, and veggie grinding, plus the clean up, look into the raw food diet. I've been doing it for over a year now, and it has brought about amazing changes in my pup. Cost is about the same as what feeding the dog a high end bag food diet would be. It is the extra work that usually scares most people off.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 6:59 am to BoogaBear
I have a small lab that I have this problem with during winter. I've tried doubling her food but she will leave some. I started cracking an egg or two over her food and it has helped a lot.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 7:27 am to BoogaBear
My GSP is the same. He only has half acre with a nieghborhood pond we live on. It has plenty of geese, he’s always jumping in and swimming after them. He struggles to keep weight on. He is currently on victor hi pro plus.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 11:02 am to BoogaBear
I'd feed him high quality food in more intervals throughout the day. Weight gain snack with the approval of your vet would help as well.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 11:25 am to BoogaBear
Iced Oatmeal cookies from Walmart and Nutterbutters. Table scraps too. Trust me. I know how to keep weight on a dog.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 11:38 am to BoogaBear
Victor is an exceptional food at the price point
Posted on 4/10/23 at 12:11 pm to BoogaBear
My boxer has put on a hood 15 lbs by raiding the cats food in the washroom. Had to install a cat door so fat arse stays out
Posted on 4/10/23 at 12:15 pm to BoogaBear
As others said this is standard for the breed. Quality high protein dog food is the answer and may need to be supplemented with can food or broth.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 8:18 pm to BoogaBear
Field Trialer here. Been feeding Pro Plan for 20 years. Hard to beat. Full disclosure, Pro Plan is a sponsor, but that’s what I’ve feed forever.
Posted on 4/10/23 at 8:46 pm to BoogaBear
Look into joy high energy feed. I switched from ppp and haven't looked back.
Posted on 4/11/23 at 12:35 pm to BoogaBear
You can always switch to a higher caloric food. How skinny are we talking though?
its rare for a dog not to consume the calories it needs. if you free feed him he will probably limit himself. Seeing faint hint of ribs and spinal processes is not necessarily bad. Most people who would see and ideal body conditioned dog would think its too skinny.
its rare for a dog not to consume the calories it needs. if you free feed him he will probably limit himself. Seeing faint hint of ribs and spinal processes is not necessarily bad. Most people who would see and ideal body conditioned dog would think its too skinny.
Posted on 4/11/23 at 1:02 pm to shell01
Got some pro plan sport yesterday, hopefully it sustains him.
The dude runs about 12-20 miles a day per his GPS tracker
The dude runs about 12-20 miles a day per his GPS tracker
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