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Where Is His Weight?

Discussion in 'Dog Food' started by katz, Sep 8, 2011.

  1. katz Well-Known Member

    I am back!!! I had a question. I have a Weim/GSP cross. He looks like a weim but is dark liver colored. He also looks like he is extremely anorexic. He eats a ton of food, I feed Exclusive but am looking into other diets. Our other dogs do not have problems with this. Any suggestions to make him look like I ACTUALLY feed him?
    katz, Sep 8, 2011
    #1

  2. tigerlily46514 Honored Member

    Well, first off, i'd have my vet look at him and ask if there is reason Weim is not gaining weight? How old is the dog? Does vet also think the dog needs more weight? Do the dog's rib show or what?

    Exclusive dog food, is not the worst dog food in the world, is rated above average kibble, here's some reviews:
    http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/exclusive-dog-food-dry/

    http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/dog-food-ratings-2.html

    How much does the dog weigh, and how many cups per day do you feed him? HOw long have you had him?

    I'd love to raw feed, but, currently, i can't afford it yet.

    I feed my dog Chicken Soup dog food, which is similar to your dog food, but, lists four (4) meats and meals on top of their list, and is not crazy expensive, about $1 per pound, and i top off each bowl with half meat/half kibble. Oddly, i do not have to feed as many cups per day as the bag says i should, (maybe cuz i add in so much meat?)
    and Buddy maintains his ideal weight on less cups per day than he is 'supposed' to get.

    So maybe, since my dog DOES hold his weight easily with LESS cups per day than a 50 lb dog is recommended to get, even though he is pretty active dog, with busy life, well, *maybe* that brand could help your dog put on some weight? Chicken Soup is not the absolute top #1 dog food, but, those 'grain free' kind are always chockful of potatoes, postatoes, and potatoes, and my dog gets gas on potatoes. Plus, rice and potatoes are almost the same so far as nutrition goes.

    I also add in small dab of cannola oil or fish oil capsule, a few times a week, for his coat.
    tigerlily46514, Sep 8, 2011
    #2

  3. tigerlily46514 Honored Member

    then again, although my dog needs less cups per day than the bag says, i DO know someone i know said one of her dogs had trouble putting on weight on Chicken Soup dog food, so maybe that is not the answer...sorry.
    tigerlily46514, Sep 8, 2011
    #3

  4. katz Well-Known Member

    Scooby is 9 months old. He is being fed 6 1/2 cups of food a day and gets treats. You can see his ribs but he has muscle tone. I have have been researching raw diets butam not sure i could afford it. Maybe a combination is the way to go. Because scooby grew fast we feed him a large puppy formula.
    katz, Sep 8, 2011
    #4

  5. sara Moderator

    I have 2 dogs that eat less than 1/2 the recommended amount of food on the bag, I have one dog that eats double what is recommended on the bag, and 2 that eat on the low end of the recommended amount. Basically, I'm saying that you need to feed what works for the dog, not what the bag says. I watch my dogs closely, If I can easily feel their ribs, but their spine and hip bones are mostly covered, than I'm happy, If their ribs become harder to feel, I feed less, if their spines become more prominent, I feed more. One of the worst things you can do is let your dog get fat.

    Oddly enough, Mouse, my smallest dog, who is seriously food obsessed is the one I have the hardest time keeping weight on. At 8 lbs, she eats 1/2 of what my 40lb high energy dog eats. She sleeps for most of the day, and doesn't go for walks due to missing 1/2 a foot and getting sore after only a couple of hundred feet. I wish I had a metabolism like hers! Maybe switch to a high protein/ high fat food like I feed Mouse. I feed her Acana Ranchland and Acana Pacifica She does well on that, but loses weight on the Natural Balance grain-free fish and sweet potato I feed the others. Though Oliver, Mouse and Boo get a varied diet. I also feed them GO! and NOW! (same company, different lables) Duck, Salmon, and Chicken flavours... they like the variety.
    sara, Sep 9, 2011
    #5
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  6. Anneke Experienced Member

    Looking at the picture I don't really think your dog is very underweight...But then again his body is bent to one side. I think he looks like an average Weimaraner.
    It looks like he didn't get any of the gsd genes;). Have you looked up the breed? You will see that weimaraners are slim dogs.
    You said he grew fast, so maybe he was putting his energy into getting tall in sted. At 9 months he is not fully grown yet. He will grow a teeny little taller and then start to heavy up.
    Is he a high energy dog? That will burn the fat off.
    Well and sometimes dog just have a fast metabolisme.
    I don't know what kinds of food you have over there, but out here they have a food for dogs that work a lot. For athletic dogs, so to say(doing a lot of agility or sheepherding) That contains a larger amount of carbohydrates. That just means the dog will get more energy out of the food. Maybe you could try that to get some more fat on his bones.
    Anneke, Sep 9, 2011
    #6
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  7. sara Moderator

    Anneke, GSP, not GSD. German Shorthaired Pointer :D
    sara, Sep 9, 2011
    #7

  8. Anneke Experienced Member

    Ow...oops, misread that:oops::D
    Anneke, Sep 9, 2011
    #8

  9. charmedwolf Moderator

    I wouldn't worry too much. Both GSPs and Weims are both slow maturing when it comes to weight. They both take almost 2 years to fully mature then the start to put on weight. My Boxer Isis is in the state right now. On my old blog one of the followers actually accused me of starving her before I showed a video of her eating, almost the same amount as my mastiff. She just couldn't gain weight when she was growing like a weed.

    In your picture he doesn't look too thin and as long as he is eating I wouldn't worry.
    charmedwolf, Sep 10, 2011
    #9
    tigerlily46514 likes this.

  10. tx_cowgirl Moderator

    I had a Weim/GSP too until earlier this year! :)
    He also ate like a horse. He was eating 14 cups a day of a HIGH QUALITY, HIGH FAT, HIGH PROTEIN food. He just couldn't put on without eating a ton.
    Although each dog is different, like Tigerlily said, my dogs had trouble putting on and keeping on weight with Chicken Soup for the Soul.
    Not sure about GSPs, but Weims go through awkward growth stages and do tend to be extremely skinny throughout their puppyhood.
    I recently got a 3 year old Weim; I think she's about 40 pounds but she eats as much as my 55 pound Border Collie/ACD mix. Her previous owner was a training client before I actually got the dog, but she had started feeding her the majority of her food at night because she knew she would actually rest at night. Throughout the day, she's a very active dog. Just by changing her feeding schedule she gained weight.

    A cheap way to add a little fat is to get some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and add it to his food. It's high in fat, pretty inexpensive, and it will help his coat.
    But do shop around for dog foods--look for calories per cup and fat content. That's the biggest thing to look for with a dog that doesn't put weight on well.

    Hope this helps. :)

    Oh and this was my Weim/GSP, Dakota, along with my Weim, who doesn't have a new name yet. Kota at his new home, the Weim at her old home.

    Attached Files:

    tx_cowgirl, Sep 15, 2011
    #10
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  11. katz Well-Known Member

    Thanks! I have now switched his food to try the chicken soup food...and I think he has actually gained weight. We have also started regular treat times...and a XXLarge Kong stuffed with peanut butter, yogurt and kibble once a day. I see weims occasionally around town that are a lot heavier than Scooby but have literally stopped the owners in the street to talk about the breed. The picture was a couple of months ago and about 6-8 inches shorter!!! Up until about a month ago I wondered if we were going to make it with this dog that is highly destructive and stubborn. Man has he been maturing and turning into the dog I knew he could be. We still have a long way to go but since for the breed he looks ok...I will quit worrying! Thanks for all the comments.
    katz, Sep 15, 2011
    #11
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