[tpdtopcop]

Hi all,

Since finding these forums I have switched from feeding crap to my dogs to something healthy. I am currently feeding EVO kibble and can.
I have a 4 1/2 year old Rotty and a 6 month old American Bulldog/Boxer mix. Both dogs are doing well but my wife thinks the puppy is to thin cause she at times sees his ribs. The puppy is very short haired and white with a few brindle patches. While at the vets three weeks ago the puppy weighed almost 35lbs and the vet stated to my wife the puppy was at proper weight but my wife still insists the dog is to skinny and vows to take the puppy off of what she calls crap food. I feed both dogs 1 1/2 cups kibble mixed with about two table spoons of can both EVO in the moring and then another 1 1/2 to two cups of kibble in the evening. Should I be feeding more? I checked the package and for the puppys age and weight they state 3 cups but don't know if thats a day or at each meal. Could someone help me out here.

Thanks

topcop

 

[RawFedDogs]

Both dogs are doing well but my wife thinks the puppy is to thin cause she at times sees his ribs.

You should see ribs. At least the back 2 ribs or so. You should not see back bone nor hip bone. There should be a definate waist line behind the rib cage when viewed from above.

While at the vets three weeks ago the puppy weighed almost 35lbs and the vet stated to my wife the puppy was at proper weight but my wife still insists the dog is to skinny and vows to take the puppy off of what she calls crap food.

The vet is right, wife wrong. What does she base her "show no ribs" phylosophy on? What does she base "crap food" on? EVO, along with only one or two others is the best of the best when it comes to dog food.

Should I be feeding more?

The ONLY thing you base the amount you are feeding your dog is by his build described above. Nothing else can give you the answer to the question you asked.

I checked the package and for the puppys age and weight they state 3 cups but don't know if thats a day or at each meal. Could someone help me out here.

Packages tend to recommend an amount that is a little too heavy. That sells dog food. Your dogs build is the only thing that tells you whether to feed more or less or the same amount. Keep an eye on your dog's build as you will change amounts of feed from time to time based on a lot of things.


Thanks

topcop[/QUOTE]

 

[wags]

Seems to me your feeding a high qualtiy food and things are going fine!
I agree with raw fed dogs!

 

[jenh22]

I just got a dog for the first time in my adult life, but we had rottweilers when I was a kid. So I asked my mom for advice when we got our dog. For feeding she said look at the can or bag and feed about 1/4-1/3 less than recommended for his weight as a starting point. If you start to see all or most of his ribs clearly, feed a little more. If you can't see any of his ribs or only the last one, cut back a little and get him more exercise.

Oh, and EVO is one of the best dog foods on the market. What is it she wants to feed instead?

 

[tpdtopcop]

I just got a dog for the first time in my adult life, but we had rottweilers when I was a kid. So I asked my mom for advice when we got our dog. For feeding she said look at the can or bag and feed about 1/4-1/3 less than recommended for his weight as a starting point. If you start to see all or most of his ribs clearly, feed a little more. If you can't see any of his ribs or only the last one, cut back a little and get him more exercise.

Oh, and EVO is one of the best dog foods on the market. What is it she wants to feed instead?

She wanted me to start feeding them the stuff we used to before I found what real dog food was, Beneful is what we used to feed.

 

[tpdtopcop]

You should see ribs. At least the back 2 ribs or so. You should not see back bone nor hip bone. There should be a definate waist line behind the rib cage when viewed from above.

topcop

There is no back bone or hip bone showing and there is a definite waistline.

 

[rannmiller]

Yeah it sounds like that puppy is at the perfect weight and body condition. Tell her that if she tries to bulk it up she will only cause it extreme health problems and lots of pain later on in life. Besides, the pup is in his "teens" right now where he has a nice, fast, active metabolism and is bound to go through a lanky phase before filling out with muscle. But in general, you want to see the line of the last two ribs and a definite waist, otherwise, your dog is getting overweight.

Beneful is one of the worst foods on the market and Evo is one of the best, so next time she says she wants to take them off the crap food, tell her you already did that when you switched from Beneful! haha

And the amount recommended on the package is for the whole day total so you're feeding the right amount as per the bag, just make sure you monitor your dogs' body condition, because as was previously mentioned, the food companies do tend to overestimate the amount dogs will need.

 

[t0nnn]

Have you shown her Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble ??

It almost sounds like the grudge I have with my fiance, I would feed raw, but she doesn't want to hear it..... And it's not worth the trouble lol ...in due time, i'm workin on her though. I'm happy feeding Horizon legacy for the time being.

But in your case, you're right, do not go back to Beneful.

 

[1605]

There is a definite difference between "too thin" and "right weight for body type" and I think your vet is spot on.

Several months back we thought our very active German Shorthaired Pointer was too thin. We were feeding him 4 cups/day of a certain type of food that I will refer to as "Brand X", which was recommended to us by some GSP people. At that time the vet confirmed our suspicions that he was indeed too thin, so we researched good dry foods & came up with EVO Large Bites.

Meanwhile, because the food is so dense, we are only feeding him 2 1/2 cups/day. While many people who do not know how high energy hunting dogs look might think he's still "too skinny", he's in proper "field condition" (a couple of ribs showing, definite waist). However, at this time of the year because he is running trials & training hard, we will occasionally supplement his dry food with some hamburger or other fresh protein source. Or we will bump up his food to 3 cups/day.

BTW, he will be 2 1/2 at the end of this month.

FWIW,

 

[tpdtopcop]

Thanks for all your replys. I am keeping my dogs on the EVO and will continue to monitor the puppys weight and adjust the amount of food accordingly. Thanks for the input.

 

[malluver1005]

Sorry for the late response, but is it okay to feed Evo to a puppy...?

 

[rannmiller]

There's a lot of debate over that, actually. Many people say no, especially not for large breed puppies because of the cahos levels. Others say those are just a scam to make you feel more special about your dog.

 

[Unosmom]

You can contact Natura, but they will tell you that EVo is not suitable for large breed puppies due to cal/phos. levels, theres an article on great dane ladys site regarding a study and what is considered safe, though theres still some debate, the maximum should be no more then 2.5%, but large/giant breed pups should stay below 2%

If you want to feed grain free, try Orijen puppy.