A different kind of dog food issue

[bagendhens]

for the weight...
look up the recipie for satin balls, they are wonderfull for putting weight on high metabolism dogs and are LOVED as treats, just be carefull, they work and work well! lol.

naturals is great food so i wouldnt switch just for a weight issue, id simply do the satin balls.
as for hunger...mabe try splitting his meals into a few smaller ones to trick his mind into thinking hes getting more, hes still a puppy so his metabolism is racing and he could very well just be a chow hound too (some dogs like to eat lol)
or try somehting llike http://www.brake-fast.net/, the bowls force them to eat slower...and like people the slower you eat the better and the more full you feel.

your could also try low cal snacks like carrots or recreational bones.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Thanks. Hadn't thought of the satin balls for Jax. My first thought was for nutri-cal. Kane is actually a very slow eater. He lays down with a paw on each side of his bowl and takes his time. Just that five minutes after he finishes he's ready to eat again.

 

[ChickenFanaticAB]

From the pictures I have seen of Jax, he just looks like a young dog to me. I don't think he looks too lean, then again, we have a dog who didn't really fill out until he was about 3. Our dog only eats what he wants, and was also extremely active, and I always thought he was thin, but he wasn't hungry, so I think it was just his natural body weight. Sounds like he is eating plenty (6 cups each! Our 80 pounder only gets 3!) so I wouldn't worry too much. With large dogs, I always feel it is a bit better for them to be a bit lean, and I'm sure that as he gets older he will naturally fill out.

 

[Beekissed]

When I want one dog to have more nutrition then the other, I give the dog some raw eggs on her food. This gets her the extra she needs without having to switch foods or give one more than the other.

 

[Bluemoon420]

I do that with one of my dogs. He's super hyper, and he loves it. I give him the pullet eggs in his food.

Our GSD Sophie is about Jax is age. She's lean, but not skinny. Loves to run and wrestle with our other dogs. Our male didn't finish filling out til 2 years old or so. Sophie is about 85 lbs right now. She gets about 3 sometimes 4 cups. She likes to wolf her food down. So I spread it out during the day, and she uses a bumpy bowl. Nothing slow about her.

My friends GSD eats like gritsar described. Lays down at the bowl, eats slow. They are like day and night.

Bluemoon

 

[gritsar]

I used to give the boys egg on their food. Kane loved it, but of course Kane would eat a rock if he could. Jax started refusing to eat if I put egg on it. Yogurt he loves, egg he doesn't.
We figure Jax still has at least a good six months of filling out to do. They are so alike, yet so different. Without a doubt, Kane is going to bypass Jax in weight by the time he's 7 to 8 months old. He's already nearly as tall.
Bluemoon, it makes me feel better to hear that Jax and Sophie are close in weight, since they are very close in age.

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
Did you try the egg in different ways....boiled, scrambled, or raw etc. that might help?

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Hey there! My Foenix and Jax have much the same metabolizm and body style. Both are longer legged and lean.

Here is my solution to the same problem of not having quite enough weight on your dog.

I went to the local butcher shop and got ten pounds of beef fat (suet). They sell it cheap because most people want it for bird food. They didn't grind it for me.

I took it home and rendered it on my stove on LOW heat for about four to five hours. Takes forever on low but if you turn it up too high it will start frying the connective tissue and other non-fat "stuff" in the suet.

After it was rendered I lined a cake pan with wax paper and poured it in, placed in the freezer till it was solidified. Turned out on a cutting board, peeled the paper and, working quickly so it didn't warm too much, I cut it in portion sized chunks (maybe two to three oz each). I now keep the suet cubes in my freezer in a Ziplock.

Every night I put his steel dog dish directly on the stove with some water and add the suet cube, melt it, add an egg and mix well (the egg helps the fat emulsify into the water so its just sitting on top). Then I add the kibble and mix well.

Foenix is looking better than ever, he's gained maybe four pounds and I can't see all his ribs anymore. Although he is very healthy I needed a high calorie alternative to just feeding him more kibble a day. It is working well for me.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

We don't have a butcher shop or a true meat dept. in town yet - only a walmart - but there's s'pose to be a real grocery store opening in town around the middle of the month. We've heard good things about their meat dept., from their other store in Oklahoma, so we're hopeful. I plan to get on a first name basis with their butcher.

 

[gritsar]

P.S. After they ate tonight I watched Kane work for 15 minutes to get one single piece of kibble that had rolled under the kitchen cabinet at chowtime. It was only one piece of kibble, but he was very pleased with himself once he got it.