What Should I Feed My Sheltie?

[7point6]

Hello,

I have a 5 1/2 month old sheltie and would appreciate opinions on what I should be feeding her.

The last few weeks have been awful as she has been teething and refusing to eat.

Now she has her adult teeth (I hope they are all through) I would like to get set in what I am feeding her.

Right now, she is getting in the morning: a cup of mixed puppy dry food (pro plan/eukan/optimum) (I have those 3 brands as I was trying them out on her). And then on the other side of the bowl I put 1 weetbix with a tiny amount of hot water to break it up and EasiYo yogurt on top (I work for the company so I am completely bias!!!). I am thinking to take out the weetbix as it was simply a fill in when she was being stubborn. I gave her everything to try to get her to eat and she seemed to like it.

Tuna and sardines are also mixed in each week.

Then when I come home I feed her a piece of raw scotch fillet steak. (my Mum thinks I spoil her!)

When I train her I either use liver treats, her dry food or cooked chicken.

Each day she also gets tid bits. Whether it be vegies I can't finish or a corner(tiny) of my toast.

We have had a problem that she eats too quickly and doesnt chew anything! She will also swallow things alot bigger than what I think should fit down her throat. In the past she has eaten so quickly she then throws it up.

I think I am getting there with this issue though. I was only giving her a few bits at a time to slow her down.

Questions:

Is this ok?

How much meat should I be giving her? Gram amount would be great.

Can I mix it up by replacing meat with chicken (raw/cooked?) every 2nd day?

What bones should I be giving her? I am worried she will hurt herself.

I have read lots and lots of posts about feeding and truly am confused. I apologise for rehashing food questions but I am doing my head in researching all the time.

This is my 1st puppy and I dont want to harm her by giving her the wrong things or not enough of the right things.

Sorry if it is long winded. Thought the more info given the better advice I can receive!

I hope you can help! Thanks

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Phew that's one heck of a diet

We have up until recently always fed Nutro, but its no longer avail in Aus

We have tried Orijen but it gives a couple of them sloppy poohs and wind.

They are currently being fed Ziwipeak.

They get a biscuit at night, and weekly a tin of sardines.

We get our biscuits from http://www.polapaws.com.au/ecommerce.php?e...rds=&page=1

We have two month old puppies and have a 7.5kg bag of Nutro here so will wean them onto that to start with.

You are welcome to join us in the sheltie thread, with piccies of course.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=82604

[laffi]

Stop weetbix.

Stick to one type of dry food rather than mixing 3 of them.

I would not feed my dogs pure meat (like steak). If you do want to add raw stuff to the diet add raw meaty bones so that you have the right ratio of calcium:potassium. It will teach her to chew things and also clean her teeth. I would recommend chicken wings/ frames, turkey necks/wings, lamb necks, roo tail.

Do keep EasiYo yogurt and tuna/sardines.

[Dame Aussie]

I was confused when I got my puppy too so don’t worry I know exactly how you feel! There are so many differing opinions on this subject and all dogs are different.

I have tried a number of different dry foods including Eagle Pack, Purina One, Supercoat and Optimum

Lili had soft sloppy stools on the Purina and not the best on Supercoat. Eagle pack was great but is on the expensive but I’ve found she does just as well on Optimum, depends on budget I guess!

We have been giving Lili some dry food as one meal (either mixed with sardines, tuna, salmon, yoghurt or a raw egg), raw meaty bones and raw meat for the other meal. Her teeth are beautiful (she’s also teething right now and we haven’t had any problems) and so is her coat and she looks very lean and healthy.

Don’t worry too much about it, stick with one dry food that she does best on and add in some bones and the odd sardine/egg etc and she should be fine!

Some good bones I have found are lamb shanks, chicken drumsticks, lamb flaps/necks and beef/lamb offcuts you can get at your butcher! We also buy a dinosaur bone every now and then and she goes mad for the marrow inside

ETA: I would get rid of the weetbix too, no real nutrition there

Edited October 21, 2008 by Aussie3

[Dogsfevr]

What diet did your breeder suggest??

Ditch the steak & the weetbix.

Being apig can be due to many reason.Not being feed enough,having meals interupted or they are simply a pig.

You can place a tennis ball or something large that they have to eat around.

Everyone will suggest & feed something different so most likely you will still be confused & some diets arre more suited to certain breeds than others.

[Gayle.]

My dogs still don't have a "set" diet......they have lots of different things depending on what's available when I'm shopping.

They have one super premium quality dry food at a time though, at the moment it's Pro Plan Selects which they absolutely love. They get that maybe 3 times a week, I also use it as training treats.

They also get raw chicken pieces (drums, necks, thighs, frames), raw meaty lamb bones (mostly brisket), mince mixed with raw veges, cheese, eggs, liver or kidney, garlic and parsley. Sardines and occasionally tinned tuna.

They have a very small breakfast, usually a chicken drumstick or a smallish brisket bone, then dinner at night. Sometimes they get an apple as a treat....Benson especially loves raw whole apples.

I work on the premise that a wide range of foods will give them everything they need and so far it's working. They are healthy, active and look absolutely fabulous. They went for their regular vet checkup recently and she was very impressed with their health and well-being.

[jr_inoz]

7point6 - Hi - good to see you also made it to the sheltie thread.

Sheltie's can be fussy (my little one is).

Try and get a hold of the book "sheltie talk" - it's really really great.

If you are getting confused by all the different opinions - have a chat to your local vet. Mine was great with advice on how to deal with my fussy eater - what to do if she refused food etc.

[koolietas]

Hi 7point6,

Congratulations on being a sheltie owner!

Firstly - you really need to decide/research as to what diet you think is the most appropriate for your dog. I started my sheltie with premium dry food & raw chicken necks (as this is what the breeder had been feeding him) - but after a short time, moved onto a BARF diet. He seemed much happier on BARF then the dry (he often left the dry food - no matter what brand I bought - he really wasn't interested in it) but not once did he leave any BARF food.

After about 18 months on BARF, I started doing a lot of reading & research and after doing this, I decided to start him on a raw food/prey model diet (ie. no veggies or supplements). After him being on this for around 12 months now, I wouldn't go back to anything else. His dermatitis has cleared completely, no longer has any ear problems and his weight is easy to maintain. His skin & coat are awesome. I also found that it's much cheaper than BARF and definitely much easier.

A raw food diet should be roughly 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal. My boy gets fed once a day (he's almost 4 years old). The principle is to feed an adult dog 2-3% of his ideal bodyweight on a daily basis. He gets things like pork/wallaby/lamb/chicken hearts (hearts are treated as a muscle meat - not offal and are really cheap), roo meat/tails, whole chickens, chicken/duck giblets, salmon heads, lamb necks, pork roasts, whole rainbow trout, lamb liver/kidneys/brains etc. He gets a raw egg 2-3 times a week (shell & all) and 4-5 times a week he gets salmon oil capsules.

Unfortunately, a lot of vets know little about diet/nutrition so they're not always the best people to ask and will probably just try and sell you the brand they stock in the surgery.

If you choose the dry food path - there are a few really good dry foods around these days...and there will be plenty of people of the forum that can help you with that.

Good luck!

[7point6]

Thank you all for your replies!

I was told to have her on the dry food with mince. And then when she is older (about now) to add in brisket bones/chicken wings. She wasn't too fussed on the mince and to be honest always seemed hungry. That is why i mixed it up a bit. She is now finally leaving food in her bowl to come back to. When we spoke to the breeder about the piggyness she said her grandfather(or father) was a pig. So I guess that is where it comes from. My Grandmother who use to breed pekingnese pups has never seen a puppy eat like my baby can. She didn't believe me until I brought her over and showed her how she eats.

I have taken out the weetbix and the steak and will head to the shops this arvo for some other goodies!

Googling for Sheltie Talk. Anyone know how to get them to stop talking? hehehe

My vet suggested Eukan but her poops went really sloppy and a funny colour. I guess if I mix it in slowly I can move her onto it. Is it the best brand to get?

I did buy natural treat sticks from the pet shop. Kangaroo/chicken and I think beef. My gosh. She is so cute but the smells that came out of her rear end were simply rude.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Would doubt that you will find sheltie talk in Aus, here is a link to booksellers in the US who have it:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResu...p;x=66&y=12

[nedsur]

you can try ebay for sheltie talk

[jr_inoz]

you can try ebay for sheltie talk

ebay is where i picked up my copy - quite cheap and from someone in oz - so local postage.

[7point6]

Thanks. I have left a voicemail for a shop in VIC who has a copy. They haven't called back yet and noone answers the phone!!! Ill keep trying though. If not I'll look elsewhere.

[7point6]

I am getting Sheltie talk from Crickhollow Books In Melbourne! They will express post it to me and hopefully I will have it next week!!!