Sankari Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 My 2yr Golden Retriever Zoe is 26.5 kg and i wish to have her with more weight on her. She does run around alot with our other girl who is a perfect weight, but Zoe has only been with us since week and to me she does feel and looks like she needs more fat. Zoe is difficult to get to eat very much in one go, hence the reason she's on two meals daily. Zoe currently eats chicken mince, RMB, she also gets veggie slop and she will also get natural yoghurt a few times a week. She refuses to eat offal, i don't know how to get her to eat it, but she can be extremely fussy and I was wondering what higher fat meat and RMB would be suitable for her. Her daily intake is currently 3% of current weight. She will eat Chicken carcasses and she will eat lamb shanks and she will also eat small marrow bones. I haven't had her long enough to try other things yet. Any help diet wise appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I think lamb flaps and lamb in general is often quite fatty? So maybe try some flaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 lamb flaps are great... but be cautious about adding fat to her diet.. do t gradually, or you may end up with a smelly dog until her tummy gets used to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) I personally don't like the idea of increasing fat content to put on weight. High fat intake can cause a lot of problems such as pancreatitis. It's much better to increase the ratios of a balanced diet. So go from 3% to 4-5%. I also think that 26.5 kg on a female golden is a good weight unless she is very tall. My 2 yo female golden weights about 26-27 kg and she looks stunning. There is a lot f fat retrievers so maybe you are used to the look of them and therefore think that yours is too skinny. ETA To answer your question. I agree with huski: lamb flaps are very fatty. Edited January 7, 2009 by laffi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sankari Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 laffi, no i am not used to the look of fat goldens in my area the only goldens i see are good weight ones i dont often see fat ones when i am walking the dogs/at parks, this girl does need more weight definately not good weight at 26.5kg. She is skinny especially considering I can both see and feel her ribs. Whereas my other girl is 27kg and looks devine. I havent had her long and her previous owner fed her a disgusting diet and not enough food for her to be a good weight. Will try some of the suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 laffi, no i am not used to the look of fat goldens in my area the only goldens i see are good weight ones i dont often see fat ones when i am walking the dogs/at parks, this girl does need more weight definately not good weight at 26.5kg. She is skinny especially considering I can both see and feel her ribs. Whereas my other girl is 27kg and looks devine. I havent had her long and her previous owner fed her a disgusting diet and not enough food for her to be a good weight. Will try some of the suggestions. I am sure she will flourish with your healthy diet, love and care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sankari Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 She's lucky she has me, given love and care she deserves and she'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bisart Dobes Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 We have a boy who was a real pain to get to eat - started when the first bitch went on season and he took ages to start eating enough - he's healthy but needed more weight on for the showring... Anyway he was also very fussy with what he ate - high fat and he would just bury it . . . We fed lamb skirt (not flaps) minced so that I could add different things to it, lamb liver, lamb hearts (he loves them raw) and lamb kidneys (loves them raw or cooked) - the hearts especially seem to get the weight on and they are so good for them. He will not touch any beef offal and none of our other dogs like beef offal either. Also we always buy human grade not the 'pet mix'. Best of luck with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin-Genie Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 laffi, no i am not used to the look of fat goldens in my area the only goldens i see are good weight ones i dont often see fat ones when i am walking the dogs/at parks, this girl does need more weight definately not good weight at 26.5kg. She is skinny especially considering I can both see and feel her ribs. Whereas my other girl is 27kg and looks devine. I havent had her long and her previous owner fed her a disgusting diet and not enough food for her to be a good weight. Will try some of the suggestions. What is the ideal weight for a female golden retriever? My 11 month old is about 30 kgs. I think she looks good (on the lean side) but everyone keeps telling me she's too skinny. And compared to other golden retrievers in the area, she does look quite skinny. But she's quite tall (almost as tall as the male retrievers) and is very tightly built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sankari Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 Zoe is starting to look better. I have finally gotten her to eat some offal. She wouldnt touch the chicken liver even when mixed into the fresh meat she eats. I got Lamb kidneys and she LOVES them! Zoe is starting to eat more nowadays she polishes bowl. Odin-Genie: There is no such ideal weight for a golden i have been told, but what it comes down to is going by what their condition looks like, if they look lovely, coat looks great, can still feel rib then i think they are a good weight condition. If you can both see and feel alot of rib i think they need more weight. If you think she's just lean then i would go with your gut instinct. I know some taller Goldens do seem to need more than the ones on the smaller side. Zoe is a bit taller than Charlotte, but seems to need more daily intake than what Charlotte does to burn off. Zoe is on the lean side which doesn't bother me as she is energetic, but I don't think she is too underweight. Zoe's sides are starting to fill out a little more, I just increased the daily intake rather than the fat content. Both my dogs go to the park every night and burn off alot at home wrestling and playing together. They are both happy and well adjusted dogs, so as long as they are happy then i am too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now