Trying To Feed My Girl Up

[atua]

Hi guys,

I am trying to feed my girl up as she seems to of lost some condition. Her coat is still healthy and shes healthy but am having trouble with her.

Normally she will eat whatever and is not fussy so I bought some chicken livers for her and she wont touch them. Takes one sniff and walks off.

I have only started feeding her up yesterday and just wondered what else would help.

Each night she gets chicken mince roughly about 250 - 300 grams and dry biscuits.

I have also been giving her mince and cooked pasta as well as serloin steak diced up.

She also gets raw roo tails about twice a week.

I know its only in the early stages but was just wondering what else would work in helping her gain condition.

She is a 1 year old American staffy with a high energy drive.

I was thinking maybe going back to puppy biscuits to get a bit of weight on her. She is not thin where you can see the ribs but isnt in great condition.

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated

Thanks is advance

[poodlefan]

Feed more food, more often if you want to put weight on a dog.

Feed high fat meat like lamb raw, on the bone. Too much mince will give her diet too much phosphorus unless it contains bone.

Feeding liver won't help her gain weight and offal shouldn't form more than 10% of her diet anyway. Dogs gain their energy from fat, not carbohydrate so feeding cereal has virtually no benefit for long term weight gain. The pasta is finding its way to the back yard.

Improving the quality of the kibble you feed may also help. What brand does she get? She certainly doesn't need puppy kibble. A "power" or "working dog" formula would be more suitable.

If you're intent on becoming a breeder, I suggest you do some more research on dog nutrition or stick to super premium kibble.

Edited August 28, 2009 by poodlefan

[Dogsfevr]

My first advice dont weigh food,each dog is different & you should adjust according to the body weight .

It sounds like she is simply not getting enough food & quality foods.

[puggy_puggy]

Many dogs are don't like the texture of offal which liver is . When I first introduced offal to the pugs they weren't to keen but now they love it like any other food. Keep trying. Maybe mix it in with some of her other food.

Are you actually wanting to put weight on your dog or put muscle. Feeding a dog extra food is not going to put muscle on them. What sort of exercise does she get? Swimming is great for building muscle. Your girl is only young as well. Many dogs do not fill out till they are at least a year and a half to two years of age.

It sounds as if you are wanting to feed her a raw type diet. Get rid of the pasta. Offal is only one component of a raw diet. Raw meaty bones should make up the majority of the diet. Then muscle meat, offal, dairy, fruit & veg etc. This website has some great infor on raw feeding. HERE

[persephone]

feed her cheap cuts of meat..on the bone

fatty brisket,lamb flaps, chicken frames..or half chickens, etc.

roo is not designed to help a dog gain weight..it is very low fat meat.

sirloin steak, and human grade chicken mince are also not going to provide her a lot of nutrition, really...

She is a beauty!

[atua]

Hey,

I feed her Bonnie Complete dry food.

I am not trying to muscle her up I just want a little more weight on her as she looks thin to me. I dont want her fat just a good coverage over her.

She runs in the backyard flat stick and also chases balls and plays soccer down at parks off lead everyday. She gets atleast one hour per day.

I used to feed Boar dog Endurance but havent been able to find it anywhere down here.

She only got steak last night as it had been in the freezer a while and the chicken mince she gets is dog mince from Lenards.

As for swimming she hates swimming she slipped off a slimey rock into a creek as a 12 week old puppy and therefore still hasnt gained confidence with water although she does go to elbow deep now so hopefully soon she willgain her trust with water.

I have noticed it being only the last few weeks that she has lost condition so i am assuming it has to do with the extra exercise she is getting and maybe a bit of a growth spurt again.

thank you for the link to the website I really need to read as much as possible on dog diets as I really have no idea.

I will look into briskett bones to give to her each night.

Is Bonnie Complete alright brand dog biscuits to be feeding her. I have recently in the last 6 months changed over and she is doing so well on it. She has a lovely coat and her skin is devine. Also she really likes the biscuits as well as the maltese which is great as I have bought Eukanuba before and they would not eat it.

Thank you for the advice I am greatful

[Guest Ams]

Atua the chicken mince from Lenards is pretty much just minced chicken carcasses. There is not much "meat" in it really.

[persephone]

If you choose to use Bonnie- try the working dog one! More fat & protein...

[atua]

Thank you very much for all your help.

[huski]

You might want to try giving her some tinned sardines or mackeral for dinner, it's great for their coat and putting weight on and dogs go wild for it!