puppy "ration" v. adult "ration" for canidae

[Jaegergirl]

i was wondering at what age did you stop feeding your dog the puppy "ration" and cut it back to the adult "ration." i'm sure it depends on the dog but i'm trying to get a general idea. i'm not asking at what point a puppy is physically considered an adult because it's been discussed before. i specifically want to know about the amount of food a dog gets.

currently i'm feeding him 5-6 cups a day and he'd eat all that and more if i let him. he weighs 100 lbs and is 16 mo. he's not fat at all, matter of fact, i thought he looked too skinny until he went to the vet for his annual check up. she said he was just right. his activity level is moderate.

thanks.

[mmgy]

According to Canidae's bag, you've already "cut back", a little. I think that now is not the time to make any changes. Remember that he still has to bulk up and build some muscle.
;)

[Rott-Wiley]

As you said, it would depend on the dog. I would suggest switching between the age of 12 to 18 months. Until they are 24 months old, I like to keep them on the thin side. It really comes down to a judgement call by you. I personally don't like to use a puppy style of food but at the same time I do add raw meat to the kibble I feed.

[Jaegergirl]

thanks. i wasn't sure when he qualified for the adult amount. everyone says when you feed the higher quality foods, you actually feed them less so i wasn't sure if he was getting too much at this age. looks like he's not so i'll keep feeding him as usual. :)

[brianbat420]

I switched t caide about a month ago ad here is what I dont unerstand.

My wife tells me that rocky poops a lot and I thought that on bettr food tht they were suposed o go less.

She also tell m that he looks skinny and that when he gets feed that he acts like he hs never gotten fed before and just dont understand because if he is poopin a lot then he is not usng all of his food but at the same tim he is very lean to the pointof skinny and he isacting lik he is sooo hungry I just dont understand .

We re feedng him abut 2 1/2 cps day and heeats every little bitof them so I am lost.

[Rott-Wiley]

brianbat420, how old is he? Are you feeding Canidae?

The amount to feed a dog is dependent on the dog. I'm guessing that you are feeding him 2 ½ cups a day because you got that amount on the bag? So you would be feeding about a cup and a quarter per meal? If he is skinny then maybe he needs 1½ cups per meal. Keep in mind, you don't want him to be heavy if his bones are still growing.

[Jaegergirl]

i noticed similar things with maverick. he went from eukenuba lg breed puppy to proplan to nutro natural to canidae (not all at once, but over time). i too was under the impression that he'd stop pooping so much. it did take a while (a couple months) but he did eventually start pooping less. he only goes once a day (and sometimes, but not often, twice) as opposed to 2 - 3 times a day on the other stuff.

he gets 5-6 cups a day and he still eats like he's starving. you'd think i never feed the poor guy.

and, my husband and i both thought he looked to skinny this summer. but my concerns were put to rest when he went to the vet in august... she said he was right where he should be weight wise.

maybe your dog just needs time to adjust to the new food? i donno, i'm anything but an expert when it comes to dog food. :)

[Rott-Wiley]

When you switch to a new dog food, it takes 30 to 60 days to visually see all the benefits of the new food. That includes the dog having a brighter coat from the new food.

[Jaegergirl]

That includes the dog having a brighter coat from the new food

that's one thing i haven't noticed yet... a brighter coat. there really isn't any improvement from when he was on the other food. he's been on canidae since feb. he has dandruff, too.

[mmgy]

Originally posted by brianbat420
I switched t caide about a month ago ad here is what I dont unerstand

We re feedng him abut 2 1/2 cps day and heeats every little bitof them so I am lost.

Haven't we seen pictures of this dog, and isn't he a full-grown rottweiler??? I think you might be starving him!!!!

[Rott-Wiley]

He just may need more oil in his diet to reach his coat. If it were me, I'd put him on a fish oil capsule. Start out with 1000 mg every third day and gradually increase that to daily. If you like, you could alternate using fish oil and Safflower Oil, that is what I use and all my dogs have really shiny healthy coats.

[Jaegergirl]

excuse me for my ignorance, but would vegetable oil be ok?? i've seen the suggestion of fish oil and safflower oil before and always wondered about vegetable or olive oil.

[mmgy]

While a bit of vegetable oil might be just what he needs, in general, vegetable/olive/safflower oils aren't considered as digestible as fish body oils. Try it and see if it does the trick.

Years ago we used vegetable oil for flakey coat on our lab, and it worked. Now my old dog gets wild salmon oil, but we expect him to get more out of it than just a nicer coat.

[Rott-Wiley]

The single best thing you (or anyone) can add to a dogs diet would be a fish oil capsule. One of the reasons that is so good is because of the omega 3 and 6 that are in it. Next would be Safflower or Flaxseed type oil and then would be the other types of oils like peanut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, etc. So to answer you question, yes it would be ok but chances are the dog would benefit more from the fish oil and even more from the combination of that and the Safflower Oil.

Years ago I knew a breader that supplemented her dogs with a full cup of peanut oil in their food. Half a cup in the morning and another ½ in the evening. Her dogs had great coats and their stools were very firm. That is basically a vegetable type oil and it worked well for her dogs so if you want to try it on your dog, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt him.

[LynnS]

Jaegergirl

We experienced similar problems with Bella using Canidae as have several other owners I know. I switched her food and noticed a difference in skin in about a month...on Canidae she was just a pooping machine.