Marley won't eat Canidae dry??

[MarleysMama]

Marley is 6 1/2 months old now, and he won't eat his Canidae plain.

Let me explain... Marley did not come from a reputable breeder, and he was significantly underwight due to whip and hook worms. He has finally caught up...he was 62 pounds today which I am so happy about. His growth has been very slow but steady. B/c he was so underweight we were advised to give him a few tablespoons of wet food in with his dry food to help him slowly catch up. It has worked and I want to stop doing that now. He looks great, he feels very lean and just right, IMO and the vet's opinion. I do NOT want an overweight dog.

However, I have been trying to give Marley his food just dry now and he will not eat it. He has been having a mix for almost as long as we've had him. Is there anything else that I might be able to mix into his food that might help him to eat his food, other than something so high in calories?? I have done some reading on this board and Marley also gets pretty gassy from the Canidae..is cottage cheese something I should consider?

Or do you think I should look into a new food that he likes dry and does not give him such gas??

Thank you very much for reading and helping me to solve this food dilema.

[KatarinasMom]

My last girl was the same way with her kibble (Canidae, Innova then California Natural). I swear she would have rather starved than eat dry kibble I used to add plain yogurt or cottage cheese to her morning meal and then a tablespoon or so of canned food to her evening meal.

[AngelBunny]

What about a raw diet?

For years I thought raw was the best for my canine companions but thought I didn't have the time. I also thought it was too expensive. (But at duck necks, for example, that work out to 99 cents/lb. and chicken necks at 98 cents/lb. that proved to be a phantom concern.)

It was our current foster who failed to thrive on 6 month of good kibble (3 months on Canidae, followed by 3 months on CA Nat) that finally had me make the switch. (My vet told me putting him on raw was the thing to do, so June 26, 2007 I switched foster boy and our two personal girls to raw, specifically the raw prey model.)

I am very pleased with the results. My only regret is that I didn’t make the switch years ago. All personal dogs will be fed raw from now on.

[MarleysMama]

Money was my number one concern, I would love to be able to do that...but never thought I could afford to. I am a stay at home mom, so time definately wouldn't be an issue either.

I am definately very interested in feeding a raw diet now, thank you!

Was there a particular book you refered to, or did you and the vet work on it? I am absolutely clueless as to where to start.

Thanks again for the responces. I think I may add the yogurt/cottage cheese until I understand how to do the raw food diet fully and then switch.
Thank you so much for your input ladies =]

[brunie's mom]

Raw is a great choice...but many people are scared or just don't like the idea of handling raw meat.

If he is gassy then Canidae may not be the right food...one of the proteins in the food may be causing his gassy stomach. Try him on the plain Chicken & Rice or Lamb & Rice Canidae...see if he does better on one of those.
Not sure why you don't want to add canned food anymore?...nothing wrong with feeding a good quality canned food, or adding canned sardines, or an egg, or yogurt, or good quality leftovers (lean meat or veggies) as a topper for kibble.

Honestly...my dogs will eat anything...from raw to plain dry kibble,,,,to topped off kibble...to home cooked.

Try a different kibble...and make sure he is not being picky. Most dogs will eat when they get hungry.

Gina

[MarleysMama]

I don't see it necessary to add the calories any longer as he's caught up as far as his weight is concerned. Not to mention, where I live there is an extreme shortage and the few cans I can find are outrageously priced...if I'm lucky enough to get any at all.

I was tOld by the owners of the pet store I Go to that they are switching factories which is why there is a shortage..others say they were sold. So I'm not really sure what to believe. I do have half of our 40 pound bag left...so I think I have ample time to learn about the raw food diet in that time.

Also, I am pretty sure you boil the food, things liek that to be sure to kill any bacteria. I do remember reading that somewhere.

Thanks!!!

[kanesmommy]

If you decide to change Kibbles. I feed California Natural Herring And Sweet Potato. Both my dogs LOVE that food. It is a little pricey but it lasts me about 3 weeks with 2 dogs.

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by MarleysMama

Money was my number one concern, I would love to be able to do that...but never thought I could afford to.

I buy several hundred dollars' worth of frozen every six weeks or so to feed 3 adult Rotties. (Male, about 96 lbs. 6 or so yo (moderate energy level); 65 lb 8 yo (very energetic); and 82 lb 9 yo (moderate energy).

Originally Posted by MarleysMama

I am definately very interested in feeding a raw diet... Was there a particular book you refered to, or did you and the vet work on it? I am absolutely clueless as to where to start.

After my vet told me putting Sailor on a raw diet was likely the only thing for him, I started doing research. Dr. Donna and I didn't work out a diet--she just told me to put him on a raw diet and left it at that. (Perhaps she had enough confidence in my ability to do research and if I needed help, knew I'd ask her.)

I did alot of research before making the switch. I talked to all the raw feeders I could find, went to a presentation on grainless kibble/raw, read alot of web sites, and joined some raw feeding groups.

Those I found most helpful include:

rawfeeding, a Yahoo! group
Raw Diet Basics
Raw Fed Dogs
RawFed.com
Myths About Raw Feeding
Raw Feeding FAQ
Raw Meaty Bones

I follow the raw prey model, tho when my distributor includes veggie mixes (at NC) in my order, I'll give that to the dogs and I will give them pieces of fruit I'm eating. Our two personal bitches and the foster get as wide a variety of meat and meaty bones, organ meat, and fish as I can find. I also feed tripe. I don't supplement, based on the assumption that supplements mean something is lacking in the diet, so rather than supplement, change the diet to make it complete.

Just as I don't worry about eating a perfectly balanced meal everyday, I don't worry about a perfectly balanced meal for the dogs everyday. The balance in my diet and their diet is achieved over time.

I feed based on weight and activity level. I knew how much kibble to feed, but had no idea how much raw to feed so I started feeding 2-3% of each dog's weight. If the dog started looking porky, I tweaked back the food. If the dog looked thin, I fed more.

A big help was an electronic scale. I had been using an old kitchen scale which was a hassle.

I don't know how people feed raw to big dogs if they don't have a freezer. Our 10 cubic ft freezer is now almost completely turned over to the dogs' food.

An extra fridge is nice, too.

Ironically, my DH who's a big meat eater (unlike me who infrequently eats meat) couldn't stomach the 30 lb blocks of frozen chicken or duck or turkey or the tripe defrosting in our upstairs fridge, so he booted me to the downstairs fridge (which we used twice a year for big parties).

Oma's Pride provides much of what I feed. The dogs' diet also includes vension parts hunter friends give us, freezer burned meat (no processed meats) from friends, and meat, organs, and bones from friends who raise and slaughter animals for their tables. Finding these outside sources went a long way in making me feel confident I was feeding the dogs a balanced diet because what I buy from Oma's Pride is tripe; a beef mix; chicken, duck, and turkey necks; hearts; livers; and sardines. (They sell a wide variety of meats, but buffalo, quail, ostrich, kangaroo, and the like are pricey.)

Even tho I did alot of research before switching, I was nervous doing so. I'm sure much of that had to do with being brainwashed over my decades of dog ownership by advertisements, conversations with other dog owners, and just being surrounded by a culture where manufactured is touted as being "better." Now that I've been feeding raw for awhile (since June 26, 2007) and seeing how good the dogs look--especially our foster who looked like GARBAGE on kibble and now looks and feels like the "Velveteen Rabbit"--I've relaxed and am confident the way I'm feeding my dogs is the best for them.

I plan to feed raw to any personal dogs in the future.

[MarleysMama]

Sorry it took me so long to reply!

Thank you SO very much for all of that information, I truly do appreciate it.

We have been looking into it and it does seem like a very good idea. I am wondering if I should wait until he's a year old... to be sure that his phosporous:calcium ratios are dead on. I'm so afraid of messing that up and it having an impact on his growth.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again for your help with this!