Gazboy Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Shame my camera broke, I'd have taken a piccie of mine just to annoy you lol! (I've got a camera phone, but haven't installed the software onto my PC yet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffvalenti Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I feed Shadow (in the avatar) Iams or Eukanuba mainly because they seem to be the dog foods highest in meat derived protein (as opposed to maize/corn) and its the only way that I've found that I can keep any weight on him. He also gets scraps of all varieties, including, his favourite, frozen bread. We have to buy a cheap loaf and keep it in the freezer especially for him. Put a hand near the toaster and he runs and sits by the freezer door For those not in the know, Weimaraners are very excitable OK they're manic but fun as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bromy Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I feed Shadow (in the avatar) Iams or Eukanuba mainly because they seem to be the dog foods highest in meat derived protein (as opposed to maize/corn) and its the only way that I've found that I can keep any weight on him. Have you tried mixing his food with a little pasta? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 What's wrong with the 'Puppy/Junior' they do? Iams do loads of different types but alot of it is bullsh*t imo , designer dog food. It goes in one end and comes out the other, usually on your carpet for the first few weeks, if it's designed for puppies then just give them more of it if they are a larger type dog. Paul Well, I am lead to believe that larger breeds have far more growing to do in the first year than small or medium dogs, therefore puppy food for larger breeds contains a different balance of nutrients etc to reflect that. It could all well be rubbish, but I know I'd feel pretty bad if my dog had problems due to feeding it wrongly as a puppy. I know how important it is to get a foals food right so it develops correctly so perhaps I am over cautious with dogs too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffvalenti Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I must admit over the years, to have tried most things (we've had 3 Weimaraners, Shadow being the 3rd, and 9 years old) He gets lots of scraps and leftovers as well as vegetables, fruit cores, and whole fruit, bread, cheese, all types of meat. Basically you name it, he gets it. He has a very varied diet I've experimented with different foods and have come to the conclusion that Iams/Eukanuba plus all the other scraps and things he manages to scrounge or steal, seems to be the right balance to maintaining weight. Perhaps I should try him on beer, it certainly helps me gain weight Your dog looks great, by the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffvalenti Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 It could all well be rubbish, but I know I'd feel pretty bad if my dog had problems due to feeding it wrongly as a puppy. We all know its rubbish, but we still do it. We just want to give them the very best that we can, and if that means some expensive puppy food for a year, then so be it. I know in the wild young dogs survive on scraps of anything thats going, but if we can give them something better, that's allegedly formulated for their every need, then why not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bromy Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 True.. the puppy food is higher in protein and you should not keep them on it for longer than recommended, we had a few problems moving her on from the junior food on to the adult food due to the kiblets being a lot bigger she just would not eat it, all sorted now just went on a mix of both for a while Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARTIN R Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Have fed our Golden Retriever on a food called Nutro. Its a dry food an is maize free ( she has an allergy). Her coat is now fantastic. Above all though she likes it. She like to wash it down with the occassional beer to:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPRALOOPY Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 james wellbegood (sp) cos its got the things he needs and won't upset his tummy:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Working dog food in commercial size bags (working dog food is VAT free), plus Tesco Value cheap tinned meat. The odd rabbit, or scraps, the odd cooked egg. We think one of the bitches is preganant, if so she'll get top quailty stuff and supplements until the pups are weaned. Four 100 pound plus dogs and it costs us less per week to feed them all than a pal spends on his two aging moggies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Dried food like James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin etc. or cheap working dog stuff to mix in like Chris suggests. 'kita's had greyhound food before. She also gets a lot of chicken and rice, it's easy for them to digest (and rice is cheap!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE DON Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 [ATTACH]31949[/ATTACH] my dogs got the stomach of a caveman it'l eat just about anything. dry mix and tinned food together keeps him looking good:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syed Shah Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Working dog food in commercial size bags That is what mine get too, along with the breeders pack stuff. Truely excellent nutrition. I am pretty good on the nutrition stuff (for humans atleast!) and the best thing you can do is look at the nutritional composition of the food. Dry dog food is x10 better in this respect. Don't believe me, go look on the side of the best tinned food versus even a poor dry mix, compare the carbs, fats, proteins etc. No contest. The only dog who got tinned stuff and some Bakers dry food was the German Shepard, as he was a fussy eater. He was partial to fresh meat tho, used to go off rabbit hunting all night, with good success too! A word of warning, if feeding a pup from one of the giant breeds (Bernard, Mastiff, Dane etc) do not give them too much puppy food. Puppy food is high protein (High protein = very very food for development, higher the better as it stops growing in height), and this means they grow too fast as pups, leading to a weak bone structure, hip problems etc. keep the amounts of this low until they are past 6 months, then taper this up until by 9 months they are eating as much high protein food as you can afford to give them. As by 9 months, the crucial stage is over for height growth, and they will just add a bit more quality height along with lots of width and muscle. Between this age of 9months-3 years, feed them quality food, and your dog with have the muscle of Tyson, I kid you not! I can always tell with the larger breeds how well they have been fed, from the hip problems to lanky dogs with no width and power to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bromy Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 I can always tell with the larger breeds how well they have been fed, from the hip problems to lanky dogs with no width and power to them. Our dog has always been fed well, know all about the high protein of puppy food and our dog is lanky for her breed and she is 100% pedigree (5 generations), vet said he would not like to see her any heavier than she is (12 stone) you can see her ribs when she turns, doesn't mean she has no been fed well or on crap food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian R Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 [ATTACH]31949[/ATTACH] my dogs got the stomach of a caveman it'l eat just about anything. dry mix and tinned food together keeps him looking good:) scary he looks just like mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 A word of warning, if feeding a pup from one of the giant breeds (Bernard, Mastiff, Dane etc) do not give them too much puppy food. Puppy food is high protein (High protein = very very food for development, higher the better as it stops growing in height), and this means they grow too fast as pups, leading to a weak bone structure, hip problems etc. keep the amounts of this low until they are past 6 months, then taper this up until by 9 months they are eating as much high protein food as you can afford to give them. As by 9 months, the crucial stage is over for height growth, and they will just add a bit more quality height along with lots of width and muscle. Between this age of 9months-3 years, feed them quality food, and your dog with have the muscle of Tyson, I kid you not! I can always tell with the larger breeds how well they have been fed, from the hip problems to lanky dogs with no width and power to them. Interesting because I have been religiously reading packets of large breed puppy food and all have high protein levels. All brands are for dogs up to a year or 18 months, so why are you (expert) saying different to people who are experts too? BTW I am not saying you are wrong, I am just getting more confused about this the more I read! Also, people say they choose the highest meat %... but why? Protein? If it has protein added instead does it matter? Why do the % in similar prices large breed puppy food all vary so so so much? How could you ever know what is right? The packets all tell you what is in them but there doesn't seem to be any totally set in stone "this is what you want and why" explanation. For every 10 people/websites/vets/nutritionalist that say X is the way to go, you can find 10 who totally disagree. Very confusing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARTIN R Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Dried food like James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin etc. or cheap working dog stuff to mix in like Chris suggests. 'kita's had greyhound food before. She also gets a lot of chicken and rice, it's easy for them to digest (and rice is cheap!). Royal Canin is also an excellent food:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syed Shah Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Interesting because I have been religiously reading packets of large breed puppy food and all have high protein levels. All brands are for dogs up to a year or 18 months, so why are you (expert) saying different to people who are experts too? BTW I am not saying you are wrong, I am just getting more confused about this the more I read! Also, people say they choose the highest meat %... but why? Protein? If it has protein added instead does it matter? Why do the % in similar prices large breed puppy food all vary so so so much? How could you ever know what is right? The packets all tell you what is in them but there doesn't seem to be any totally set in stone "this is what you want and why" explanation. For every 10 people/websites/vets/nutritionalist that say X is the way to go, you can find 10 who totally disagree. Very confusing!!! Very confusing = definately! Like most things, lots of information in every direction, leaving the consumer thinking WTF?! books + advice from experienced owners + my own knowledge led to my overall views and conclusions. Ok, well firstly, my view is the same as that of most experts, read some of the breeder books for larger breeds, they will echo what I say for feeding and early development. Of course, that is VERY different from what the food makers say, but they say that to sell, I doubt they would change their advice because of the hip troubles suffered by the BIG breeds. The people who have bred Mastiffs etc for the last 20 years usually say exactly what I say. For smaller breeds from the start, and for giant breeds after a period of time, protein is really what matters most, it is a bit of a generalisation, but more protein = better. Meat content is not nearly as important unless the dog is a fussy eater and wants it! Most dog meat is utter shite anyway, when my dogs get meat, they get the real stuff, not that processed rubbish thats mostly gel. So whoever is sayng get the one with most meat % = wrong! Prices? I don't know really, I suspect it is in the name. When initally selecting what to feed my dogs on, I went through the composition of each food and selected from that, as price was not a consideration to me. It just turned out the best is pretty cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syed Shah Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Our dog has always been fed well, know all about the high protein of puppy food and our dog is lanky for her breed and she is 100% pedigree (5 generations), vet said he would not like to see her any heavier than she is (12 stone) you can see her ribs when she turns, doesn't mean she has no been fed well or on crap food Wow quite a weight for the breed, nicely done! Seeing the ribs is definately not a sign of poor nourishment! Its a sign of good health to see them as the dog moves and feel them with your fingers. Sounds like you have done a good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 Ok, well firstly, my view is the same as that of most experts, read some of the breeder books for larger breeds, they will echo what I say for feeding and early development. Of course, that is VERY different from what the food makers say, but they say that to sell, I doubt they would change their advice because of the hip troubles suffered by the BIG breeds. The people who have bred Mastiffs etc for the last 20 years usually say exactly what I say. For smaller breeds from the start, and for giant breeds after a period of time, protein is really what matters most, it is a bit of a generalisation, but more protein = better. Meat content is not nearly as important unless the dog is a fussy eater and wants it! Most dog meat is utter shite anyway, when my dogs get meat, they get the real stuff, not that processed rubbish thats mostly gel. So whoever is sayng get the one with most meat % = wrong! Prices? I don't know really, I suspect it is in the name. When initally selecting what to feed my dogs on, I went through the composition of each food and selected from that, as price was not a consideration to me. It just turned out the best is pretty cheap! I've been reading books and websites and speaking to breeders etc for months, everyone thinks I'm nuts but I do this with everything, I have to know it all before I get involved haha. The one thing that none of them 100% agree on (or anywhere near) is the feeding part, I find it very odd. What kind of % of protein (and other stuff) would you recommend for a large (not giant) breed puppy then? In an ideal world what do you think they would be fed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 Don't believe me, go look on the side of the best tinned food versus even a poor dry mix, compare the carbs, fats, proteins etc. No contest. do not give them too much puppy food. Also, just to clarify... When you say compare carbs/fat/ etc, it is easy to compare them, but what are you after? What balance of all of it do you want? When you say don't give them too much puppy food, do you mean don't overfeed them puppy food or don't use it at all, use something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bromy Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Go with your gut feeling Rosie, and more importantly whatever the dogs seem happy with:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bromy Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 Feed them the puppy food but for only the recommended amount of time and volumes.. no longer as, has been said (certainly in the case of royal canin) it is higher in protein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supragal Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 Go with your gut feeling Rosie, and more importantly whatever the dogs seem happy with:) I understand what you're saying, and if you spoke to my other half Jon I think he's about ready to kill me.... we'd already been through this and decided ages ago, but today we went to a huge place that stocked all the brands and now I'm back to square one. My problem is, if the dog was to have a problem in later life that *could* be possibly cause by me not feeding them right as puppies I'd never forgive myself. I just feel it is crucial to get it right while they are growing. But I do this with everything, I'm a proper worrier about some things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian R Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 My advise would be do contact Breeders of the dog there are a few online for Rhodesians they will give you the best Advice IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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