Best dog food for my GSP?

Remi

Remi

New member
I have a 1yr old GSP thats very active.my problem is keeping the weight on her.She has been checked by the vet and everything comes back great except for her weight which i am having problems keeping on.Im looking for a great food to feed that does not lack any of the nutrients that she needs and doesnt have the processed meats that have ground up bone in it.i looked into native performance dog food but it has chicken meal which from what they say has ground up chicken in it including bone.any help would be great thanks Neal
 
Hi Remi:
I sear by ProPlan shredded chicken and rice formula. I used to have my gsp on the high performance but he has finally put some weight on with shredded chicken. Real chicken is the #1 ingredient. I have my labs on it as well. I feel it's the best stuff out there. Also, if you have her outside she may need some ProPlan soft food to help get energy faster to keep her warm.
 
The dog food issue comes up repeatedly on this site. There are lots of good foods out there. ProPlan is fed by many breaders and members of this site. Certainly others will recommend other brands of food but the bottom line is that you have to go with what works best for your dog. And I guess the only way to know that is to give some of the recommended brands a try. ProPlan would be a good place to start. Good luck!
 
I've settled on a Purina product but it's Purina Mills or PMI Exclusive. I use the performance formula for season and adult out of season. No gas, firm stool, no body odor. Been great for me.
 
Wouldn't increasing the portion of what you are currently feeding be the first step? Portion advice from the manufacturer always varies from the requirements of each specific dog. If you are looking to only feed a certain volume each day you need to go up in kcals per cup, otherwise just feed him 1/4 or 1/2 cup more each day and see how that goes.

Chuck
 
i would agree with portion control but she gets 6 cups a day and its still not cutting the mustard.And as i said she checks out great at the vet.is anyone conscinous of the bone product in any of the meals?
 
Remi said:
I have a 1yr old GSP thats very active.my problem is keeping the weight on her.She has been checked by the vet and everything comes back great except for her weight which i am having problems keeping on.Im looking for a great food to feed that does not lack any of the nutrients that she needs and doesnt have the processed meats that have ground up bone in it.i looked into native performance dog food but it has chicken meal which from what they say has ground up chicken in it including bone.any help would be great thanks Neal
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If your dog is gaining weight, then don't sweat it. My female chessie is at the top of the breed standard from a shoulder height standpoint and weighed a whopping 45 pounds at one year. She steadily increased and was 65 pounds by 3 years. She is 11 now and 75 pounds of muscle with a body score between 2 and 3 and has no hip or other issues. My old vet was very happy with her progression body mass wise and the current vet is happy too. The breed standard for your dog is 55 to 70 (i.e. 40 to 55 for a one year old) and it is very possible you shouldn't get to 55 pounds prior to 3 years.

Google up dog body condition and your dog should be a 2 (for a young dog that could be a 1 for a very active dog is there is a confirmation of increasing weight). If your dog is less than 23" at the shoulder, more than 45 pounds and gaining weight he/she is fine. Those bone growth plates won't be hardened off for another year so give those bones a break. There are some very good foods (http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html for one) out there.
 
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Remi said:
i looked into native performance dog food but it has chicken meal which from what they say has ground up chicken in it including bone.any help would be great thanks Neal
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Using a meal form of protein is the preferred method. You will find that most of your premium feeds contain the meat portion in a meal form. It is 65% protein and only 10% water by weight vs say just chicken which comprises 75% water and only 25% actual chicken by weight.

I use Native and with the exception of the cost, which by the way regardless of brand seems to be rising, has worked well for my pooch. Nice thing about Native is the 4 different levels that you can tailor to your individual dogs calorie requirements.
 
I agree with Morrismike. It is hard to put a great deal of weight on many 1yr old dogs. If your vet thinks he is fine, he probably is. He will pick up weight as time goes on. Might try different feeding schedule. I have a 14yr old son that is the same way. Whatever we feed him gets burned for fuel.
 
Most dogs are overwieght I feel.



One of mine, you can see his hips a little bit.

He's in tremendous shape.
Vet took his heart rate and said it was lower than average because of the shape he is in.
Yet people see him and say that he needs to put weight on because they are used to seeing dogs overweight.

I'd rather keep them thin, lean and in shape. Better for their health overall.

That being said, I feed Diamond Naturals and like it.
 
I feed Native. I use the Native 3, but they also have Native 4 which has more fat.

http://www.nativedogfood.com/

I at first was having problems getting the dog food. I could pick it up at Dressler's in Kansas City, but it was a little out of my way to my kids in NKCMO and I never knew when I would be back so didn't know how much to buy at a time. I called Native and found out that they distribute their dog food through Do-It Hardware which Mead Lumber here in Dodge City is associated with. When I get low as I saw yesterday, I called Mead Lumber and they will have a bag here next week on their weekly delivery from Do-It. Works good for me.
 
V-John said:
Most dogs are overwieght I feel.



One of mine, you can see his hips a little bit.

He's in tremendous shape.
Vet took his heart rate and said it was lower than average because of the shape he is in.
Yet people see him and say that he needs to put weight on because they are used to seeing dogs overweight.

I'd rather keep them thin, lean and in shape. Better for their health overall.

That being said, I feed Diamond Naturals and like it.
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I currently feed Diamond (hi energy or maintenance) and like it.
 
I think alot people think their dogs are too thin. I like to be able to feel their ribs by only gently rubbing on them but not see them or at least not see them sticking out. In the winter I will put a tad more weight on them. I feed a lamb and rice food. Seems to keep them at a healthy weight without runny stools. You might increase the portion a little but this alone won't help as much as finding the right food for your dog IMO. I fed PMI once upon a time but one of my dogs just wouldn't gain weight on it, as a matter of fact he lost alot of weight even increasing portions. Switched to Science Diet and he immediately looked better and started gaining. I'm not pusing SD on anyone as I don't feed it anymore but do believe its one of the best foods out there. I switched to IAMS a few months ago and everyone seems to be doing great.

Talk to your vet and see what he/she recommends. Of course if they are a science diet dealer (as most are) they will recommend that but ask for an alternative if you don't want to feed that.

And also the older your dog gets the easier he will maintain a healthy weight.
 
duckn66 said:
I think alot people think their dogs are too thin. I like to be able to feel their ribs by only gently rubbing on them but not see them or at least not see them sticking out. In the winter I will put a tad more weight on them. I feed a lamb and rice food. Seems to keep them at a healthy weight without runny stools. You might increase the portion a little but this alone won't help as much as finding the right food for your dog IMO. I fed PMI once upon a time but one of my dogs just wouldn't gain weight on it, as a matter of fact he lost alot of weight even increasing portions. Switched to Science Diet and he immediately looked better and started gaining. I'm not pusing SD on anyone as I don't feed it anymore but do believe its one of the best foods out there. I switched to IAMS a few months ago and everyone seems to be doing great.

Talk to your vet and see what he/she recommends. Of course if they are a science diet dealer (as most are) they will recommend that but ask for an alternative if you don't want to feed that.

And also the older your dog gets the easier he will maintain a healthy weight.
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Every vet should tell their clients their animals are too fat.
 
I have done a bunch of food trying over the years and now settled on Diamond Naturals. No corn no wheat no soy. There is different formulas just like Native, but at a much better price point. I tried pro plan, it was OK, but caused ear infections in the dogs, can't prove it, but when on it trouble, when not no trouble. Corn I suspect, but again no proof other then what happened. Native, I will never buy that product ever again. Very bad customer service. We had many of us with 30-40 dogs having serious diarrhea problems. We were told several things I don't care to discuss, :mad::mad:.. Any way, For those that use it good for ya,hope all is and stays well. But I will never again. I like quality control. And not being lied to. I then tried Nutri Source. Again an OK product, the super performance is with out most of the grain stuff, but the others are not. Again caused some minor issue with digestibility. Diamond Naturals has worked well so far. The dogs put on nice coats, best I have seen. The stamina is wonderful and digestibility is good. 40lb bags at Menard's for 29$ in 2616 chicken. Athlete blend is 3532 I believe. You also may want to look at the probiotics thread. I have been using that as well and it has done wonders. I will never not use it again. Good luck
 
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