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My Boy Has A Very Firm Belly


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Love this little book *LINK* you can feed a complete diet with no kibble and it won't be any dearer or fussier. Worth adding it to the library anyway. Your doggy might just be having a problem or intolerance with the processed grain in the dry food. :wave:

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you are all in a lot warmer climate than we are.. do u know how hard it is to keep weight on a dog when its only 2 degrees outside???

he is getting what i was told to feed him to get some more weight on him before winter really sets in..

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Well, you asked our advice, and that's what people have given you :kissbetter:

As a rottweiler breeder, I can assure you that what you are feeding is a massive amount of food for a rottweiler adult - ok, you have a cross, but it is still a massive amount of food.

If your dog has a swollen stomach and is leaving food, then you are feeding too much - regardless of what you were told to feed him.

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I am in Melbourne, and it gets damn cold here too. My dogs are both shorthaired, so they feel the cold. Sometimes I feed extra to my boy in Winter to keep the weight on, but at MOST it is 2 cups a day.

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you are all in a lot warmer climate than we are.. do u know how hard it is to keep weight on a dog when its only 2 degrees outside???

he is getting what i was told to feed him to get some more weight on him before winter really sets in..

He should cope pretty good with the cold weather if he has been provided with adequate shelter and extra blankets, if he needs a nice warm coat to help keep him warm then he will not need to be fed twice his requirements to maintain condition.

As mentioned above the 27 biscuits is the daily intake and your already feeding other foods. You can feed him half the amount of biscuits and feed him the other foods. Keeping the weight on is one thing but over feeding him will do more harm than good.

A friend lost his male Rottweiler reciently to bloat - a client a couple of yrs ago also lost a 2 yo male Rottweiler to bloat. Both kibble fed and not over fed. Bloat is a horrible way to die.

Growing up on a farm I only thought that bloat was something that grain fed animals got - never thought about dogs getting it until I realized that the majority of dog food is grain based. To me that is the connection with bloat so I avoid grain in my dogs diets - I raw feed them.

Don't know about your dog but my dogs only have to look at lamb bones and get fat so if you want to increase your dogs body condition then I would be feeding lamb bones in what ever form you can get it.

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I have found lamb flaps/ribs are a really good way of getting some weight onto dogs and they also give them something to do as they take a little bit to eat.

Have you tried a nice warm coat to help reduce the calories he needs to maintain his bodyweight? I have found - especially with horses- if they have a nice warm rug the expend less energy keeping warm. Weatherbeeta and thermo master make some great affordable waterproof coats.

I would also consider a super premium food and maybe the odd egg and fish as these are also high in calories.

ETA Andisa we posted at the same time, I agree with everything you said :kissbetter:

Edited by rommimum
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Devil's advocate here. My boy has digestive issues of some form or another and feeding him 7 or 8 cups of high grade quality dry food per day (IF he'll eat that) only barely increases his weight. (As an aside, we're working on trying to sort out the digestive issues, but that's another story which I'm sure many of you are familiar with through our 2 threads currently running.)

The point of my post now is that I don't remember seeing a photo of the OP's dog which would indicate weight/condition and I know that if anyone began making suggestions that I'm feeding my boy too much it would not do him much good to listen to them. Any less than what I'm providing him would see him far more skeletal than what he already appears on his bad days. What the OP has posted as to how much food she feeds her dog does sound an awful lot of food and I guess because of my own current experiences my first thought is to wonder why it takes so much food to maintain healthy weight and condition.

I also agree with others that the OP's diet for her dog sounds like a lot of cereal/filler and all else being well I think a balance of RMB's would be a good choice.

But to the OP I ask if your dog is healthy and whether you feel maintaining his weight is or has been difficult?

ETA: Also, whilst I note you said you noticed a drop in weight, don't rush to whack it all back on super fast. Steady is better and is much easier to monitor. Otherwise you could end up with the opposite issue and that is a dog that grew fat all of a sudden and then you'll be looking at trying to establish weight loss.

I can't remember if you've written it, but how old is your dog?

Edited by Erny
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Devil's advocate here. My boy has digestive issues of some form or another and feeding him 7 or 8 cups of high grade quality dry food per day (IF he'll eat that) only barely increases his weight. (As an aside, we're working on trying to sort out the digestive issues, but that's another story which I'm sure many of you are familiar with through our 2 threads currently running.)

The point of my post now is that I don't remember seeing a photo of the OP's dog which would indicate weight/condition and I know that if anyone began making suggestions that I'm feeding my boy too much it would not do him much good to listen to them. Any less than what I'm providing him would see him far more skeletal than what he already appears on his bad days. What the OP has posted as to how much food she feeds her dog does sound an awful lot of food and I guess because of my own current experiences my first thought is to wonder why it takes so much food to maintain healthy weight and condition.

I also agree with others that the OP's diet for her dog sounds like a lot of cereal/filler and all else being well I think a balance of RMB's would be a good choice.

But to the OP I ask if your dog is healthy and whether you feel maintaining his weight is or has been difficult?

ETA: Also, whilst I note you said you noticed a drop in weight, don't rush to whack it all back on super fast. Steady is better and is much easier to monitor. Otherwise you could end up with the opposite issue and that is a dog that grew fat all of a sudden and then you'll be looking at trying to establish weight loss.

I can't remember if you've written it, but how old is your dog?

hi my boy is coming up 3.. he has a habit of being a bit up and down with his weight.. he looks ok in photos cos i try to take photos that dont show how ribby he actually is.. he is under weight and im not trying to put it on him fast im just trying to get weight on him as he struggles to keep weight on.. once i get him back up to a healthy weight i will drop his food down so as to maintain the weight and but i will increase it if i see him dropping weight again..

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While it can be frustrating trying to keep good weight on some dogs, keep in mind that it really is about quality of the food, not how much. Some dogs do extremely well on performance foods - nearly all major brands have a version. These foods have a higher calorie content, so it means more bang for your buck as far as volume.

Better for the dog - he doesn't constantly have a full stomach therefore stretching and ultimately weakening the tendons that hold it in place. Instead, he can have an "off" day where his appetite is down and still get sufficient nutrtion.

The idea of lamb flaps etc is excellent as it will provide not only great chewing for him, but lots of good meaty calories.

Good luck with him.

Sags

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  • 2 weeks later...

you will all be pleased to know that my boy has packed on some weight and is now looking really good.. he had a 5 day holiday with a friend of mine whilst i was away and he has come home a completely different dog lol..

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apparently he was getting filled rolls, pies, all sorts of stuff that he shouldnt but she loves him and spoiled him rotten lol..

LOL It worked- and no tummy problems!! :thumbsup:

yay for junk food !

lol yeah the one case where junk food is good for you lol..

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apparently he was getting filled rolls, pies, all sorts of stuff that he shouldnt but she loves him and spoiled him rotten lol..

LOL It worked- and no tummy problems!! :)

yay for junk food !

lol yeah the one case where junk food is good for you lol..

Thats shocking.

Junk food is never good. :thumbsup:

Has he been tested for thyroid imbalance

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apparently he was getting filled rolls, pies, all sorts of stuff that he shouldnt but she loves him and spoiled him rotten lol..

LOL It worked- and no tummy problems!! :)

yay for junk food !

lol yeah the one case where junk food is good for you lol..

Thats shocking.

Junk food is never good. :thumbsup:

Has he been tested for thyroid imbalance

nope he hasnt..

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