Confused.com

[mrsd54]

Diamond has been fed WAGG from her previous owner so we have continued to do so with the addition of a raw/frozen large chicken breast twice a week as a treat. We also give her cheese now and then & whatever cooked sandwich meat is left on a Friday night. Her stools are mostly good colour & consistency.

She has been eating the cat poo so we have moved it to stop this from happening. Read that this may be due to lack of potassium in her diet so we tried banana's but she would'nt touch it

I think she's looking quite thin. She does'nt eat a full meal @ breakfast or dinner, she picks all day. Always looking for something when either of us go to the fridge or the cat gets fed so........................when i was at the shop I bought her a tin of Pedigree chunks in gravy & she demolished it in record time and is now snoozing her wee heart out on the rug!

I would appreciate some advice on whats best for my girl....

Thanks in advance
Amanda

[Bonniesmummy]

I've always fed Bonnie dry food but she is very picky and like ur dog she doesn't eat much of her meal from time to time.
She was at the vet this week and put on a special diet as she had a tummy issue.... She demolished the tinned meat in seconds!!! I asked the vet at her check up about her habits and was told that some dogs are just picky. You could feed one dog the same thing over and over and they wouldn't tire of it but some like a change.
The food she gets comes in 2 flavours so I alternate the flavour now and add a half a pouch of puppy meat to it.... So far so good

Don't know if anyone could suggest anything better?

[Triksta]

Poo eating is fairly common, our last shepherd Roxy never did it but our current one Echo who is 5 months will eat any and all poo whenever the chance arises, I have to go outside with her every time she goes whatever the weather to make sure she doesnt. I tried lots of things but nothing works like being there stopping her

As to diet Im no expert but I dont think either Wagg or Pedegree are very high quality foods Try a better quality kibble, Echo is on Arden grange and her size and weight are perfect, because its a complete it can be fed on its own but I tend to add a small amount say a third of a tin of chappie or supermeat of some description just to change the flavour as its not needed for content a lower quality meat is ok I assume

[sami]

Yep the cat poo think is nothing to do with diet they just do it!! Sami is also a real fiend for eating any creatures poo.

Dont forget when feeding dry food it is very "concentated"for want of a better word so you wont need much. Sami nibbles at food all day to the point that it hardly seems that she is eating at all but she is very healthy for 12 years old so she must eat enough.

Personally I wouldnt go the tinned food route In my experience the smell of the food when it goes in is bad enough, when it comes out the other end its even worse!!!

I've never let my dogs have access to food all day or it encourages them to pick. Feed twice a day. If she dosen't eat it in 10 mins, lift the dish. You call the shots for providing the food.

Bananas?! She's not a monkey... Ditch the random scraps; she's hungry.

I think you have to find a food she likes but one that's good for her; dogs like food that isn't necessarily good for them. Tinned, well I know some feed it but I'm not a fan. Vets say if you must feed tinned, then Chappie.

Feed a good quality kibble (Orijen's good) or switch her to raw diet. Feed according to instructions for dried, based on what her adult weight will be, or for raw 3-4% of the dog's body weight.

You say Diamond is thin, how old is she and what does she weigh?

[Tookey]

Zephyr is a bit picky with his meal, but i'm persisting as it is Arden Grange which is a reasonably priced food that I like. Sometimes I add raw meat, cooked meat, AG tinned food etc just to make it a bit more interesting for him and make sure he doesn't lose weight, works well for me.

[mrsd54]

Originally Posted by Anni

I've never let my dogs have access to food all day or it encourages them to pick. Feed twice a day. If she dosen't eat it in 10 mins, lift the dish. You call the shots for providing the food.

Bananas?! She's not a monkey... Ditch the random scraps; she's hungry.

I think you have to find a food she likes but one that's good for her; dogs like food that isn't necessarily good for them. Tinned, well I know some feed it but I'm not a fan. Vets say if you must feed tinned, then Chappie.

Feed a good quality kibble (Orijen's good) or switch her to raw diet. Feed according to instructions for dried, based on what her adult weight will be, or for raw 3-4% of the dog's body weight.

You say Diamond is thin, how old is she and what does she weigh?

Thanks Anni - My OH suggested we do the eat in the morning then eat at night routine, which we have implemented today.

She is coming up for 5yrs old, she was vet checked 4 weeks ago, my OH took her and the vet said she was a healthy weight and well muscled. I just feel she is looking very sleek and goes in at the hips (sorry hard to explain) added a pic for ease.

Diamond looks fine, not overly thin to me. Dogs should have a 'waist' and you just be able to see the contour of ribs if they turn to the side - not full-on seeing ribs poking through the fur. You should be able to feel the ribs easily.

A sign of a dog being too thin is clearly visible ribs in most positions (for GSDs) and protruding hip bones and spine. And the dog's face - it will appear boney if it's too thin.

Certain breeds are leaner plus coat length / type too.

Trouble is today there's so many overweight dogs that the slim ones look unusual - dare I say it, a bit like people!

[mrsd54]

Thank you Anni...very appreciative of your reply

[Caryll]

I think she looks perfect - fit & healthy with good muscle. I shouldn't worry at all if I were you!