Feeding time's becoming a nightmare...

[Bet]

Hi all....I need some advice please about Zeus's diet.
He had always been a faddy dog regarding his food, it took a while to find something that suited his tummy (Arden Grange LB P/J) but he has never seemed to really enjoy his mealtimes and more often than not I end up throwing some (sometimes all of it) away after each mealtime.
Last week he had colitis and I was told to put him on a bland diet ie chicken and rice but previously rice had always resulted in him producing extremely mucous like stools so I was reluctant, instead I tried fish and potato and when he didn't seem to keen, mince and potato, this alongside the AB has seemed to clear up his problem.
He gets fed up of the same meals very quickly and simply turns his nose up at whats offered and doesn't eat. I am guilty of adding extras to his meals to make them more interesting and realise I may have made him faddy (my parents have his littermate and he is just as picky).
I have been known to hand feed biscuits as if they were treats, which he will take just to get something inside him but its a very lengthy process and I don't always have the time because of work and don't want him to become so relient on me being around at feeding times.
The only thing I have ever seen him really eager to eat is green tripe, the mere sight or smell sends him into an excited frenzy lol. So I am wondering if a raw diet would suit him better but am worried about getting the balance right, when I mentioned this to the vet last week he was dead set against it and was pushing me to try the royal canin GI diet instead.
I've been trawling the net for info and a diet plan but still aren't sure on weights of raw that I should feed, types of veggies and any supplements that will be needed. I was wondering if any of you that feed raw could help and also if you could take a look at the following link which contains a diet plan to see if its ok for me to try....
Raw dog food | Raw diet | Raw dog food recipes

Maisy is the complete opposite and will eat anything that is put down and I have to seperate the dogs while feeding as she will try to steal Zeus's given the chance and he's daft enough to let her have it.
I just want Zeus to be happy and healthy and enjoy his food...but at the moment it seems like i'm never going to get there...arggghhhhh.
Sorry for the long rambling post, as you can tell its really stressing me out at the moment.

[wee rascal]

This may sound bad/silly....but vets aren't always the best folks for diet information. Medical stuff ABSOLUTELY. But diet no.

They are probably aware of a few of the premium brands but that can be because they have them on sale at the practice. I've struggled to find a vet in the past that will fully and happily embrace the concept of alternative diets. I've had 3 GSD's in total and i've always just had to tailor feeding to the individual dog, wee bit of trial and error at times unfortunately but when I've found the right balance, stuck to that forever.

When I got Zeus....he was fed on a Meusli mix with raw egg and I thought to myself...that can't be right, that stuff's rubbish surely...best ask the vet. I threw money at the "premium" food my vet recommended. But I should have just have had a good long look at him....his coat was great, eyes clear and was maintaining weight wonderfully. Within 2 weeks on the new food, coat was dull, he'd lost condition and just wasn't enjoying his meals. Lesson learned. back on the muesli and egg and to hell what anybody thought about it. Stayed on that all his days and was a stunner of a dog.

Zara...lots of up and downs with her medically wise and she would go for long periods of starving herself. Green tripe was my absolute saviour and she would have happily thrived on that alone....but I did give her some chicken wings and necks in there with it for a good crunch and that was her sorted. Some folks add veg to their raw but she never seemed to require it. Some folk add all manner of supplements to it, oils and vitamins etc...I never did.

Zara and Zeus were not food driven dogs by any manner of means....completely unbribable with treats and things. But they enjoyed their meals and that's all I needed.

Jake....he's in great shape, coat is really lovely and he lives on Skinners Duck and Rice with half a can of Butchers plain tripe mix per meal. He loves it...he looks good, i'm happy. Again...not interested in anyone's opinion as it suits him and that's the only thing that matters.

If you think that your dog will enjoy raw, thrive better....forget what the vet says and just do it. You can get raw meals that are already prepared to start you off...Natural Instinct do them. They're already balanced with meat/bone/veg and you just feed according to weight. They may end up more expensive in the long run....depends on budget. But can start you off well while you find your feet with the raw.

Anyhoo...my post was even more rambling than yours ....so I best leave you there! Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

Bet, some vets really aren't clued up about raw diets - add to the fact they sell dried food, kerching! Our vets are a rural practice, so they see working dogs, and gamekeepers / hunts here feed raw. So when I researched raw diet for Remus (he had EPI) the vets were up for it. I know 2 of them feed their dogs raw.

Remus was a very faddy eater on kibble, and the only one that didn't upset his system was Royal Canin GSD. However raw is the one thing he seems to enjoy eating, though he's not a greedy dog (Zee loves any food though). Raw will put weight on so watch the amount - you need to feed less as it's more energy dense. General guideline is feed 2-3% of the dog's bodyweight and adjust from there.

There's a few on here who raw feed, and some who do mixed feeding. The thing with mixing is to keep the raw to one meal as they're digested at different rates (raw 4hrs, dried much longer) so if they're eaten together it can cause GI upsets.

Both mine are raw fed exclusively. Costs £10 per week for both dogs so not expensive but I've a good butcher and tripe supplier. Research it before you switch - dogs need the right quantities of meat, offal and bone for healthy diet.

Some links for you
Krisannrio's Raw feeding site - Home
The Many Myths of Raw Feeding
United Kingdom Raw Meaty Bones Support & Action Group

[Caryll]

Here's another site that could be helpful........

Raw Meaty Bones

[LOVEGSD]

I have been having terrible trouble with Diesel, he has had constant bouts of a bad tummy and after having various tests which showed nothing of concern we put him on Orijen, however now after months of being ok he's now not again We are trying raw and he's currently eating tripe, we tried to introduce beef but this upset him so he's back on tripe. He can't seem to tolerate chicken so it's really tough finding things to suit him

[Caryll]

Originally Posted by LOVEGSD

I have been having terrible trouble with Diesel, he has had constant bouts of a bad tummy and after having various tests which showed nothing of concern we put him on Orijen, however now after months of being ok he's now not again We are trying raw and he's currently eating tripe, we tried to introduce beef but this upset him so he's back on tripe. He can't seem to tolerate chicken so it's really tough finding things to suit him

Have you tried venison? I know it's expensive & hard to get, but my vet says that it's the meat with the least amount of allergic reactions to it.

Dempsey can't eat any form of bird - that includes chicken, duck even pheasant! He can eat a small amount of lamb or pork, but his main food is beef (meat, tripe & heart) or venison when I can get it.

[LOVEGSD]

Originally Posted by Caryll

Have you tried venison? I know it's expensive & hard to get, but my vet says that it's the meat with the least amount of allergic reactions to it.

Dempsey can't eat any form of bird - that includes chicken, duck even pheasant! He can eat a small amount of lamb or pork, but his main food is beef (meat, tripe & heart) or venison when I can get it.

Ooh no I hadn't thought about that Caryll, thanks a lot....

Diesel is loving his new raw food and is eating it with gusto, he looks great just has loose stools when we change from tripe.

That's really interesting that Dempsey can't eat any form of bird, which is a shame as chicken seems to be the easiest to get.
xx

[Caryll]

I only found out when he had the runs as a pup. The vet (as usual) recommended chicken & rice & the runs got worse! I changed to turkey - same result. I get the same with all birds, unfortunately. Lamb & pork are ok in small quantities, but beef & venison are the only things that don't upset him at all. He adores tripe, but more than 3 days on the trot gives him the trots!

[wildmoor]

when Alfe was alive he had severe advese reactions to many meat proteins the worst being Turkey then Chicken various white fish, Venison, lamb, sheep, beef he had an intollerence to - for the last 2 years of his life he was fed on skinners Duck and rice - Duck is not like turkey or chicken very few dogs have eaten it and as it is not normaly part of the food chain i have never heard of a dog who is allergic to it

[kita]

Originally Posted by Bet

(my parents have his littermate and he is just as picky).

Do you know where any of the other littermates are?

Are you still in touch with the breeder?

I just wonder if it is a hereditary thing, do you have any idea what the breeder fed the dam?

Originally Posted by Bet

Maisy is the complete opposite and will eat anything that is put down and I have to seperate the dogs while feeding as she will try to steal Zeus's given the chance and he's daft enough to let her have it.

The fact that Maisy is the complete opposite tells me it is not anything you are doing/not doing.

Is he the correct weight? Does he look thin?

Maybe he just needs less food than your other dog?

Some dogs are more 'into' food than others and sometimes I think we put too many of our own emotions onto them.

I used to 'free feed' my first three - they never had an actual meal time, they just helped themselves from a washing up bowl of Omega rings that was always down. As a result I never actually knew how much they were eating or when. I used to give them each a handful of cooked liver pieces when I left for work and the occasional treat (raw bone etc.) when I was home, but apart from that I never fed them. I always went by how they looked and how they acted. Non were overweight or underweight and I never had any problems as regards food.

If he is happy and healthy in every other aspect I wouldn't worry too much.

Sue