Changing dog food

[redman25]

I've been feeding Canidae Lamb and rice as well as All Life Stages for the first four months of my pups life. He's doing fine on it I guess, as he's gaining weight at a good rate according to the vet. On the other hand he has terrible gas, and the stool is never really solid, so I'm thinking about changing up. Does anyone have any experience with the Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete? He's a pup so I'm thinking the extra protein/fat content will be good for him, especially since I'll be running him a good bit for the next few months. If it works out I figured I would go to the Naturals Chicken and Rice for maintenance. Any input is appreciated!

[birddog1968]

I feed EA, I would imagine that the ALS is similar. How many cups are you feeding?

I had to start the dogs off slow on it and creep up on the final ration.....the dogs will gain
weight easily on the EA and if feed too much are soft, and it doesn't take a ton of food to get
there. I am feeding 50 lb pointers around 2 to 2 1/2 cups. Just keeping an eye on weight/condition.

[bossman]

Why did you select the current food in the first place. From what I can tell, you'd be going from a formula that's about 24/15 to one that's 32/25. That's a big jump and a pretty "hot" feed for a four month old pup imo. Could cause him to grow too fast causing other problems down the road. What breed of dog? You say your going to be running him "a good bit" the next few months...How much are you going to run him?...I think I would find a formula that's about 28-30/18-20...As a pup, I think I would pick a formula I could feed all year without changing all the time. Also, make sure your not feeding him too much.You will get many good opinion's...these are just mine...Good luck

[ezzy333]

Don't think there is any real reason to change. Just cut back about half of what you are feeding for a day or two and then increase him gradually till you are feeding a little less than you are now.
A pup at that stage doesn't need to grow fast or get heavy.

Ezzy

[Cajun Casey]

Lamb is hard to digest and Canidae ALS contains quite a bit. Try the chicken and rice formula. The Diamond is way too hot for a youngster. If you can get Chicken Soup brand, give it a thought.

[MikeB]

Redman,
I agree with Ezzy... I wouldn't change food, just cut back on the amount your feeding.

BUT... I have a few questions.
Are you mixing the formulas? Lamb/rice and ALS?
Exactly what are you feeding now, which formula?
What breed do you have?
I would feed the ALS 24/14 to your pup. Exactly how much each meal are you feeding? Do you measure or free feed?

I have been feeding Canidae since it hit the retail stores over 15 years ago. With Canidae it's true that pups can eat 2 x's as much as an adult the same weight. But if your feeding that much, that could be your problem with the gas and soft stools. Cut back the amount and see what happens.

I also believe in using products like PROZYME Digestive enzymes or other products like it, with each meal I feed. It makes a huge difference with many dog keeping weight on and with any kind of digestive issues. http://www.prozymeproducts.com

[redman25]

He's a 4 1\2 month GSP. I'm feeding 3 cups per day. It calls for 2-4 cups for puppies up to 6 months between 25 and 50 lbs. He's at 40 lbs now. The sire to him is around 70, so he's going to be a bigger dog I think. He's not the type to gobble his food at all. If he's not exercised on a given day, he might only go through 2 cups. I feed 1.5 in the morning and another 1.5 in the afternoon. I am not feeding both Lamb and Rice and ALS. I fed L and R through one bag, but I am solely feeding ALS now. I thought the Diamond might be too much, and that's why I ask first. The gas is bad especially in the evenings, but is mostly an issue for my girlfriend :roll:. His stool is soft, but not runny. If you guys think cutting back on feeding will help, then I'll try that.

When I said I'd be running him a good bit more for the next few months I mostly mean for training purposes. I've finally found some pigeons, and have gotten access to a 375 acre farm with a little over 100 acres of fields to train. A couple hours of training a few days per week probably wouldn't justify such a "hot food" as was said. I was just putting that out there. If anything he'll probably just take a little more of the ALS?

[mcbosco]

You would be amazed what a 10% reduction in food does for stool quality.

Also, pups are not known for producing stools as firm as adults, so take that into account.

Make small reductions amd you will see a big difference.

ALS is pretty caloric so he must not need the calories.

[redman25]

You would be amazed what a 10% reduction in food does for stool quality.

Also, pups are not known for producing stools as firm as adults, so take that into account.

Make small reductions amd you will see a big difference.

ALS is pretty caloric so he must not need the calories.

Yeah, as usual this is most likely operator error . On mornings when he didn't get exercise the day before, he might not touch his food for an hour or so. I usually give him at least a couple of miles of walking exercise per day, and even then he'll barely go through the 3 cups. On days when I get him to the field and he's running himself really strong, he burns through his food pretty dependably. Obviously his caloric intake is going to vary.

[MikeB]

Agree with all said. Reduce the food amount a little AM/PM and see what happens over a week or so. Keep us posted.

[ezzy333]

Redman,

Do your self and your pup a favor and forget about reading whats on the bag and feed what your pup needs to stay in the shape you want him. Those are guidelines on the bag for people who have no idea how to feed an animal. And since no two animals are alike they have little value in actuality.

Good luck and let us know what the pup has said in about a month from now.

Ezzy

[birddog1968]

Cajun Casey wrote

The Diamond is way too hot for a youngster.
Whats your reasoning here?

I have had my snowatch pup on EA 32/25 from 7 weeks....stools great, not growing too fast and she is a ball of fire......

She's on about 2 - 2 1/2 cups. Not one issue.

[redman25]

Redman,

Do your self and your pup a favor and forget about reading whats on the bag and feed what your pup needs to stay in the shape you want him. Those are guidelines on the bag for people who have no idea how to feed an animal. And since no two animals are alike they have little value in actuality.

Good luck and let us know what the pup has said in about a month from now.

Ezzy

Thanks, will do.

[redman25]

Well, I know it has only been a week, but I thought it deserved an update. Literally the next morning after this discussion, I was planning on cutting him back a little from the 3 cups per day. As I said, he usually doesn't eat everything I put down for him anyhow, so why not right? He inhaled the morning helping for the first time ever and his afternoon feed as well....same 3 cups. I decided to give him his 3 cups the next day, ate each 1.5 at one sitting the next day too. His stool has been more solid, and the gas has subsided. I don't know if he hit a growth spurt or what, but all of a sudden everything changed for the better on the same amount of feed.

[redman25]

The above result was very short lived. I went ahead and made the change to Diamond Naturals EA. I've been weaning him off the Canidae for the last two weeks, and he's now solely on the Diamond. He loves the stuff and the stools are much much better.

[ezzy333]

The above result was very short lived. I went ahead and made the change to Diamond Naturals EA. I've been weaning him off the Canidae for the last two weeks, and he's now solely on the Diamond. He loves the stuff and the stools are much much better.

Good to hear. Thats the way to feed an animal. Usually doesn't take long to find a solution and your dog let you know that it worked.

Ezzy