Forums Home » Food & Nutrition

Need to put weight on Irish Setter

Please keep discussions fun, friendly, and helpful at all times. Non-informative posts criticizing a particular brand or another poster’s choice of food are not allowed in this Forum. References to any brand of food as "junk," "garbage," or other harsh names will be removed.

Member Since 12/02/2012     Barked: Mon Feb 11, '13 11:25pm PST  When the dog needs to gain a few pounds, he has to eat a specific number of calories that will exceed the number he requires for his daily activities. You will have to add 20 to 50 percent more food in your dog's food bowl, so that he will eat more. Don't expect your dog to eat all the food at once. You can also increase the amount of food on a gradual basis. First, you can add about five percent extra food and encourage your dog to eat. Praise him after finishing each meal. In time, your dog will be used to eating more and you can add even more food. Oh, and it's good to know that she has a vet appointment underway. my posts [notify]

Isabelle the- Great Nothing is- greater than an- Springer!     Barked: Tue Feb 12, '13 8:11pm PST  Isabelle went through a stage like this, though not as drastic. I feel sorry for your friend though, its one thing after another. How active is the setter? Like I said, Isabelle went through a stage like this because she was so active as a puppy we couldn't keep weight on her and she was still growing. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Tue Feb 12, '13 9:56pm PST  She's not as active as she was, but before, she was running all day every day with a small pack of other farm dogs, playing and running around the acreage nonstop til she had to go in at night for bed, or dinner. Now that they've moved back to the city though, far, far less active than before, so hoping that helps her to gain the weight back. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Member Since 12/02/2012     Barked: Tue Feb 12, '13 11:34pm PST  Let's just hope that the vet could give her an overview of what the problem is after the visit. You don't want your friend to be over feeding the dog in anyway, though. Good luck to you both. my posts [notify]

Opheila It ain't over- till the fat- kitty sings     Barked: Wed Feb 13, '13 10:32am PST  First things first, especially in a farm dog you want the vet to check for any worms or other things that would lead to weight loss. When we adopted Sophie you could count every rib. Mega submissive in a big pen of dogs she probably didn't get much from the food dish...But I always suggest oatmeal, it works for puppies and kittens too and a comfort food for skinny or ailing adults. Make a basic serving of human oatmeal and thin it with water or milk, then you can go creative-add chopped meat, vegetables, cheese, peanut butter, canned food, baby food, whatever the particular critter enjoys. Serve it once or twice a day. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Kenya aka: Barkly- McBarker     Barked: Wed Feb 13, '13 11:24am PST  I also advocate that the dog be checked by the vet. If he is cleared of the problems mentioned that could be causing his weight issue I have a couple of thoughts. I did not see which Acana formula he is eating, they have several, all with very different profiles. If she wants to stay with Acana, maybe the "Sports and Agility" formula would be a better choice as it contains quite a bit more fat than say the adult formula. Or, a food with a 30% protein, 20% fat ratio would be good to try. There are several, but personally I like the Dr. Tim's Persuit. The price is very reasonable also. It can be ordered from chewy.com, if you spend $49.00 the shipping is free. I don't know where you live but I live in NY, I think they are in PA. When I order I have the food at my door in less than 18 hours, and this is after placing the order at 4:30 in the afternoon. My son's dog was not gaining as much as I thought he should. He looked good but the spaces between his ribs would just not fill in no matter what I tried. You can only feed a dog so much before you start causing loose stools, etc. I decided to try the Persuit because I had read of others having good results with it and putting weight on their dogs. Add me to the list. I started out giving him 3 cups a day split between 2 feedings as that was the amount he was accustomed to eating of the previous foods, and this was transitioned over a 10 day period, with 75% previous food and 25% Dr. Tim's, then 50/50/, then 25/75, then 100% new food. He weighs 58 lbs. and just turned 2 yrs. old. Within 3 weeks he filled out and looks super now and I am starting to cut the amount back little by little so he doesn't gain too much. Also, when changing foods, keep an eye on the stool. If it is loose, cut back on the amount of daily food as some are richer and will cause the loose stool if too much is given, even if that amount was ok with the other food. Sending best wishes to your friend and her quest to help her dog. I know how frustrating this can be. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie" My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3     Barked: Wed Feb 13, '13 12:46pm PST  We don't get Dr. Tim's up here and she was on Sport and Agility while at the farm which is when she lost all the weight. They swapped her over to Wild Prairie because it's more affordable. We're in Canada and I know they wouldn't be into shipping their dog food or ordering online. Neither has a credit card and neither would set up bank accounts online. Her husband especially, as he's the really... nit picky one of the two. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Kenya aka: Barkly- McBarker     Barked: Thu Feb 14, '13 10:41am PST  Hmmmm. That is interesting that he lost weight on that food. Please keep us updated on your friend's progress. It would be very educational to hear what the Vet finds and recommends with this guy. I hope she is able to find what is causing his weight problem. Best of luck, sending good thoughts their way. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

(Page 2 of 2: Viewing entries 11 to 18)   1  2