Skinny Minnie's!!

[Maxxy&Kirstin&Oll]

Since starting Ollie and Maxxy on their raw feed diets we've found that they're losing weight and fast even though theyre getting 3 good size meals each day, anyone else have this problem after switching to raw feed? and is there anything else I can mix in with raw meat to fatten the pair up quicker.
They've just eaten in the pics and still look painfully thin, I've wormed them both recently, any idea whats going on??




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Kirstin and Craig & Ollie and Maxxy

[Laura-Anne]

i know with benjay our border collie pup he went from puppy fat to proper lean very quickly just with his growth so may be with the breed. Just from what i know but could find myself to be completely wrong your meant to be able to see a defined waist on dogs and thats what i can see. I realise that doesnt stand for every breed. You should feel there ribs with light touch but the ribs should of course not jut out the skin. Same time rapid weight loss isnt good im assuming. Best way to tell if theyre getting the nutrients they need is by the size of their poo, small good, lots and the food is just running straight through them. Are they still energetic? You could try giving them bigger portions. Muffy hasnt lost she just seems more lean rather than thin but her coat is looking so much healthier to the point my family thought i had been using a special shampoo on her!
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[Lisa/Colin]

I am not an expert but you could try adding some cooked pasta or rice as well as veg.
I'm sure someone else who feeds raw will be able to advise better

Lisa

[Laura-Anne]

ps not sure if anything i said is true except about benjay and muffy. Just heard it through the grapevine
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http://www.justgiving.com/Laura-Anne-Innes Please support our cause. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Laura x

[kendal]

there is less so you do find they slim down when you start them on it. sometimes yo find the opposite with a dog who didn't really eat before but when they went or raw they bulked up.


its all about finding the right balance. how much are you feeding them, my lot tend to get half a pound to a pound of meat per day. we haven't switched to the new supplier yet so i don't know if their is a change from that.

my Gypsy is a skinny dog last weighed in at 9.38kg (about 20lb) 17 inches

Inca(3y) just short of 19 inches 12kg (about 26lb)

Echo(1y) 18 inches 11.9 kg (about 24lb)

you do find that on the raw you end up with leaner dogs. i have tried for a long time with Gypsy to bulk her up first on dry which she wouldn't eat and now on raw which she devourers.
when i put them in the kennels for crufts my colleagues at the kennels were shocked how much i give them and them not being fat.

it takes time, just keep upping how much they are getting.
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microchiping and grooming www.chipnclip.co.uk

[John Thomson]

Because there are no hard and fast rules it can take a little while to work out how much they need.......my rule of thumb is if you want a little more weight on feed a little more and less if they are carrying too much weight.

Other than looking a little thin is everything else normal?

john
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John Thomson
www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk

[Margaret J]

right as you can see i have 3 GSD and i also have 2 puppies ...

i have fed my adult dogs on raw for 3 + years now with no issues ..

the female gave birth to 10 healthy pups recently and they were weaned on raw and the majority of the people taking pups have kept them on raw.

i see from the pic that you have a jack and a collie puppy ... these are working dogs and as such should be lean and trim that is in their make up. you may find that the change in their shape is down to them being overweight or bulked up on the dry food!!!

my dogs are all trim under their coats but Breagha the blonde is from working stock and can be very lean but this is down again to her make up.

i tent to mix rice or pasta through their meals but only because they have around 3-4 hours exercise a day ... and they burn the calories...

i assume you have just swithched to raw recently and if this is the case you need to find the balance of food for your dogs energy/exercise levels to maintain an good healthy dog ...

some of the other posts mentioned your dogs poo and that is a good guide to what is going on with your dog small poos good as this means they are absorbing and using all the nutrients in the food.... larger poos generally mean you are feeding too much..... soft runny you are not feeding enough bone!!!

it is good to question but from this and your other posts i get the idea that you are not entirely happy in feeding your dog in this manner and that is the biggest thing ... yes it is good for the dog but you need to be convinced of this!!!!!! as there are a lot of sceptics out their especially vets and if you doubt it then a vet or anyone can make you feel that you are doing the wrong thing!!! you need to reachearch this as vet will question you on how the dog receives all the necessary nutrients , vitimans and minerals and you need to be able to answer!!! i m only telling you this as i have on many occasions especially with the pups have had to defend raw feeding!!!!!

obviously if your dogs are dropping lots of weight this could be an indication that there is something else wrong but only you can be the judge of that as you are their handler so if you are worried and the weight loss continues then it would do no harm to have it checked....

i am fully behind raw feeding and in my opinion the food from Grayhills is far superior to the food we where getting from our previous supplier ... it just looks like the stew you buy off the shelf at Asda.. as for parasites and i think this may be lurking at the back of your mind!!!.. then all food has parasites but these are not all harmful ... why do you think they double bag your raw meat at the supermarket.

we are in the health and safety business and Grayjills along with all other abattoirs have to make a mountain of checks before they are allowed to take animals in let alone pass meat out to the public even for animal consumption!!!!!!

Hope this has helped !!!

[Maxxy&Kirstin&Oll]

Thanks very much to everyone for your help, I'm just really unsure about raw feeding as we're devote vegetarians and know nothing about meat! I'm still feeding them on raw and have wormed them, I just worried as they both dropped weight really quickly and Ollie who is usually bonkers was quite lethargic and lifeless. She seems to have perked up a bit, been upping their meals seems to have done the trick. I'll continue to feed them on raw and I'm sure I'll see the good results soon enough! Thanks Again xx
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Kirstin and Craig & Ollie and Maxxy

[kendal]

you to tend to find raw feeding will calm a dog down, their body will just have been getting used to it.
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microchiping and grooming www.chipnclip.co.uk

[kirsty]

One of the benefits of raw feeding is it can calm a dog down. No additives.

On Grayshill: I asked them what they do with the by-product. It goes to make bonemeal and compost..
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"In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog."