Add tripe or change food?

[Max]

Harry who is 9 months seems to be going through the scrawny stage.
He came to us 3 months ago at 12.4 Kg & was a bit overweight, the vet wanted him at 11Kg. I weighed him a while back he was 11.2 Kg & I was happy with that, but I'm sure he's lost some more, I haven't weighed him but can feel his ribs very easily. He's most certainly not short of energy! We feed him Burns & I know some dogs do lose weight on it, we have increased it slightly - decreased Max's as he seems to have put weight on!? (Like me!)

Ideally I don't want to go the route of feeding them different foods, so I do I give him tripe to try & fill him out a bit? If so, how much & how often & does it replace a meal? I'm sure I read somewhere adding a tablespoon of beef suet can also help?

Alternative is obviously to change foods. CSJ http://www.csjk9.com/ (http://www.csjk9.com/) has been recommended if anybody has any views on this?

From 2 fat Max's & a skinny Haribo


(apologise to those of you that may read this elsewhere too)

[MightyMouth]

Cannot help on this one. Don't know the food at all. I always tried to find the most healthy holistic food I could for Kali as she cannot eat raw anymore. Lyla too has started turning her nose up at raw food. Never heard about the beef suet but if it has the same effect on dogs as humans (clogged arteries) and there is no reason to suppose not as they do have heart attacks, then it isn't something I would do.

It could be just a growth spurt? Kali had those where she suddenly went all lanky! Mine always did ok on Burns, I only changed it to Robbies and Healthy Paws because they were BAHNM Certified.

[terri]

tripe is good for putting weight on...
but stinks your house out cooking it....
i too have a very scrawny girl...who fails to put weight on..and is almost 2...and only wieghs 8.2kgs...

have heard of the company you have mentioned..but not used their food...

[Tanya]

tripe is good for putting weight on...
but stinks your house out cooking it....


Never ever cook pet tripe! eugh I can't imagine the smell :034:

Mine have minced raw 'green' tripe most days for brekkie, and yes it stinks but you get used to it - It certainly is good for putting weight on as well :044:

[Max]

Guess he's about the right age for a growth spurt. I know they should be about the same height as they are long but he's about 17" long. He must stay under 17" as I don't want to compete in agility in the Large category :074:
I've read more & decided to try the green tripe & hope he soon fills out.
OH has no sense of smell so he can feed Harry when I'm out with Max :045:
I don't want Max putting any more weight on so he'll have to have chicken wings on the days H has tripe :)

You don't think everyday will be too much then Tanya? Or should I introduce it gradually?

Eveybody seems to mention PAH to buy it & says the feeding guidelines are on the pack. Is that the only place? It's just a bit of a drag to get to our "local" one.

[Pink Gundog]

One meal tripe one biscuits everyday here, PAH frozen tripe as its easier to store :052:and you feed it as is, no cooking :052:

[Max]

Eveybody seems to mention PAH to buy it. Is that the only place? It's just a bit of a drag to get to our "local" one.

I've got a plan :)
We've got an agility show on Saturday & there's a PAH only 10 mins from there so will do a detour on the way home & take the boys round there. That should be fun! It's an hours trip home so guess it will probably start defrosting (how long does a block take to defrost?) & he can have half a block (I presume?) for Sunday breakfast. I'll have a cool bag anyway

[MightyMouth]

Wrap it in newspaper too, that will help it to stay frozen if you don't have the freezer blocks x

[joanne_v]

I know plenty who feed only tripe as diet, the real raw stuff which is unwashed has everything a dog needs.

Arwen and Lance get tripe a lot to put weight on them, its the only way to stop them looking like neglect cases.

Have heard a lot about CSJ but when I looked up the ingredients I wasn't overly impressed. Barking Heads and Healthy Paws are better ones and tend to stop dogs losing weight if they do on Burns.

[Fluffy]

I remember feeding my two dogs tripe many years ago,my rottie and german shepherd,omg,the smell was horendous,but they looked fabby doo:077: and they were always well bless them,mabes has naturediet ,i found she has a lot of mucus in her poopies lately:065: x

[Tanya]

You don't think everyday will be too much then Tanya? Or should I introduce it gradually?

Yup introduce gradually, but none of my rescues have ever had any problems switching to it :044: The frozen 2kg 'free flow'mince from pah is convenient, but not the most economical way to feed it. I get mine from Redcastles in Dundee...£11 for 20 x 400g blocks. Other raw food suppliers nationwide do similar stuff, but I'm not familiar with others elsewhere I'm afraid.

[Max]

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm probably whittling unnecessarily



Have heard a lot about CSJ but when I looked up the ingredients I wasn't overly impressed.
Really? :074: I've cut & pasted details/ingredients of their various products (as they do quite a few) then I can compare without having to keep looking at different pages on their website & with the Burns too. CSJ are going to send me samples, although don't know which ones. Downside for me is they only do 15kg bags, 7.5kg suits us.

Burns have emailed me back & said "It is more than likely that he is having a growth spurt and in a few months he will fill out into his frame. Very active dogs are often also very lean because any food they eat is burned off as energy. Giving more food or higher protein diets does often result in a dog with even more energy to burn off" No, he doesn't need anymore energy! :) "I would suggest that the easiest option would be to try and continue with the same adult diet because it is likely that in a few months the dogs weight will catch up with his size"
But then she did say we could try upping the amounts but we tried that for a day & it was obviously too much as his poos were sloppy. She also said we could add a few teaspoons of cooking oil to his meal to increase fat intake or the occasional fried egg

[joanne_v]

CSJ Original

Chicken Meat Meal, Wheat, Rice, Chicken Fat, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Wheat Feed, Full Fat Linseed, Prairie Meal, Yeast, EC permitted natural anti-oxidants, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin C and Rosemary Extract.

Meat meal means the crap stuff which isnt human grade, wheat is the number one food that dogs have intolerances to. Beet pulp is thought to cause many skin irritations. Wheat feed is the by products of the usual wheat so bottoms of stalks etc. EC permitted anti howsyerfathers. Basically legal additives and colourings that would be banned from human foods.

Sorry, I tend to rant about foods :-(

[Meerkat]

Sorry, I tend to rant about foods :-(

:049: I would never have known that if you hadn't pointed it out :064:

C'mon almighty dog food person is what I am feeding rubbish 'Autarky' now be honest - i can take it

[joanne_v]

I fed autarky for 6 months last year. Still go back to it when I'm skint and cant afford Healthy Paws at £36 per 15kg. For the price its actually very good. No wheat, no nasty additives although still has chicken meat meal and beet pulp.

[Kimberley]

tripe is good for putting weight on...
but stinks your house out cooking it....
i too have a very scrawny girl...who fails to put weight on..and is almost 2...and only wieghs 8.2kgs...

have heard of the company you have mentioned..but not used their food...

I don't cook it, I feed it raw. It stink whatever, but if you cook its, its bloody evil, make your toes curls.

[Kimberley]

Not 100%, but I have read somewhere that Fenugreek can help with weigh gain, I think you add a spoonful to there food, you can buy boxes of dried very cheaply from most Indian food stores, it has the name of .....just a minute I'll run downstairs to look in my cupboard......its called Kasuri Methi, I have a 200g box and it cost 99p. I use it in my curries.

[MightyMouth]

Fenugreek seeds are what I give my two when they have anal gland problems. I soak them though. The seeds that is, not the dogs!

[Meerkat]

Fenugreek seeds are what I give my two when they have anal gland problems. I soak them though. The seeds that is, not the dogs!


he he glad you clarified that - other wis I would be on my way to collect your two NOW

[Kimberley]

Oh MM, I had visions of a ducking stool, can you imagine the ear's as they came up!!!! Poor babies.

[Max]

Thanks for that Joanne, it's really useful. I looked at their more expensive products & they had the same ingredients.

I think I looked at Healthy Paws before & couldn't find a local stockist.

[MightyMouth]

Healthy Paws deliver and they are quite speedy too!

[Max]

But it has meat meal? now I'm confused

Healthy Paws Rabbit & Brown Rice
Ingredients : Brown Rice, Rabbit meat meal, Oats, Dried Carrot, Alfalfa, Seaweed, Chicken Oil, Fish Oil, Organic Sunflower Oil, Minerals, Vitamins, Dandelion herb, Cleaver herb, Dried Cranberry.
Typical Analysis : Protein 21%, Oil 7.5%, Fibre 2.5%, Ash 6%, Vitamin A 10,000iu/kg, Vitamin D3 1,500iu/kg, Vitamin E 75iu/kg, Copper 18mg/kg.


I really should pay as much attention to my diets as the dogs :)

[MightyMouth]

How about Barking Heads? Kali also has Robbies which she loves and although I hate pouring water on meals coz the screech until they can eat it, they absolutely flip when they see the packet!

[MightyMouth]

Was just checking out the website and although they use the words meat meal they do state that it is highest quality meat protein and no by products.

[joanne_v]

Rabbit meat meal is a heck of a lot better than factory farmed chicken meat meal so dont worry.

[Pink Gundog]

Thanks for that Joanne, it's really useful. I looked at their more expensive products & they had the same ingredients.

I think I looked at Healthy Paws before & couldn't find a local stockist.

I feed this to Drake my pup and he is doing well on the puppy stuff, but took my adult dogs off it as they were loosing weight, I find "Holistic" foods crap at holding weight on my dogs :069: I know they are bringing out another food in their range but what it is and when im not sure :046: I ordered it online direct but now I get it cheaper through the vets so a HUGE bonus :046:

[MightyMouth]

I feed this to Drake my pup and he is doing well on the puppy stuff, but took my adult dogs off it as they were loosing weight, I find "Holistic" foods crap at holding weight on my dogs :069: I know they are bringing out another food in their range but what it is and when im not sure :046: I ordered it online direct but now I get it cheaper through the vets so a HUGE bonus :046:



I think the problem with Holistic foods is that they are not full of rubbish and filling agents and so they don't bulk a dog up like non holistic foods would. Having said that, Kali is gaining weight on Healthy Paws :003: To me, it has always been about putting ingedients into my dogs that they should be having and not ones they shouldn't and I can only get that with a Holistic food http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/images/smiles/dunno_smilie.gif

[Pink Gundog]

I think the problem with Holistic foods is that they are not full of rubbish and filling agents and so they don't bulk a dog up like non holistic foods would. Having said that, Kali is gaining weight on Healthy Paws :003: To me, it has always been about putting ingedients into my dogs that they should be having and not ones they shouldn't and I can only get that with a Holistic food http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/images/smiles/dunno_smilie.gif

I know what you mean, it is good food but I cant have skinny ribbed Labs, esp when Otter has lost on holistic foods nearly 8 kilos :025: Im sick of dog food TBH it is as someone said a mine field :058: I was shooting yest with a butcher who has a number of shops and he said I can get as much Meat etc for the dogs as I need anytime so we will see if maybe that will do the trick.. However Drake will remain on HP as its really doing wonders for him, all dogs are diff I suppose, just never had the problem of fat dogs :049: