Building up the dog and putting on weight.

stevoman

Well lads needless to say my bitch at home is going to have a busy season, but there's still not a pick of fat on her and judging by looking at another llewellin bitch last night she is exceptionally small. I want to put her on a crash diet for the next week and a half and try build up a bit of weight on her to give her more energy for the season.

has anyone got any adivice about how to build the dog with good foods that can put some weight up quick and five her extra energy.

Vegeta

Our english setter is the very same

When we got him we thought he was a bit thin, he was sharing a kennel with our monster of a lab and we thought it was the lab stealing his food, so they are separated for feeding now but he still doesn't put on weight.

We wormed him just in case, that didn't do it. Higher protein food for him. Nope.

He just has a very athletic build, we tried a lot of things to get some weight on him but nothing doing, we don't want to just start doubling his portions. He's fit and healthy so we not overly worried. Would like to see a little more insulation on him though

Maybe with the extra exercise the season brings and a bit more food he might put on a bit.

whitser

meat meat and more meat. make sure she's well wormed etc..too. some dogs are skinny built and there's nowt you can do. my mate has a setter x beagle and she's skinny and he says shes getting lots of feeding. dry food wont add weight like meat will. i dont think you can over feed a dog thats well worked and exercised. if a dogs to withstand cold and wet and have the energy to burn on a days hunting he needs some insulation.
an under weight dog will soon suffer,especially on wet ground like bogs and rivers.
put her on a diet of chicken and beef. you'll get chicken necks,off cuts of leg beef,hearts stuff like that cheap from a butchers. a week on that and you should see a difference.

stevoman

thanks a million lads, i'l try some meat for the nest week and a half from the butchers and see if i can get her up a few punds. my concern is that she will be given a hectic first week and i want as much energy built up for her as possible!

sniper83

+ 1 with the meat, dogs are natural meat eaters.. try get you hands on some Tripe they will love it..

pullandbang

If you think you're dog is going to run out of steam on the opening day (or any day) - carry a Mars bar in your pocket and feed him half way through the day. Gives them a great boost.

whitser

there's a condition that can happen when workings dogs sugar gets too low, i forget what its called, hypo clycima(i think). its happened to me twice over the years once with my old springer dog and once with a lamping dog. its like a diabetic fit. i think springers can be prone to it(again not 100% on that). i would carry a digestive biscuit or two,just in case.

stevoman

thanks for the tips lads i'l make sure to bring some sugary food then with me. she is very very skinny so she might go low on sugars soon.

whitser

what do you feed her at the moment stevo?
if i was you stevo i'd feed meat as much as possible all year round,but especially right through out the season. i used to use a dry food and meat some days when i could get. but in the last few months i've switched to an entirely meat based diet. and i find it great. its a bit more expensive but worth it. hound packs are fed on meat and offal and they do some work/miles in a day.

alan123

stevoman wrote: »

Well lads needless to say my bitch at home is going to have a busy season,.

I hear ya, hopefully she will be cleaning and cooking plenty of game.

stevoman

whitser wrote: »

what do you feed her at the moment stevo?
if i was you stevo i'd feed meat as much as possible all year round,but especially right through out the season. i used to use a dry food and meat some days when i could get. but in the last few months i've switched to an entirely meat based diet. and i find it great. its a bit more expensive but worth it. hound packs are fed on meat and offal and they do some work/miles in a day.

well here we go, you can lauph at me first and give out to me after. what she's getting at the moment is about half tine of dog food and the rest all dog nuts. ok here's the bad part, i pick it up in lidl. it seems to suit her as cleaning up the run is fairly easy as the stool is usually tough and easy to pick up (ok then it suits me). she also gets all the scraps and fats from the table in the house, raw egg and cod liver oil occasionally.

i here what your saying about the meat whitser. i deal with the knackery's here in work and i know of lads who have hounds and greyhounds who buy meat in bulk off them as animals that die naturally on farm have the meat taken off them, it is shrink packed and sold to feed the packs.

whitser

i would defo recommend a meat based diet or at least a good quality dry food from a pet shop or agri store. cant see the dog food from lidl being up too much and tins are are defo no no.
scraps and egg and oil are all good but with not instead off a good quality food.

stevoman

whitser wrote: »

i would defo recommend a meat based diet or at least a good quality dry food from a pet shop or agri store. cant see the dog food from lidl being up too much and tins are are defo no no.
scraps and egg and oil are all good but with not instead off a good quality food.

agreed, im heading down tonight to pick up some of the stuff they give the greyhouns tonite in the agri store.

kerryman12

carry a Mars bar in your pocket and feed him half way through the day. Gives them a great boost.

AS far as i know chocolate is not good for the dogs health long term. open to correction!!!

alan123

Yes but it does help him work,rest and play!

Red Renard

alan123 wrote: »

Yes but it does help him work,rest and play!

Yes and NO http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_chocolate_dangerous_for_dogs_to_eat

Dark chocolate can be more toxic than milk chocolate.:pac:

kerryman12

Why rist it with your hunting dog. it can take a lot of effort to train a good one!!!

stevoman

i have been feeding the dog on meats for the last while and she has put on weight so she has. looks good and lean. last night i bought a large bag of the Gain greyhound feed, its small nuts at 28% protien. i guess this would work also aswell and build up her energy.

whitser

that'll be better alright stevo. lidl food is alright for feeding the wife and kids but not the dogs:D. if she's going to be getting worked hard good protein in take is defo needed.

stevoman

whitser wrote: »

that'll be better alright stevo. lidl food is alright for feeding the wife and kids but not the dogs:D. if she's going to be getting worked hard good protein in take is defo needed.

If your interested its very good value feed. now i didnt buy it for that reasonable price, but you get the large sacks for €17 which i think is very good compared to the €34 you pay for pedigree chum.

pullandbang

whitser wrote: »

lidl food is alright for feeding the wife and kids but not the dogs

Sounds a bit like the catch phrase in my signature:D which by the way comes from an NRA bumper sticker.

Mellor

kerryman12 wrote: »

AS far as i know chocolate is not good for the dogs health long term. open to correction!!!

Your right kerryman, its specifically cocoa which in chocolate. And the darker it is, the more dangerous it is. It can kill,
I certainly would option for that option, even though a Mars has a little amount of cocoa in it

suttongun

Even onions, garlic and raw potatoes are poisonous :eek:

Only found that out a while ago

Mellor

I think certain parts are poisonous, like the leafs of a potato plant

pullandbang

Green spuds are a big no no! Very poisonous.