Very Hungry GSP

Robotack

Just looking to see if any of you have experience of this. I have a 4 month old GSP. He's a cracker so far. He's wormed regularly, vaccinated and recently checked over by the vet during microchipping visit.

He is however ALWAYS hungry. He's currently on Brilly's Choice Puppy. (which on a side note has drastically improved my dogs coats and energy levels since changing from Red Mills).

He gets 3 good size portions a day yet he's still behaving like he hadn't seen food in weeks. The vet reckoned he was perfect weight if very slightly on the thin side, yet when told that the pup's pooing 4 times a day he thought that it sounded like I was "a little rich" on my food portioning. When I increse his portion he just poos more.

Maybe he's just a savage? But I've never had such a hungry dog.

Birdnuts

SOunds like a hormonal problem like a hyperactive thyroid or something - I had a simliar issue with a Lab a few years back.

Robotack

What action, if any, did you take and how was it diagnosed?

EPointer=Birdss

My Pointer bitch is the same. A pure glutton!
Inhales her food. I heard it comes from pups competing. Who knows.

The pointer dog will eat as much as you give him but not piggish. Give him a bone & you could lose fingers if you tried to bother him. He'll go into his box with it.

The springer is prone to weight & only eats what he likes & leaves the rest.
When I leave out the bitch shell check his bowl for scraps.

Vet said she was slightly underweight but pointers are hard to keep weight on as pups I've found.

Birdnuts

Robotack wrote: »

What action, if any, did you take and how was it diagnosed?

Blood tests and special diet - it was a while ago so the exact details escape me but suggest this to your vet and see what he thinks. Certainly don't do anything in terms of treatment until you are sure of what you are dealing with.

Robotack

Inhales is exactly what this lad does. I too have heard it's a pup competition thing. He was the largest pup I'm nearly sure. Like you say though it's very hard to keep weight on him. His ribs show like a greyhound sometimes. Thankfully though he is an oul pet and you can take a bone etc. no bother.

EPointer=Birdss

PS I had a series of bloods done recently for the other problem & not a thing abnormal. Just a pig

Robotack

Hey Epointer that's exactly what we call him. He works into a frenzy eating. It's actually embarrassing though as my Mam called to see us (the pup really) last week and he lept up and took a sandwich out of her hand!

EPointer=Birdss

Robotack wrote: »

Inhales is exactly what this lad does. I too have heard it's a pup competition thing. He was the largest pup I'm nearly sure. Like you say though it's very hard to keep weight on him. His ribs show like a greyhound sometimes. Thankfully though he is an oul pet and you can take a bone etc. no bother.

My lad was like that once 2. Wait til his jewels decend
Ah sure it's like taking a kebab off a fat man after a feed of pints. Your asking for a fork in the hand.
If I approach him properly & dominant I can take it but I wouldn't be complacent. It's also only ever once he hides in the box would he show aggression. Got worse since bitch came coz she tries to steal his food (since separated)

I can take the bitches food no problem as she's as soft as anything but she'll try & get it in before you can take it.

Bloods should cost you 70/80 quid if want to be sure...

Robotack

I'll see how he goes for a while anyway but thanks for the info. If it is that problem do you know if it's treatable or what?

EPointer=Birdss

Robotack wrote: »

I'll see how he goes for a while anyway but thanks for the info. If it is that problem do you know if it's treatable or what?

I wouldnt worry about it lad. Don't try & cure something not yet diagnosed.
Go to a good trust worthy vet if worried & when it's all clear rename him babe!

Had a dropper once that was also a pig. Mates setter would nearly expect you to cut it up for him. They are all different.

Stheno

Is his poo normal or loose?

Alchemist2

Feed him in a big SS bowl and wash and clean a big stone throw it in with the food and the dog will have to work around the stone i do this with pups as i find it stops the frenzy they get into

Robotack

Stheno wrote: »

Is his poo normal or loose?

He honestly has funny toilet habits. Normal 3 days, trots 1 day then back to normal that night. I've no explanation though as he's otherwise a picture of health.

Stheno

Robotack wrote: »

He honestly has funny toilet habits. Normal 3 days, trots 1 day then back to normal that night. I've no explanation though as he's otherwise a picture of health.

Reason I asked is I've had a couple of German Shepherds with Pancreatic Insuffiency, where they don't produce the enzymes that help them digest food, not unlike what another poster mentioned earlier about thyroid I think. Results in them essentially starving as they don't digest, one of the most visible symptoms is vile poo.

It's a blood test to diagnose I think, and it's thankfully an easy condition to treat with supplements in their food. There is loads of info on the site I've linked to about it.

It could however just be a greedy pup, I've also used the trick of several large rubber balls rather than stones (the true savages don't notice the stones and inhale those too) to slow them down.

Pup is very young so you might want to give a few weeks of feeding with the balls/stones to see if that settled him

TriggerPL

EPointer=Birdss wrote: »

Robotack wrote: »

I'll see how he goes for a while anyway but thanks for the info. If it is that problem do you know if it's treatable or what?

I wouldnt worry about it lad. Don't try & cure something not yet diagnosed.
Go to a good trust worthy vet if worried & when it's all clear rename him babe!

Had a dropper once that was also a pig. Mates setter would nearly expect you to cut it up for him. They are all different.

I second this my pointer bitch is a pig on food and I feed trip along with nuts she'll take the trip into her box leave it there and come out hover the nuts and then back for the tripe

German pointer

I have a GSP almost 3 now and he was the biggest of the litter and a savage when he was a pup for his food not that much has changed. I fed him Royal Cainne at €70 for a 15kg bag for the first 18 months, just to give him the right start. You could put a saddle on his back now he is so big it really brought him on. His rib bones were always sticking out the sides no matter how much he ate but he filled out by the time he was about 2 yrs old and now he is one fit looking dog. I am feeding him a food from the local Euro Spar called Worker Complet €13 for 15 kg. and that with a bit of goat meat and the bones from the deer and an odd rabbit or 2 he is getting better fed then the kids are.

staghunter

i have a pointer here and a pig aswell would eat the bag of nuts if he could get at them and like that he was like a greyhound and you swear someone had pepple dashed the kennel floor in the mornings.he was always feed on massbrook which i presumed was good stuff not cheap but pure **** in comparrison to the stuff i use now.a german guy was over acouple of months back and was telling me the stuff in lidl with the little green badge on it called orlando is great stuff so i gave it a go and the dog is in super shape now and the kennel doesnt need half as much cleaning.ive compared the supplements and vitamens with other leading brands and its as good if not better than most and very reasonble priced.alot of the time a change of food can make a big difference

Theshooter2012

I only feed my dogs once a day. When it gets dark. The dogs then know when they are going to get fed and i do as much to keep them from being fed in the middle of the day. This is what most people do when they are working dogs the vet actually recomended it to my father years ago. This may be the problem if the dog is being continuously fed it might be him thinking if i act hungry i will get fed again. It may also be a hormonal but it just sounds physiological thing.

Do you feed him on his own in a pen or with other dogs??

dclarke1977

I have a four month gsp bitch and she's exactly the same nearly makes herself sick she eats her grub that fast and my older bitch different lines used to be the same but she settled down after a while i think its just in them as pups

vincentf

Hi lads, just following the feeding / food chat. I' m feeding a gwp bitch pup on greyhound pup, just continued what the breeder started her on.She only needs small portions,very rich in nutrients and was just wondering is there any significant difference for feeding gun dogs on cheap or expensive kibble or would butchers meat and tripe cuts be better. I've read when the dogs are working they need more fat in their food for energy.
we have a lucher who is just over a year and we changed him from greyhound puppy to aldi complete and lost a lot of conditioning. we put him back on the greyhound puppy.

Robotack

Hey dclarke maybe we have brother & sister. What county was yours bred in?

dclarke1977

hey robotac i bought her just outside athlone i think his postal address is roscommon

Glensman

My GSP is the same.
Just eats and eats. Bit like myself...

Robotack

dclarke1977 wrote: »

hey robotac i bought her just outside athlone i think his postal address is roscommon

Ah mine's a Kerry pup.... Well... looks like they are just savages then!