I'm looking for suggestions on feed. It's tough to keep weight on my shorthair. I've been feeding Nutro performance for while and, suddenly, his stool got soft. The vet found nothing. I changed to Purina performance and the stool got firmer. I have to feed 5 - 6 cups daily in order to keep any sort of weight on him. I changed to Diamond extreme athlete (32/25) and am able to feed 4 cups daily and he's gained weight. He looks darned perfect and everyone who's seen him has commented on that. Two things, though. First, his coat is turning lighter rather than the dark liver he's always had. No, it's not sun bleached. Second, he still has running stool. I'd like to find another feed with a fat content as high as the Diamond that won't change his coat color or cause the runny stools. Also, I have to special order the Diamond which is sort of a pita.

Suggestions?

Here is a link to the dry meal I use for my girls, EVO Red Meat for Large Breeds: www.evopet.com/products/default.asp

I feed them dry meal in the morning and a combo of the dry meal and a half can of Wellness either Lamb or Venison, 1/4 can of salmon, and sometimes yogurt or cottage cheese in the afternoons. Their coats are beautiful with the brown areas a nice brown.  They have allot of oil in their coats. I increase the amount in winter as they seem to need more food in winter to keep weight on and decrease in summer.  They both get different amounts as they have different metabolisms. The amount I adjust depending on their weight and exercise activity.

The EVO has a fat content of 22.22% and protein about 42.42%.  It's not cheap, but it is very good and really agrees with my girls.  I have been using it now for about 8 months and no hair color change and no runny stools. One thing I did notice is their stools are smaller due to less grain and more protein.  That equals less cleanup which is nice.  EVO is a product of Innova.

If you can find Native, it has not less than 25% fat.

I got Lola to gain some weight by adding an extra meal every day of chicken and rice with vegetables.  It has a lot of fat because I make it with all the skin.  She was so underweight I just couldn't get enough in her.  She has picked up 5lbs now and maybe in the future she will be OK just on dog food.  I think I will continue the chicken/rice for another month or so.

My vet told me that with this type of dog, if someone doesn't ask if your dog is TOO skiny" then he is too fat. Seeing the rib bones is a good sign. I am no expert, I can only relay what I have heard. Perhaps see'n'spots should indulge. He seems to know it all. I've noticed a few regulars are no longer posting. Ooops this coment may be "off topic".

You should listen to your vet.  Most people do not know the GSP breed very well.  Also, Americans today tend to keep their dogs to heavy.  My personal opinion is you should be able to easily feel the dogs ribs and they should have a nice hour glass figure. You should not be able to see the hip bones though.  Also check out the AKC standard as it is a good barometer to start with.  Here are some pictures of my girls (remember though I am very partial to my kids ). That said, I am pretty pleased with how they look.  They play flyball, and do obedience, and we hike all over from the beaches of Texas to the Fourteeners in the Rockies.  Halo also does conformation.  Here are some pics of Belle (her tail is too short, but that is another story).  Other than that she has a terrific body, including a six pack that I am very envious of.

This one shows her hour glass figure really well.

Halo doesn't show her muscles quite as well due to her color and build, but she is also more of the GSP type. Here is Halo as BOB in Belton:

And another that shows her chest to stomach pretty well too.

If you haven't figured it out already, I am pretty proud of the way my girls look.  We do allot of conditioning with them from playing fetch, running, swimming in the summer, and biking with them to keep them in great shape.

That is why I am asking on this post.  The neighbor is used to small poodles and dalmations. 

As for Wachter, you can't see his rib bones, just a couple of  the knobs on the top of the spine when he arches.  You can only feel them when you rub your hands along his side.  My experience in raising dogs comes more from the "accessory" type breeds.  I was dressing Shih-tzu and yorkies in my doll clothes long before they became fashion statements. 

Thanks for the tip on the proportions, His hips are smooth and you can see some of the muscles forming in his back thighs. 

As for spot's know it all comment, I don't think anyone on this list has claimed to know it all, or to be accusing you of that.  We each have a different pool of knowledge and experiences that we bring to these discussions.  Bed was requesting your input because you do seem to know a lot about this breed. Knowledge that is respected and sought after, the request was not an insult or a slur.

The Satin Balls recipe reminded me of what my Grandfather used to feed his greyhounds that he raced.  He also put in spinach and sweet potatoes and I think tripe.  It was a long time ago, but his greyhounds were gorgeous (we had several as pets when I was growing up, before allot of folks knew about the breed and before we had really good choices for dog food).  I bet the dogs do love them.

O.K. TB, now you have me curious about her tail length?? do tell the story!! and FYI, both girls are awesome examples of the breed!

I used to feed Nutro lamb and rice until i had the whole pack "shootin' out both ends" Then I had a litter of puppies with crystals in their urine. Switched all to Proplan Performance. No more potty issues of any kind! I also feed twice a day. Morning and evening. this really helped maintain my weights. I used to be a once a dayer.

i have a friend who swears by pumpkin. She puts a tablespoon in with their food when they are having issues and it seems to firm them right up.

Good luck!!