venner5
Saline, MI
Posts:14
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| 09/08/2011 7:07 AM |
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I have a 19mth GSP who never was a big eater but who now only eats when training... obedience, agility, tracking...
It's not that she is a finicky eater. She'll eat her kibble for reward. If not training she eats about 1/4 cup food and that's it - doesn't matter what you feed. She now doesn't even meet standard and is very, very skinny.
Has anyone come across this and know a solution. Training isn't really always a solution and takes a lot of time.
Thanks
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:4122
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| 09/08/2011 7:19 AM |
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Oh my,
you know the money I would save if my guys only ate 1/4 cup...
OK seriously now,
can you:
1)let us see a picture
2)tell us her height and weight
3)height and weight of parents
4)her activity level
5)what food you feed and what foods you have used prior
6)has she seen a vet about this
Training isn't really always a solution and takes a lot of time.
During training with treats, my guys can eat an entire meal - 4 cups - in 1/2 hour.
I can give one kibble or I can give a handful as a reward.
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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JMSGunner
Bucks County, PA
MH
Posts:765
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| 09/08/2011 7:26 AM |
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Why not try something other then kibble? There are wet products available or even frozen pre-packaged raw products.
I think I'd be a little more concerned then you sound. (not judging, just saying...) |
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Jackie & Gunner
Impressive Gewehr von Catskill 4/19/2010
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kpwlee
Raleigh, NC
MH
Posts:535
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| 09/08/2011 8:08 AM |
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How about trying some of the kibble dispensing toys? I feed a meal a day out of one because it keeps him a bit busy and makes him work for his food.
I would also consider changing kibbles and a vet visit. Get some baseline blood work and a urinalysis just to make sure that nothing physical is going on.
My dog has allergies and can refuse food when they flare up - he will scarf his food down though as soon as the benadryl kicks in.
I'm with Jackie in that this would worry me considerably |
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It's Bugsy's world...
http://dailyzoomie.blogspot.com/ |
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venner5
Saline, MI
Posts:14
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| 09/08/2011 8:56 AM |
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Have done complete blood work and it came back all was OK. Have done accupuncture without success. I have a Premier jug with rope and she will work at it for a while but my Lab gets most of the food or the GSP just plays keep away with it.
I just changed food to get more calories. I've pretty much tried them all and she eats them all. I am feeding Solid Gold - Barking at the Moon - due to calorie content... 465 cal/cup. I have tried all sorts of food... Fresh Select, Merrick canned food, Bil Jac frozen... If it's put in the dish she just walks away. If I start asking for behaviors, train she'll eat as a reward. - I'm sure some big time dog trainers would love this behavior.
She is 21 1/2" tall and 43.3 lbs. Very muscular and in good shape because we do a lot. All I need is another 3 - 4 lbs... Hip bones, spine and ribs all visible. She is very active. We do something pretty much every day,,, either field, obedience, agility, tracking, walk (with some off leash running) and dog scootering. Sometimes we do one thing, sometimes more....
Example: Yesterday she did 2 hours of field work and in the afternoon 6 agility runs at a fun match... All she ate was 1/2 cup kibble by 6pm... At 8pm I trained a little obedience and she ate 1 cup as reward... I've tried everything. From put food down and if she doesn't eat pick up and try later... Doing that she just eats bare minimum what she needs to survive.
I do want to be able to put a bowl down and have her eat her food. |
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venner5
Saline, MI
Posts:14
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| 09/08/2011 8:58 AM |
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| I've updated my photo. That is my girl - last month. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6941
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| 09/08/2011 9:06 AM |
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Hmm, where do you feed her? What kink of bowl do you use? Anything unusual happen during feeding time in the past? Also, has she come in season yet or is she neutered? Have your tried adding sardines on her food (probably need to mix it in)? Do you feed only dry? If so, try mixing in some raw hamburger. If you want to put weight on her you can also feed her Satin Balls. I had a picky eater puppy in my last litter and he would just get distracted with eating and wander off. The only thing that worked for him was the Satin Balls. This makes allot so you can freeze in packages and take out what you need. It is also high calorie so it should help with the weight thing. So far, I have not found a dog that doesn't love this stuff. You can always roll it into balls and toss it to her to feed her.
One of my girls was finicky and skinny too and she finally outgrew the finicky behavior, but not until she was about 2.5 YO. Now she is a chow hound.
Recipe for Satin Balls -
This recipe is one for putting weight on an animal quickly, as some use it for putting a couple extra pounds on a show animal prior to the big day, or an animal that may have been ill and needs a weight gain program. It has also been reported that this recipe will help with some forms of hair loss, such as when your dog(s) blow their coat, to keep the coat healthy and shiny. This recipe is intended to be fed raw.
10# hamburger meat
1 jar wheat germ
1 lg box of oatmeal (uncooked)
1 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
10 eggs
10 sm pkgs unflavored gelatin
1 1/4 Cup unflavored molasses
A pinch of salt
1 lg box Total cereal (2lb's)
(You may also add a pinch of garlic powder to add flavor)
Mix all ingredients together well, much like a meatloaf....put into separate freezer bags and freeze, thawing out as needed. It puts weight on in a very short time, not to mention the gloss in their coat. You can use it every day when they have a show to do and it does not produce diarrhea. It can be fed alone or with kibble.
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
     
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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venner5
Saline, MI
Posts:14
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| 09/08/2011 9:12 AM |
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Opps tried to update my profile picture but I guess it didn't work. Don't remember how to do that.
She is not yet spayed. I am trying to show her in breed (but she's too skinny right now). We still need one major and 3 pts.
I may have to try the satin balls.
As far as has anything changed lately. Not that I am aware of. Still feed where I've always fed and in the same bowl as when she was a pup.
How do you post pictures here? |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6941
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venner5
Saline, MI
Posts:14
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| 09/08/2011 9:53 AM |
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Here's a picture of my beautiful but to skinny girl. 
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:6941
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| 09/08/2011 10:14 AM |
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| She is a very pretty girl. She doesn't look horribly skinny in that picture. She looks more like most of the hard running field dogs. You might also want to consider reducing her exercise to help add on weight. What is her pedigree? |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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venner5
Saline, MI
Posts:14
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| 09/08/2011 10:33 AM |
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| She is out of Stelor and Coronet. |
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:4122
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| 09/08/2011 11:28 AM |
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I think her height and weight pretty much match up, especilly since she is such an busy,active girl.
GSPs ARE thinner than most other breeds.
I'll take a guess here -
you trained her too good -
she is waiting for her food at training time.
You may need to re-train her.
She needs to know to eat when food is in her bowl. Try not feding her at training times and then see what happens in the next few days.
I have a skinny dude here. The more I feed the more he poops. LOL.I have added extra fat in his diet thru ground flax and olive oil.
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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venner5
Saline, MI
Posts:14
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| 09/08/2011 12:14 PM |
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I like the idea of retraining... and I could use toys as rewards. I tried it for one week and she only ate a small amount of food. So I went back to training with treats because she had lost a pound during that week.
We have a couple of shows through November and I'd like to have a chance of finishing her. I would have a better chance if she put on just a few pounds - just enough to look lean and not skinny. Then I'll spay her and who knows that might help with eating. |
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kpwlee
Raleigh, NC
MH
Posts:535
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| 09/08/2011 12:43 PM |
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I know that some working BC's need carbs in order to maintain weight - you might try adding sweet potato to her meals. I mash up a bunch and add it to my dog's food in the winter when he loses weight quickly no matter how much I feed him.
Will she work to clear out a kong? You could mix her food with cottage cheese/yogurt/canned stuff or whatever, freeze it and let her empty it.
I have a variety of food dispensing toys - a kibble nibble, Kong wobbler and something called a Pawzzle (which has a small ball in a large ball and slowly dispenses food)
I also sometimes just scatter the kibble on a rug or outside and let him hunt it out - you would need to do this where and when your lab can't eat it instead A friend only feeds her Aussies by scattering the food on the floor - they have never eaten out of bowls |
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It's Bugsy's world...
http://dailyzoomie.blogspot.com/ |
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therozypozy
MH
Posts:348
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| 09/08/2011 1:11 PM |
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Well I do not have the issue of GSPs not eating their food, but I did have a weight problem with my older GSP when she was young. That dog rarely stops moving and is always full of energy. Went through a whole host of foods. Then we got the border collie who also would eat when working, but not when you put the food bowl in front of him. Went through lots of different foods between the two of them and finally tried Evo Red Meat and have had great success with the weight issue and the non eater. And since the border collie is somewhat of a guarder of his food, he eats in another location, no pressure of the other dogs watching him eat his food one kibble at a time. The plus too with the Evo red meat, they eat less, takes less time for them to finish their meals and there is less poop in the yard. They seem to use the calories from this efficiently with less waste as we had with other foods.
So perhaps you have not found the right food for your dog. I know I went through all the brands, even some of the other flavors of Evo, but only had success with the red meat. But every dog is different. I mean I have two GSPs and while they have some similarities, they too are quite different from each other.
By the way your GSP is very nice looking. Love the picture!
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bravepoint
North Gower, ON Canada
MH
Posts:894
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| 09/08/2011 1:30 PM |
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I would try the satin balls prior to your shows in November. It worked for me! My youngest GSP was always on the go and no matter how much food or what type I couldn't get weight on her. I too was trying to finish her in the show ring. Satin balls for a week along with her regular food (less of it) did the trick. She's now 52 lbs and 22 1/2" tall at 3 years.
I've never had a problem of a GSP not eating on a regular basis. |
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Gail, Moka, Avery, Terra & Rayne
Bravepoint GSPs
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venner5
Saline, MI
Posts:14
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| 09/08/2011 2:19 PM |
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Thanks so much for all the suggestions...
This gives me a few more things that I can try.
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Gunnar
MH
Posts:288
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| 09/09/2011 10:39 AM |
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I gotta say that's a good lookin dog. Like Belle says looks like she likes to run. My guy varies a lot in hunting season and we fight to keep some weight on him then I figured well maybe he don't need it  Showing is a different story. Go figure. Oh and just a note my shorthair is a skinny 70 pounds but he's tall and long so when he pulls off 5 or 7 pounds it shows. It's a constant fight.
Pixie will like this... I was watching some Khurrzars run this weekend and this dog was so big, and muscular I had to look at the program to make sure he wasn't an English pointer. Was odd cause pointers aren't that tall. Biggest shorthair I have ever seen dog had to weigh 80 or 90 pounds all solid muscle. |
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:4122
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| 09/09/2011 11:30 AM |
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The OPs dog did eat a cup during training and 1/2 cup from her bowl.
Says she has the appitite.
Never met a shorthair that didn't like to eat.
Occured to me that maybe the lab is making her tense?If he's stealing the food toy maybe she's a bit anxious during feeding time?
I won't lie.
I love those big dogs.
I am hoping the female I am looking to get will about 24".
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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