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Subject: Puppy...Feeding...Keeping weight

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mb4czech
Junction City, KS

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08/06/2008 7:46 PM	Alert
My 12 week old flies through feeding. 50% of the time will then turn around and throw-up. How do you go about slowing down her eating habits? Also Ive never had trouble holding weight on a lab, but she is my first, the vet (as usual) suggested Science Diet...didnt like my questions on all the fillers in it, but in the end should I free feed her as he suggested? Should I just up her portions? Try a different food for her? She is eating 3X a day, Native Puppy 30/20. Ideas are greatly appreciated.

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keskam
Pierce, Colorado

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08/06/2008 7:56 PM	Alert
There is a bowl you can get that is designed to make them eat slower! I think somebody will post it up

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bmmorris
Murfreesboro, TN

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08/06/2008 7:58 PM	Alert
To slow your pup down I would try a "brake-fast" bowl. It's designed to prevent your dog from "inhaling" its food therefore protecting it from 'Bloat' and other GI issues. Do a websearch for 'brake-fast bowl' and see for yourself. We use it for our dog and it really does slow him down.

oakcreeklabs
Moundridge Kansas

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08/06/2008 8:09 PM	Alert
Martin try putting water in with the food for awhile. I didn't know you got a new pup, when are you coming back down? I still have plenty of pigeons to go around

pswift
Harrisburg,MO

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08/09/2008 4:23 PM	Alert
The above posts are correct in that there is a bowl that has a post in the middle that will slow pup down. I assume that your vet has check for parasites such as roundworms, coccidia, giardia,etc. Grass will also irritate the stomach causing vomiting. Your pup may need a different brand of food as pup might be intolerant of the food it is being fed. A diet of 2 parts boiled rice and one part cooked hamburger(drain grease off) for a couple of days will settle a stomach down. You might also consider feeding your pup a food that is not so hot. 30/20 is more fat and protein than the pup needs. Most large breed puppy foods have less than this. I feed Iams Large Breed Puppy Food which has 26% protein and 14% fat. If large breed puppies grow too fast they can develop panosteitis which is inflammation of the joints due to too rapid growth. I had this happen to a Lab pup 10 years ago and the dog was permanently lame(partial) in the front legs. I was feeding Eukanuba Puppy food then. It is better for the pup to be lean than fat during this stage in it's life. Bone joints are easily damaged and the impacts that pups have on them due to their zeal can be lessened by having less weight on them. While the OFA says that diet has little or no impact on dysplasia overweight dogs are more likely just as people are to have increased wear on their joints. The OFA bases their evaluation on how the joint looks not on any DNA which actually is the cause of dysplasia. Any significant damage or remodeling of the hip/elbow joint will result in a lowered or failed rating. I don't even let my dogs jump off of the tailgate of my truck until they have passed the OFA certification. Some Labs are almost impossible to keep weight on until they get to be 4 or 5 years old. I do feed 30/20 during the fall and winter when the caloric needs of hard working Labs are much higher and increase their ration by at least 30%. I highly recommend to all dog owners to purchase the Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Delbert Carlson,DVM and James Giffin,MD. It is an excellent resource that can save a dogs life and it's owner a lot of money and unneeded trips to the vet. Good luck with your new pup

DogDaddy

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Forums > American Pointing Labrador Association > General > Puppy...Feeding...Keeping weight