Feeding and weight gain?

[DevWin]

Atlas will be 2 on April 19th. My wife and parents think he looks skinny. I am up in the air between lean and skinny. You can slightly see his ribs.

He has had a hectic life right in the prime of his growth stages. Here is his background if you feel like reading. Atlas...The story..

The short story. I got him around around a year from a overwhelmed previous owner. He was fixed just shy of a year. The PO had him on a vegan diet because they thought he had allergies. We got him and tried several foods and finally settled on Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch. His coat is great and stool is usually firm. We feed him about 4 cups a day, 2 in the AM and 2 PM. That falls right in the middle of the recommended amount. I have tried uping it and his stool softens up. He is extremely food motivated. Woofs down his food and tries for any scrap or chance to steal he possibly can. We do not feed people food unless he swipes it.

He also got giardia about 6 months ago and we had to go through a bunch of pills to get rid of it. When I had him at the vet at that point he was 98lbs. I just weighed him by holding him on our home scale and he was 104lbs.

He is very active. We go for a couple miles off leash every day without fail.

Any insight into his weight gain or feeding? I am probably going to take him to the vet soon to have him weighed and possibly retested for giardia.

 

[DevWin]

Also I am by no means wanting to bulk him up, I would rather him be fit and lean. Just don't want him to be starving.

 

[SavingGrace]

4 Cups seems a little shy, but you're feeding a high quality food. Have you tried up-ing his food by 1/4 cup each feeding and still seen firm stools? You could try a little pro-biotic on top of his food too when you try up-ing his food. That might help. My girl is smaller (85lbs), with lots of health issues, but I try to get her to eat 5-6 cups a day, however she IS NOT food motivated, treats yes. It is better for them to be fit and lean, but if you're concerned he's skinny, go ahead and feed him a little more. If he starts to get pudgy, then back off. Giardia is nasty stuff, but the pills should've cleared that up pretty quickly. You could do another stool sample to re-check and make sure it's gone. I've ready you should be able to slightly see that last two ribs. I've also heard they can continue to fill in until 3, but from what I've experienced they mostly fill in by just after two.

 

[DevWin]

4 Cups seems a little shy, but you're feeding a high quality food. Have you tried up-ing his food by 1/4 cup each feeding and still seen firm stools? You could try a little pro-biotic on top of his food too when you try up-ing his food. That might help. My girl is smaller (85lbs), with lots of health issues, but I try to get her to eat 5-6 cups a day, however she IS NOT food motivated, treats yes. It is better for them to be fit and lean, but if you're concerned he's skinny, go ahead and feed him a little more. If he starts to get pudgy, then back off. Giardia is nasty stuff, but the pills should've cleared that up pretty quickly. You could do another stool sample to re-check and make sure it's gone. I've ready you should be able to slightly see that last two ribs. I've also heard they can continue to fill in until 3, but from what I've experienced they mostly fill in by just after two.

Did a little more digging today. Especially since he snagged half of a potato casserole from the counter this afternoon. Earthborn's bag says to feed 3.75-4.75 cups a day. But on their site they have a note that says 8oz is equal to 4.9oz of kibble. So based on that I haven't been feeding him enough. I am going to up it to 6cups and do it spaced out to 3 feedings and see if that keeps his stool decent. If that helps over a few weeks I will just go back to 2 feedings of the appropriate amount.

Kinda makes me wish Earthborn would just say 6 cups.

 

[SavingGrace]

I hear ya, the dog food companies need to invest in ways to EASILY tell someone how much they should feed their dogs, especially as they grow! Sometimes I look at the bag and am like, what? My rule is, more is better if stools are firm. If they start to get pudgy or are growing too fast then back off a little. I got a natural pro-biotic that is a powder that you can sprinkle over the food (it's tasteless) which helps with digestion and stools. You could try that too.

 

[DevWin]

Well almost a week for more food and it seems to be making a difference. My parents and wife think he is filling out in the short amount of time. I can't really tell myself. His stool has been so so. Not firm, but not soft serve. Hopefully that will change with some time. I may look into the probiotics as well.

 

[jersey girl]

Glad to hear he is doing well. I get my probiotic from Mercola. It's a powder that I sprinkle on her food, it's made a big difference in her stool.

 

[DevWin]

I have been checking out probiotics. I think I want to give it to him for the time being until his weight comes up a little bit and stool firms up more. The pet store I buy is food has Pet Kelp probiotic? I haven't found much info on it. I guess I may just order something online.