Author Topic: going grain free... need help  (Read 7296 times)

Offline gaagaa4goldens

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going grain free... need help
« on: March 21, 2009, 01:00:50 pm »
Hello all!
     I have posted on Great Pyr board and newfie board but have not yet posted on this board.  I have 2 goldens.  One is a senior with IBD. His condition was being controlled with Solid Gold Holistic.  Now I've had to switch him to Proplan Sensative Skin and Stomach. This seems to be working for the moment.  The other dog is a young whippersnapper who is 15 months old.  I just switched my young one onto EVO red meat, large bites.  He has always been a very picky eater.  I was told not to put him on high protien until he was 1 year old.  Previously he was on California Natural and then Innova.  Now I've switched him to EVO because I want to build up his muscles. He is very lean and very athletic.  He likes the red meat EVO better than the turkey and chicken.  However he is still not eating it like I would like him to.  He is 70 lbs.  On the Innova he was eating about 3 1/2 cups of food a day.  Now he's eating 2 cups a day if I stand over him.  I was sure that he'd click his heels and thank his lucky stars that I'd given him basically steak on a plate.  But he hasn't been that way.  Is this common?  I really want to keep him on grain free/high protien to build him up.  I've even mixed wet food into his food and he looks at me with disdain.  I does NOT like his dry kibble to be mixed with wet.  Any advice? As you can see from the photo below he is very lanky.  His build is soooo very different from my 12 year old.  Incidentally, my 12 year old will eat ANYTHING.  This is the first golden that I've had that is picky.   

DenverFurKiddos

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Re: going grain free... need help
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2009, 02:07:08 am »
Hello! You know, I think your pup looks normal to me!  Take a look at my pics of Champ when he was the same age....he was totally lanky and skinny too.  He's still a teenager and going through the process of becoming a big boy!  I wouldn't say that Champ really looked like he began to fill out until he was around 2-2.5 years.  Now, he's still lean, but filled out and not so gangly at 3 years old....Good luck!

Offline gaagaa4goldens

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Re: going grain free... need help
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2009, 05:20:42 am »
Oh my goodness!  He looks like my Tucker!!!!  They even have identical "smart bumps" on the top of their heads.  I do see what you mean about Champ getting more broad and his skull widening.  He is simply goregeous.  So... did you ever try EVO?  I've heard that Wellness core is one of the tastiest grain free foods.  Tucker ate pretty well this morning.  He definitely likes the red meat formula over the turkey and chicken.  Can't say that I blame him.  Ain't dogs grand???  I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my dogs and my cat to mother.  Thanks so much for all of your help!

Offline gaagaa4goldens

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Re: going grain free... need help
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2009, 01:22:42 pm »
Thanks for all the help guys!!!  I have tried mixing his food with wet food but he's a "military man" he likes he good compartmentali zed.  Go figure.  The Evo says to feed a dog his weight about 2 3/4 cups of food a day.  He's about 70lbs and is VERY active.  I think this might be a generous portion for him.  The bags sometimes are just a guide right?  He seems to do well on just 2 cups a day.  Sometimes he only eats 1 3/4 cups.  But like y'all said he won't starve himself. Thanks for all the encouragement. 

Offline Apreston

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Re: going grain free... need help
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2009, 06:32:14 am »
I just love your boys! They are very hansome!
Dont worry about the eating part... I know I used to rack my brain when Titan would skip a meal. Try not to let it get the best of you.... Titan eats when he is hungry. This past weekend Titan decided to skip both breakfast's and just eat dinner. He does this every so oftem. Thats ok with me; its when they go days with out eating there could be a problem. Like everyone has said they wont starve... they sometimes need a good fasting to them back on track.
Keep your head up!! He will come around... Good Luck  ;)

Offline kathryn

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Re: going grain free... need help
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2009, 01:36:59 pm »
I had Kaila and Shiner on Evo for a long time and they loved it.  They did seem to like the Red Meat better than the Turkey/Chicken bag.  Kaila was getting 2c of food and Shiner was getting 1 1/2c of food.  They are now on Wellness Core and love it also.  They are both receiving 2c of food at the moment.  However, their food intake changes daily with exercise, heat, and general mood.  So I wouldn't worry too much about your boy not eating the recommended amount on the bag.  If you want to add a "gravy" to his food, Evo has cans and you can take a tablespoon of the canned food and mix with hot water and add to his food.  Hope that helps and your boys are gorgeous.
Kaila - Belgian Malinois
Shiner - Malinois x Ridgeback
Toulouse, Cayenne, Raven - DSH



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Offline gaagaa4goldens

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Re: going grain free... need help
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2009, 05:24:56 am »
Thanks for all the compliments. Why did you switch to Wellness Core?  Here are more pics of Tucker with his kitty.

Offline gaagaa4goldens

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Re: going grain free... need help
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2009, 08:00:34 am »
I did like Innova. It was GREAT.  Tuck's coat was sooooo shiney and beautiful on Innova.  When I first got Tucker, it was clear right away that I had a sensative little guy on my hands.  At 10 weeks old he had already started to lick and chew on himself.  Not to mention the HORRIBLE gas and tummy gurggling.  His "breeder", I use the term lightly, had him on Purina One Puppy Food.  I kept him on that for a few days before settling on Solid Gold Wolf Cub.  Wouildn't you know that MY little picky guy wouldn't touch the stuff.  I discussed this with the dog food guru's at my local Pet Supplies Plus.  They carry many super, super premium, holistic, and raw foods.  They told me that a good food for a picky puppy was Merrick dog food because it was so tastey.  I looked at the ingredients and was pleased.  The food also formed a gravy when a small amount of water is added to it.  Tucker LOVED the food, but it did not love him.  His gas got REALLY bad.  His stomach constantly gurggled and he had really loose stools.  So I went back to the store.  The suggested that I go with something very simple for a few months.  We settled on California Natural, which is made by natura, the same company that makes Innova.  Tucker did GREAT!  His gas dissappeared, and he actually ate the food.  I did add a little wet food (same brand) to it to intice him.  When he turned about 6 months I put him on Innova puppy food.  I had read that puppies need to have mulitple protien sources to grown strong muscles.  Since they were made by the same company the switch was fairly easy.  Tucker was on Innove puppy until he was about 12-13 months old.  Since he's such an engergetic and highly athletic dog, I decided to go grain free with him.  I chose EVO because it is made by natura.  So... to answer your question... Tucker did like Innova.  In fact, I think he liked it better than his EVO.  But I've chosen this grain free course and I'm going to stick to it.