Author Topic: How much is too much for one meal?  (Read 3630 times)

Lyn

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How much is too much for one meal?
« on: January 24, 2006, 06:00:40 pm »
I've slowly been increasing Bubba's meals. I was trying to keep him on the thin side during growth. But IMO he's getting a tad too thin.

Right now he's getting 3.5 cups in the morning and 3.5 for supper. He's doing ok with that amount so far. But he doesn't seem to have put any weight on and it's been over 4 weeks.

I was thinking of uping the amount per meal again. But I'm paranoid about bloat and I'm worried that I'll be giving him too much per meal. But If I add a 3rd meal he acts like he's starving because the portions are too small.

What do you all think? Would 4 cups in the morning and 4 cups for supper be 'too much'.

Offline nostaw

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Re: How much is too much for one meal?
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2006, 07:39:20 pm »
With my 2 newfs I would still be feeding 3 times a day. have you tried 3 times a day over a couple of weeks to see if he gets used to it. You could also try adding an egg to his meal, shell and all (break the shell into small pieces. the egg should help with the weight and the shell is full of calcium for the bones.

Andy Bell and Hovis
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Lyn

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Re: How much is too much for one meal?
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2006, 09:19:09 pm »
I'm guessing he's about a 125 pounds. And I did see a Tapeworm I believe in his stool about an hour ago.  :(

Problem is he had had loose stool since we brought him home at 9 weeks old. I definitely think the chronic diarrhea isn't helping matters when it comes to his weight. But the vet has found nothing. But we have de-wormed him 4-5 times, just in case. And he's been given medication, I can't remember now what it was called though. Basically an Anti-bacterial drug. But through it all the loose stool has continued.

What's worrying me is that I can feel his spine.. you can't see it through his fur. But you can feel each vertebrae.

I'll call my vet tomorrow and see if I can bring in a stool sample.. maybe he will find something.. If not then I'll bring Bubba back in and see what other tests he can run.

nostaw, If I feed Bubba 3 times a day his diarrhea is even worse.. and he acts like he's starving.. and then starts eating poop out of the front yard again. That's why I dropped him down to 2 meals a day.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2006, 09:22:30 pm by Lyn »

Offline shangrila

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Re: How much is too much for one meal?
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2006, 10:08:49 pm »
What brand of food do you use? I think I remember you feeding a premuim food, and 7 cups sounds like it should be enough.

Instead of increasing his servings even more, I might consider supplementing with satin balls.
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Offline shangrila

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Re: How much is too much for one meal?
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2006, 05:57:43 pm »
There are a few different versions of the satin balls recipe, but if you need a standard one to show him, you can find one here: http://www.netrover.com/~wolfie1/iwh/recipes.htm

How much does the vet think bubba needs to gain? I was trying to get a mental comparison, so I measured zoey. She is 29" tall so just a little shorter and she weighs about the same (120) which is a good weight for her. Thats with just 4 cups (~1800 kcal) a day. So if he's too thin I  tend to think tape worm would be the cause they could be eating up the food in his tummy before he can absorb it.I hope that getting rid of the tapeworm clears up bubba's issues. 

Also, now that I know you are feeding solid gold I want to say that if he is still having soft stools after you get the worms under control, I would consider switching food. We had Zoey on solid gold until she was a year old and her stool was always soft on it - it started out a little soft and just kept getting softer and softer until we finally decided it was too much of an issue and switched her. As soon as she switched her poop was magically firm.

Oh and as far as the sample goes, I'm pretty sure that they test for bacteria with a pee test, but I could be wrong on that.
RIP former BPO

Lyn

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Re: How much is too much for one meal?
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2006, 09:15:58 pm »
The tapeworms are a new development, But I do think they are partically responsible for him not gaining weight. I think the chronic diarrhea is mainly responsible. Since it's been going on as long as I can remember. There has to be something going on in his intestines/bowel. I'm honestly hoping it's a bacterial infection.. I'll spare you all the symptoms since it's yucky and I just finished eating supper. LOL

shangrila, The vet hasen't seen Bubba yet. I just took in the sample this morning and he sent me home for another one. lol If these tests don't find anything then he wants me to bring him in and do some bloodwork.

I tried to get a pic of what I'm seeing but it's not working. Basically his spine is much more pronounced than it should be. It reminds me of the ridge a Rhodesian Ridgeback would have. It's difficult to see, but easily felt. His hip bones are slightly protruding also. Yet his ribs are fine I can feel them with slight pressure, they don't stick out at all.

My first thought was crap I must not be feeding him enough. That's why I increased him to 7 cups a day. But after a month with no improvement it just doesn't seem right.

I'm really freaking out at the possibilities of what could be causing this.  :'(

Yaz

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Re: How much is too much for one meal?
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2006, 10:24:21 pm »
Lynn,
Let me know if you want me to PM you with the name and number of Gershwin's breeder. She has been breeding champion Saints for over 30 years and is a wealth of information for all things Saint Bernard and I found her more informative than the vets with certain health and feeding issues. She is a very nice lady and would be happy to talk with you about Bubba.