another question

[luvnmymedic]

Forgive me, I have been really busy. So I have another question regarding Seven. He is eating well on a raw diet that I buy frozen with dry supplement of the same brand. The supplement has one starch and one protein. I cannot remember the brand. He is also on a multivitamin, a probiotic, and Benadryl. His skin is looking a little better and his hair has grown back in on his head and neck. But here are my issues. He is seriously skin and bones. He is housetrained yet will just go when ever and where ever he chooses in the house. He won't ask to go out. I sit and wait on him to finish eating and / or drinking so I can usher him out. About 30 minutes after coming in, he goes in the floor even if he went outside. I do not know what to do about that or the fact he is so skinny. I do see improvement but those are my biggest issues, his weight and his desire to make my house smell. Any fattening suggestions or suggestions on his toiletry issue? He sleeps in a crate and is crated when we are gone because otherwise, I have a big mess when I wake up or come back.

 

[2BullyMama]

I tagged a few members that may be able to provide some insight on the weight issue. You may want to give the brand names of what you are feeding and the supplement so they can tell you the correct info.

as for potty, schedule is everything, I had the same issue with my Frenchie, took us two years to get him fully on board. He still does not indicate of tell us when he needs to go, we just have him on a vert tight time schedule when we are home.

How old is Steve and how long has he been with you?

 

[RiiSi]

Ok, for getting some meat on the bones, you need to give him more food. You can buy some fatty extras to add to the food. Plain fat, fatty meat, tribe or what comes to mind. If he can handle some extra carbs, then that is OK too. Potatoes, pasta etc...For the potty training issue Schedule is everything when it's not clear to them where to go. Google "how to house train your dog in ten days", I think it was simple enough. I followed something similar with Voitto and he got the picture in about two weeks...Good luck!

 

[Baxter Tiberius]

I would avoid increasing the meat fats. As I understand it, they can cause kidney or pancreas problems if they get too much. They specifically advise removing the fat from chicken etc before feeding. It seems that fattening him up with carbohydrates is safer. If you want to add fats, consider safe fats like salmon oil, fish oil, egg yolk, and some peanut butter. But to help him gain weight (even with Baxter who can't seem to gain weight), rice was outstanding for that. Rice or mashed potatoes.

A lot of raw food is zero carb, and that is the problem. Dogs are no different than us in this regard. I personally believe they need carbs for energy just like we do. If you go on a protein-only diet like Atkins diet, you will become skin and bones too. And you'll feel like crap. The body needs energy sources. For some reason raw food enthusiasts (many at least) believe dogs don't need carbs at all. I don't know if thats correct or not, but carbs are the difference between your pup and the fat ones out there.

Baxter has been on whole foods as well, and he has almost zero body fat, whereas the kibble fed english bulldogs i've seen are straight up obese. They contain tons of carbs. As for the pooping, I have noticed that when Baxter is having digestion issues, his potty training goes out the door. He will go anywhere and everywhere. I bet if you added rice or mashed potatoes, things will settle down. I am considering doing the same with baxter soon.

 

[RiiSi]

I don't agree with dogs needing carbs for getting normal amount of energy. We're different from dogs. Dogs use fat for energy, not carbs. If you have a dog that exercises a lot, racing or working dog, then added carb are needed for energy. That, I believe is not the case with most bully's. Of course too much fat is bad, but mostly when had with too much carbs.

I would avoid increasing the meat fats. As I understand it, they can cause kidney or pancreas problems if they get too much. They specifically advise removing the fat from chicken etc before feeding. It seems that fattening him up with carbohydrates is safer. If you want to add fats, consider safe fats like salmon oil, fish oil, egg yolk, and some peanut butter. But to help him gain weight (even with Baxter who can't seem to gain weight), rice was outstanding for that. Rice or mashed potatoes.

A lot of raw food is zero carb, and that is the problem. Dogs are no different than us in this regard. I personally believe they need carbs for energy just like we do. If you go on a protein-only diet like Atkins diet, you will become skin and bones too. And you'll feel like crap. The body needs energy sources. For some reason raw food enthusiasts (many at least) believe dogs don't need carbs at all. I don't know if thats correct or not, but carbs are the difference between your pup and the fat ones out there.

Baxter has been on whole foods as well, and he has almost zero body fat, whereas the kibble fed english bulldogs i've seen are straight up obese. They contain tons of carbs. As for the pooping, I have noticed that when Baxter is having digestion issues, his potty training goes out the door. He will go anywhere and everywhere. I bet if you added rice or mashed potatoes, things will settle down. I am considering doing the same with baxter soon.

 

[Baxter Tiberius]

Interesting. Definitely differing opinions on what Dogs need and don't need. Pretty much 100% opposites all over the internet. That tells me that nobody really knows. The breeder I got baxter from has them all on rice, as part of the diet. Which seems extremely common. My understanding is that most kibble is absolutely packed with carbohydrates, which is the primary reason why dogs get fat from kibble. That doesn't address whether they need it, or whether it should be there, but it seems to be a very effective weight gainer. Just like with humans. I have found very little that is unique about dogs nutritionally from humans so far. Was startled at how identical english bulldogs seem to need to "go paleo" to avoid many health problems, just like humans have recently discovered they need to. I'd only be guessing but I'm sure carbs provide energy and bulk to animals just like they do with humans. There healthy (complex) and unhealthy (simple) carbs too. Adding complex carbs seems like it would safely bulk up a dog that is too skinny, whereas I have read in several places not to overdo the fat because it can cause a very specific health problem with the pancreas. (?)

 

[izstigspunks]

How much are you giving Seven to eat? I know that if I increase my boys' food by 5 oz, they'll both gain weight.

 

[nycbullymama]

I don't really know anything about raw, leaving that to the experts, but want to correct one misconception in this thread: Dogs do NOT need any carbs for a healthy diet. That's right, zero, zilch, nada, no carbs baby!
They get everything they need from proteins and fat.

Don't believe it? Ask any vet.

 

[aprilemari]

we also feed raw patties from frozen. Lola is a healthy weight, and we keep her like that by feeding her the low end of the suggested non-active dog feeding guide on the package. Although she is two and kind of active, we want her weight lower to help her keep breathing well. That being said, Lola's not losing any weight because we give her string cheese (any brick cheese) and peanut butter, both of which have protein and fat. You could try incorporating those two very healthy things to the diet. (PB is all natural peanuts only in the ingredient list). maybe post a picture of your bully from the top down so people here can see his waist. will give us a better idea of whether he's underweight or not.

 

[Texas Carol]

I don't really know anything about raw, leaving that to the experts, but want to correct one misconception in this thread: Dogs do NOT need any carbs for a healthy diet. That's right, zero, zilch, nada, no carbs baby!
They get everything they need from proteins and fat.

Don't believe it? Ask any vet.

I try to avoid most carbs, for myself & my dogs but not crazily so more like
balanced out~1/3 good carbs (sweet potato, white rice) 1/3 good fats (coconut
oil, avocado, real butter) healthy proteins (grass fed, organic meat, free range egg)
No grains, no soy, no dairy, no processed foods (try not to eat from boxed/canned stuff)

A great vet (who suffers from Fibro) has recently suggested potatoes help in dogs
that have head tremors but generally not good for dogs/cats otherwise.

 

[Pati Robins]

I wouldn't say that dogs get fat on kibble-dogs can get fat on anything , my girls are kibble fed both of them are as they should be -it all depends how much you feeding , if i give treats i reduce the kibble
Sorry no help with raw feeding

 

[luvnmymedic]

He is eating Nature's Variety Instinct. Frozen raw and dry. The raw is one whole patty in the morning and again at night with one cup of dry mixed with it both times. He gets two cups of dry midday if he indicates he's hungry. I got him at the end of May from bad owners. He is 3 years old. He can't get certain things because he is battling yeast and was when I got him. So no peanut butter, cheese, etc. He just suddenly decided to potty in the house.

 

[nycbullymama]

Considering how much you're feeding him, he should be gaining weight. Have you taken him to your vet? I'd want to rule out any medical conditions at this point.

 

[nycbullymama]

I try to avoid most carbs, for myself & my dogs but not crazily so more like
balanced out~1/3 good carbs (sweet potato, white rice) 1/3 good fats (coconut
oil, avocado, real butter) healthy proteins (grass fed, organic meat, free range egg)
No grains, no soy, no dairy, no processed foods (try not to eat from boxed/canned stuff)

A great vet (who suffers from Fibro) has recently suggested potatoes help in dogs
that have head tremors but generally not good for dogs/cats otherwise.

Oh I agree. If a pup has a particular condition, feeding certain carbs can help. I'm all on board for yogurt and the like because I do believe they can help some bullies.
I just didn't want someone new to believe that carbs are an integral part of a dogs diet because they're not. They're not needed at all for a pup to be healthy.

I really don't know why many dog foods have a high percentage of carbs in them.. Only thing I can think of is that it's cheaper than animal protein.

 

[2BullyMama]

I really don't know why many dog foods have a high percentage of carbs in them.. Only thing I can think of is that it's cheaper than animal protein.

That is what I believe too... filler, so much cheaper