Kind of lost.. need suggestions.. (again)

[TheLost]

Welp.. Kevin was called 'FAT' this weekend by the Vet (technically he said over-weight.. but lets call it what it is ).

Here is my problem... (well.. 2 of them).

Molly: Age 2 years. Does best on grain-free. Finicky Eater. Could use some extra weight. very-very hyper active.
Kevin: Age 16 months. Slightly 'chunky'. Eats Everything. Could stand to loose some weight. very-very lazy.

We are currently feeding Molly 'Merrick Grain Free Real Texas Beef' and Kevin gets 'Merrick Puppy'.

Molly likes what she's eating now, but her tear stains are horrible. Kevin LOVES what Molly is eating and normally finds a way to double up his meals (eating his and molly's)

... here is the tricky part.. We spent almost a year trying to get Molly to eat Fromm before we switched to Merrick. She just won't eat it.

so.. I need to find something with less protein and carbs then Merrick but still grain-free. I REALLY want to get a handle on Kevin's weight before he gets older and it becomes an issue

suggestions?

 

[brutus77]

I just switched my bullys to Wellness core grain free ocean medley. Brutus developed an allergy to the Merrick grain free buffalo and sweet potato they were on. I think you should just go to the store and see what the protein an carb ratio is. Most display it right on the bag and make a decision that way?

 

[nycbullymama]

Did you try a different Fromm flavor for Molly? Blue hated the Beef formula- I mean he really didn't want to touch it. But he loved Pork and Peas, and Salmon Tunalini.
Other than Fromm, I can't really recommend anything- especially since I'm about to switch Blue to Stella and Chewy's Raw.

There's a lot of members here that feed kibble other than Fromm, I'm sure they'll be able to give you a recomendation.

Also, here's a link to an article that lists the food by stars. You can look up whichever ones interest you. http://www.englishbulldognews.com/content.php?219-Dog-Food-Ratings
[MENTION=3952]TheLost[/MENTION] Is there any reason why Kevin is on a puppy food at 16 months? Or is his age a typo?

 

[TheLost]

I just switched my bullys to Wellness core grain free ocean medley. Brutus developed an allergy to the Merrick grain free buffalo and sweet potato they were on. I think you should just go to the store and see what the protein an carb ratio is. Most display it right on the bag and make a decision that way?

Thats the plan... but we are limited to what the stores carry. I don't mind ordering online... but we spent almost a year going around-and-around with Molly trying to find something she'd eat.

Wellness Core is on my list... and Natures Variety.

I really want somebody to say.. "oh.. my dog is finicky too.. he/she loves <insert here>"

 

[TheLost]

Did you try a different Fromm flavor for Molly? Blue hated the Beef formula- I mean he really didn't want to touch it. But he loved Pork and Peas, and Salmon Tunalini.
Other than Fromm, I can't really recommend anything- especially since I'm about to switch Blue to Stella and Chewy's Raw.

There's a lot of members here that feed kibble other than Fromm, I'm sure they'll be able to give you a recomendation.

Also, here's a link to an article that lists the food by stars. You can look up whichever ones interest you. http://www.englishbulldognews.com/content.php?219-Dog-Food-Ratings

Is there any reason why Kevin is on a puppy food at 16 months? Or is his age a typo?

16 weeks... typo

We tried every flavor of FROMM (damn dog!)

I'm just trying to build a short list so i don't have to keep switching :S .

 

[nycbullymama]

Yeah, thought he was still a pup..lol..

Have you tried feeding them apart so Kevin can't get to Molly's food?

I just compared Merricks puppy formula with the one Blue was on. The Fromm Large Breed Puppy Gold formula has less protein and less fat than Merrick. It's also Corn and Wheat free. He did very well on it. And I liked it because it has added ingredients to support joint health. Something to consider. Link: http://frommfamily.com/products/gold/dog/dry/large-breed-puppy-gold

For Molly, have you heard of Canidae? Was at the "Meet The Breeds" show here and they had a booth set up. Spoke with them for a loong time, and was very impressed by their knowledge and product. Only reason I haven't tried it is because Blue has terrible allergies so I'm going Raw.
Here's their link: http://www.canidae.com/products/grain-free-pure-for-dog/

 

[TheLost]

Yeah, thought he was still a pup..lol..

Have you tried feeding them apart so Kevin can't get to Molly's food?

I just compared Merricks puppy formula with the one Blue was on. The Fromm Large Breed Puppy Gold formula has less protein and less fat than Merrick. It's also Corn and Wheat free. He did very well on it. And I liked it because it has added ingredients to support joint health. Something to consider. Link: http://frommfamily.com/products/gold/dog/dry/large-breed-puppy-gold

For Molly, have you heard of Canidae? Was at the "Meet The Breeds" show here and they had a booth set up. Spoke with them for a loong time, and was very impressed by their knowledge and product. Only reason I haven't tried it is because Blue has terrible allergies so I'm going Raw.
Here's their link: http://www.canidae.com/products/grain-free-pure-for-dog/

The house rule is to feed Molly and Kevin separately (in two different rooms).. However, with the morning chaos Molly's bowl doesn't always get picked up and Kevin gets a bonus meal while 3 teenagers battle out the door. This is a fixable problem.. (aka.. i sell the kids to the gypsies)

We fed Molly Fromm puppy (pink bag) when she was a puppy.... I may just switch Kevin over to it also.

IMHO, Merrik has WAY too much protein and carbs for Kevin. Eventually i would like them to be eating the same food to make life simple. There are days that the kids are responsible for feeding the dogs... the less steps involved the smoother it would go.

Come to think of it.. I shouldn't be trying to figure out the dog food issue.. If i solved the teenage issue around the house ALL of my problems would go away!

 

[brutus77]

Thats the plan... but we are limited to what the stores carry. I don't mind ordering online... but we spent almost a year going around-and-around with Molly trying to find something she'd eat.

Wellness Core is on my list... and Natures Variety.

I really want somebody to say.. "oh.. my dog is finicky too.. he/she loves <insert here>"

I also feed my bullys separately. They eat at the same time just in gated off areas only for the reason that I can control who is eating what and how much. This might be something to consider if Kevin is making a little piggy of himself!

 

[bella100]

I think Kevin is PERFECT!!! sooo cute!!

 

[brutus77]

The house rule is to feed Molly and Kevin separately (in two different rooms).. However, with the morning chaos Molly's bowl doesn't always get picked up and Kevin gets a bonus meal while 3 teenagers battle out the door. This is a fixable problem.. (aka.. i sell the kids to the gypsies)

We fed Molly Fromm puppy (pink bag) when she was a puppy.... I may just switch Kevin over to it also.

IMHO, Merrik has WAY too much protein and carbs for Kevin. Eventually i would like them to be eating the same food to make life simple. There are days that the kids are responsible for feeding the dogs... the less steps involved the smoother it would go.

Come to think of it.. I shouldn't be trying to figure out the dog food issue.. If i solved the teenage issue around the house ALL of my problems would go away!

If you figure out the answer to this Please let me know. I have a 21, 17, and 14 yr old that I have had "free to the right family" signs on for the longest time. Yesterday I had Brutus in the dining room eating and I said to my 14yr old, Madison please stay in the kitchen with Frankie while he eats. OK so she hears someone eating out of his bowl, she just didn't think it was important to look up from her phone long enough to make sure it was Frankie. My black lab ate all the food. No one could understand why I was having a break down!! She then acts bewildered which makes me have an even bigger breakdown.

 

[TheLost]

I think Kevin is PERFECT!!! sooo cute!!

The conversation with the vet went like this..

Vet: "hmm.. looks like we had him down @ 12lb last time we saw him... now he's at 34lb"
Kevin: "Hey.. is that a treat jar back there?"
Me: "I told the girl last time she wrote down the wrong weight... he was 21lb last time"
Kevin: "Seriously.. guys.. i think there are treats in that jar!!"
Vet: "Still.. he seems to have a little extra 'grith' around his mid section"
Kevin: "Anybody notice how great i'm sitting? I think i should get one of those treats!"
Me: "Well... you know that his name was CHUNKY the day he was born.. He's just big-boned!"
Kevin: "Why put a treat jar back there and not use them.. I should have a treat!"
Vet: "He's a bit over weight.."
Kevin: "GIVE ME A TREAT!"
Me: "He's still a puppy.."
Vet: "Better to get a handle on it now then later"
Kevin: "Soooo... im not getting a treat... why did we even come here!"

 

[aprilemari]

well to be sure, we could use a top down photo of kevin to see his waist or lack thereof.

To give you want you want, Lola is a really picky eater (truth) but we finally found that she will eat a raw diet, in commercially available patty form, NVI and tollden farms brands. Her tear stains went away after we cut out the chicken kibble (not that she ate it anyway).

I dont necessarily think you need to change foods, especially if one dog likes one brand and the other should be eating something different. Just maybe cut back by 1/4 cup per day on Kevins. And maybe feed Molly in her crate so Kevin cant eat it. Lola, when she was (heh) eating kibble, was eating 3/4 cup twice a day. She's almost three now and gets one patty per day of the raw food, which is meant to keep her at or below 50 lbs. She could lose 4 lbs too, but its lack of exercise, not overeating for Lola. I've been not letting her take walks until after her palate surgery, but i'm still very cautious of overheating.

 

[2BullyMama]

The conversation with the vet went like this..

Vet: "hmm.. looks like we had him down @ 12lb last time we saw him... now he's at 34lb"
Kevin: "Hey.. is that a treat jar back there?"
Me: "I told the girl last time she wrote down the wrong weight... he was 21lb last time"
Kevin: "Seriously.. guys.. i think there are treats in that jar!!"
Vet: "Still.. he seems to have a little extra 'grith' around his mid section"
Kevin: "Anybody notice how great i'm sitting? I think i should get one of those treats!"
Me: "Well... you know that his name was CHUNKY the day he was born.. He's just big-boned!"
Kevin: "Why put a treat jar back there and not use them.. I should have a treat!"
Vet: "He's a bit over weight.."
Kevin: "GIVE ME A TREAT!"
Me: "He's still a puppy.."
Vet: "Better to get a handle on it now then later"
Kevin: "Soooo... im not getting a treat... why did we even come here!"

 

[Manydogs]

@The Lost You are a comedian! Very, very clever with words. Love it!

 

[Vikinggirl]

You have already been given lots of great advice and suggestions from members above, and I agree with Blueberrys Mom to feed them separately, to better control what each eats, and also because they eat different brands of kibble. I also have to fed my two separately even though they both eat the same food. Blossom eats so fast, she inhales her food, and because Dozer has a birth defect in his jaw, his top and bottom teeth don't match, and he has a severe underbite, so he has to eat a lot slower than his sister. She will wolf down her food, and then she goes after dozers food, and he's so laid back and lazy, that he just lets her eat his food, so we feed them separately, Blossom always gets fed first otherwise she goes mental, and thrashes her body and whines and cries for her food. Lol. Dozer never says a word, and he sits so nice and polite and waits for his food.