Diet review please?

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kwirky
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Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 5:10 am

Diet review please?

Post by kwirky »

We have an almost 12 month old golden retriever, Murphy, that we are feeding twice a day.

Murphy has 3 chicken wings in the morning, before we leave for work. Hubby leaves some treats such as a veggie ear, yoghurt drops and kangaroo dental stick. When I get home from work, I give him about 400-500g of either raw gravy beef or chicken breast (we alternate). In the evening, if he is being a little annoying (barking for attention for example) we will give him a bully stick or a chomp and chew to keep him busy. Should we add vegies to the meat?

It does not sound like a lot of food, but I could be wrong there.

He is not overweight - vet said that he looks good and may still fill out. He is a big boy, very solid and weighs 45kg at the moment.

We walk him twice a day for about 30 minutes each, which he loves. But he just doesn't seem to like eating kibble.

I have also read about things like kelp, moalsses and brewers yeast, but am not sure about that.

Thanks :)
JudyN
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Re: Diet review please?

Post by JudyN »

He sounds like he's a very big boy! Are you sure that he's not overweight at all? Bear in mind that vets can think a dog is a good weight when he's not as they see so many overweight ones. Based on 45kg, he should be fed 0.9-1.53kg a day, though this will vary (labradors, for instance, only need to look at food to gain weight :lol: ) so you need to monitor his weight.

Dietwise, I'd want to add another protein source or two occasionally - rabbit, lamb, green tripe, whatever you can source easily. Giving oily fish once or twice a week would be good - say a tin of sardines, or even some fish oil. Also offal - you should be aiming for 5% liver and 5% other offal (introduce gradually as liver in particular can make them a little loose).

If he's a gulper, you might be better off with chicken carcasses than wings, as if he tried to swallow a wing whole he could choke. Carcasses would encourage him to chew it up properly.

A raw egg once or twice a week is often advised.

People differ on whether veg is needed. If you do give veg, it needs to be lightly cooked or pureed, or it can pass straight through without being digested.

I'm not sure what sort of yoghurt drops you give, but if they are high in sugar they might be best avoided (and the same goes for any other treats & chews that have sugar and other additives).
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Nettle
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Re: Diet review please?

Post by Nettle »

I see no value in adding kelp or brewer's yeast and definitely not molasses. Raw green vegetables, apple and pear, make good toys and although he can gain little food value if they are not pureed or lightly cooked as JudyN says, it will give him occupation chewing them up. This is as well as giving these items in a way he can digest, not instead of.

As much variety as possible is the key to success.

Have a look at our pinned Exercise the Mind thread for things you can do with him to tire him mentally when he is in that 'bored youngster' moment :) If he barks for attention and gets a food reward, then he will increase that behaviour, but if he gets something to do it is better for him.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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kwirky
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Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 5:10 am

Re: Diet review please?

Post by kwirky »

Thank you both so much :)
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