Brody

[ChiChi]

Hello! I know i havent been here in a while, and it is great to be back!

Brody just turned 1 on July 19th!! but my concern is that i dont think he is beefy enough for a one yr old, i mean, when i rub his sides, you can feel his ribs, and not just, "o there are his ribs" i mean you caan feel ALL of them, and i feed him twice a day a full bowl of Iams Small Chunks, and i wish that i could feed him something better, but my parents are not really into the whole 30$+ bag of dog food, he eats all of his food, and was wormed recently... i am not sure what to do

also, he has got fleas, we are taking him in this week to be neutered and a flea dip, i use Frontline Top Spot for dogs 23-44 lbs, and it isnt working, i just put the second month on him (form that package) today...

so what do you think??

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

How much are you feeding him twice a day? As for the fleas doesn't Brodie have an undercoat? Since your already taking him in for a dip I'd ask the vet if in the future you could use seven dust on him about once every two weeks and then his regular spotting every month.

[kerriebeth21]

Maybe he has high hormone levels? Sometimes when dogs get spayed/neutered they are able to use the energy that was being used for their "parts" and use it throughout the body. I hate to say that dogs get fat when they are spayed/neutered cause that is not true. I have seen dogs fill out more though.

My friend has a Chi that is skinny..he free feeds too. People ask her if she feeds her dog! He also is unneutered...he goes next week for the "snip, snip".

Would you be able to free feed?? Maybe he's not getting enough. Every dog is different just like people...some people can eat a cracker and gain 10lbs (that's me!) and some people can eat huge meals several times a day and still be skinny (that's my hubby ).

[PhantomsPrinceWillia]

Originally Posted by Crossfire Bulldogs

How much are you feeding him twice a day?

I agree with Crossfire. she is absolutely right... you need to determine if what you are feeding him is enough... do you feed him a cup or half a cup or what.

also Iams isnt the best food on the market so yes finding a new food that isnt to expensive is the way to go let me look around and ill get some prices on what you can get hiim this way younot spending a fortune but getting good food.

Kazkirkpatrick has a thread in this forum you should also look at... it is about food that is good and bad for your dog. Iams is definately not great but not the worst... so I will continue to look around ill see if i can find you soemthing for about that price but way better and maybe even cheaper...

Good luck and ill post again....

[PhantomsPrinceWillia]

Originally Posted by ChiChi

Hello! I know i havent been here in a while, and it is great to be back!

Brody just turned 1 on July 19th!! but my concern is that i dont think he is beefy enough for a one yr old, i mean, when i rub his sides, you can feel his ribs, and not just, "o there are his ribs" i mean you caan feel ALL of them, and i feed him twice a day a full bowl of Iams Small Chunks, and i wish that i could feed him something better, but my parents are not really into the whole 30$+ bag of dog food, he eats all of his food, and was wormed recently... i am not sure what to do

also, he has got fleas, we are taking him in this week to be neutered and a flea dip, i use Frontline Top Spot for dogs 23-44 lbs, and it isnt working, i just put the second month on him (form that package) today...

so what do you think??

Okay i found a food that is great and can be bought at petco... 17 lbs of food for 28.99...

http://petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?N...53d22%25252092

go there it is a good food something that doesnt have the fillers here are the ingredients of what is in this food... go with this one... it will be better but dont do it cold turkey he will have the runs..... go slowly... good food is worth it...c ant say he will like it much but... it is a better food than Iams.

here are the ingredients:
potatoes, duck, duck meal, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), potato fiber, dl-methionine, l-lysine, sodium chloride, salmon oil, flaxseed oil, rosemary extract, natural flavor, yucca schidigera extract, potassium chloride, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.

digest well and contain meat... because dogs are carnivores they eat lots of meat if they can... so this is my suggestion. go with this food or one of the others that is on kazkirkpatrick's list....

hope this helps

[SalemWitchChild]

Since you just wormed him perhaps it needs time to do its magic? The flea's could also be part of the problem. Is he drinking enough water? Does he get enough exercise?

[PhantomsPrinceWillia]

It isnt just the wormer... and it isnt just fleas... No Offense Salem....i think it is the food he is eating... the food is full of fillers.... trying not only switching him but after dipping seven dust. and make sure he has free water all the time.... the food i suggested is full of protiens which are good for your baby.

that is very important for his health. also... make sure that he is getting plenty of food.. maybe a cup and a half in the morning and a cup at night... or free feed him but then you ahve to make sure he doesnt get over weight. just take your time and gradually get him where you want hiim to be... but better food will help alot... i believe

[ChiChi]

Thanks for all your help!

Sorry i didnt make how much i fed him clear, it is two cups (full bowl) of Iams Mini Chunks, Twice a day (ie bowl in the morning and bowl at night).

When you say "free feed" do you mean, just make sure the bowl is full all day??

Crossfire- what is Seven Dust?? is it a flea dip or something for his coat?? and yes he has an undercoat, but he isnt as "fluffy" as some shelties are, but then again he has some time to grow it in...

he has plenty water, i make sure of it! and he get lots of exercise, we have a very big yard and i try to take him on at least 1 walk a day. plus just about every week he goes over to his "friend" Roy's (Brittany) house and plays for hours! is there such thing as too much exercise? maybe he doesnt digest his food fast enough before i exercise him??

but once again thanks sooo much for the help and information!

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Free feeding would be when you just leave the bowl out for him to eat throughout the day. Keep the bowl filled and let him eat to his hearts content. Just make sure he isn't getting too fat by doing this, it should be in moderation.

Seven dust is a powder used on plants to keep bugs away, its totally non-toxic and is used often on dogs. I use it on my own along with the monthly spot. The reason I asked about the undercoat is at least for me I've always had a problem with dogs in the past with an undercoat being flea free just using the spotting. My chows for instance were that way.

[kerriebeth21]

4 cups of food for a sheltie...WOW! My 50lb Aussie eats 1 cup of food A DAY. My JRT eats 1/2 cup. That seems like a lot of food...it MUST be the brand of food you are feeding him..There's no way to talk your parents into a better brand? Chances are you'd be feeding him less food on a better brand...so it wouldn't cost any more. I say put something together to show them! I remember putting together some numbers for my motherinlaw.

Lets say you buy a bag of $15 food...
and it states that you have to feed your dog 4 cups of food a day on that food.

Here's the kicker! If you buy a $30 food..
these foods are more concentrated (meaning you bought a better brand) so you only have to feed that same dog 2 cups a day. Guess what! It costs the SAME amount to feed the better food as it did the "poopy" food!

[calgal]

The lady who shows Yorkies, )and where I got my two Yorkies from) feeds Iams to her dogs and puppies. Not a thing wrong with that food. She keeps the food down though for free feeding. Since your puppy has fleas, it could be he has worms. Give him a good bath in a flea soap or flea shampoo and use a flea comb to get the fleas out. Then use this rinse to keep them off: 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon fresh) and 1 pint boiling water. Combine and steep for 10 minutes, covered. Strain and cool to body temperature. Pour it over your dog after the final rinse. Rub in and towel dry without further rinsing. The flea dips are very harsh, and can actually make your dog very ill. Getting fleas off is easy, but you need to find the things that keep them off, and there are many holistic all natural things that do the job without chemicals to worry about. Pets lick their fur, so you wouldn't want harmful chemicals put on them. Launder the pet's bedding in hot, soapy water at least once a week. Dry on maximum heat. Heat will kill all stages of flea life, including the eggs. (roll bedding up to take to the wash to contain the slippery eggs). Fleas love a cool home, so if you wanted to go somewhere for about 2 or 3 hours, you can turn the heater on to about 90 degrees, and make sure all doors and windows are tightly closed. This will kill all the fleas in the house. Then you can sprinkle 20 mule team borax along the baseboards and even use this on carpets a few hours before you vacuum. It wont harm pets.

[ChiChi]

I kno wat ur talking about, i fif get Flea Dip stuuf, to do it myself, but after i read the instructions and warning labels i said "Forget that! Let the experts do their jobs" i cant remeber wat brand it was but it said, that you shouldnt keep it on your dog for over 5 mins, and should wash your hands imed. after the dip, "This Product can Harm yourself and your dog, or even kill" no way, i think that the vets were trained to do this stuff and i am not gonna kill my dog or get myself killed...