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Trouble putting on weight with Acana Wild Prairie.

4K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  DaViking 
#1 · (Edited)
Greetings,

I have a 4 1/2 month American Bulldog, currently feeding him Acana Wild Prairie. I give him 3 cups/ 3 times a day. His stools are fine but he's too thin as I can see his ribs more than I should. I currently feed his sister than same amount and she looks good; As he was growing up I kept increasing his food intake but he doesn't seem to gain weight...so should I up his food? or try something else?( Yes he is parasite-free)

My sister-in-law bought a littermate and he is way bigger than my dog....could it be because they are feeding him TOTW venison/bison adult formula which has 2.1% of calcium, more calories and fat%? Maybe the higher Calcium makes him big boned?

Thanks for the feedback!
 
#2 ·
Personally, if you feel that he is a little too thin I would first retest for any intestinal issues and (provided they come back clear) then i would up his food intake by 1/4 of a cup to start. Some stomach upset may occur but should clear up within a couple days. Please also keep in mind every dog is different (just like with people you can have siblings of different shapes and sizes) provided they are being well cared for overall, all dogs will grow to their genetically predisposed size reguardless of what is being fed.

Edit to add: Not sure what the calorie count is for Acana but if uping his food intake does not work may be finding a food with a higher calorie count per cup will. Good luck. Remember slow and steady growth is what you want. And 30ish pounds at 4-5 months sounds good to me as long as they are active and healthy.
 
#3 ·
I would take him to the vet to eliminate the possibility of parasites. Also, remember that puppies use most of their food to grow with, so they can tend to be lanky and that's ok.
 
#4 ·
Sorry guys I forgot to add that he is parasite-free. I had tapeworms about 1 1/2 months ago but that was taken care of with droncid, but his last two tests were negative.

So I know it is not a parasite issue, I think I should up his food....It's just that with foods like Acana you are supposed to feed less and overfeeding can cause diarrhea but that is usually the case for adult dogs. For puppies the "Feed less" story does not apply so I think I will increase his food intake.

Anybody feeding Acana to puppies less than a year old? If so how many cups were you giving?

Thanks
 
#7 ·
Yes I meant 1 cup thrice per day. Anyway there are NEW Acana formulas coming out this month... I really hope they continue to work for my dogs. It sucks that they are changing something they shouldn't but since Champion cashed out last year; I might have to buy new dog food if these new Acana formulas don't work out.

Maybe I will try Fromm because honestly Earthborn's ingredients look horrible.
 
#8 ·
Maybe I will try Fromm because honestly Earthborn's ingredients look horrible.
LOL! Please explain.

Here are the ingredients of Earthborn Primitive Natural, for reference.

Ingredients: Turkey meal, chicken meal, whitefish meal, potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E), dried egg product, tomato pomace, apples, blueberries, carrots, peas, spinach, garlic, Yucca schidigera extract, taurine, cottage cheese, l-lysine, dl-methionine, beta-carotene, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, magnesium proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, niacin, d-calcium pantothenic acid, vitamin A supplement, l-carnitine, vitamin B12 supplement, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), ferrous sulfate, biotin, riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1), calcium iodate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, manganese proteinate, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product
 
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#9 ·
Question??? How does a food win a race??? Although, I get what
You are saying and am sure the food works well and is of decent quality, I am sure it wasn't just the food that lead to the team(s) winning the races. I'm pretty sure a lot of training and conditioning went into it as well..
 
#13 ·
Good thing being a dog trainer makes you an expert at canine NUTRITION. Your posts so far make it very clear that you are far from it.
Well, to his defense, there are trainers and there are trainers. If you are a level 1 obedience trainer there probably isn't much there that is directly related to nutrition. If you have trained high performance canine athletes for 35 years you have probably picked up the odd piece of knowledge related to feeding and nutrition...
 
#15 ·
Well, to his defense, there are trainers and there are trainers. If you are a level 1 obedience trainer there probably isn't much there that is directly related to nutrition. If you have trained high performance canine athletes for 35 years you have probably picked up the odd piece of knowledge related to feeding and nutrition...
While this may be true, to down play the knowledge/experience of other members and what seems to be EVERY food resource mentioned, outside of his own personal preferences, is inappropriate.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Ok.... No need to get defensive it was just a question based on the observation that you seemed to be crediting the wins solely to the use of this food. And to me it was as if you were saying FEED this food and your dog will be able to win the Iditarod.. I'm pretty sure my couch potato dogs, as well as, my highly active German Pinscher (who i plan on doing field work with) would not beable to win a race like that simply because I changed their food to Dr. Tim's, there would have to be alot of conditioning and training involved as well.
 
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