Increase food or vitamins?

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Shalista
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Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Increase food or vitamins?

Post by Shalista »

Hey, so it's almost time for me to restock the freezer and I have a question about raw feeding and vitamins. you may remember that Bax was dropping weight for awhile so i bumped his food. Well he was still losing weight so the vet (who doesn't approve of raw feeding) gave him some vitamins and, if memory serves, his weight stabilized. i keep forgetting to give him his vitamins with dinner and his weight has fallen again.

I want to get him to put on some more weight but I'm torn between upping his dinner portions and giving him vitamins. if vitamins can get him that weight then maybe its a lack of vitamins for the weight loss and not to little calories/protein?

He's currently eating 4% of his body weight daily. Stools are normal and fairly regular.

I don't mind bumping it up to 5% (or more) but I'm concerned that he actually does have a vitamin deficiency from the raw and that's why taking the pills gains him the weight back. Thoughts?
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
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Nettle
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Re: Increase food or vitamins?

Post by Nettle »

What vitamins are you giving?

Meanwhile, no harm is done by giving him more food.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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Shalista
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Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: Increase food or vitamins?

Post by Shalista »

http://www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l ... 9008606090

My problem is that i dont want to give him the vitamin AND extra food cause then he'll gain to much.

I'm wondering if i can cut the vitamin in favor of just more food?
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
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Re: Increase food or vitamins?

Post by JudyN »

I'm not a nutritionist AT ALL but my thoughts are that if vitamins make him gain weight, there must be some deficiency in his regular diet that stops him utilising everything in his food efficiently. And therefore just upping his food intake would be like eating carrot cake to up your vitamin A intake (which actually sounds like a pretty good idea right now :lol: ).

Apparently, stressed dogs can burn through a lot of magnesium and become magnesium-deficient, so Mg supplements may help with their stress - and I dare say there are other mechanisms whereby dogs can become deficient in a certain substance even when eating a well-balanced diet, just as some humans can be more prone to low iron levels than others regardless of diet.

So for that reason, I'd tend towards giving him the multivitamins. As I say though, I'm NOT an expert :wink:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
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Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: Increase food or vitamins?

Post by Shalista »

yeah judy that's what i was wondering =( I'm just concerned cause he gets so much extra already. he gets meat, half a cup of greens (peas, broccoli or sprouts) and a heaping tablespoonful of pumpkin puree with every meal. then he gets bones occasionally and also liver. I'm just wondering what more i could do to make raw work for him =(
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
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Nettle
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Re: Increase food or vitamins?

Post by Nettle »

That's a pretty good raw diet, and all I'd change would be to give more bones. Remind me is there a reason he can't have some chicken wings? Does he get red as well as white meat?

The vitamins will do no harm, but it's a pretty general mix and nothing there stands out as a magic supplement, so it's really interesting that he gains weight when on them. Obviously in that case they are fulfilling a need. Maybe as he has had so much stress lately, he is fretting weight off.

Meanwhile.....rocket science.....give him more food whether or not you give him the vitamins. If he gets fat, you cut the food back.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
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