[k9cancer]

I have a 14 week old Pyrenees pup. He weighs 45 lbs and 2 weeks ago we put him on Raw food Primal and Instinct.

His gas and diarrhea problems have disappeared but he is eating me out of house and home.

The package says to feed him 4% of his weight or 2.6 lbs daily of raw food.

I feed him 2 patties in the morning, 1 at lunch and 2 at night.

I use Primal and Bravo because it has a 75% protein 25% vegetable mix.

If I feed him 2 patties at night he acts like he is starving.
I was feeding him grain free dry mix with the recommended calcium levels mentioned on this forum however he would not sleep well at night and had the runs or soft poo almost everyday.

My other dog eats kibble and if my Pup, Harry gets to it he gobbles it up.

He is growing like a weed and has gained the proper weight.
Im just wondering if I should add a little kibble but then I will have the digestion problems.

Any advice would be great. I am wondering if he is just a dog that wil eat/over eat if given the chance. I was also wondering if adding sweet potato or something ese might be better. Maybe he likes the crunch….sigh I sure am driving myself crazy huh?

Any advice would be great.
D

[Hound Dog Mom]

HI k9cancer –

Most dogs will overeat if given the chance – especially when they’re being fed a highly palatable diet (such as a raw diet). It’s very important to keep large and giant breed puppies lean during the growth phase as excess weight can increase the chances that the pup will develop an orthopedic condition. If his weight looks good do not feed him more. Just adjust his portions based on his weight – feed more if he looks too thin, less if he looks to heavy and keep portions as they are if his weight is healthy. The product packages are a good starting point for determining serving size but they aren’t always accurate – this is why it’s important to be constantly evaluating body condition. If he gets diarrhea again I’d recommend adding a spoonful of plain canned pumpkin and supplementing with probiotics, if he’s fine now you could also start adding a little plain yogurt or kefir to his meals daily to start building his gut strength. If you want to provide him with food that has a “crunchy” texture for his enjoyment I’d recommend opting for raw meaty bones rather than kibble. The raw meaty bones will provide him with crunching a chewing pleasure as well as dental benefits – you may also find that he feels more satisfied after eating RMBs. You could replace a few meals a week with RMBs such as turkey necks or chicken backs. You can feed the RMBs with a bit of boneless meat or whole offal (hearts, gizzards, livers, etc.) to lower the calcium to phosphorus ratio.

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