[GizmoMom]

I just switched my dog over to THK Preference mixed with cooked ground bison. He’s a 15 lbs. Shih Tzu mix. I am not sure if I am feeding him enough. He sure loves his new food though.

I am feeding him according to the guideline on the box, which is 1/2 cup dry Preference mixed with 3/4 cup water, and 1/2 cup meat (ground bison). I split the mixture and feed him twice a day. Based on nutrition data for cooked ground bison, 1/2 cup is about 116 calories. Mixed with 1/2 cup of Preference, which is 116.5 calories. The total is only 282.5 calories. Based on dog food calculators on this site, he should be getting 464 calories per day. When I used to feed him kibbles or premade raw, I used to give him close to 450 calories per day.

Should I add more ground bison to his food? I’m worried if I would make the food unbalanced. Or should I keep the same proportion of the ground bison and Preference and just feed him more food per day?

[GizmoMom]

Just wanted to add that I will be rotating proteins in the future. I am monitoring him to see if this helps with his allergies.

[theBCnut]

I have read that you can double the meat with Preference. Feed according to the number of calories you know your dog needs, just keep in mind that Preference may be more digestable so that your dog may end up needing less.

[GizmoMom]

Thanks Patty. He doesn’t seem to mind the amount of food he’s getting. It actually looks like it has more volume than his other food.

[theBCnut]

Just watch what his weight does for a few days, then you should have your answer.

[GizmoMom]

Thanks!

[GizmoMom]

I just noticed I typed in incorrect info on my first post. 1/2 cups of Preference is 166.5 calories.

The total is still 282.5 calories.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by GizmoMom.

[GizmoMom]

I weighed him today. He has lost 1lb. Should I be worried? He’s been on the food for 15 days.

Since he’s so fluffy, it’s hard to see his body condition. I felt the side of his body and didn’t seem to be different than before.

[theBCnut]

If he needed to lose the weight then YAY!! However, if he didn’t need to lose the weight then I would assume that THKs feeding guidelines are for a dog that is less active than yours and up his food a little.

[GizmoMom]

Thanks Patty! He doesn’t need to lose weight. Last time he saw the vet they said 15lbs is a perfect weight for him.

I’ll probably up his food a little.

[theBCnut]

I would, because if he lost 1 lb in 2 weeks, he will lose more if you don’t up his calories. For a dog his size 1/2 lb a week is rapid weight loss.

[JASTECH]

If I may, also keep an eye on his fecal matter, weighing it will give you a better chart for what he’s digesting.

[GizmoMom]

Thanks both of you.

I thought I’m weird for taking diary of his food and BM. Weighing it would be a bit much for me!

He is going more often on THK and the stool is larger than on raw or freeze dried. I noticed it helped with his anal gland issue though. When he was on K9 Natural freeze dried, his stool was so hard and small. His anal gland was always smelling.

[JASTECH]

GizmoMom, YW. You can manually release his AG, this should be done outside. Though I have unloaded one of my Champion males on a rude competitor who had not sent me papers after being paid in full over 1year prior. The dog will use this for sent marking mostly when on walks when other doggies are smelt. When you feed freeze dried you need to add more water to his food. That is why his fecal is so dry, also too small in diameter for his AG to get used, understand?

[RescueDaneMom]

GizmoMom,

I have been using THK for 5 years now. My dog has larger stools when eating THK and raw then when eating 100% raw. I believe it’s because of the vegetables and high fiber. I also think this is good for some dogs. The feeding guidelines for Preference say you can add a fat supplement such as salmon, flax, or coconut oil which will add calories. You could also contact THK. I’ve heard their customer service is really good.

[GizmoMom]

JASTECH, Thanks. I know I can release his AG manually. I prefer not to do it though. I usually take him to the groomer to get it done when needed.

RescueDaneMom, Thanks. I contacted THK and they said I can double the meat if I wanted to. As long as the meat stay within the recommended ratio (min. 1:1, max. 2:1), the balance will still be there.

Another question I have is the meat I add too lean? The bison I’m using is 10% fat. His coat has been drier than usual. Should I use meat with more fat? Maybe 15% or 20%.

I just started adding coconut oil to his food to see if it helps.

I think Gizmo is allergic to fish oil and salmon oil. When I gave him fish oil, his eyes would turn red and he tries to scratch them. Same with salmon oil.

I haven’t try flax oil. Not sure if he’s allergic.

[RescueDaneMom]

The fat content really depends on your dog. I use the leanest meat I can find (93/7 or 90/10) because my Dane can put on weight really fast. My sister has a boxer/cur mix that has a high metabolism and is really active. She feeds 80/20 because her dog burns the calories. You could try using meat with higher fat content. That would increase the calories of his meal without adding volume. I wouldn’t go straight to 80/20 though. I would increase the fat gradually to see how he does with it.

Do you think his dry coat could be due to the weather? Some dogs get drier skin/coats in the winter when the air is drier and we use indoor heating. It’s also possible it could be due to not enough fat in his diet. The coconut oil should help that.

[GizmoMom]

Thanks. I guess the dry coat could be the weather. Our heater is also on all day.

I’ll try to gradually increase the fat and see how he does.

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