[Jennifer H]

Soooo….I know there are some commercial foods out there targeting specific diets.

Annnnd…I know I just looked through William D. Cusick’s website and raised my eyebrows rather skeptically – more than once. Anybody heard of him?

Buuuut…I have a weird thing going on over here at the Crazy 88 Whippets ranch that might actually support the idea of breed- or group- specific diets. Let me tell you my story, and I’d love to hear input. 🙂

In the spirit of high protein, low carbs, moderate fat, moderate calories = weight loss, I’ve had my chubbiest whippet dieting on Premium Edge WL 1 formula (49% protein, 13% fat, 30% carbs, 347 kcals/cup) for about 2 months. I am feeding 367 cals per day – target weight of 20lbs (per the dog food calculator for overweight dogs) and measuring food like a tyrant. Minimal change. Even w/ increased exercise.

So…Last week I went back to Nutro Nat. Choice Lite Lamb & Rice (23% protein, 7%fat, 52% carbs – ugh! that’s a lot of carbs, right?!!!, and 244 kcals/cup). I am still feeding 367 cals per day, per the dog food calculator & exercise (at least 2x a week on carpet mill with resistance, in addition to tug & retrieve training, walks, and yard exercise) is the same.

In just one week, we’ve got NOTICEABLE weight loss. So….that got my whippet & canine diet obsessed brain wondering. Could it be that because she’s a ‘sprinting’ breed, she processes carbs differently?

That’s what sent me on my online quest in regards to whippets and carbs, which brought me to WD Cusick’s site on breed-specific diets.

And still, it seems a bit OUT THERE. But, one of my whippets is prone to tying up on too much protein in his diet, and he’ll especially do it if we don’t carb-load during racing. I wonder if in general the sprinters can/should have more carbs in their diets – simply having different metabolisms, whether they are actively training for racing/coursing or not????

This, of course means the one non-whippet in the household gets to stay on the high-pro/low carb/mod fat, as she is losing weight appropriately for the first time ever (can’t get her to lose it on high carb diets!) Which again, sort of makes sense, if she’s a working/herding breed w/ diff. use of energy in long-trot activities as opposed to sprint/rest like the whippets.

Thoughts?

Jennifer & the Crazy 88 Whippets

• This topic was modified 10 years, 11 months ago by Jennifer H.

[theBCnut]

I used to have a Saluki and he could never gain weight with high fat and high protein diets. I used to give him a baked potato every day to get him in show shape.

[Melissaandcrew]

My Iggys need carbs in their diet or the would look like coat racks. They always get food with carbs, whether its dry or homemade raw.

[Mirae L]

My pure bred bichon frise began forming bladder stones at age 5yrs. He was fed an all organic, home cooked meal, mostly consisting of pasture raise chicken, beef or pork, white rice, and veggies. Duck, chicken, beef and fish treats.

I followed the vets advice and had the stones surgically removed, and the stones returned within a year. I was furious. The vet then told me they commonly recur, and I set out on a mission to find a non-invasive way to get rid of them.

Bladder stones cannot be treated with ultrasound because of all the liquid in the bladder. So I coupled WD Cusick’s breed specific diet with Chinese herbs, passwan (Mandarin for ‘break up stone’), and all 5 of his stones were gone in 3 weeks.

I love these breed specific diets!

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