# Growing too Quick



## Koicare (Jul 29, 2007)

Hi Everyone
I took Max to the vet today to get his Vac's and Deworming - he will be 15 weeks next week Tuesday.

4 Weeks ago when I did his last vac's he weighed in at 9.6kg's (14.66 Pounds) today he weighed in at 16.25kg's (35.82 Pounds)!! he does not look fat at all and he is not skinny - I was actually happy with how he is looking.

Max walks funny off his back legs - sort of rabbit hops to get going and back legs some twist are are loose..... the vet said that he is too young to xray (obviously) - but also said that he thinks he is growing to fast and that I must put him on a diet - ie: less food each meal.

At the moment I am feeding him Mera - and it is supposed to be the "best" food in the world........ He gets 150 grams 3 times a day. I also give him a little bit of cooked chicken - just a few pieces with each meal - something nice..... The vet said that I should reduce the food to 100 grams 3 times a day for about 3 days - 1 week and see if there is an improvement in the back legs.... he thinks he is too heavy for his bones - he is big boned....

Does this sound like right advice. Max is always hungry......... what I am current feeding him does not seem enough let alone reducing it now........ but I do not want him to get Pano or worse HD.

Appreciate any advice!!


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## bmass01 (Apr 7, 2005)

Never heard of Mera, do they have a website? Or the nutritional analysis?


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## bmass01 (Apr 7, 2005)

Ok, I found the info.

Ingredients

Maize; poultry meat meal; rice; barley; animal fat; dried sugar beet pulp; greaves meal; linseed; maize gluten; brewer's yeast; dried egg; hydrolyzed animal protein; salmon oil; sodium chloride; sunflower oil; monocalcium phosphate; calcium carbo

Here is the Link to the website.

I do not think I would feed this food, if I am right, corn is the first ingredient.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

here is the chart many of us have looked at. it is just a general guideline, as they will all grow at different rates. there will be lulls in their growth and spurts as well. he is about 3.5 months, so going by the chart, he is the general range, weight wise, of what one could expect.

BUT, those are just numbers. far more important that you keep him lean, ribs easily felt, but not seen except maybe the last rib, nice tuck in his belly. rarely do vets get on people about a dog's weight, so if your vet is advising weight loss, it may be a good idea. can you post any pictures of your pup?

http://www.nwk9.com/weight_height.htm

as far as the legs, the bunny hopping could be a concern. its too early so say, imo, since puppies can take a while before they move competently and get all their movements coordinated. definitely something to keep an eye on.

regarding mera dog food: which one are you feeding?


here are the ingredients of one of their puppy formulas. maybe a food based more on a specific meat protein would assist in keeping the dog lean. to be honest, looking at the different offerings from Mera, i think there are many better choices for dog food. however, i dont know what might be available to you. (for example, something like innova large breed puppy or something from wellness or canidae would be superior to Mera)

_Ingredients_
_Maize; poultry meat meal; rice; barley; animal fat; dried sugar beet pulp; greaves meal; linseed; maize gluten; brewer's yeast; dried egg; hydrolyzed animal protein; salmon oil; sodium chloride; sunflower oil; monocalcium phosphate; calcium carbo

Analysis

Crude protein 25,2%, Crude fat 18%_


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## Koicare (Jul 29, 2007)

http://en.meradog.de/preview/dbcTrade/v4/ecarus.php?dbc=84ec3761acfd05f46628ec30195cbdb5&configNo=2
I am feeding the Mera Junior - the one we get in South Africa does not say 1 or 2 - just Junior. It was recommended to me by the Breeder I got Max from. i wanted to change his food over to Royal Canin German Shepherd 30 - which is the same food I have fed my other GSD's on and she told me NOT to feed Royal Canin and to rather feed Mera as it was the best food in the world and we are lucky that it is now imported into South Africa.......

I will try and post a picture of Max - personally I do not think that he is too thin. At lunch today I gave him only 105 grams and tonight I gave him 100 grams - and the poor dog is starving....so I called the vet and he told me to give him grated carrots....to fill him up. He also said that I will not have to do this for too long maybe 2 weeks to one month???


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

It could also be the "type" (bloodlines) of GSD he is that is the reason for the "loose" back legs.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

The fact that the breeder thinks Mera is the "best food in the world" is their OPINION. It is NOT fact. 

Can you feel his ribs EASILY when he is standing up? And does he have a "waist" when viewed from above?


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## Koicare (Jul 29, 2007)

Uhm - how do I post a picture?


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Instructions on how to post pics. Click here.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

i would love for that breeder to explain why a growing gsd pup should eat more corn than meat.









imo, for the price i think there are better options than royal canin as well. it is definitely a step up from the mera. here are the ingredients for Royal Canin large breed puppy 32. (at least the first ingredient is an animal source in meal form--still, expensive for what i'd consider a middle of the road food.)

Ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, brewers rice, corn gluten, chicken fat, beet pulp, chicken, natural flavors, brewers yeast, sodium silico aluminate, fish oil, dried eggs, monosodium phosphate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, fructo-oligosaccharides, salt, brewers yeast extract, DL-methionine, dried kelp, glucosamine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, chondroitin sulfate, zinc oxide, zinc proteinate, iron sulfate, manganous oxide, rosemary extract, d-calcium pantothenate, manganese proteinate, ascorbic acid supplement, niacin supplement, copper sulfate, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, copper proteinate, garlic, ginger, calcium iodate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, folic acid, sodium selenite, vitamin B12 supplement.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Derek,

Keep in mind that it sounds like the OP is in South Africa so there are likely not all the different kibble choices that we have here.


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## Koicare (Jul 29, 2007)

Having some problems with photo bucket - will post as soon as I sort them out.

http://www.royalcanin.co.uk/pdf/german_shepherd_junior.pdf
Here is the link to the food that I normally feed. It is the Royal Canin German Shepherd Junior 30.

Sadly we do not have many choices in South Africa - the supposed top brands are the Mera / Royal Canin and Eukanuba. My one female (6yrs) is on someting called "Vets Choice" which upsets the life out of me as it is really not a brilliant food at all - not top of the range but better than the supermarket variety - but she has such a sensitive stomach and it is the only food that she seems to be able to eat without getting the most horrific bleeding diahorea (the minute I try her on any other food we have this horrid gastro upset, which lands her at the vet and on a drip for a couple of days!).

My other female - although she is already 18 months old is still stuck on the Royal Canin German Shepherd Junior 30 - she should have come off it a few months ago, but refuses to eat any other food - I have tried everything and she just will not eat - food has never been her focus - playing with toys is. The vet said that it is ok for now as she is very active and always on the lean side - it is not making her fat at all. (First he told me to starve her and after 5 days of her refusing to eat I gave in.........)

My plan was to feed this type of food (ready made) until they were all older than 2 and then switch to a raw food diet. I was worried that a raw food diet might not have all the nutrients needed for growing dogs.... and my vet advised me to let them be on a good food until they were over the growing stages.

A question that I have (and please forgive my stupidity) is that if the protein level of any food is not higher than 50% - how can the first ingredient be any meat product? All the products I have seen have levels which are like 30% etc.

I had 2 GSD's before these 3 and I fed a raw food diet to them and they did not have most of the problems that other GSD's seem to get. So I really want to move them over but only once Max is 2 - for the time being I need to stick to what we have available or import a better food. Any links to the Canidai and other foods that you have access to.... I would not mind importing a heap of it, if it has a lengthly shelf life - ie: can last 6 months to 12 months. Also any food for GSD's with very sensitive stomachs?


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## Doug P. (Aug 7, 2008)

I kept track of our little boys age and weigh ins at the vets office. 6 weeks---9.8 LBS
9 weeks---15.1 LBS
12 weeks---29.5 LBS
15 weeks---37.4 Lbs
24 weeks---80.1 Lbs ---26inches tall


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

given your choices, and considering you have used the Royal canin before, that could be your best bet for now. sound like a good plan to go to raw eventually, especially given your limited kibble choices in South Africa. there is a whole forum dedicated to Raw feeding with a wealth of information.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

> Quote:A question that I have (and please forgive my stupidity) is that if the protein level of any food is not higher than 50% - how can the first ingredient be any meat product? All the products I have seen have levels which are like 30% etc.


 Because there are soooo many ingredients in most pet foods, canned or dry. In fact one of the SneakyPete tactics pet food companies use is to list a wet meat 1st followed by 3,4,5 grain/carb sorces. In this scenario, even though meat is putatively the *most* abundant ingredient, as a true percentage it's probably quite low & far behind the grain/carb sources. Proof that without actually *lying* one can be very devious & deceitful.

Reading/interpreting labels is an art. This is further complicated in international venues such as this board where laws/customs between different nations can vary widely. My knowledge/familiarity is restricted to the USA. Beyond its borders I'm woefully uninformed.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

ps-IF it's affordable I think you should consider at least supplementing your kibble choices with fresh meat & eggs. That will boost the quality of the marginal kibbles available to you.


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## Koicare (Jul 29, 2007)

Ok - I have made some progress..... I searched every pet store and finally found a product called "ProPac Earthborn Holistic" - I checked it on the food reviews and it gets 3 stars - which is better than Mera and Royal Canin which only get 1 star..... I decided to put all 3 dogs onto it. So I went to the vet to get Diahorea medicine for Yayla (she is the sensitive gut dog) - told him that I was maybe about to make her ill....... and I slowly started to introduce it into their foods (all 3 are on different foods), we are about 2 weeks in now - and today I fed the ProPac Earthborn Holistic only - 100% - I now have 3 dogs with runny noses..... does this sound like the are detoxing? No Runny poos yet.... I am waiting for Yayla with baited breathe........ and prepared....in case..... today Max weighed in at nearly 40 pounds and today he is 16 weeks old. So I think that it is OK. I told the breeder that i had swapped over to the ProPac Earthborn Holistic and she went ape on me... saying it was cr*p food and I should not be using it and blah blah blah.......Gene my one female who refused to eat anything else except the Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy 30 formula (and at 18 months she should notbe on it anymore) - loves the food (HIP HIP HOORAY) ..........and Yayla loves the food and Max, well he will eat anything.......loves the food...... so the only problem so far is the runny noses.......I have noticed that I have MUCH less poo to pick up as well......... what do you all think?


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