# Is this enough?



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark has NOT been eating his kibble (Origen LBP) no matter what I do to it (soak it in warm water, add soft food, add pieces of cooked meat, add cheese, etc.) so I decided to give him raw for both meals.

He was only getting raw in the evening and not enough for a meal.

He is looking a tad skinny for my liking, I am not sure if it is his age (14 weeks this coming Friday) or if it is because he is just not eating?

I want to know if this is enough (I have 2 cats on raw and my 12 year old Shepherd as well, but I personally (parents did this) have not fed a growing puppy strictly raw, so I need some help.

He is eating 2lbs of raw per day.

He gets 1 lbs in the morning and 1 lbs in the evening.

His meal (per 1 lb) consists of:

8 ounces of RBM
7.2 ounces of MM
0.8 ounces of OM

He does not recieve suppliments or veggies (unless for a treat while training).

What can I give him to increase the fat content just a tad? Or should I? I will include photo's of him a little later (camera is charging).

Thanks in advance for your help!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Here are some recent shots of Stark.

He will be 14 weeks on Friday, I do not have a weight on him as my scale broke (when moving - not me getting on it - just to clear that up.. Haha). I will have a weight on him this Friday when he goes to the vet and I pick up my new scale which is on order.

My question is - does he look too skinny? Or is it just his age?

**Sorry for the bad quality photo's, they were taken with my phone.


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

Need some side shots and top down shots to be able to tell. (And less blurry lol) But in the first one he looks good.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Sorry, didn't realize how bad they were till after I posted.. will try to fix the camera to get some better shots today.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

It's hard to tell with those pictures but a puppy should look like a miniature version of an adult.

We see pictures of puppies with fat, roly-poly tummies and think "Awwww, isn't that cute!"

But it's not. There's no reason for a puppy to have a fat tummy.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

If you can feel the ribs without seeing them then the pup is probably in a good place. Weight, specifically, doesn't matter as there is no ideal weight for every puppy to be and yours will be different from the average, that's why it's only an average. 

From what I can tell, he looks good! He will fill out eventually... raw will help.









ETA: Fattier meats (beef) will add more fat to the dogs diet than leaner meats such as chicken or turkey. It's the same as for humans!


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## boscopup (Jun 17, 2003)

I have to say I love the pics of him with the Maine ****! I also have a Maine **** who will lay there as a dog tramples him.









Anyway, when Bosco was a puppy (switched him to raw around 15 weeks, IIRC), he ate a good 3-4lbs/day for a while there. Closer to a year, he ate less, and finally landed on 2lbs/day as an adult. He was always a skinny boy, but wouldn't gain weight past a certain amount, even when I tried Satin Balls once. The vet said that was just how he was, and he was healthy, so not to worry about it. But he did eat quite a bit as a pup. Ended up 74 lbs for the long haul and kept that weight up well on 2 lbs/day in adulthood.

Always go by ribs. If you can feel the ribs easily but can't see them, then you're good. If you can see the ribs, increase the food. If you can't feel the ribs, decrease the food. It's just like you'd do on kibble. Don't worry if what you're feeding is a different amount than someone else. When Bosco was eating a ton as a pup, I had a friend whose Great Dane (adult) was eating the same amount everyday! But that was just how much Bosco needed at that point in time. If i fed less, he'd get too ribby.

So just check ribs every week and adjust as needed.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks everyone!

I can feel his ribs but can not see them, so I think we are okay.

There are some better photo's of him in the Pictures section under "Fun in the sun".

I think I am so use to seeing rolly-polly pups that his slim figure made me hesitant, that and he hardly eats.

Now that he is on ALL raw, he is eating both his meals. He eats about 2lbs a day. 

I will keep him on that for a few weeks to see if I need to adjust or not.

Thank you very much, I REALLY appreciate all the responses.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Jerzey was really finicky about her kibble as well. She eats her raw dinner every night, but breakfast (which is still kibble) is kind of hit or miss, honestly. Sounds like a normal GSD pup to me! Lol.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Hahaha.. Good to know that Stark is not the only 'picky eater'.

He is on strict raw now, so no more kibble non-sense.

He has been eating every meal since the switch to raw!

YAY!


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)




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