# He's ALWAYS hungry!!!



## GSDNewbie1024 (Oct 23, 2012)

My 5mo. old pup Max seems to be hungry all the time!

Right now he's on Royal Canin German Shepherd (Adult)
First off, yes I know... Royal Canin maybe mid level food to you guys but he loves it.

You maybe also ask why is he on Adult formulated food? Well in my other posts you maybe realize he recently got diagnosed with HD. Doc recommended it, so that's what I'm doing.

Ok, back to the real subject at hand. He's been switched lately quite a bit to different foods until we landed on Royal Canin, but it always seems (no matter the brand or ingredients) he's ALWAYS wanting more! He currently feeds 3x a day for a total of 4.5 cups a day.

He stays licking the bowl longer after eating, that it takes him to actually eat the food I put in it. And if it even seems like I'm moving toward his food container, he goes all crazy! As if I'm gonna feed him more! lol

He's already been checked for worms and parasites and all tests came back neg. So what should I do?! My pup is REALLY lean right now, and in now way want to make him fat or anything. Activity level is kinda low right now cause of my newborn... he just goes for walks and we play fetch a bit, but nothing serious enough to say "he's burning all the food and needs more".


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

With RC you will have to feed more, so while 4.5 cups might seem like alot it might not be enough. Delgado ate Fromm LBP and he ate between 4-4.5 cups and he's always been a pretty ideal weight.

If you're struggling to add weight on then either up the kibble slightly to maybe 5 cups and do snacks. A little raw chicken, turkey, or beef can help fill him and add calories but in a healthy way


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## GSDNewbie1024 (Oct 23, 2012)

Shade said:


> With RC you will have to feed more, so while 4.5 cups might seem like alot it might not be enough. Delgado ate Fromm LBP and he ate between 4-4.5 cups and he's always been a pretty ideal weight.
> 
> If you're struggling to add weight on then either up the kibble slightly to maybe 5 cups and do snacks. A little raw chicken, turkey, or beef can help fill him and add calories but in a healthy way



Well I do training sessions with him too, so he has treats in him tummy as well (which I figure help fill him a little more). His weight is great and doesn't seems to be losing weight (in my eyes at least).

He's never had raw before... so any good tips on introducing it to him as well as me preparing it?


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

If he's a good weight (lean but no ribs or other bones showing clearly) then I wouldn't worry. Delgado was only 67 lbs two months ago at 17 months but it's a healthy weight and I'm not going to put extra fat on him for no reason 

My only concern was when you empthasized he was "REALLY lean" which lead me to believe he was underweight and you wanted to add weight for health reasons.

There's no prep needed for feeding them a little raw meat, their system should handle it fine. If I'm making dinner I just toss the dogs a piece of the meat I'm cutting up for the meal, usually chicken or beef before any spices or anything is added. With a baby around it's probably best to feed them out of their bowls and then sanitize around it, or feed them the treat outside if you're concerned. I don't feed raw meals, just for treats so it's a small amount at a time. Chicken bones are fine for the dog to chew but it does take time to chew for most so again, outside or put in a specific area is easy to contain any mess


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## GSDNewbie1024 (Oct 23, 2012)

Shade said:


> If he's a good weight (lean but no ribs or other bones showing clearly) then I wouldn't worry. Delgado was only 67 lbs two months ago at 17 months but it's a healthy weight and I'm not going to put extra fat on him for no reason
> 
> My only concern was when you empthasized he was "REALLY lean" which lead me to believe he was underweight and you wanted to add weight for health reasons.
> 
> There's no prep needed for feeding them a little raw meat, their system should handle it fine. If I'm making dinner I just toss the dogs a piece of the meat I'm cutting up for the meal, usually chicken or beef before any spices or anything is added. With a baby around it's probably best to feed them out of their bowls and then sanitize around it, or feed them the treat outside if you're concerned. I don't feed raw meals, just for treats so it's a small amount at a time. Chicken bones are fine for the dog to chew but it does take time to chew for most so again, outside or put in a specific area is easy to contain any mess


How do you think he looks?


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Personally I think he looks great  With a diagnosis of HD you really want to make sure he's not carrying around excess weight to pressure his joints more than necessary


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## GSDNewbie1024 (Oct 23, 2012)

Shade said:


> Personally I think he looks great  With a diagnosis of HD you really want to make sure he's not carrying around excess weight to pressure his joints more than necessary


What do you think about full raw diet


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I think it can be a good and bad thing. I believe a raw diet trumps a kibble diet when done correctly, it does take effort and planning. 

Personally I prefer a good quality kibble diet as it's much less work and I know my dogs are getting all the nutrients they need without measuring and cutting and thawing out meat and adding suppliments

You can read the RAW/BARF section of the forum for tons of information regarding the diet, there are many members of the forum who do it who can answer specific questions much better then me


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## DanDan (Aug 7, 2013)

GSDNewbie1024 said:


> What do you think about full raw diet


I have my 6 month old pup on a full raw diet and he LOVES it, wouldn't change him for anything. It's got heaps of health benefits as raw bones will help clean their teeth and also give them something to do other than run around and be their mental selves. (Takes Shadow around 30 minutes to a hour to finish eating depending how much bone he is given). As far as raw feeding will go with treating HD, it would be better for weight management and muscle growth. 
It will be better to put him on during his major stage of life rather than later but that's just my own opinion. (However in thier growth spurt they eat about 10% of their own body weight. so a 20kg puppy will eat 2kg of food a day! 
But perhaps this can give you a bit more insight into raw feeding vs kibble feeding itself. 
Myths About Raw: An Honest, Candid Conclusion
Alternatively you could check out this forum Raw Fed Pets - Forum - Index


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## GSDNewbie1024 (Oct 23, 2012)

Shade said:


> I think it can be a good and bad thing. I believe a raw diet trumps a kibble diet when done correctly, it does take effort and planning.
> 
> Personally I prefer a good quality kibble diet as it's much less work and I know my dogs are getting all the nutrients they need without measuring and cutting and thawing out meat and adding suppliments
> 
> You can read the RAW/BARF section of the forum for tons of information regarding the diet, there are many members of the forum who do it who can answer specific questions much better then me


True, and it takes time to prepare... and that's time I need to dedicate to my newborn. Maybe I'll just mix in a couple pieces of chicken with each meal of kibble.


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