Hi All,
I have a 20 month old male Rottweiler and it is a little concerning to me that he is looking thin and is not broading out as a dog of this breed should be. He has always been a small Rottweiler as he was the one the breeder was most worried about as he was quiet small. Even though he is 20 months old he is approximatly 2 ft tall. I am becoming increasingly concerned as he does not appear to be putting any weight on and is growing this around his waist. On some areas of his back you can feel his bones quiet easily.

Having said this he is eating quiet normally. I am currently feeding him on Pedigree Chum Adult Mixer Food along with Frozen Tripe. He is fed at least 3 times a day and also has treats and snacks of my own in between. He is a very energetic dog and spends most of the time runing round the garden trying to keep up with my other dog. Could this be a case that as much as he is eating he i burning it off again.

I have been told by various people that I should change his food and to try him with Dr John's Silver Dry Dogfood. I am unsure whether to to this or not as at the moment it is quiet clear that he needs fattening up a little, and for him to be built up into a muscular dog that this breed should be.

I would appreciate any feedback and advice on this subject. Thanks

Judge John -x-

Hi yes it sounds as if he needs some help, now first you need to take him to the vet for a complete check up, when did you last worm both your dogs? stay on the tripe but take him off the mixer and replace with natural biscuit meal and make sure you are feeding him enough and dont let the dogs go mad together all the time best of luck Jackie :-O

Be careful of feeding him too much. Quite the opposite of building him up it will just push though him by sheer volume without stopping to be properly digested along the way. This can keep weight off a dog.
Lara x

Your young male should be on at leat 3lb of meat a day as well as his meal and veg. Keep him on the tripe (beef tripe not lamb) and as the previous post states replace Pedigree with a natural wholemeal biscuit (laughing dog or natural choice wholebake) this should body him up. Whats his breeding?

What u mean whats his breeding ?

Has anyone heard of DR JOHN'S SILVER DOGFOOD? As stated earlier I have heard its suppose to good. Have any of you tried it. Your opinions please.

Judge John -x-

His breeding will mean his parentage or family lines.

Mmmmmmm,
I have heard of Dr Johns, and i have heard good things about it, but i dont think you will be doing yourself any favours by switching foods now.

Your dog will be healthier in the long run if he gains his muscle slowly, and at his age, he is by no means a mature dog! So dont panic about it.

I would add to his current diet, probably some fresh fish, and raw blended green leafy veg. My own personal worry is that tripe and mixer alone does not make a balanced diet.

If you do manage to make your dog put on weight fast, all you will do is spoil his joints and shorten his lifespan, in a nutshell.

Good luck with him,
Em

What's the first three ingredients stated on the bag? I understand Dr Johns is a cheap biscuit/complete so the first three ingredients will probably be cereals, meat and animal derivatives but I would be interested to know.

Hi All,

I feed Dr John (Gold) to all of my 7 adults (3 GSD's, 4 Border Collies). The three first ingredients are indeed, cereals, meat and animal derivatives.
However, I have to say, that this is the only food that has put weight on my male GSD, and it really has worked wonders.
I'm not in anyway trying to promote the use of this food, just saying that my dogs all do well on it.

For my male GSD, I tried every food you could imagine, but he was as thin as a rake, it was awful.
I've thought about it since, and MAYBE this was because he was young, going through a gangly stage etc, but honestly, people thought I was starving this dog, when in reality, I was doing everything possible to get some weight on him.
The Dr John gold (I don't know about the silver) has done all of my dogs a lot of good, BUT I have to say, they can easily put on too much weight with it.
Dr John is a working dog food, so I would say it's excellent for working dogs, or dogs that have a LOT of exercise. Mine do, as we have a smallholding, so it works well for me.

Hope this helps

Lisa

Do you know what meat and animal derivatives mean?

Hi Rugrott,

I certainly do.

However, as long as my dogs are healthy and happy, which they are, thats all that matters.

Regards

Lisa

I have a recently aquired nearly adult labrador and she has been on Dr John Gold for 3 weeks now. She is definately looking in better nick than when I got her. She was quite dull coated when I got her and now shines, but she was still changing her coat then so not sure if the improvement is down to the Dr Johns or not.
As advised I'd check his worming is up to date and get him checked out with the vet just to be sure there is no underlying cause - but it just might be that as the smallest in the litter he will never be the dog his littermates are. Always buy wormers from the vet - the supermarket/pet shop ones are not as effective and often more expensive.
I would change him onto a complete diet personally of 20-25% protein, as mixer and tripe with no supplements is not ideal. Feed him at chest hight and expect him to drink more on a complete diet and make sure he always has water available. I dont think ( though rotty owners please correct me) that Dr John Gold (20% protein 8% fats) would be enough. I would try something like Omega Tasy at 24% protein 11% fat/oil or maybe Burns. there are many brands I haven't used so others may suggest different ones to choose from.
Or as previously suggested , quality fresh/frozen meat - vary between Chicken Lamb and Beef with a good quality mixer + a good all round vit/min supplement if its not included in the mixer. I prefer complete foods because you KNOW they are getting all the nutrients that are needed. It sounds to me that he has not had enough quality protein while growing, although you cant make up for that now by feeding him very high protein ( over 25% in a complete diet imo).

Mmmmmm,
There are links between feeding a high protien diet, and putting weight on a young large breed dog too soon, to OCD, and also to temperament disorders such as hyperactivity, and aggression.

I would certainly NOT feed this dog a high protien diet, i suspect in fact that the current diet is already too high in protiens and fats, hence the excessive energy, and light build, he is burning off what he eats incredibly fast.

Judge John, i still think that u should add a variety of foods, such as raw eggs, oily fish, raw blended veg and other offal to your dogs diet.

There does seem to be a general misconception that lots of protien is a good thing, and in general, it is the opposite. If this was my dog, i would also feed rmb's and chicken wings etc.

Em

Hi there,

At 20 months he is still quite young also, my freinds have Rotts and have for 20 years ( breeding for about 10) now as far as I can see they can sometimes be on the slender side till the reach 2 years + they are still doing a good bit of growing.

I am not going to get into the diet debate but there is NO guarantee of balance in complete foods there is only Hope. Hi protein is not the answer to instant weight gain neither. High Protein is partly responsible for hyper active dogs and skin complaints. High protein diets also may not have natural protein in them in some cases the higher on the bag themore they poop.

Tripe is a good base for the dog with the biscuit as most have said. DO not chop and change his food as you will only complicate things. If he is eating enough , well wormed then give him time. Chicken is a good source of protein , you could add this to him food or substitute a feed for chicken and biscuit.

I personally would not worry too much, when he turns 2 you will wake up and think what was the worry.

Good luck..

Pam

PS forgot to add that have you compared his weight to the breed standard. Sometimes you find that will breeds like Rotties some lines are far larger that others. Generally ones you see around the show ring are smaller and more slender than those you sometimes pass on the street. Some breeders like them big and some don't.

I know when I first met my freinds with their rotties I was thinking to myself Gosh they are very small for Rotties but they we the correct size to the standard.

Good luck, ps if you are concerned give your vet a call this is generally free.

Pam

Perhaps I was misunderstood - I was not recommending high protein - quite the opposite, but saying that imo mixer and tripe is not ideal for a growing dog that needs to make lots of bone like a Rottie. I agree that large breed puppies should be grown slowly on a lowish protien diet BUT the protein that is used should be high quality and include some muscle meat or fish together with a vit/min supplement if mixer is given rather than complete. Tripe alone imo with mixer is not quality protein in my book. His present condition is due to a combination of the way he has been fed/managed and his genetic pre disposition, either way if he is not looking the way he should something needs to change if there is no medical reason for his low condition. I have no desire to upset anyone - least of all the owner of the dog in question, but thought I would try and clarify what I meant.

My GSD need to gain weight after losing 2 kg in one month on James Well Beloved we put her on to eukaneba and she put the weight back on after about a month. However she is now on Wafcol potato and Salmon due to skin problems and she has neither lost or gained but i must admit for the first time since she was 8 weeks she eats all her food in one go (thats prolly due to the pup though) :-)
My pup GSD how is 14 weeks old is also fe on Wafcol but the puppy form and is doing fantastic weight is great.
But you must get a check up if you have not already done so, and perhaps speak to the vet about a proper diet for your dog even he/she will prolly recomend hills science.

Well i am going the oppisite way to everyone else! I have been breeding Rotties for around 28 years and with in this time i only ever feed my dogs raw chicken frames, Pal Biscuits and raw pet mince with pasta shells, i wouldn't be to worried at the moment because he is burning what he eat pretty much straight away by the sounds of things!! You should take him to the vet just incase to check that every thing is okay,