Dog food question?

Question

I feed my black lab mix Chick Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul dog food. I feed her 3 cups a day of this food. That should be all I'd have to feed her since it's a good quality food 'n everything. But she's really skinny. I don't get it. I just caught her eating stool (ack!), I guess b/c she doesn't have enough to eat. But if I have to feed her 4-5 cups of this food, I might as well feed her a crappy, low quality one since, apparently, I'd have to feed her the same amount whther I get a low quality or high quality dog food. So, what gives? I thought you didn't need to feed a dog as much if they're on a high quality food. Btw, she's about 45 lbs. She should be about 50 to be at a decent weight.

Oops, that's 'Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul'....

She's also got allergies. Seasonal, I think. Can that make her lose weight, or what? B/c I used to always feed her 3 cups of high quality dog food and she was a good weight. It's sorta been since she's got this allergy thing (that started when it started warming up) that she's been losing weight and as been really thin.

Btw, I also feed her raw food twice a week. (two days of the week). Pretty much to keep her teeth clean 'n all that, and I know it's really healthy for dogs.

Actually, I DID give raw a try for a month. Needless to say, I went back. It didn't have much effect and she was still really skinny.

And I know she eats her stool simply b/c she's hungry. I know this b/c when she was a perfect weight, she NEVER did that. And before I got her, the people who owned her before me would intentionally not feed her nearly enough, and she was REALLY skinny. A lot skinnier than she is now. And when she was that thin and hungry, she'd eat her stool EVERY DAY.

Hmm, interesting...
Well to answer those questions, shes 2 years old, doesn't get any exercise right now (I don't want to bring her outside looking mutilated b/c she picks and scratches herself b/c of the allergies) and she's not spayed.

And Chicken Soup food has the highest fat content of all the foods I've seen, and I've seen a LOT of foods.

Ah, dang. I keep forgetting to say that, yes, I've already had her checked out at the vets and she has no worms, parasites, etc....

*sigh* Does anyone even read anymore? I already had her vet checked. No worms. And Chicken Soup is a very good quality dog food, and I DO read the ingredients. I don't get it from some crappy chain store. I get it from the feed store over here.

Well, not trying to be snooty or anything, I'm saying this seriously, but... How do you /know/ that she's not eating it just b/c se's hungry? And if she's not eating it b/c she's hungry, then why is it she only does it when she's really thin and underweight, and NEVER even thinks about doing it when she's at the perfect weight? Believe me, I know my dog. She does it b/c she's hungry.

There's nothing wrong with a raw diet. It certantly isn't the cause of her underweight-ness. She was already getting thin and started with allergies before I ever put her on a raw diet. I did notice that she /seemed/ to be not /as/ bad with the allergies when she was on raw, as opposed to when she was on dry. But raw was costing a bit much. And I would have had to up the portions since she was still staying too thin. So, that would cost even more to up the portions. I also have a 35 lb dog to feed. So it's not easy to be buying food for the both of them and it's especially hard if I have to get them each different things. B/c then it costs even more. I think I'll switch my lab mix to Chicken Soup puppy food, as it has a 17% fat content, unlike the 14% in the adult CS dog food.

Oh, btw. It /was/ 2 months I did raw. Thinking back now, I remember it was 2 months, not a single month.

And yeh, dogs can be allergic to anything. Switching to a "higher quality" food isn't going to eliminate her allergies, as a dog can still be allergic to things in a super premium dog food. No matter what food you feed, there's a chance that the dog can be allergic to something in that food.

Answer 1

You should consult with a vet about this. Without seeing your dog, it is difficult to make a recommendation. It may be that a change of diet, is what is needed.

Answer 2

you don't say how old she is. Here is the feeding guideline for chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul Adult formula


Feeding Guideline (standard measuring cups/day)
Weight (lbs.) Standard Measuring Cups/Day

3 cups should be enough.

10 or Less 1/2 - 1
10 - 20 1 - 1 1/2
20 - 30 1 1/2 - 2
30 - 40 2 - 2 1/2
40 - 60 2 1/2 - 3 1/3
60 - 80 3 1/3 - 4 1/4
80 - 100 4 1/4 - 5

BTW it is not just the quanity of the food. It is the quality of the food that matters.

You can get some adoolf's meat tenderizer and sprinkle a little of it on her food for about a month. This makes the feces taste bad.

You can try feeding her 1.5 cups twice a day. Instead of all at once.

Answer 3

1) stool eating has nothing to do with a dog being hungry or missing some vitamin it is a completely normal dog thing...most dogs do it at one time or another if given the opportunity. It can also be an on again off again thing in otherwords dogs don't necassarily eat stool all the time
2) how sure are you that she's really underweight?? People are so use to seeing pugy, overweight dogs espcially Labs and their mixes that they fail to recognize one that is actually at the proper weight and fit
3) 3 cups a day of CS is very adequete for a Lab (X) . When I fed CS to my Danes they only ate 4 cups per day and always maintained a perfect weight..neither to fat or thin
4) if your dog is really underweight per your vet then you need to look for other causes...worms, thyroid or other medical issues and rule them out

Chicken Soup is a very, very good food, however it may not be the right one for your dog she may need a more calorie dense food such as EVO or Canidae.

No you don't need to feed as much of a good quality food as you do the cheap store brands

Answer 4

Have you talked with your vet about her weight? It may be that your dog has a high metabolism or parasites of some kind that are preventing her from processing food correctly.

There are some prescription diets that will help your dog gain weight -- you may want to discuss the option of putting her on the calorie-dense food until she gets to a proper weight and then switching her back to Chicken Soup.

Another option to discuss with your vet is whether the particular brand/flavor of dog food you're currently feeding is what's best for your dog. It may be that she could process other brands/kinds better and gain weight.

Also, exercising will help her build muscle, so, again talk with your vet about increasing her food intake as well as increasing (in small increments) her daily exercise.

Good luck.

Answer 5

I would change her food. She is eating her own stool because she is lacking nutrition in the dog food. I would find a food that has a little bit better ingredients. Remember just because a high priced store sells the food doesn't mean its any better than what you can find at walmart. Read the ingredients on the label. Try to stay away from anything that lists corn as the first ingredient, and go for something that has lamb and rice for the allergies. You don't usually need to feed as much with a higher quality food but then again you do need to read the labels. If you believes she needs to gain weight you can put her on lamb and rice puppy food, puppy food contains a higher fat percentage for growing puppies. Just watch to make sure she isn't gainning too much weight and exercises a little more. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

Just because a food is high quality does not mean that every dog does well on it or that it has the same calories a cup as a different high quality food. My 3 yr old n/m, 70lb Lab gets 3 cups of Pro Plan and gets a lot of exercise, his buddy, a 1 yr old n/m Dobe also 70 lbs gets 5 cups. There are a few diff blends of Pro Plan, chix/rice, beef/rice, salmon/rice etc and all have diff values as to how many calories per cup. So I adjust for a lower calorie food by feeding slightly more. Neutered dogs need less food as their metabolism changes. She could have one of several problems, worms, pancreatic insufficiency..etc so a vet check might be in order. You don't mention her age or acitvity level either and just because one dog eats 3 cups and weighs 70lbs does not mean another 70lb dog will do fine on 3 cups as mine don't even tho their activity level is equal.

Answer 7

What's the dog allergic to? Outside, grass, pollen, or something you're feeding her? I would try a diet based on rice and see if she clears up. she's least likely to be allergic to lamb & rice.

The vet can give you an antihistamine to help the dog not be so itchy and miserable. My dog had to take steroids during the summer months because her itching was unbearable.

I don't know why the dog is eating stool, and I'm not sure I want to know. It's your job to pick up after your pets. Get the stool disposed of and there won't be a problem with him eating it.

Whether she looks good or not, you need to exercise her.

Answer 8

First off....when dogs eat stool..it doesnt mean they are hungry. Some dogs just do that. There is a spray u can put on the stool to make it repell your dog away from eating it..the only problem is..youd have to follow your dog around and watch when he goes to the bathroom.
I have a german Shepherd, and a weimeraner. They are both at the wieght they should be. we feed them 8 ounces of Iams in the morning and 8 ounces at night. Your dog may just have a high metabolism. Ask your vet. They would know better than anyone the weight she should be at and how to get her there . Is your vet concerned with her weight?

Answer 9

You dont feed less just because it is a higher quality food I dont know who told you that but they were wrong. In my opinion and I have 5 rotts you should have food and water available at all times and no matter how bad the dog looks get him/her out to play and exercise or your going to have a depressed skinny dog on your hands. Dogs that have alot of energy burn more calories and will eat more than a dog with no exercise and to give you an idea of how much food i go thru....50lbs in 3 days and i have perfect dogs. Good luck

Answer 10

I had my dogs on Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul because it seems to be good quality, but 3 of them (I have 6) developed allergies and scratched themselves raw.
I suspect it is the cranberries listed as ingredients.

I switched to Canidae Chicken and Rice and they are all doing wonderfully well, great coats, no more allergies. It's more expensive, but worth it.
If you don't want to spend that much, try a Diamond brand - reasonable and also good, without causing allergies.

Why don't you just feed her an extra cup or two until you see that she is a healthy weight? Cheaper to feed her than have to vet her if she gets undernourished or sick.

Good luck.

Answer 11

If your lab is less than 2.5 years old, she may still be growing and filling out. Try upping the food to 4 cups for a few days, then back down to 3.5 cups. Three cups of food is about 1200 - 1400 calories !

If you are keeping her exercised, and you can't see her ribs, she is probably OK, and will put on more muscle as she gets older.

As far as eating her own stools... I hate to say it, but she does that... only because they taste good. That's a well know Lab trait. Sometimes, if you change the brand of food, that habit may stop.

But Labs love to eat. Even if you exercise them and give them plenty of chew toys... they may still eat anything they can find. (Try different chew toys and more exercise... won't hurt.)

The best way to stop stool-eating (scatophagia)... is to clean it up before she can get to it...