How do you decide when it is time to give up on a new food?

1785 Views 15 Replies 10 Participants Last post by Kel, Sep 28, 2011

Kel

Discussion Starter · Sep 26, 2011

About 2 weeks ago, I switched Chloe from Orijen kibble to a raw frozen food (Nature's Variety Instinct). She didn't enjoy the Orijen and often wouldn't eat until late afternoon. NOW, she is ALWAYS hungry and makes that very obvious! I give her the recommended amount (actually a bit more) and it just doesn't satisfy her. Everyday, I have had to give her some leftover Orijen too, and now she gobbles that right up.

I don't want her to get overweight and I keep hoping that she is just going through an adjustment period. It isn't getting better, though. This morning she started barking at me at 8 am for food.

Any suggestions/experience with this? I don't know why I am having so much trouble finding the right food for Chloe. She does have a sensitive stomach and is prone to vomiting but this hunger thing is new. I hate to go back to kibble but this food just isn't filling her up.

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kendal

· #2 · Sep 26, 2011

maybe spred out her meal times. so she has something in her tummmy throughout the day, or feed her later at night.

Kel

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 26, 2011

kendal said:
maybe spred out her meal times. so she has something in her tummmy throughout the day, or feed her later at night.

Oh sorry, I should have mentioned that we do that. And I give her a bit more at night than in the morning because there were a few days when she was starving at bedtime and wouldn't go to sleep until she had a bit of Orijen in her tummy. She even asks for more food right after she has eaten, it's ridiculous. This morning after she ate, she came and barked at me for 5 minutes while i was drinking my tea before she finally gave up.

kendal

· #4 · Sep 26, 2011

have you tried giving her wings, ribs, a nice big bone something she has to sit and chew on for longer rather than gobbeling it up in seconds.

M&M's mummy

· #5 · Sep 26, 2011

I would up her intake but keep a check on her weight. With RAW it is a bit of trial and error to get the amounts right.

What NI are you giving and how much ?

The trouble with cockapoos is that they can vary is weight even trying to guess their adult weight can be a bit tricky- you can get some as light as 9kg and others at 15kg- so quite varied.

Don't be disheartened if you do have to return to kibble not all kibble is bad, and not all dogs thrive on RAW.

sharplesfamily

· #6 · Sep 26, 2011

We feed Luna NI and weighed her on a Thurs. On the following Monday she was so bitey and obviously hungry - in 3 days she had lost weight! So I think with raw food you have to weigh them & adjust their food quantity extremely regularly as they digest it quickly & efficiently. We also feed her 6% of her weight which suits her a lot better. So keep a check on her weight. We also feed Luna at 6.30am, half an hour after she wakes. No way could she last longer!! So could you feed her earlier? In addition, Luna has a bone to chew in the pm on most days, & lots of training/walking treats so you could fill her up on these too??

Hope you get it sorted x

DONNA

· #7 · Sep 26, 2011

Im feeding Buddy NI and giving him 6% of his weight ,I know for an adult dog you feed less but i would feed the higher % recommended and prehaps like others have said give her extra in the day ie: for lunch a wing or even some kibble if you have any left over.
Rembember if shes doing alot of exercise i would give her more food anyway,also you could add some steamed veg to her NI if you wanted to.
Prehaps like Harri has said get her weighed each week so you can adjust her food.

MillieDog

· #8 · Sep 26, 2011

In answer to your question in the title. I would only give up on food if they weren't eating it.

If she's eating it and enjoying it then thats good. Just adjust the amount you are giving. How much does Chloe weigh and how much food are you giving each day?

Laura(L)Izzie

· #9 · Sep 26, 2011 (Edited)

Gosh it's so strange for me to read this haha, ever since we got Izzie as a puppy she has been a very funny eater, she will not eat a meal when it is put out, so from being little we've had to leave her bowl of food out all day, we thought she wouldn't eat otherwise, she just goes to her bowl every now and again throughout the day and eats some. Although we have noticed that she doesn't like to be alone when she's eating, sometimes she gets a mouthful and brings if into the lounge to eat haha. So as i've never experienced this problem I cannot help at all, I don't understand NI either, don't get it but loads of people talk about it... We recently had Izzie wieghed at the vets, it was like 8.5 but i'm not sure what measurement :s haha, maybe kg. Good luck with this! I hope you figure out the problem soon.

Kel

Discussion Starter · #10 · Sep 27, 2011

She isn't on NI, I don't think we have that here, but I assume it is similar. It is www.naturesvariety.com .

I am actually not sure of her weight because our scale seems to vary everytime I get on it, but I guesstimate that she is between 16 and 17 pounds. I assume that is close to Chloe's adult weight, since she is a year old.

The food is in 1 oz patties and I did take an extra one out today, so now she is up to 7 oz. The package says for a normal active dog, between 16 and 25 pounds, she should get between 6 and 9 oz per day. I just noticed that today

I have been getting the website to figure it out for me and when I put in that she is 17 pounds and average activity, it tells me to give her 5.3 oz but if I put her in as ABOVE average activity, it tells me to give just over 8 oz. Definitely not an exact science. Maybe I was worrying to much about her overeating and gaining weight. I have a friend with a Cockapoo who is just a bit older than Chloe and the vet told her that her dog already needed to lose a few pounds,even though she looks fine to me.

I am definitely not opposed to kibble or a mixture of kibble/raw. She really does enjoy this food but it is quite expensive. Still have to afford to feed my human kids

Thanks everyone

I will see how 7 oz works for her and then consider if I have to bump it up to 8. And I will get her weighed properly so I can keep an eye on it.

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Kel

Discussion Starter · #11 · Sep 27, 2011

kendal said:
have you tried giving her wings, ribs, a nice big bone something she has to sit and chew on for longer rather than gobbeling it up in seconds.

We do have rib bones that we sometimes give her. If she is on a frozen raw diet, I wonder if it is a good idea to regularly give her a bone for her teeth. Now that she isn't getting as much kibble to chew on?

caradunne

· #12 · Sep 27, 2011

I've just looked at the web site and the product seems pretty similar to our NI. I give Izzy loads more than they recommend. I used to weigh it etc but now just feed her what she wants. She also lost weight very quickly when I changed to NI from kibble so upped the amount. She also gets training treats, a biscuit and often a lamb bone. She is very active. She has now put on some weight (after months) and is the weight I want her (about 14lbs). The vet checked her at the annual vaccination and said it is refreshing to find a dog that is not overweight. She is a small cockapoo at 14.5 inches high. I would feed your dog more but keep a check on he weight.

Rufini

· #13 · Sep 27, 2011

Vincent was like this - the food the breeder gave us he hardly touched. Now we have Wainwrights and he practically inhales it! He is forever looking if there is more food in his bowl no matter what time of day!
We're worried he keeps looking podgey but then he has a growth spurt and looks fine again xD

weez74

· #14 · Sep 27, 2011

Hi

Rosie was very similar to this when I first switched her to NI. She went from not being fussed about her kibble to being desperate for each meal. I upped the amounts to the top of what was recommended, as she is quite a big cockapoo (14kg and still got some weight to put on according to our vet) and I always have a stock of frozen chicken wings in the freezer in case she seems particularly hungry any day. She eats them frozen and I am going to expand this on the basis of Shirley's post about turkey necks!

However, the crazed hunger thing disappeared after a few weeks, and although she still goes mad for it in the morning and the evening, nowadays I sometimes actually miss out her lunch when she doesn't seem too bothered (I don't know when you're supposed to go from three meals to two, but it can't be far away for Rosie). I don't know if it is an age thing or if it was just that she found the NI so much more tasty than the old kibble that she wanted to gorge on it!

kendal

· #15 · Sep 28, 2011

for get about her weight for the moment. get a hold of her and feel her body, feel her ribs, how ealily can you feel them. you want a light lair of fat over her ribs. she may just have a very high matabolism and needs a wee bit more food.

bones are good as they cant just gobble them up they need to work on them, it satisfies them both tummys and bodys as all the chewing tiers them out and they often want to sleep when they are done.

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Kel

Discussion Starter · #16 · Sep 28, 2011

My husband and Chloe met a couple tonight with a King Charles Spaniel about the same weight and size as Chloe and she just happens to be on the same food. They had to move her up to 8 oz of the food a day, plus a few treats some days. But they are really happy with the food and their dog's coat has improved. So, hearing this and reading everyone's advice, I am feeling much more confident, thanks!

Kendal, I think Chloe's weight is just fine right now, according to what you said. Definitely going to give her a bone more often.

Weez74, I really hope the crazed hunger does disappear soon! Amazing how rude such a cute puppy can be when she is hungry!

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