Ok so I'm concerned after a few people have pointed out too much food could make Rolo have runny poops. Ok so he is on eukanuba at his last vet visit he was 5kg so on the back of the pack it recommends for his age to have 270g a day, I take a small amount for treats and then split the rest into 3 portions for his breakfast 6am, lunch 12.30pm and 5.30pm evening. For the last few days he has been eating every single bit of each of his meals. Does this sound correct? Also mother in law has watched me prepare rolo's meals and has noticed I put a lot of water in to soften the kibble and for the past 2 meals she has done it using a very small amount and his poos have been much firmer, could this be a coincidence?
Re: Food glorious food. I don't think the water would make a difference. Personally, I only feed about 80% of the recommended amount of food as I find suppliers over estimate amounts.
Re: Food glorious food. I'll let other people answer about the quantities (I don't know anything about Eukanuba). But for the first six months of Pongo's life we always put lots of water with his kibble - it didn't seem to have any bad effect, and it was a great way of making sure he got enough fluids. We've cut down a bit now (because we want his food to be crunchier for the sake of his teeth.)
Re: Food glorious food. [quote author=Naya link=topic=8424.msg119109#msg119109 date=1414007260] . Personally, I only feed about 80% of the recommended amount of food as I find suppliers over estimate amounts. [/quote] Agreed, try that for a few days & monitor his poo, I bet you will find nice firm stools in a few days.
Re: Food glorious food. Ok will reduce the amount he his eating and see if that helps firm his poops up. Thanks guys.
Re: Food glorious food. [quote author=Rosie link=topic=8424.msg119110#msg119110 date=1414007287]We've cut down a bit now (because we want his food to be crunchier for the sake of his teeth.) [/quote] I've just had a quick look and only found anecdotal stories rather than hard scientific evidence, but when I was researching for for my ferrets, I read in multiple sources that there was no benefit to their teeth from eating dry kibble because it doesn't bend around the tooth and get to the gum line, where the majority of the issues are. So using either raw meaty bones (which do bend and get right up to the gum line) or brushing daily as we do for ourselves is the only way to keep a dog's teeth clean. I also saw an advert this morning for a Pedigree thing which claimed to do the same thing - like an oversized version of Dentastix, which I don't really like because they're so full of crap! Like I said, I've not seen any scientific evidence to support or deny the information, but it may be worth looking into?
Re: Food glorious food. Eating dry kibble doesn't do their teeth much good at all I don't think, but I think it's still better than feeding wet food, which is even worse. Dentastix were a complete waste of money for us, they lasted about a microsecond and gave him runny poo. :
Re: Food glorious food. [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=8424.msg119360#msg119360 date=1414136181] [quote author=Rosie link=topic=8424.msg119110#msg119110 date=1414007287]We've cut down a bit now (because we want his food to be crunchier for the sake of his teeth.) [/quote] I've just had a quick look and only found anecdotal stories rather than hard scientific evidence, but when I was researching for for my ferrets, I read in multiple sources that there was no benefit to their teeth from eating dry kibble because it doesn't bend around the tooth and get to the gum line, where the majority of the issues are. So using either raw meaty bones (which do bend and get right up to the gum line) or brushing daily as we do for ourselves is the only way to keep a dog's teeth clean. I also saw an advert this morning for a Pedigree thing which claimed to do the same thing - like an oversized version of Dentastix, which I don't really like because they're so full of crap! Like I said, I've not seen any scientific evidence to support or deny the information, but it may be worth looking into? [/quote] Yes, I think that's right - since drying out his food a bit Pongo's breath seems a little fresher; but what really makes a difference is giving him a nice meaty lamb bone every now and then. (And the look of bliss on his face is a treat.)
Re: Food glorious food. Like Naya, we always feed about three-quarters of the manufacturers recommendation. Three or four small portions a day is OK until they start to grow. Their digestive system struggles with regular large meals, as would mine!
