[Lucy Vizsla]

My husband and I have two Vizsla pups. One is 1 year old and one is 1 year 2 months old. We find we are going through so much food. How much do your dogs eat? They get 4 1/2 cups a day, each of them. We are going through 2-40lb bags in a month. We use Nutro Natural Choice. Any suggestions. They play hard has you all know. The older one, has put on a little weight, but she was just recently fixed, in the last 3-4 months.

Thanks

Amanda

 

[tbone13]

We have a vizsla and a gsp. The v eats nearly 5 cups a day just keep his weight up. We actually had to start mixing in a high calorie food with his other food. The minute that we try and cut back he'll start to lose weight. So yes we go through a lot of dog food each month.

If you're looking for a creative alternative you should talk to your vet, there may be other things you can feed in place of dog chow. Brown rice is one that comes to mind, so instead of 4 1/2 cups of Nutro you feed 3cups and then a cup of brown rice. Not that you have to cut back, but it would probably save you some cash...

 

[cathyl]

We have 2 V's, one is 20 months and one is 4 years. Each get 3 cups a day, the younger getting a cup of dry food that is higher in protein, because she runs non stop and needs the extra amount. My husband also makes their wet food, so their diet is well balanced. We go through a 30 lb bag probably every 3 weeks or so.

 

[DarDog]

Darwin is 7 months and currently eating 5 cups a day (it will probably decrease once he's growing more slowly). I've read from other threads on the forum that Vs tend to need to eat more than the bag recommends .

 

[NashOwner]

I have a 5 month old V and a 15 month old golden retriever. Our V get 5-6 cups a day and you can still see all of his ribs, which is normal for a V puppy we were told. Our golden gets 4 cups a day and he is 72lbs. My puppy V is 28lbs and 5 months old. I switched the dogs onto natural choice but my Vizsla got too gassy so we switched him back but our golden is still on it. So they are on 2 different foods, you can imagine how much we go through. Thank goodness I get a discount at PetsMart!!!

 

[Jupiter4Jackie]

vet has Henry on Royal Canin GASTROINTESTINAL PUPPY HE because he is underweight and having digestive trouble. has anyone else encountered this with their pups? Henry is 6 months old.

 

[JillandDan]

We are having some issues with Holley. I have to call the vet today to see what we should do. She has been having times when there is blood in her stool and it is really loose. This has been happening since we brought her home. We have dewormed and had several tests done. The vet thinks she is just very sensitive. We have had her on restriction for a week now with just her food (mixed with pumpkin to firm it) and boiled chicken for her training treats. Hopefully we will be able to come up with a solution today for her.

 

[Fox_Trot]

i think that 6 cups a day is a bit overmuch. We feed our 2.5 year old a little over 2 cups a day and her weight is perfect. She runs just like every V out there. Maybe you guys should check out what food you guys are feeding your Vs instead of how many times you feed them? Just a thought

 

[Chilli monster]

Chilli is 11months now and in last 2 months i am trying to put some more weight on her...she is now on 4-5 cups of food and 1,5 cup of rice with veg... she still the same weight only difference is that her ribs are a bit more covered then before... she is 23.5" tall and only 45kg of weight,

we had her checked by vets and they couldn't find a health resone for her not gaining any weight since she was 6 months... fortunately she started looking a bit better now... and we feeding her good food, first Arden grande, then taste of the wild and now Burns for underweight dogs and large breed puppies... maybe she is this natural "size 0" model girl

but here you are that's the picture from she was 9 months old... skinny doggie ...

 

[Chilli monster]

i meant 45lbs

 

[kellygh]

Pumpkin is 5m, and she gets 3 cups a day. She inhales her dinner, because she usually eats only 1/2 of her brunch (never was sucessful with 3 meals per day). Pumpkin is on Orijen, and like all good foods, it's not cheap. She is gassy sometimes, but I can live with that if she is thriving. We started on Blue Buffalo, then Wellness, & now Orijen. I don't want to switch again, because she shows no preference for any brand. Do want to keep her on grain free food. We mix about 2-3 tbs of Wilderness, Wellness, or some other organic brand can food(can't remember name) with each meal. Enough to just flavor the kibble, and we have to alternate "flavors" every day or two to keep her interested. I think I might try the Pumpkin. Like most other respondents, we too can see Pumpkin's V ribs. She does get treats through out the day with training. I have no clue how much she weighs though. Wow! I never realized just how funny lots of Vs are about eating ???

JillandDan--I sure hope Holly feels better & you get some answers to the bloody stool :'(

 

[JillandDan]

kellygh,
Thank you. We have changed her to Nutro Natural Puppy and are still mixing pumpkin in per the vet. The only treats she can have are boiled chicken. The vet wants us to do this for a month and see what happens. She thinks it may be colitis but not sure. She had an unpleasant exam to see if there was anything going on in there but it came back negative. She is doing okay so far with it but had an issue the other day because the trainer didn't respect our wishes of no other treats and gave her 2 wellness puppy treats. This caused blood but that is the last time we have seen any. Hopefully we get answers soon. I just hope she grows out of this and can have normal dog food and treats. The chicken is getting a little expensive since we use it for obedience training every day. Oh well. We love her and will do whatever it takes.

 

[raps702]

Food is also an issue with Axel 3months, he also gets 3 cups a day, however he only eats half of his breakfast and when I try mixing in carrots (which he loves), his stool has been noticeably runny and gross!! Also giving him treats for training I think sometimes ruins his appetiite for regular meals. Also at puppy class twice a week he gets tons of different treats from the trainers and other people which sometimes upsets his stomach I believe as he puked in his kennel on the ride home...I think I have to find some healthy treat that I can mix in with every meal that will motivate him to eat and not cause runny stools.. Maybe boiled chicken or pumpkin as Jill and Dan are currently using....

 

[JillandDan]

The pumpkin was recommended to mix in her food for the fiber content. It has definitely firmed her up significantly. Most of the all natural foods are very high in protein and that seems to be the culprit for the runny stool. Not sure what food you have Axel on. She really likes the boiled chicken. I wish we could find a food that she likes as much as she likes chicken. We have tried Wellness, Blue Buffalo (both flavors for puppy) and now on Nutro Natural.

 

[MannyDog77]

Manny is 5 years old and eats twice a day one cup of dry food at each mean, however he eats a WALNUT- seriously, a raw walnut in the shell all by himself, and gets a treat of a bone with peanut butter. He works out hard, but doesn't seem to want more

 

[kellygh]

Pumpkin likes to graze on the acorns in our yard. Do you have a walnut tree or is this something you thought to buy as a treat? Just curious That's one way to work for your food, eh? Funny.

 

[Kasey71209]

We had kasey on California natural and he was doing good for awhile but then he just started looking really boney so I tried switching him to taste of the wild he's a picky eater he'll let his food last all day but he's finally looking solid again. He's a small v weighing about 45 pounds and he's done growing pretty much. He loves him some pumpkin though!! Lol I've never seen a dog go so nuts over pumpkin. When we carved our pumpkins for Halloween we didn't even need a garbage nearby because he ate it all(minus the inside)