Food for a 8 months GR

Question

Rini   QUESTION: I have a 8 months old female Golden Retriever.  She is not taking any food properly. de wormed perfectly. intake only 300 Ml of milk, 1 Raw Egg, + 100gms of Dry food Pedigree.  Is this sufficient ? She is under weight. Please suggest.

ANSWER: I would cut out the milk and eggs.  Milk can upset the dog's digestion, perhaps discouraging her from eating.  Offer her 400-500 grams of the Pedigree.  Without the eggs and milk disturbing her system, she may eat it.  Most Goldens will eat all they need and more.  She is a beautiful dog and in the picture looks more lean than underweight.  It is much healthier for a growing large breed puppy to be lean.  Put the food down and give her 15 minutes to eat.  Take it up after 15 minutes and don't feed her again until time for her next meal.  Don't worry if she doesn't eat much for a few days.  A healthy dog nearly always eats all it needs.  Some dogs refuse to eat more than enough to stay lean.  

You don't want her to become overweight.  You may be comparing her to dogs that are.  Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx

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QUESTION: Thank you sir, I will follow your advice & cut milk & egg, but 400 - 500 gms of the Pedigree should be fed how many times ? & what are all the times ? any other can be included ?

BP John

Answer
At 8 months, I would be feeding once a day in the morning, and nothing but the dog food.  Modern dog foods are carefully formulate to be the complete and balanced diet dogs need.  Adding other things throws the balance off and a light eater may not be getting all it needs of somethings.  

Other times of the day are fine too, and a light eater may do better with a second meal in the early evening.  Dogs often have bowel movements not long after eating.  You can control when that happens by when you feed the dog.  I like early morning because I am always home then and the dog is likely to have its bowel movement before I take it out somewhere in the afternoon or evening.