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Giant Schnauzer food

Posted: 07 Sep 2016, 09:25
by Mix+Otto-RALF+Rudi
Hi everyone,

Just need some advice please, at the moment Iam feeding my 16 week old Giant Orijen Large Puppy food, but it produces
soft poos, and bad wind. :( I asked the vet for advice and he suggested Chappie! saying most of the vets at the practice fed their dogs this food. I really do not fancy feeding him this food as the ingredients etc are to my mind sub standard to say the least.

Can anyone let me know what they are feeding their Giants etc which hopefully will help me make my choice of his next food easier, as Iam going to change his food to see if this helps with his poops, and wind.

Many thanks in advance :)

Re: Giant Schnauzer food

Posted: 07 Sep 2016, 11:53
by Robin black mini
When I had my St Poodles on arcana,then Origen, they both started to have loose stools.It was just too rich( high protein) for them.
(Chappie is often recommended ,by vets,for IBD dogs as it always used to be bland regarding content.)
I doubt your pup has IBD,but gas certainly says he's not responding well to his diet and you should switch..id also give him a probiotic ...we use enterogermina,to get the good Bacteria reestablished in his gut. A live ,natural yogurt would be well accepted too.
Your pup ,at four months would be best on a low protein ,cereal free kibble for a large breed..the food section has several recommendations for kibble..
Also this link..look for a five star recommended food for large breed puppy.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Around six months I would switch to adult food to keep the growth rate nice and slow...I had dogue de Bordeaux and a rottie and this worked well for them,

Re: Giant Schnauzer food

Posted: 12 Sep 2016, 20:05
by Madmolls
Hi I found Origin and Acana were too rich for my GS. He has been on Simpsons grain free hypoallergenic salmon and potato or chicken and potato for the past 2 years - he loves it and doesn't suffer from wind or soft poops. The customer service at Simpsons has been great I'd throughly recommend their food and they do a puppy variety

Re: Giant Schnauzer food

Posted: 13 Sep 2016, 08:40
by shipwreck1964
Feed your Giant on a BARF food diet. There will be none of this nonsense of puppy food, junior food and then adult food that the dry kibble producers recommend. Otto has been fed on raw meat from 12 weeks and we have never looked back. His stools are firm and there is less waste which results in a smaller pooh. As most of the food is utilised by the dog. Included in the raw diet are free range eggs raw, including shell. Check out these websites for raw food.

http://www.theyloveit.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.rawtogo.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We also buy raw meaty lamb ribs from the butcher and feed these every other day. Great for cleaning the teeth. Also with the raw diet your dogs breath will smell great and there is no doggy smell. Obviously you will need to take precautions with regards to hygiene, but it is no different to handling any raw meat.

Otto is thriving on it.

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Re: Giant Schnauzer food

Posted: 13 Sep 2016, 12:36
by Robin black mini
....just wanted to say,not everyone is comfortable feeding raw food..

Regarding giant breeds ,most breeders will suggest to switch from puppy to adult food at five to six months,to ensure a slower rate of growth.These big dogs will still get to their expected size and weights ,but a slower rate of growth and supervised excercise will get them there safely.
Natural food additions such as whole eggs and eggshells ,ricotta cheese,sardines,raw chicken wings are all additional bonuses to the diet.

Re: Giant Schnauzer food

Posted: 10 Sep 2019, 21:20
by sfrugrats
I was looking at going raw food as our baby has some seriously bad dandruff and other skin issues. He's about 106 lbs. Before we venture into this, how much would I be feeding him.
Also, not too comfortable on the bones. He's has pancreatitis before and I don't want that to happen again. Can I do the raw food without the bones?
Thanks

Re: Giant Schnauzer food

Posted: 11 Sep 2019, 12:46
by zeta1454
Hi Sherry, I have replied to your other post re raw feeding your GS due to his previous bout of pancreatitis which may help to answer some of your worries. However, regarding amounts of food, this will depend to some extent on his age. If he is still under a year old and not reached his adult height and weight, he will need more than if he is already adult. There are a number of well established small businesses that specialise in raw food meals for dogs and that may be a better way to start than DIY if you are a novice raw feeder. You should find that most of these will also offer helpful guidance as to amounts dependent on age / breed of the dog.

A "rule of thumb" guide with raw food amounts for an adult dog is approximately 2%-3% of ideal body weight of the dog, ( a growing puppy will need more) but this is a guide not an absolute and you will need to adjust amounts as you discover how much keeps your own dog at his best.

If you are considering DIY the best guide I have found is via this link and it may interest you in any case to look through it:

http://www.rawfeedingrebels.com/raw-fee ... ter-guide/

http://www.rawfeedingrebels.com/wp-cont ... rguide.pdf

There is no necessity to feed whole raw bones if you are anxious about this but in terms of pancreatitis I can only think that it is marrow bones that would be of any concern as the marrow can be high in fat. Other lean bones such as ribs, wings or necks should not present any problem but, if you go with the ready prepared raw meals they will be minced (including the bone) in any event. Bone is high in calcium and other essential nutrients so, even without giving a bone to chew for the dental health benefits (which you may be able to provide in other ways), it is important to have this included as a small part of a raw diet.

This link to an article from an American website explains in more detail about bones and what is and is not "bone" :-)

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/h ... -pets.aspx

Re: Giant Schnauzer food

Posted: 12 Sep 2019, 13:40
by Riesen16
Enya, Giant Schnauzer PS, is 4 years' old now. We bought her in Bavaria and she is as uncomplicated as a dog could be. We bought her special puppy food at the beginning and now buy from a large store at reasonable price. Her teeth are very strong so raw bones are no problem. We gave her cooked bones - against my judgement - she has strong teeth and demolished them quickly but a day later, she had soft output.
Great Schnauzers, although uncomplicated in the home and out walking, are very territorial. This can sometimes cause problems in a built-up-area. Enya had to understand that other dogs can pass by our house without her intervening.
I have had several dogs in my lifetime. Enya, our first bitch, proved to be a challenge. All my male dogs were "mine". I entered into trials with them and they were easy to handle. Enya ist my husband's dog - sie liebt ihn. Ich mache verschiedene Übungen v. Dogsport mit ihr und sie ist begeistert. Ein Riesenschnauzer der keine "Exercises" hat, is ein armer Hund. Nur laufen im Wald genügt wirklich nicht.

Giant Schnauzer food quantity

Posted: 21 Sep 2019, 15:31
by ChrisM72
Hi all,

I've sure this subject has already been discussed, but I'm looking for advise on feeding my 5 month old Giant. He's currently on 1400g of raw food, and weighs 28kg. We're going by the 6% of his weight rule, but is this accurate and at what point should this drop?

Many thanks


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