# Frustrated



## alphioz (Apr 16, 2013)

I have a 10lb male a 6lb male and a 4lb female. The two boys eat 1/4 cup twice a day and maintain weight perfectly. My female is a very tiny and cobby 4lbs and I am having a terrible time keeping her from gaining weight. I rotate kibble, but no matter what I do, she looks porky. I feel like I am starving her and have no idea how much I should be feeding such a tiny dog. Its 10 times easier keeping my lab from getting fat! I am thinking of putting her on Acana solely but have no idea where to start as the feeding guide says 1/4-1/2 cup and thats way too much for her.


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

Acana is a great food. Just watch out for the high protein content. 


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## ChiChiLove (Feb 4, 2013)

My little ones are currently on Merrick grain free. My four pound girl eats a few kibbles less than 1/8 cup twice daily. Oddly enough, my 2.5 pound girl eats just about the same amount. Both are fit and trim. My suggestion... Ignore those feeding guidelines! They were developed for "average" dogs. But whose dog is average?! Feed according to her body weight. Too heavy, feed less. Too thin, feed more. If you are continuously feeding less (and not giving extra treats, etc) but she is STILL heavy, then it's time for a vet visit and maybe a thyroid panel.


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

Is she getting adequate exercise? Walks do wonders. Lady was a bit overweight when I got her but she wasn't walked consistently. She is now about 5.2 pounds. She was just over 6 pounds when I got her. She eats a heeling tablespoon of Ziwipeak with a few crumbles of Stella and Chewey's twice a day. She is getting consistent walks now too.


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

ChiChiLove said:


> My little ones are currently on Merrick grain free. My four pound girl eats a few kibbles less than 1/8 cup twice daily. Oddly enough, my 2.5 pound girl eats just about the same amount. Both are fit and trim. My suggestion... Ignore those feeding guidelines! They were developed for "average" dogs. But whose dog is average?! Feed according to her body weight. Too heavy, feed less. Too thin, feed more. If you are continuously feeding less (and not giving extra treats, etc) but she is STILL heavy, then it's time for a vet visit and maybe a thyroid panel.
> 
> 
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Love the Merrick brand. It's such an amazing food. My feeding regimen for my two small girls is similar to yours except I add Stella's to their kibble. Wish the two boutiques I shop at carried Merrick, I'd totally switch from Fromm to that.


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## ChiChiLove (Feb 4, 2013)

Chiluv04 said:


> Love the Merrick brand. It's such an amazing food. My feeding regimen for my two small girls is similar to yours except I add Stella's to their kibble. Wish the two boutiques I shop at carried Merrick, I'd totally switch from Fromm to that.
> 
> 
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Have you thought about just ordering online? Chewy and petflow have pretty good prices! Mine love merrick. We rotate flavors with each bag. So far, buffalo seems to be the favorite!


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

ChiChiLove said:


> Have you thought about just ordering online? Chewy and petflow have pretty good prices! Mine love merrick. We rotate flavors with each bag. So far, buffalo seems to be the favorite!
> 
> 
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Never thought about ordering it online. I forgot how affordable Chewy's is. I bought a couple buddy belts on there a while back.


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

The guidelines are simply a starting point, it all really depends on the dog. My 8 lb boy Mojo eats the same amount as my smaller chis bc he gains weight really easily! 

I've always been interested in Merrick food too bc the flavors look great for dogs w allergies like Lola but dog food advisor has had lots of negative reviews in the past few months, looks like quality control problems and dogs having lots of digestive issues. 
ChiChiLove, have you had any issues? 

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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Lulu LOVED Merrick when I fed her that. I fed her canned Merrick a few years ago & rotated flavors which is easy because they have a gillion. Lol The only reason I changed was because of a few negative things on places such as dogfood advisor and on this forum when someone, i think it was Krystal, saw appleseeds in the canned food a couple of times. But mainly because I could feed raw cheaper than I could feed the Merrick canned. 


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## MaddiLovesDogs (Jan 16, 2014)

My little Ponyo (3.5 lbs) eats 15- 20 pieces of Taste of the Wild (Wetlands) kibble (soaked with water & 1/4 tbsp "Missing Link" for her coat/dryness) for dinner once a day, and I feed her pieces of kibble intermittently throughout the day for training time & when we travel places for good behavior. She also gets at least 4 table scraps from our meal times! I really don't feed her very much out of her food bowl because I table feed & treat train so much.


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

lulu'smom said:


> Lulu LOVED Merrick when I fed her that. I fed her canned Merrick a few years ago & rotated flavors which is easy because they have a gillion. Lol The only reason I changed was because of a few negative things on places such as dogfood advisor and on this forum when someone, i think it was Krystal, saw appleseeds in the canned food a couple of times. But mainly because I could feed raw cheaper than I could feed the Merrick canned.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Hi Tina! I was reading things like feathers being in the bags and grains found at the bottom of the bags labeled grain free. Lots of the reviewers were saying it was an amazing food up until like the past 3 to 6 months and then their dogs were getting sick with GI issues like severe vomiting and diarrhea. I hate when companies change formulas without warning owners, the smallest changes can cause huge problems. 

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## ChiChiLove (Feb 4, 2013)

Zorana1125 said:


> The guidelines are simply a starting point, it all really depends on the dog. My 8 lb boy Mojo eats the same amount as my smaller chis bc he gains weight really easily!
> 
> I've always been interested in Merrick food too bc the flavors look great for dogs w allergies like Lola but dog food advisor has had lots of negative reviews in the past few months, looks like quality control problems and dogs having lots of digestive issues.
> ChiChiLove, have you had any issues?
> ...



I haven't had any issues at all. I usually feed either the buffalo or pork varieties, since my Chinese crested cannot have lamb. All of my pups have had normal stools and lick the bowls clean. Overall I'm very happy with merrick. It's definitely one of my main foods in their rotational diet.


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

ChiChiLove said:


> I haven't had any issues at all. I usually feed either the buffalo or pork varieties, since my Chinese crested cannot have lamb. All of my pups have had normal stools and lick the bowls clean. Overall I'm very happy with merrick. It's definitely one of my main foods in their rotational diet.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Good to know!! They offer a large variety of flavors, I'll have to ask my friend Leslie about it (she owns a holistic dog boutique). Thanks for sharing! 

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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Zorana1125 said:


> Hi Tina! I was reading things like feathers being in the bags and grains found at the bottom of the bags labeled grain free. Lots of the reviewers were saying it was an amazing food up until like the past 3 to 6 months and then their dogs were getting sick with GI issues like severe vomiting and diarrhea. I hate when companies change formulas without warning owners, the smallest changes can cause huge problems.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


This was way back before I even fed Ziwi Peak when I first joined this forum. Merrick always gets good reviews on any dog food review site, but then when people start commenting is when you read the negative comments such as you saw and I saw. I really don't know what to say about the negative comments other than I saw them years back, but I never personally saw anything in the canned food, but someone on this forum saw appleseeds. Lulu never had any issues when she ate it other than the weight gain she always tends to deal with. LOL


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