# Rhodesian Ridgeback eating habits changing



## gooner1 (Nov 16, 2011)

Hi
i am needing some advice. My 16 month old male Ridgeback Neo has been fed twice a day since a puppy. He has had problems with certain brands as i started him on JWB and then he went off the wet. I have tried some other brands and i am in the process of still trying to find the best food at a decent price for him.
He has Country choice kibble at the moment and im giving him Winalot wet as well which i am not happy with. He seems to be a fussy eater and you have to be careful what you give him or he will get diarrhea. he is currently 38 kilos but looks under weight ?
The two questions i would like some advice on are.
1. How many times should i feed him 1/2 times a day,at the moment he is fed at about 9 and then 6 but sometimes he wont finish his first feed until late afternoon and then picks at his second feed often leaving most of it by the time he goes down for his sleep.
2. what combination should i give him any one got any good ideas, i have been told raw ? which im not sure about. what are the best foods at the best price without breaking the bank.


----------



## StuW (Jul 23, 2012)

You should really put his bowl down at 9 and lift it after 15 minutes if he doesn't eat it and then put it back down at 6 and if he doesn't eat it lift after 15 minutes. I feel leaving a bowl down all day would promote picky eating as they can just get a mouthful whenever they like!

My 2 staffs are raw fed, http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/111437-raw-feeding-everything-you-need-know.html have a read at that and see if you think it's for you! Raw feeding can work out cheaper if you have any local butchers who could supply you with cheap bones/freebies. I have no butchers near me who would give anything so need to use online suppliers or Morrisons etc.


----------



## Polimba (Nov 23, 2009)

I have a Ridgeback and although he's not fussy with food he was quite sensitive when he was young.

I think 36kg is the breed standard but Zimba would be emaciated at that weight, so you really need to go by the look of him.

You feed either once or twice a day, either is fine. I feed Zimba on a mixture of Skinners Premium Bite and Nature Diet. We found it was a bit of a trial and error finding what suited him. We did find Wafcol good, but quite pricy. The Nature Diet I found very good for his sensitive digestion.

I don't feed raw, so can't help but lots of people on here are knowledgeable.


----------



## GermanShepardOwner (Aug 20, 2012)

Dogs are really not fussy eaters, some dogs will graze throughout the day because they are bored and know they will get more food later on! 

Put the bowl down in the morning, 15 minutes then remove the bowl and put it back down at dinner time at his normal meal time. If he is hungry he will eat the food. You need to choose a brand of food and stick with it aswell, there are many good foods out there, i personally feed chudleys which is a good food. I wouldnt suggest raw imo unless you do know what you are doing and are willing to research. 

Dogs do go through certain periods where they go off foods, just like humans, so dont worry too much, aslong as he seems himself an is drinking well then i wouldnt worry. If you want you could also vary the feeding methods so scatter feed one meal or put in treat bowl to make it more fun. Also use his food for training treats so hes getting his food throughout the day if hes not eating, this way he will be eating it and putting on weight.


----------



## Hanlou (Oct 29, 2012)

I would strongly suggest reading through the 'stickies' on wet and dry food at the top of this forum as they give excellent guidance on good and poor quality foods. 

Win alot is pretty rubbish food tbh - I'd never feed it. Naturediet, Natures harvest and Wainwright trays are all much better quality.

Butchers is better than Winalot too though the ones mentioned above are better. Am on my mobile so sorry this is a bit short!


----------



## Goblin (Jun 21, 2011)

First off I will say a lot of people think dogs should be "fatter" than they should. It's never about weight itself as all dogs are different. How to Evaluate Your Dog's Weight - For Dummies may be of interest.

There are several stickies at the top of the Health and Nutrition section. For Wet and Dry have a look at the ingredients and try to figure out why different foods are rated as they are. There's also a sticky on raw feeding which if you are considering, is a good starting point. You do need to research raw before starting.

As others have said I would never let a dog browse for food. Keep it down for 15minutes and then take it away. Your dog will soon learn to eat when they given food.

As a total aside and to give you yet another thing to look up, I would also familiarize yourself with the signs of "bloat". Unlikely but best to know the signs.


----------



## gooner1 (Nov 16, 2011)

Thanks for all the responses it is good to know that people are put there and prepared to give advice . Would you believe it the last 2/3 days he has eaten almost everything I have given him. I got loads of chicken on Saturday and boiled it up and have given him chicken/rice/kibble mix and he has really got stuck in.
He has always loved chicken . All I need to find is one or two good quality mid range brands of wet/dry dog foods to rotate it around a bit . I will check out the threads on them.


----------



## dabas (Jan 24, 2013)

Hi, I am a newbie on here also ,my ridgeback is 2/12 now .The ideal weight or a male is around 45kg(mine is lean at that weight and he is the average height length for a male)the guide on wikipedia is wrong 36-41kg for an average male and 29-34kg for a female, you are right they would be emaciated at that weight. With regards to feeding when I got my Ridgeback from my breeder at 8/9 weeks he was on Eukanuba which I stuck with but he started to go off it so I started to add raw beef mince(some people say you shouldn't add raw meat to kibble as they digest at different rates,but I have never had a problem with it) which I get from tesco for about £3.12 a kg.I also give him raw chicken quarters(there is no need to boil or cook meat you are giving to your dog as it looses all the nutrients if you do this and a dog never ate cooked meat in the wild) and like many people I was worried at first that he might choke on the bones or they may get stuck but as long as you don't give a dog cooked chicken bones you are ok.Recently I decided to look at different kibble as I realised like most dry dog food Eukanuba is overpriced rubbish and full of fillers and additives.I found sixstars great guide on here listing the different dry foods and have decided to go with Skinners field and trial duck and rice which is fantastically priced at £20 for a 15kg bag if your subscribe on amazon or £22 if you don't.They also sell a salmon varierty kibble.Eventually I will put him on to a raw only diet but as I will need to feed him 2/3 % of his body weight which for me is about 1.2 kg a day I am not going to use a company like natural instinct when it will cost me over £4 a day(also you don't need to add veg to their diet)it's just too expensive.I will need to find a local butcher or an alternative company.I also put a tin of pilchards in his kibble occasionally and buy pre packed liver from the supermarket which is quite cheap.I hope this helps and just like you I am learning from others on this site all the time


----------

