Q: I am looking for a food recommendation for a 2 year old highly active Gordon Setter who needs to put on some weight. He has a lot of energy and his preference is to be outside. He is 27 inches at the shoulder and skin and coat is in great condition. We have had him on a variety of foods trying to find something he will like and eat. Most recently he has been on Kent Native #4 food, which has a high protein and fat content. Of all the foods we have tried, he will eat this one most of the time. However, we find that we still supplement in some way. His preference is cooked chicken livers but there are times when this doesn’t do the trick either. He doesn’t like canned food and he is not overly fond of fish. We joke that because he has European bloodlines that he thinks he is a gourmet, but I am really concerned that we cannot get any weight on him. He does not seem to be in any distress health-wise that would indicate a thyroid problem. For his size and weight, he should be about 80-85 pounds, but barely touches 70. This breed does take a long time to mature. I have in the past had dogs on Burns, Pinnacle and Solid Gold, but I am reluctant to put Stewart on any of these if he cannot maintain his weight at the lower protein and fat ratios. Is it better to have a food where these ratios are closer together such as 20/15 or one where the ratio is farther apart such as 42/18? Thank you for your assistance.

A: Thanks for your nutrition questions Kathy. A few thoughts on Stewart…even though he seems overtly very healthy, I would have your veterinarian check him for the possibility of malabsorption. There is a medical condition called EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) in which the pancreas does not make enough enzymes to properly digest the food and can lead to poor weight gain/lack of weight maintenance in an otherwise healthy dog. Also, it sounds like Stewart is outdoors most of the time. Chronic parasitism with the protozoal organism called Giardia is a common cause of malabsorption in outdoor pets that otherwise feels normal. I would ask your vet to check him for both of these things…just to be sure.

As far as options for a diet for Stewart, it is important to remember that fat has more calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates. Fat has 9 calories per gram, whereas carbs and protein have only 4 calories per gram. With Stewart’s heavy activity schedule, he is likely better suited to a higher fat diet. When comparing diets, it is critical to do so on a dry matter basis (ask your vet to help you with this calculation if you are unsure). The Kent Native 4 you have had him on has 38.9% protein and 27.8% fat. There are many other diets that offer higher fat percentages.

It is also important that you look at the source of ingredients from a digestibility standpoint. The Kent Native 4 diet has “chicken meal” as the first ingredient. “Chicken meal” is a product made through a process called rendering. This always means it is considered “unfit for human consumption” because of the variability and quality of the end product. Rendered meals have lower digestibility than whole meats so even though the food is relatively high protein, it may not be highly digestible protein. Obviously Stewart needs a highly digestible, high quality food to gain and maintain weight with his active lifestyle.

For more information on reading and understanding pet food labels to choose the best food for Stewart, please see my article Pet Food – What You Need to Know – For Your Pet’s Sake.

Hope this helps. Good Luck.
Dr. Donna Spector

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