Iams Green Bag

[Remolacha]

This is what I have picked to feed the foster (and it is working great) but I am not sure how much to feed. I am using the small bites, and he weighs about 70# I guessed about three cups a day, but he is pretty skinny, so maybe a little more?

[buddibear]

my 73# boy is 11yo and eats 2cups AM and 2cups PM and has the same weight for 6years. He will get 3-4 milk bones around noon and usually licks out my yogert container Yes he eats Iams green bag

Edited December 11, 2014 by buddibear

[ramonaghan]

I think 3.5-4 cups would be a good start to put some weight on him. Sweep is 61 lbs and maintains that on about 2.5 cups of the mini-chunks a day (plus a few treats, of course).

[Hubcitypam]

I'd agree with 3.5 - 4 cups.

[OwnedBySummer]

My 68lb. girl I feed 1 1/4 cups of the green bag mini chunks for breakfast and a can of moist (all different brands and flavors) for dinner. Milkbone at bedtime and lunch. Maybe another little treat or two (like dehydrated lung or something) scattered about. She maintains her weight perfectly with this.

[Remolacha]

Thanks! He is a bouncy 2.5 yr old, I think I will up it to 4c for now. Plus a few treats, of course

[JJNg]

I find that new fosters who are newly retired from the track, and have just recently been spayed or neutered, often need more food for the first month or two than what they'll end up needing after they settle in. 4 cups is probably a good starting amount, but don't be afraid to increase it if he's not gaining weight.

 

I'm currently fostering a female who raced at 55 lbs, but I think she should probably be closer to 60 lbs. I've been feeding her 4-5 cups/day (divided into 2 meals) for almost a month, and she still needs to gain another pound or two. My previous foster was a male who raced at 69 lbs, but came to me at 57 lbs, after having had a rough recovery from his neuter a couple weeks prior. I fed him 6-7 cups/day, divided into 3 meals. I don't like feeding much more than 2-2.5 cups per meal. I only had him for a week, and his adopter continued to feed 5-6 cups/day. When I saw him back 3 weeks later, he was up to 67 lbs and looked a lot better.

 

Btw, I feed Kirkland Chicken & Rice, which is comparable to Iams "Green Bag" in terms of calories. The Kirkland is 393 kcal/cup, and Iams is 379 kcal/cup. My older greyhounds all eat between 2.5 to 3.5 cups/day.

[Remolacha]

Thanks! He could definitely use a few more pounds although I don't want to overdo it. He is recovering from a broken hock (end of Sept) so his activity is still somewhat restricted. I will see how he does on 4c for a week or so.

[Finnsliz]

My big boy (84lbs) gets 4 cups of Iams mini chuncks, plus leftovers, plus treats. Iams was a lifesaver with him and his runny poop. It was an instant cure. One meal and he was all set. It was amazing.

[Remolacha]

OK, the Iams is giving him decent poop, but good lord the amount! I am used to small firm poop from my raw fed dogs. I knew kibble would produce more, um, product, but wow. I am wondering if a grain free kibble would be less? Anyone know?

[Guest sireltonsmom]

My 10 year old girl is on Rachel Ray grain free. She poops MORE on it.

[Busderpuddle]

Ruby did well on the Green Bag too but we couldn't handle the output. It was incredible.

[DonnaBehr]

The Iams has made the output for my two boys 1/2 of what is was when they were on Limited Ingredient food. I feed my BIG boy 1-1/3 cups twice a day and my other boy gets 1-1/2 cups twice a day and they look fine.

[Guest gryhnd3]

Our 11 y/o male gets 3 cups total per day. He's around 82-85lbs, but his activity level is certainly much less than a young foster. It has not magically firmed up his stool but it is better than it's been on some foods.

[GreytTerp]

Our 72 lb. boy gets 1 1/2 heaping cups of the IAMS green bag (large breed) twice a day, plus treats and the occasional Kong. He does poop more (between 2 and 5 times a day, depending on how cold/windy/rainy it is...) than he did on grain free food, but I know exactly what I'm picking up on the IAMS. No more inconsistent runny mess. Our dog also makes cats look "active", so he eats a bit less to maintain his weight. I will also say that once we finally switched to the IAMS green bag, we've found it much easier to maintain our hound's weight.

[sobesmom]

OK, the Iams is giving him decent poop, but good lord the amount! I am used to small firm poop from my raw fed dogs. I knew kibble would produce more, um, product, but wow. I am wondering if a grain free kibble would be less? Anyone know?

Grain free will definitely give less output. But - with a new foster if you've found a food that works, I'd stick with it. I would up the quantity a bit. A young foster is probably going to need more, at least for a while.

 

Green bag is a mid-range food (IMHO). But I've had fosters that it worked great for when higher-quality foods didn't.

 

If it ain't broke - don't fix it.

Edited January 14, 2015 by sobesmom

[Guest shanesmom]

Before I found that Iams worked so well for ace I tried s few other lobbies. Grain free was the worst. Never seen so much come out of a dog. It looked like it was coming out almost the same as it went in. Barely digested. My mom feeds her dog the same grain free and he is about the same weight and he poops tiny little poops twice a day. Every dog is different. For Ace Iams was a miracle. Instantly had small solid poop and no gas. Eats twice a day and poops twice a day unless we go someplace exciting then he will poop again. He eats 2 cups twice a day. Just under 90 pounds.

Edited January 14, 2015 by shanesmom

[DonnaBehr]

That's funny because the Iams in the green bag is the only food that gives my big boy solid, small poops. LOL

[Remolacha]

FYI, before I could decide if I wanted to change, DJ the furry toddler got adopted , right before Christmas. My new boy is not a foster, so I switched him over to raw about day three. I still think Iams green bag is a good starter food for fosters.

[Guest sireltonsmom]

My boy at 82# eats 3.5 cups IAMS green bag and has decent output. MINDY (67#) gets 3.5 cups RAchel Ray Grain Free plus they split a can of wet food. Both maintain their weight. When we walk them, we put a paper under their butts when they commit. Cleanup is no big deal that way. If your grey doesn't travel when going, you might consider it. Then the amount doesn't matter.