So I did it. After six months of (mostly) grain and

The problem was Teller - with all of his swimming, training, exuberance
On an average day in July when he wasn't trialing or training (but still got out for a couple of
So out of desperation I cooked up a huge pot of elbow macaroni (don't worry folks it was the healthy Barilla PLUS+ elbows) and started carbo-loading him once a day. I tossed the pasta in coconut oil to keep it moist in the fridge (one box of macaroni feeds Murphy and Teller for about 5 days).
Within a week Teller's weight stabilized! The next week I was able to cut him back to two smaller meals a day and now (a few weeks later) he's eating a much more reasonable 2lbs of raw/dehydrated raw a day (plus eggs, veggies, etc) and maintaining. He's still Mr. "Zero Percent Body Fat" though.
Murphy generally eats what Teller eats - so while he's not thrilled about being "down" to 2 meals a day right now, he is happy with his share of the carbs too - Murphy's food seeking behavior has decreased significantly... I shall not soon forget the morning I pull out of the driveway at 4am on the way to a dog show, get on the highway, reach into my bag for breakfast only to discover that SOMEONE ate my blueberry muffin without even disturbing the paper wrapping. Ahhh-hem.
I don't think that all dogs need grains - but I think that some dogs do feel better on some amount of carbohydrate loaded grains in proportion to the proteins that they're eating - and I don't think it has to be pasta - there are lots of good and healthy grain options to supplement with - oatmeal, qinoa, barley, etc.
Let me add a caveat: I'm not advocating feeding commercial (or otherwise) kibbles with grains - I wouldn't feed any dog a food that contained corn filler or corn by-products and I'm not at all encouraged by the increasing amounts of wheat as a binder and filler in the bags of dog food sold by the big guys. However, I can say that I really tried to feed gluten and grain free this summer and I couldn't do it any more...maybe if Teller wasn't intact, maybe if he wasn't as active as he is, maybe if he was a little less fit right now. Murphy maintained beautifully grain and gluten free - both dogs have absolutely fantastic coats right now and even Murphy has been pretty peppy even with our hot and humid summer. Its all a balancing act for sure!
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