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Am I feeding my dogs the right amounts?
It seemed easier when they were all young but now I am wondering if I should be doing something different. All 3 have been fixed.
Female Golden Retreiver (12) - weighs 85 pounds, about 10 pounds overweight, has bad arthritis and liver issues. Walks daily but doesn't run or play in the yard much. She eats two meals a day of the liver reversal diet (home cooked food) which are about 1 1/2 cup each.
Male Golden Retreiver (7) - very active, weighs 75 pounds normal weight. Walks daily and runs and plays all day. Eats two meals of 3 cups each and supplements with about 1 cup in the evening.
Male Min Pin (7) - very active, walks and plays with the male Golden. He's about 3 pounds overweight which came after his surgery 3 years ago and just never seems to fall off. Eats 1/2 cup twice a day.
They do not get snacks or table food. The males get a natural dog biscuit once in a while as a treat but the female doesn't due to her liver issue. She almost died last March but her liver failure was reversed with the home cooked food and milk thistle.
Two are still overweight after almost a year of trying to control their weight. The male Golden is almost underweight because he is so active but he eats like crazy. Other than the female's issues, there are no other health problems.
Do I need to adjust their diet? And how?
6 Answers
- BriannaLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
Clearly your female is over weight and so her food needs to come down a bit. Try one cup total of food, twice per day. that should get the remaining 10 pounds off of her and help her to maintain a 75 pound frame.
I'd say the male retreiver is getitng too much food... but he's mainting a healthy weight, so i wouldn't change it. Realize when he starts to slow down, his food should start to get cut back, but that's only when he starts to gain weight.
The male pin needs his food cut back just a tiny bit as well. if it's an over filled 1/2 cup, make sure it's leveled off half cup. Go to the store and get one of those scales for food, they are like only 2 bucks at the wal mart and you might even find one at the dollar store? anyway, make sure he's only getting 4 oz of dog food for each meal. 8 oz is a cup. If, within a month, you don't see a pound or two come off of him, then take it down to 3.5 oz of food for each feeding. It should come off. If it's still not losing, take it down to 3 oz of food twice per day.
You are an awesome owner not giving your dogs that junk that people call dog treats. The sugary mass that rots the teeth and bulges the belly out. Kudo's to you!!
Source(s): dog trainer and behaviorist, and rehaber, for more than 30 years. - Anonymous1 decade ago
If a dog is overweight it is a combination of lack of exercise with too much food. Decrease food, increase exercise ~ its not rocket science.
I have 2 Bernese girls - both about 90 lbs.. one eats about a pound of food a day (very little), the other eats close to 2 pounds (on the border of "a lot"). This is what it takes to keep them in optimum condition to show.
Cut their food back. The idea of a Min Pin that eats a full cup a day of food horrifies me! (I had a 48 lb Samoyed b*tch who ate 2/3 of a cup of food a day, was very active and won dog shows!)
Many dogs act as if they are starving. Its a genetic survival tool from when food was more scarce. YOU as the human need to simply take responsibility and only feed them as much as keeps them in prime condition.
- sarahLv 41 decade ago
Canidae, and both of my mini dachshunds, Oscar and Willy, food dish is always full. They can eat what they want, when they want. I do not belive in starving a dog all day or night and then feeding him a "meal" and then they scarf if done like they never ate before. My dogs do not over eat and are healthy.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
For your male min pin. You didn't specify what food he is on. If he isn't on diet food i would suggest it, or a senior food. As three pounds is alot for a little guy.
Your male goldy sounds fine.
Your female goldy what types of food are you making her? Sounds like you need to speak to a veterinarian to work out this problem. The arthritis is only going to get worse with the weight problem.
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- 1 decade ago
I think you should lower the food level a bit but if you notice thay are too hungry You should bring them to te vet for further advice.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
hmm im not really shor i think your doing okay and thanks for the two points