how much???

[yorkiesmiles]

Originally Posted by pepe mint

you know, i am a horrible judge of wether a dog is overweight...i always think dogs are too skinny and my hubby tells me i'm crazy LOL

i was just curious about this because of how much Bubba and Roxy eat, and I think I feed maggie twice that amount every day. but I will ask the vet next time we go in what they think. I guess I can feel her ribs...but she isn't bony at all. I have to TRY to feel her ribs

Well, Bubba gained a bunch when I first brought him home. I was over-feeding and feeding twice a day or letting them graze. But my vet has strong opinions about feeding just once a day. With grazing their little digestive systems are having to work hard all day. The vet had to retrain me to feed Bubba & Roxie just once a day!

The food I feed - Flint River Ranch gives suggestions for how much they should eat. I would try to follow the guidelines of your food & just cut back a little bit. Actually, a lot of times I don't give Roxie quite a full 1/4 cup because she's smaller than Bubba. But she does work it off chasing squirrels versus Bubba's use of energy laying on the back of the sofa!

[drawlins27]

Originally Posted by pepe mint

maggie really isn't either. she just picks at her food. this morning, i gave her 1/4 cup of food and she may have eaten 1/4 of that. she just picks. and after the hyperglycemia incident we had when we first got her, i have always just left the food out for her to snack on during the days. so i really doubt she could POSSIBLY be overweight, she really doesn't eat much at all. if anything, she might be overweight because i give her some eggs for protein. maybe 3 eggs a week. any chance that could put the weight on her? I RARELY give her the yolks because that is where all the calories are.

hubby told me last night he thinks she is getting "porky"

Have you done the rib/waist test? You should be able to easily feel her ribs and she should have a defined waist. That is what your vet is going to look at. Her actual weight is dependent on what type of frame she has and it can be difficult to use weight as an indicator. I think you are right, the amount you feed all depends on the calorie content of the food. You could also look for a nutritionalist. Dr. Tobias gave me the name of one in Nashville but I can't remember it. Let me know if you want it and I'll try to find it for you.

[pepe mint]

not sure if you saw my other post but the vet told me today that maggie could stand to lose a little.

The food recommends feeding her twice a day, 1/2 cup per day (1/4 each feeding) but i was told to go a tad less than that.

so, for dinner today, I only fed her 1/2 of her normal serving and she is acting like she is starving!!

so this will take some getting used to LOL

hubby has been telling me for quite a while that he thought maggie was getting "porky" but i just thought he was crazy LOL

Originally Posted by yorkiesmiles

Well, Bubba gained a bunch when I first brought him home. I was over-feeding and feeding twice a day or letting them graze. But my vet has strong opinions about feeding just once a day. With grazing their little digestive systems are having to work hard all day. The vet had to retrain me to feed Bubba & Roxie just once a day!

The food I feed - Flint River Ranch gives suggestions for how much they should eat. I would try to follow the guidelines of your food & just cut back a little bit. Actually, a lot of times I don't give Roxie quite a full 1/4 cup because she's smaller than Bubba. But she does work it off chasing squirrels versus Bubba's use of energy laying on the back of the sofa!