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How much to feed?? My Tinker Belle started gaining weight after she was spayed. She went from 4.7 lbs to 6 lbs almost overnight. She is 1 1/2 years old. I switched her to Natural Balance low calorie formula and it says on the sack to feed 5 - 15 lb dogs 1/2 - 1 cup a day. I tried 1/2 cup but she never lost any weight, so I cut back even more to 1/3 cup and now she's down to 5.6 lbs but that's still too much for her to weigh. Should I cut back even more - maybe to 1/4 cup? I'm just not sure what a tiny dog like her needs, but I don't want her to be hungry. I'd like to get her back to 4.7 lbs if I could. She gets very little exercise except chasing her toys. I can't walk her because of the dogs in our neighborhood. Thanks everyone! |
You should feed her based on her ideal weight, not what weight she currently is- so if 4.7 was a good weight for her- feed based off of that. Cut back her food a little from what you are currently feeding and add some fresh veggies at every meal. Also she NEEDS exercise, all dogs do, not just to lose weight but also to be healthy in general. If your neighborhood isnt safe, drive to park or another neighborhood and walk her there. |
The same happened to Remy... she went from 3.5 to very close to 5 :eek: She was spay at about 14 m. also... and the charts said she would be 3.5 so I was a bit surprised. But to be honest.. she was too skinny and was glad she gained some. With the advice from my yt friends I started adding veggies... green beans and such to her food. I went onto the balance-it web site and purchased a "recipe" for her.. and I mostly feed her home cooked food per recipe and advice. She has leveled out at 4.5 -- not too bad. She looks good, and is healthy. I agree with the exercise -- we throw toys and play chase in our very small back yard. We also walk her twice a day... about 20 to 30 mins each. good luck |
I agree with armani. You are cheating her out of nutrients and could harm her. Hide the treats, feed according to her wt range and increase her excercise. Good luck |
A lot of them will need 1/3 less calories post-spay. It sounds like you are needing to reduce it much more than that, so the first thing I would do is go ahead and talk to your vet about running some blood work to make sur eeverything metabolically is normal. My first thought is a thyroid issue. If all is normal, then you may be able to go down to 1/4 cup, but that's really not much food at all. Her exercise needs to be increased. |
Thanks everyone; I appreciate everyone's advice. |
Quote:
I feed 1/8th of a cup with a couple of teaspoon's of wet food or steamed, boneless, skinless, crumbled checken breast 2 or 3 times a day. It's dependent on te size of the dog, whether I increase or decrease. If a dog is having a tendancy to gain weight, for an additive I use green beans. And also, will take into consideration treats given during the day.... |
I think it all depends on the dog. Sasha weighs about 7lbs. and only gets 1/8th cup of kibble at night (I feed her raw in the morning). During the summer though on days when I take her for a walk, sometimes I will increase her kibble amount to 1/4 cup since she exercised more than usual. |
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