food allowances

this came up in my other dicussion and i thought id get peoples opinions on here.

Oliver is on a food alouance...set out by our vet.
he gets 1/4th of a tin of wet food and a cup of dry food a day.

we follow this with him as the vet obviously has ollies best intentions in mind.. and he needs to diet.

hOWEVER...i almost feel as if its slowly starving him.. (i mean ive obviously not taken any vet schools and have no knowledge in this department and is why im asking opinions)

but i wouldnt think thats enough food.'
its like giving someone a sandwitch and saying 'k thats all you get for the day..eat it all now or save it'

what do you think?

These wonderful dogs are addicted to food and will eat until you call it quits. Karlin has a nice section in the Library under body fat that gives good references regarding healthy weight. I find that even a small amt. over their regular amt. will cause a quick increase in wt and a small amt under their regular amt will do the opposite-in active dogs. From all I've seen on this site I would say your food amts are too much and they need to be lessened and raw vegies added to ease the hungries. Your vet sounds very caring but he may not be getting the right vibes re:weight-vets are only human. I think introducing raw vegies is great for fullness feeling and chewing satisfaction and low calorie consumption. It's always a short and long term goal with weight reduction, but at least with our dogs it's always in our control.

Bentley tends to get pudgy, too. He had gotten up to 21lbs over last winter so I knew I had to cut him back.

Per his breeder's suggestion, he eats 1/4 cup of dry ( 2 ounces ) twice per day, so that's a 1/2 cup per day. I add to that 1 tsp of wet food twice per day. He also has a six inch bully stick about every other day, and maybe 1 or 2 small biscuits or tenders.

The weight came off him slowly and he seems to be maintaining at 18lbs. which is ideal for his size.

Maybe you could cut back a bit more on his food intake? I've found that vets tend to not know a whole lot about foods, too. My breeder recommended a "regular" food as opposed to a "diet" food, with a lesser amount given.

Buddy is at a very good weight. We can easily feel his ribs and see a distinct waist. He weighs 22 lbs. (just a "tad" about "standard'!) and that is going to be his weight. He gets 3/4s of a cup of kibble (Nutro Ultra) a day. He gets 1/4 in the morning plain and then 1/4 in the evening with a tablespoon of yogurt, a squirt of wild salmon oil and a handful of veggies/fruits (usually raw carrots, frozen green beans or cut up apple). The other 1/4 cup he gets in lieu of treats off and on throughout the day, for positive reinforcment or in his play cube. He also gets a bully stick or a greenie three or four nights a week and from time to time other treats such as Charlie Bears or Mother Hubbard bites. We keep the treats very small because we tend to give too many.

Based on what I give Buddy I think maybe you do need to cut back on what the Vet has suggested. I would try cutting it in half, adding carrots and green beans, do that from now until Christmas and I think you will be very happy and so will Oliver. He will beg for food, I am sure, but he will feel better and enjoy his walks more and be healthier overall. Buddy is a terrible beggar but he is not underweight and is not starving. He just loves food (like his human Mom who wishes someone would control her diet as well as she controls Buddy's).

Good luck to you and to Oliver.

Edit: I should add that Buddy gets a mile or so walk in the morning and then an hour or so at the Dog Park, Fun Agility class or combination walk and retrieving in our yard most evenings. I would categorize his exercise level as moderate.

Please would you measure the dry food in grams and tell me what it weighs then I'll compare. Dylan is 12lb.

Honey had a weight issue at one stage (because she had an op on her knee and couldnt walk). We had to dramatically reduce her food. I know it seems cruel but they really are getting all that they need. What we did was put her food in a treat ball so it took her 15-20 mins to eat her dinner rather 2.5 seconds . We also gave her veggies - celery was a favourite because it is like a chew toy and lasts a while too. I give celery sticks to Molly and Bella a couple of times a week now instead of chewies.

Good luck and let us know how Oliver is getting on :razz:

When I took SiânE on I had to get weight on to her at first and then try and keep her at her ideal weight (she went from 7.5kg to 12kg). Because she is a diabetic, I could not pile on the weight or cut it back drastically. It had to be done slowly.

This took about 3 years, after knocking of a 1/3 of the amount because she is spayed I started knocking of 5gms at a time till I found the right amount.

To give you an ideal of how much she needs, I feel her James Wellbeloved and she should need (going by the bag) about 200gms. All she really needs to maintain her weight is 100gms. Added into this all the other food she gets like treats for her tablets.

This is the right amount for SiânE, even thought she is very trim she still doesn't look skinny as she is very large in the chest department.

Scout eats a total of 1/2 cup of dry food a day and approximately one tablespoon of pumpkin. She does get six Mother Hubbard bacon and cheese bones the tiny ones each day. So far she is maintaining a heathly weight, which for her is 25 lbs. She is tall and still lanking at 18 months.

Breeze had a weight problem before I got Scout. She was 150 lbs, now I believe she's down to 130 lbs. She is very large for a female Newf. Have you tried to substitue some of his dry food with fresh or frozen veggies. Breeze loves carrots and green beans, that will help.

Oh and get another dog that really helps!!! LOL