t/j on traveling vs boarding your cav

I agree with the comments Karlin made on the other thread regarding traveling with your pets about how stressful it can be. Thus, when I went on holiday for two weeks after Christmas, I opted to put Maggie in a kennel that specializes in lap dogs. She'd been in this particular kennel once before for a weekend and it is clean and safe with lots of interaction and I was very happy with the service.

But when I picked her up this last time she was FAT! She went in weighing just under 13 lbs and now she tips the scales at over 15. It doesn't sound like much to a human but is a lot for a small dog. She gained in equivalent to 20 per cent of her original body weight, which would be like a 120-pound woman gaining 24 pounds...in just two weeks! And it is pretty obvious - she's a rolly-polly! I left specific feeding instructions and even provided exactly the right amount of food, but somehow this happened.

The proprietor says she got plenty of exercise and played a lot with the other little dogs and it isn't like she has a super athletic lifestyle at home, so it doesn't make sense that she would bulk up this much.

I have her on a diet at the moment which means the poor sot is getting less than a 1/2 cup of dry food per day.

Does this make sense and has it happened to anyone else?

I think mild overfeeding is pretty common. I now give a measuring cup with the bag of food for kennels minding my dogs and written instructions on how much to feed. If you are concerned they may overfeed, then give them a smaller amount than you'd normally feed. If she truly gained 20% of body weight in 2 weeks, that is dangerously fast and very extreme weight gain and indicates someone was absolutely stuffing her. I'd not put my dog there again or I'd have a very serious talk about obesity and heart disease in this breed.

If we lived closer we would have her for you so save you putting her in kennels again. I love British Columbia and would move there tomorrow if I had enough experienve to get a job!!

I agree with Karlin that weight gain is dangerous in this breed due to the propensity for heart disease. If your cavvie is still hungry on less food you could give her carrots and broccoli mixed in with her food. If she doesn't eat them you could try putting low fat gravy on them (but only a tiny amount!!) At least then you won't be worried that she may be hungry.

That's why I hate ever having to board my dogs, I had a kennel do the same thing to my dogs once - ALL 4 OF THEM! And my one dog it made me really mad because I'd worked very hard to get her down and keep her at a health weight, and it took me months to get her back to a healthe weight after only 5 days in the kennel! I think instead of spending the time to seperate them and feed them properly, the just dumped down a huge bowl of food and let my dogs go at it!

She is a rather ravenous eater, so chances are they gave her a bit more at each feeding because she does seem so hungry. A quarter cup at each meal looks like a paltry amount in the dish...but even a little more adds up over time. She has such a petite frame that a couple pounds makes an enormous difference on her. The first thing my husband said when he saw her was how fat she'd gotten.

I have been feeding her carrots and frozen green beans fill her belly...she loves both. Haven't tried broccoli..I gave that to my other dog once and he stunk up the household for days...lol!

Theresa...do you live in Canada? The workforce is booming here..you might find a job a lot easier than you think!

Yes, that is very frustrating. Thank you for letting us know what happened though. We are boarding Sofee Marie in February when we go to Orlando, FL for a week's vacation. She will be going to the same house she goes to everyday for daycare, BUT as I do at home, I will weigh all her food on a scale and will make up baggies of wet and dry food for each meal with strict instructions that she is to get no extra treats, except one dried chicken breast each night. I know she won't get the exercise she normally gets with us, so I want to be sure our hard work also does not go to waste.
Best of luck getting her back in shape. Sofee Marie gets string beans and carrots every morning and night to bulk up her meals. She loves it. I find when she is at a good weight, usually 16lbs., she is overly interested in food, so it is even harder to say no, as she hangs in the kitchen as I prepare the meals. Now, I have her sit/lie on her bed just outside the tile floor, as we only have a galley kitchen and it makes it hard for me to move around with stepping on her!
Boy, this will be our first vacation away from her, I'm getting teary already!

momay said:

Boy, this will be our first vacation away from her, I'm getting teary already!

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Its not so bad as you willl think, just think Sofee Marie is going on her vacation too so I'm sure you all have a great time