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Need feeding advice

nannyj

Active member
HI everyone,

Quincy is 2 yrs old and weighs 21.5 pounds. I don't think he looks fat, but the vet wants him to lose 1.5 to 2 pounds. I currently feed him twice a day, 1/3 cup each feeding, plus a small handful of green beans. He gets no treats during the day. He's extremely lazy and loves to sleep, but I walk him briskly for 20 minutes a day (he just refuses to walk anymore than that!!). Since the feeding guidelines on his food suggest 1 - 1 1/2 cups per day, my vet suggested that maybe I'm not feeding him enough!! She said I should start feeding him 3 times a day, 1/3 cup each time, and eliminate the green beans. She said if I feed him more often, it will boost his metabolism and help him have more energy and lose weight. She also said that if I don't feed him enough, the food he does get will convert to fat.

Does this make any sense? I decided to give it a try, and he's now drinking almost twice as much water than he used to, which means he constantly needs to go outside! I've only been doing the 3 feedings for a week, so it's too soon to see if it will help. I just don't see how giving him more food will help him lose weight!

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
 
One concern in your post...

I would try the 3 times a day feeding to see if that has any impact. If not, then go back to two. The amount of protein in the diet may be a bit low for him too, according to a friend of mine with 2 and 3 year old Cavs. She said maybe too many calories but too little protein... some dogs need more than others. She walks them 2-3 times a day for short walks, so not sure why Quincy may be so tired. It may be that he is uncomfortable walking? But the thing that gave me pause in your post is his increased drinking of water and need to pee. Did the vet check this out to rule out blood sugar issues? I doubt that is it, but just making sure it was checked.
 
Well I do know that for people if we eat too little our bodies try and conserve what we have - sometimes we may lose weight by eating more. I would certainly give it a try and weigh him after a week or two. It's easier than cutting back more.

I do know that the recommendations on the dog food bags are far too high though and for Max if I fed him the recommended amount he'd probably weigh 40 pounds instead of 18. Last summer I was feeding Rylie the recommended amount (which in our dog food is 1 cup a day) but he didn't turn 1 until June. He would also run full stop in the backyard for probably at least an hour a day chasing the ball and just for the love of running. Right now they are less active with only one walk a day and they both get 1/4 cup twice a day. They do get kibble and homemade treats as training treats though. Max has maintained over the winter. Rylie has probably put on a pound but he was pretty slim before and I think he's at a better weight.

The only way I got the final 1 1/2 pounds off of Max last spring (he needed to lose 4 pounds) was to start giving him cooked meat and veggies for one of his meals because it was a reasonable volume of food even though lower calorie. I didn't want to do that long term though because I know it wasn't a balanced diet.
 
Debra,
Thanks for your concern. The extra drinking started on the same day that I switched to three feedings, so I'm thinking that has something to do with it. I'm going back to the vet in two weeks so I'll mention it. As far as him not wanting to walk, I seriously just think he's lazy! He'll run and play if he's in the mood, but on a 20 minute walk, he seems bored after 15 minutes! He'd rather sit down with his face to the wind, and sniff, sniff, sniff! With the warmer weather starting here in the northeast, I'll be taking him on more short walks during the day, so hopefully that will help too. The vet told me that after the killer winter we had, she's seeing a lot of overweight dogs right now!
I guess I'll just keep up with the 3 feedings for a few weeks and see what happens. Thanks again.
 
I agree with Mindysmom - if I fed my dogs what the guidelines say, they would all look like stuffed sausages!! I don't know where they get those guidelines from anyway. My big boy Oliver weighs 23-25 pounds and he gets 1/2 cup of food once a day. Any more than that and he puts on weight that he doesn't need. The others only get fed once a day - 1/3 cup of kibble, but they all weigh between 12 and 15 pounds. I also add green beans to their food. They do get some treats here and there like dried sweet potatoes and some fresh fruits and vegies when I'm in the kitchen.

Don't know about the drinking and peeing more - definitely worth talking to your vet about. Maybe like GraciesMom suggested - the protein/calorie ratio of his food is out of whack. Let us know how Quincy gets along though.
 
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