Baby Dragon Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) Do dogs get more hungry in Winter like humans do? My dog is demanding more food and he doesn't normally do that. He's been doing it for about 4 days after he's had his dinner. I don't want to leave him hungry if I should feed him more in Winter, but I am very aware of over feeding and don't want to do that either! He's a Lab x so he would eat non stop if I let him. But he is acting really strangely the last few nights compared to normal, whinging for more even a few hours after his dinner Edited June 18, 2009 by Baby Dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 How's his weight look at the moment? Let that be the judge (and jury ). I tend to adjust food quantity based on that and, if the dog's weight is just right, then I adjust according to the amount of exercise received from one day to the next. Got any pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie1 Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Do dogs get more hungry in Winter like humans do?My dog is demanding more food and he doesn't normally do that. He's been doing it for about 4 days after he's had his dinner. I don't want to leave him hungry if I should feed him more in Winter, but I am very aware of over feeding and don't want to do that either! He's a Lab x so he would eat non stop if I let him. But he is acting really strangely the last few nights compared to normal, whinging for more even a few hours after his dinner Funny you should mention this as my dog Mason ( nearly 10 week old lab) has been doing exactly this, I feed him dinner and a few hrs later he is back in the kitchen staring at the counter and crying when we go in there. I havent adjusted his food since I got him 2 weeks ago but today I increased it a bit and I think I will start feeding him a bit more from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) He's about 27.5kg. I just took these photos, sorry they're not very good. He's 3.5 years old. Edited June 18, 2009 by Baby Dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shazzapug Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I dont think upping his food could hurt too much....he is a good weight at the moment so a bit extra will not make him obese. LOL is he a Lab x Poodle....has a hair do. coot puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) Yep he's a lab x poodle. Don't look too close at his hair do I groom him myself and it (accidentally) turns out different each time! Thank you for the advice Edited June 18, 2009 by Baby Dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APBT Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 my girl acts like she is starved even after a big meal all year round. ive had to learn not to give in to that sad little face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Helena Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) I would say yes! But hard to tell with greedy guts doggies I know Bonnie is getting too "well nourished" when her harness cuts into her back fat (like women with their bra straps!) and she gets an overflow situation happening. More walks in slightly too-tight harness and less food quickly fixes that. ETA, your dog looks a healthy weight BD - not fat at all (no back fat either :D) Edited June 19, 2009 by Miss Helena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 as Erny said it really depends on his weight. I think his weight looks just about right so if you really did want to give him more food I would make it low cal stuff like veggies and fruit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) As the temperature drops, dogs require more energy to maintain their body temperature. That either means more food or more calories in their food. Your dog is not lean.. he should have an obvious waist and from the pictures he doesn't appear to. He also appears to have a roll of fat around his neck. He definitely does not need anymore weight on. I would not be increasing his food intake - I'd probably be inclined to feed him a bit less!! Edited June 19, 2009 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 As the temperature drops, dogs require more energy to maintain their body temperature. That either means more food or more calories in their food. Your dog is not lean.. he should have an obvious waist and from the pictures he doesn't appear to. He also appears to have a roll of fat around his neck. He definitely does not need anymore weight on. I would not be increasing his food intake - I'd probably be inclined to feed him a bit less!! I agree with PF, the dog doesn't seem to have an obvious waist. When my golden looks like this, to me, it means she needs to go on a diet. However I can't see the 'roll of fat around the neck' :p Which pic are you referring to PF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 His weight doesn't look toooo bad going by the pictures you've shown. Can you take one or two 'side-on' shots as well please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 I agree with PF, the dog doesn't seem to have an obvious waist. When my golden looks like this, to me, it means she needs to go on a diet.However I can't see the 'roll of fat around the neck' ;) Which pic are you referring to PF? The last two. He ain't FAT. But he ain't lean either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) Based on the photo's given (although I'd like to see one or two from the side as well), I'm inclined to agree with PF. This dog doesn't look as though he needs more weight. If he holds that weight on the food ration he's on, then that would be fine. If he begins to drop off you might like to increase his meal a little, but only until the weight is regained. He may even be better with a very slight weight reduction. I can't tell conclusively from those photos. But if you're worried about him being hungry and want to feed him more, perhaps increase his exercise and then you can feed him more to replace the additional calories burnt. ETA: If the choice is between a dog too overweight and a dog a bit lean, I'd err on the side of 'lean'. Edited June 19, 2009 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 Thank you ;) He's been 26.5kg - 28kg in the past two years (ages 1 1/2 - 3 1/2.) He's fed a raw diet including VAN, chicken frames, chicken wings, fish, liver, minced beef and a handful of kibble occasionally. I'd like to keep him at the correct weight, especially because I want to avoid any joint problems. Erny, I will try to get some side on photos tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterpaws Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Just a thought BD - but he is an assistance dog? Sorry if this sounds rude or insensitive (and I sooooo do not mean it to) but could he be picking up some stress from you? It's probably a silly suggestion but thought it was worth throwing into the equation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Add some cooked pumpkin to his meals, it will fill him up and it has no calorific value to a dog. If he's still hounding you for food, then you know it's not because he's hungry ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 Just a thought BD - but he is an assistance dog? Sorry if this sounds rude or insensitive (and I sooooo do not mean it to) but could he be picking up some stress from you?It's probably a silly suggestion but thought it was worth throwing into the equation Yes he is... but he was in a different room to me at the time (I'd put him in his bed) so I don't think he was picking up on anything at the time. That's why I thought it was probably hunger, because it was the same sort of whinging he does at dinner time, and his alerting behavior is to paw at me rather than whinge. But it wasn't a silly suggestion. Dogs are amazing how they can pick up on things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) Add some cooked pumpkin to his meals, it will fill him up and it has no calorific value to a dog. If he's still hounding you for food, then you know it's not because he's hungry Thanks for the tip ;) That makes sense. Edited June 19, 2009 by Baby Dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Just a thought BD - but he is an assistance dog? Wow! That was a good 'pick-up' WP!! ;) And a good suggestion by AF regarding the pumpkin. Although would I be right to being concerned that too much of it might end up causing probs due to too much fibre? Perhaps a mixture of vegetables (which should only represent a small portion of the total of his meal) might be better? The OP already feeds VAN which does have a proportion of vegies in it already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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