Miss Helena Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 It is a constant struggle to keep Bonnie's weight down (she is a very good eater and not fussy at all). She is a 3yo chi. She generally weighs about 3.6-3.8kg. Someone told me the other day that their dog gets fat when fed chicken necks, which surprised me, as they don't look fatty to me (just mainly meat, connective tissue, bones etc). Bonnie gets one small-medium chicken neck (without the fatty skin part) and 1/4-1/3 a cup of dried food a day, 5 nights a week. Then on weekends she gets mince, vegetables and the same quantity of biscuits. She gets occasional small treats for doing her tricks. She's not mega fat (see photo), but she is "solid" - I can't feel her ribs! I don't want to feed her even less or she will be even more of a food obsessed pain and will be constantly stalking me. Do others find that chicken necks make their dogs fat?? I really hope not, as I like her having them most nights, for her teeth and because they are a raw/natural food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I dont' think they are particularly high in fat. Your issues might be more around quantity than fat content. How many does she get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkeyre Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 necks i am fairly sure have less fat then drums, carcassus(sp?), etc. wings are the fattest.. the tips are pretty much just fat. I think Bonnie is pretty much ideal atm. that's how i would have her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Whatever food you feed it's about the quantity. I have found that some suppliers have fattier chicken necks thne others. Generally I find that Lennards are pretty good. How much should Boonie weigh? Is she an active dog? If you were feeding only raw food and working on 2% then really she should only be getting 70grams a day. My pugs, 6 years & 8 years and love to lay around, get only approx 100 to 150grams a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Helena Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) She only gets one chicken neck per day and the dried food described in OP. She only gets one meal a day and is still chunky!! (poor love) And she is always ravenous.... Edited July 10, 2009 by Miss Helena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 She only gets one chicken neck per day and the dried food described in OP. She only gets one meal a day and is still chunky!! (poor love) And she is always ravenous.... I'd cut that down for a while or up her exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Helena Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 Yes, perhaps she needs more exercise....she is a bit of a bed bug. Chis are only meant to weigh up to 2.7kg but that is for the small show-standard ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Yes, perhaps she needs more exercise....she is a bit of a bed bug.Chis are only meant to weigh up to 2.7kg but that is for the small show-standard ones. Time for you to act as her personal trainer... no need to give her the "boot camp" treatment.. just some more walking perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Helena Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 Yes, perhaps she needs more exercise....she is a bit of a bed bug.Chis are only meant to weigh up to 2.7kg but that is for the small show-standard ones. Time for you to act as her personal trainer... no need to give her the "boot camp" treatment.. just some more walking perhaps. Yes PF! I have been a bit slack with the walking lately. It's good to hear that others don't think chicken necks are overly fattening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 The other thing to watch out for is whether she's gaining food elsewhere.. other dogs bowls, too many treats or a human that's adding to the calorie intake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 You could try dividing her food into two meals instead of just one - chicken neck for breakfast biscuits for tea or whatever. More frequent feeding might help the ravenous starving dog act anyway :-) and some people say it helps with weight loss, but I think that theory just got chucked out for people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead sheep Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 what sort of bickies is Bonnie on Helena? Most brands are loaded with grain and low in protein so it's just empty carbs. Try something like Artemis grain free maximal or remove the bickies all together and feed her a couple of chicken hearts for dinner. I don't think chicken necks are very fatty at all. I've noticed since removing bickies and feeding all raw (prey model) that Mort seems slightly slimmer around the neck and waist after a few weeks and he has a very similar structure to Miss Bonnylicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 What people forget is that the marrow that runs through the bone is fat and chicken necks are no exception. Because chicken necks are not that big, it usually isn't an issue but to a chi. I guess it is a different story. Of course anything they chew is good for their teeth but perhaps restrict the necks to several times a week, increase the exercise as others have said or reduce the amount of other stuff that you are feeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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