Am I Feeding The Right Amount?

[FranVT]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to get a bit of advice here. I've noticed since she came into season that Luuka has put on a bit of weight. Nothing major, I can still feel her ribs but I do have to apply some pressure to do so. Her season is over now so we're back to exercising and playing at the park. She is noticeably less fit than before but getting better. It got me thinking, am I feeding her too much?

At the moment, I make up packs of food for her which are about 200g of beef/roo mince and steamed mashed veges and about 5 chicken wing tips or 2 chicken necks. She gets one in the morning and one at night. At night I alternate her with an egg, some sardines, some offal etc and sometimes she has a chicken carcass or a turkey neck by themselves.

Is this too much? She'll be one year old in October.

Love to hear what you guys have to say, cringing slightly though

[WreckitWhippet]

The simple answer is Yes.. If she's putting on weight you are feeding her too much.

You can either exercise her more, cut the food back or do both .

ETA: get rid of the wing tips, they are nothing but bone and skin and give her the whole wing

Edited September 7, 2010 by ReadySetGo

[FranVT]

Okay no problem. You're right, the wing tips were great when she was a puppy but now they're probably only doing her teeth any good. She loves the wings whole. Should I joint them or just leave them totally whole?

I think because we're doing a lot of training now and she's getting a fair amount of treats that is probably contributing as well.

If I was to give her a wing or two in the morning and her normal food pack at night would that be a better amount? We are going for about 1/2 hour - 45 mins walk per day depending on how much time I have. I always try to do some though.

[Miranda]

Some bitches put on weight and become less active following a season because their bodies are releasing pregnancy hormones. Although all bitches release these hormones some bitches display more signs than others. You can reduce her food a little, but you'll probably find that she'll drop the wait and return to her normal active self in a couple of months time.

I don't know what breed she is, but yes chicken wings can be fed whole if the dog is large enough to deal with them.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Miranda

[FranVT]

Sorry Miranda. She's a Finnish Lapphund. Should have remembered it is no longer in my signature!

[Caesars mum]

on the nights Nala and I do training she does not get dinner.

you need to take into account the amount of treats and reduce the normal meal size by that amount, unless it was a really vigerous workout.

[FranVT]

Thanks Cm, I think I was relying on her puppy energy working it off for awhile but clearly I am going to have to stop doing that! Bless her she probably just lies belly up on the veranda all day when I'm at work now.

[Miranda]

Sorry Miranda. She's a Finnish Lapphund. Should have remembered it is no longer in my signature!

I did have a good look at your avatar, but couldn't work out what it was supposed to be

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

Hi

The other thing to keep in mind is that an adult dog even when in full work rarely needs as much food as a growing puppy , as she is getting close to being her adult size and weight she will not need as much food and a mature dog is often not as active as a puppy,

As I keep rotties and large breeds this fall off is quite dramatic with a smaller breed it may not be as evident but will still be a factor.

The 2 wings in the morning and her normal dinner sound fine but always go on how she looks to you , to much cover over the ribs and drop the food down a bit ,

[FranVT]

Sorry Miranda. She's a Finnish Lapphund. Should have remembered it is no longer in my signature!

I did have a good look at your avatar, but couldn't work out what it was supposed to be

Heheheh, it is her little paw in a pool of water at the beach.

Hi

The other thing to keep in mind is that an adult dog even when in full work rarely needs as much food as a growing puppy , as she is getting close to being her adult size and weight she will not need as much food and a mature dog is often not as active as a puppy,

As I keep rotties and large breeds this fall off is quite dramatic with a smaller breed it may not be as evident but will still be a factor.

The 2 wings in the morning and her normal dinner sound fine but always go on how she looks to you , to much cover over the ribs and drop the food down a bit ,

Good advice. She certainly isn't growing at the exponential rate that she was before and she's not as active either. She has become a lot more snuggly since having a season!

[Nekhbet]

my bitch looks like a fatty boomba (well for a Malinois) after each season due to hormones. I just cut her dinner back a little, I find it strips off on its own after a couple of weeks

[poocow]

my bitch looks like a fatty boomba (well for a Malinois) after each season due to hormones. I just cut her dinner back a little, I find it strips off on its own after a couple of weeks

Yeah my bitch plumps up after her season - I have learnt to just cut back her food a little until she evens out after a couple of weeks.