Weight Loss Advice - Springer Spaniel

[quangle]

I have a 2 year desexed female springer.

She is fed Royal Canin. Thing is, I thought she was getting a bit too round about 6 months ago, so I reduced the amount she was getting.

According to the pack, a 20kg dog (about what I think she ought to weigh) should get 233g which equates to 2 of the scoops I use. So I reduced her 1 1/2 scoops which is about 175g. The pack tells me this is the amount to feed a 14kg dog.

She gets as much exercise as I can manage. Most days we walk roughly an hour. 2 or 3 times a week I take her out on the bike, so she covers a bit more distance than usual but at a much faster speed. Some of the days she has an off leash walk.

When she had her vaccination a couple of weeks ago the vet said she was a bit fat - lacking a bit of a waist. We weighed her and she was 22.4kg.

I have reduced her food again so she is now only getting one scoop. But this is only 130g which according to the pack is LESS than the amount to feed an 11kg dog.

This seems like not very much food and my concern is that even once the weight comes off, I am still going to have to feed her signifcantly less than the recommended amount which seems odd.

Perhaps there is a better brand I could be feeding her? Initially I was feeding Advance, but she went off it, so I changed.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[megan_]

The packs recommend extreme amounts IMO. I wouldn't worry what the pack said.

[Salukifan]

Which Royal Canin are you feeding? How many times a day?

Is she getting other food - treats, handouts, scraps??

Have you had her thryroid levels checked?

It's pretty common to feed less than the recommended amount by the way. :)

Edited August 26, 2013 by Haredown Whippets

[Tassie]

Totally agree with what Megan says. I just pretty much ignore what the pack says, and go by how the dog is doing. I weigh mine every few weeks - just pop into the vet's waiting room when it's not full, and pop them on the scales.

My 21,2 kg Border Collie male gets 2/3 cup of Black Hawk morning and 2/3 cup at night. My 14.9 kg BC bitch gets 1/3 cup morning and another 1/3 cup night. This along with training treats, and a biscuit seems to maintain them at a nice healthy weight - deliberately a little on the lean sie, since they are agility dogs.

[persephone]

:) I never go by pack recommendations .. just by what a dog feels/looks like . if they work hard & are dropping weight, they get more . If they seem to be thickening, they get less ....never extreme drops just a bit ...

!/2 her original amount seems a good plan for now , plus, if she appears starved... an apple or sweet carrot may make her feel better . I am not a fan of 'bulking up meals'..I would rather a dog's tummy gets used to feeling full after a smaller quantity ...

Our dogs adore apples & carrots fed whole . I often play with them first - fetch or whatever .. until they get the taste ..and then they will often sit down and chew away :)

[Tassie]

Our dogs adore apples & carrots fed whole . I often play with them first - fetch or whatever .. until they get the taste ..and then they will often sit down and chew away

Yep - I only have to get an apple or carrot (or cucumber or zucchini ....) out of the fridge, and I have 2 pairs of eyes boring into me. And in the autumn, Rory goes out and helps himself from the apple tree (that's once the apricots are finished.) And yes, he does separate the apricot from the stone, so no worries there. I do stop him after the third apple on any given night though :laugh: .

[RiverStar-Aura]

I too have found that the RC pack recommended feeding is excessive. Kirah is 6.2 kilos and gets only a tablespoon twice daily and Zeus (14.4 kilos) is on 1/4 of a cup twice daily. According to the pack, Zeus being highly active should be getting 2 and 2/8th cups

Nothing can substitute your eyes as being the best weight guide and if you're thinking your dog still seems on the rounder size, just cut back even more. The trick to food is getting the energy in vs energy out ratio correct. You might find that you're giving her more food than she's actually burning off so her daily intake needs reducing.

If her weight is around the 22ish mark, I'm guessing you're feeding her the RC Medium.

Edit: don't be afraid to really cut back on her food to allow for any treats she's given during the day too!!

Edited August 26, 2013 by RiverStar-Aura

[quangle]

Thank you everyone. I had no idea the pack recommendations were so over the top. Wish I had asked on here before now.

Yes, RC medium once a day and rarely much in the way of treats.

So I will stop worrying about quantities and just stick with what she is on for now.

One more thing - we feed at night. Does it matter? Is it in anyway better to feed in the morning?

Thanks again for the advice.

[Salukifan]

Thank you everyone. I had no idea the pack recommendations were so over the top. Wish I had asked on here before now.

Yes, RC medium once a day and rarely much in the way of treats.

So I will stop worrying about quantities and just stick with what she is on for now.

One more thing - we feed at night. Does it matter? Is it in anyway better to feed in the morning?

Thanks again for the advice.

Adult or Junior? If it's Junior, switch to Adult - it will have less fat. They also do a lower fat one.

Edited August 26, 2013 by Haredown Whippets

[BC Crazy]

I fell for the same trap & went by the recommended amount suggested on the pack & had the very same problem. My boy started gained weight very quickly. So I have learnt by my mistakes & I never go by the feeding

guide lines. I go by what my dog looks & adjust the amount till he maintains a healthy weight :)

[Nekhbet]

Feed in the morning or break it up. You're starving the dogs body during the most active part of the day then letting it sit on it's meal at night hence the weight gain. It's why the volume reduction doesnt work.

[Dogsfevr]

I think thats the issue .people forget recommended is just a suggestion & you need to weigh up age,active level,treats & many people are not honest in how many treats there dog gets anyway .Every bit is extra in there diet .

also scoops vary greatly depending on what people are using .

As mentioned the variety may not be suited to your dog so look at the other choices

[Podengo]

Feed in the morning or break it up. You're starving the dogs body during the most active part of the day then letting it sit on it's meal at night hence the weight gain. It's why the volume reduction doesnt work.

I read an interesting article about dog feeding and energy utilization that suggested feeding in the evening is better. If only I could find the darn article now! Elsie is raw fed, and only fed once a day in the evening...

[Nekhbet]

I read an interesting article about dog feeding and energy utilization that suggested feeding in the evening is better. If only I could find the darn article now! Elsie is raw fed, and only fed once a day in the evening..

Every animal is different. I have found that after giving advice of swapping evening to morning/two small feeds fatty dogs have dropped the weight. One of my own dogs was an evening feed only, split to two meals a day and she's actually thinner on a lot more food then she used to get.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

I never follow the pack directions, if I did my Salukis would be whales.