Am I starving my dog?

minnie123

Hi I have a 4 year old French Bulldog / Pug Cross. He has never been a big eater some days he didn't eat even if we put food out but then he would make up for it the next day. About a year ago we had him castrated and ever since he is getting greedier and greedier. I was told you should only feed a dog once a day but he constantly asks for food by scraping at his bowl and I worry I am starving him. Today he has had half a tin in the morning and half a tin in the evening. I think he would just eat all day if the food was there. How mych do you feed your dog? Do you think I need to feed him more or maybe supplement with dry food?

He is looking at me right now looking all sorry for himself.

BTW someone who hadn't seen him for a while saw him the other day and said "wow hugo got fat" - he isn't overweight but he was quite a skinny dog before we had him castrated.

LittleTinker

I think it depends on lots of things like how active he is and what kind of food it is.

If he is not very active he may want food because he is bored a little. If he is very active he may need a little more.

Dogs do tend to be greedy creatures and will eat you out of house and home if you let them.

When you say half a tin twice a day, is that also with biscuits?

Mutter_2

If he weighs around 14 Kg, then one and a half tins (tin size 412grs) per day plus two walks should be right.The amount to feed is on the tin.

Any great deviation see the Vet.

minnie123

No that is just half a normal sized tin of pedigree. I have been giving him 2 full size tins a day but someone told me last week I was overfeeding him as they are only meant to eat once a day so I started splitting one tin into two. I feel cruel he is still looking at me

"Feed me!!"

I am going to give him some more food

suki1964

First of you need to weigh him and see how much he does weight. Either pop in the vets or weight yourself, then hold him and weigh you both and deduct your weight.

Then you need to see how much he should weigh

Then you need to look at the feeding guide on the food you feed him and feed him the amount that corresponds to what he SHOULD weigh

Feed that over two meal.

If hes still hungry and begging - bulk it with cooked unsalted veggies - cabbage, carrots etc - not potatoes,rice or pasta.

A dog should have a defined waist , castrated or not. You should be able to feel his ribs under a layer of muscle, you dont want to see ribs sticking out.

And tinned food may not be satisfying his hunger as its 70% water. He may do better in a kibble

UKTigerlily

suki1964 wrote: »

First of you need to weigh him and see how much he does weight. Either pop in the vets or weight yourself, then hold him and weigh you both and deduct your weight.

Then you need to see how much he should weigh

Then you need to look at the feeding guide on the food you feed him and feed him the amount that corresponds to what he SHOULD weigh

Feed that over two meal.

If hes still hungry and begging - bulk it with cooked unsalted veggies - cabbage, carrots etc - not potatoes,rice or pasta.

A dog should have a defined waist , castrated or not. You should be able to feel his ribs under a layer of muscle, you dont want to see ribs sticking out.

And tinned food may not be satisfying his hunger as its 70% water. He may do better in a kibble

Some good advice above, totally agree. Mine is fed 2x a day like most Adults, she's 12.35kg & very lean but not underweight & she's on 175g a day of kibble. When they're Neutered they can gain weight so yes, you need to alter their diet accordingly. Is he getting plenty of exercise (At least 1hr a day?)

foreign_correspondent

If he has got overweight on 2 tins a day it is too much.

Try cutting down to about a tin and a half a day or perhaps one tin with a very small amount of mixer.

What sort of tinned food does he have?

Francesanne

minnie123 wrote: »

Hi I have a 4 year old French Bulldog / Pug Cross. He has never been a big eater some days he didn't eat even if we put food out but then he would make up for it the next day. About a year ago we had him castrated and ever since he is getting greedier and greedier. I was told you should only feed a dog once a day but he constantly asks for food by scraping at his bowl and I worry I am starving him. Today he has had half a tin in the morning and half a tin in the evening. I think he would just eat all day if the food was there. How mych do you feed your dog? Do you think I need to feed him more or maybe supplement with dry food?

He is looking at me right now looking all sorry for himself.

BTW someone who hadn't seen him for a while saw him the other day and said "wow hugo got fat" - he isn't overweight but he was quite a skinny dog before we had him castrated.

How about giving him a raw carrot to munch on. My little fatty loves them. My dog would eat non stop if given the chance and it's really hard at times but he's now 10 and getting very plump and we need to get some weight off him. Good luck.

minnie123

I shall try the carrot. What is kibble? dry food?

He gets walked but the past two weeks he has got a skin infection and is on medication so he hasn't been out maybe that is why he seems to be greedier this week.

minnie123

I feed him Pedigree but am open to better suggestions?

UKTigerlily

minnie123 wrote: »

I shall try the carrot. What is kibble? dry food?

He gets walked but the past two weeks he has got a skin infection and is on medication so he hasn't been out maybe that is why he seems to be greedier this week.

It could well be why, was he like this before his walks stopped? Is he not allowed walks right now? Yeah dry is kibble.