feeding my dog?

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

How much should i be feeding my dog?

He is 5yo Jack russell cross. We've been giving him half a tin of wet food, some dry complete mix food and a treat every day (He gets chicken on a sunday too!)

EDIT: He was on dried food before but it seemed to go through him so we've changed it now. Hence the Q as not sure with wet food

krlyr

Feeding recommendations will vary hugely between brands so you would need to consult the packaging

arbroath_lass

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel wrote: »

How much should i be feeding my dog?

He is 5yo Jack russell cross. We've been giving him half a tin of wet food, some dry complete mix food and a treat every day (He gets chicken on a sunday too!)

EDIT: He was on dried food before but it seemed to go through him so we've changed it now. Hence the Q as not sure with wet food

On top of what Krlyr said all dogs are different. How is he doing on what you are feeding? Is he fat? Too thin?

Person_one

Go off what the packaging suggests, and keep an eye on his weight.

A jack russell should be pretty lean, you should be able to feel his ribs easily, but they shouldn't be visibly sticking out. If you look at him from above you should see a clear 'waist'.

Most vets have scales in the waiting room, and a lot of Pets at Home branches have them too, or you can weigh him at home by first weighing yourself, then picking him up and weight both of you and subtracting the difference.

krlyr

http://www.thepetdoctorinc.com/images/dog%20body%20condition%20chart.jpg gives a good idea of a healthy weight. Many dogs are on the pudgy side, being able to see the ribs slightly isn't a bad thing.

meritaten

it also depends on how active he is - if he is rushing round all day, a whole tin may be indicated, but if he is more 'sedate' then half a tin plus dry should be fine.

Raksha

Are you feeding a complete wet food with the complete dry? Or a supplementary one? If it's only supplementary, then he isn't getting a balanced diet

Person_one

krlyr wrote: »

http://www.thepetdoctorinc.com/images/dog%20body%20condition%20chart.jpg gives a good idea of a healthy weight. Many dogs are on the pudgy side, being able to see the ribs slightly isn't a bad thing.

It depends on the dog, on a Whippet or an Italian Greyhound, not a problem if ribs are slightly visible as long as they aren't protruding. I'd say on a Jack Russell, with their terrier build and slightly coarse coat, visible ribs at rest would mean they were getting too thin.

(I have one dog who is prone to being too thin and one prone to being too fat, its a bit of a pain keeping them both 'in the zone' at time!)

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Sorry for the delay in replyng. Only just logged in!

He was on dry dog food but he was "going" quite a lot when just on dry food so we changed him to Half a can of wet food instead. I didnt think it was enough for him, You can see his ribs (But not like an abandond dog!) and because he is constantly on the go so we've introduced half can wet and half dry.

OH has been giving him scraps (Without my knowledge!) and over the weekend he was sick. Have told OH not to give him scraps any more.

Currently, he is having half wet / half dry. Not sure whether to carry on with this or just change him to have a full can.

He doesnt look super skinny.... but then, im comparing him to my parents jack russel (who is a podge dog)

This is my boy



Will try and get a photo of him standing up so you can see what i mean

EDIT: His long fur hides how thin he is - if i stroke him you can feel his ribs

lee111s

I feed my Lenny a mixture of James Welbeloved fish and rice and some canned tripe from tesco, he loves it and it's helped him pack the weight on as being a springer he's always on the go and isn't too keen on dry food alone.

Raksha

When you say you can feel his ribs, is it noticable to the eye - can you see shadows? When I feel my 13 year old Springers rib, I can just see a shadow and she feels as if she's wearing a jumper and I can see her waist. I feed to maintain that, if I feel she's putting on the pounds I cut back for a few weeks.