Weight/calories question

I am having a really difficult time keeping Finn's weight down, so I thought I'd come to here for advice. He's not obese by any means, but people on here made me realize he is a bit chubby (I can't feel ribs without putting a fair bit of pressure) and I think he needs to lose about 5 pounds. The trouble is, he barely eats anything. He weights 55 lbs (should probably weight 50) and is eating 1/4 cup of Taste of the Wild (which is a fairly low calorie food) a day. He gets training treats as well, but those are only about 1 calorie each, and he only gets those during training sessions.

We go on walks every day, play ball almost every day, and go to the dog park whenever we can. I am really at a loss. I don't see how he's getting proper nutrition on 1/4 cup a day, so I can't imagine cutting that down any more. Here are pictures I took five minutes ago. What does everyone here think?

Wow that is very little.

Have you had bloodwork done on him? Particularly looking at his thyroid. I had bloodwork done on dekka before I bred her as I thought she ate a very small amount of food.

Is there anyway he is self serving food elsewhere?

Yeah that is around what Mia and Summer eat (summer eats a bit more!) an they're both 7-8 lbs.

I'd definitely bring it up to the vet.

That might be what I'll have to do. He gets a bully stick occasionally, but that's it. If I feed him any more kibble he gains like crazy.

Yeah, talk to the vet because that is a crazy small amount for a dog his size. Metabolisms vary but that is still next to nothing for a dog his size.

Do you live with other people or visit places where other people are?

I ask this as there was a programme on recently about obesity in dogs, and the owners were at a complete loss as to why their dogs were over weight. They actually installed hidden cameras and the wiley dogs were secret eating by begging at those people who were sneaking them food (in a loving it does no harm kind of way). They were sneaking food in in all manner of places without the owners being aware, through begging and kindly friends and relatives treating the dogs with out the owners consent or awareness.

Just a thought.

For example. Bodhi has never been overweight but I really have to limit her food now.... Mostly because I think my OH parents sneak her biscuits....!!!! Despite me telling the, not to 1000 times over. I also think others who visit sneak them biscuits too. It's pretty hard going.

I live in a small apartment, so I can see him pretty much wherever he goes. When I am gone, he stays in my room. I live with my bf and two roommates. Boyfriend knows not to feed him, and my roomates and I aren't friends or even know each other particularly well, so I'm pretty sure they're not going into my room and feeding him.

Brisbane is 40lbs and also eats 1/4 cup of kibble a day. It's weird. I like to say he's photosynthesizing extra calories.

I've known another dog that eats maybe 1/4c kibble a day that looks actually almost exactly like Finn. He just eats a few kibbles every so often when he walks by his dish, it's self management I guess. (He's on Acana) Anyways, his owners and I have always speculated he could be a pariah type dog that needs far fewer calories than the average. He's from a shelter so we'll never really know.

I have heard of other self managing dogs who eat very little and maintain. In Ron (the dog's) case, he does spend some time in their fenced yard each day so perhaps he eats something out there but I'm not sure what might be happening with your Finn.

Interesting! Does anyone else on chaz have a pariah dog or stray from another country? Brisbane's DNA test said his father was a quarter amstaff, bullmastiff, and cav, with one quarter too mixed to identify, but with a high probability of being xolo. We've been speculating that one of his great-grandparents was a Mexican street dog.

Both sizzle and skittle have Mexican street dogs.