too much food?

[racerx520]

i have a husky, he weighs from mid 50s to low 60's (i forgot his exact weight) anywho, he seems like hes gaining weight, i was wondering if we feed him too much.

we feed him 2 cups of food in the morning (and by cup i mean the actual measuring cup thatyou would use for cooking, not some 24 oz 7-11 cup lol)
and 3 cups at night, he eats only dry dog food, he doenst seem to like the wet dog food too much for some reason.

is this too much food for him?

 

[CaliTerp07]

It's going to depend on the type of food, the amount of exercise your dog gets, and his age. There is no exact science.

 

[ihartgonzo]

5 cups is a LOT of food, for a 50-60 lb dog. My dogs, in that weight range, eat less than 2 cups per day when they eat kibble.

However, the quality of the dry food you're feeding has a lot to do with his weight. Grocery store brands, like Iams & Pedigree, are high in fillers and low in quality... so they have very low calories and meat content and it takes a lot more to fill a dog up. Many dogs gain excess weight from low quality foods, being that they are full of simple grains, and dogs thrive on high meat diets. I would recommend feeding LESS of a grain-free or low-grain food, like Taste of the Wild, Innova, Innova Evo, Nature's Variety, etc. These brands are more expensive, being that packing a dry food with meat is more expensive than with low quality grains, but they make up for the price difference in calorie content. A dog of his weight should eat around 2-3 cups of a premium food daily.

 

[Tankstar]

How old is he?

what is he being fed?

how much excersise?

My 62ish lbs dog eats about 1.5 to 2 cups a day(real measuring cups) (as in the whold day. period.) depending one how much excersise he got.

 

[vanillasugar]

It seems like a lot of food, unless you're feeding something low quality with a ton of fillers (which would also contribute to weight gain. high carbs are bad).

Sierra is a 43lb Mutt of unknown origin, and when I feed her kibble she gets about 1 1/2 cups a day. Total.

 

[racerx520]

im not exactly sure of his age cuz he is from a shelter, they estimated he was 1-3 yrs old when we got him in october...he weighs around mid 50's i think last tiem he went to the vet and unfortunately he doenst get that much exercise, i try to go running or play with him wheni can, but he pulls me when we run (which i get shin splints from) and his playing outside will leave me winded in seconds lol.

he gets fed once in the morning and then again at night and he usually just eats periodically...but you guys think this is a bit much? when we first got him he seemed very lean, but now hes gaining weight which brings for my concern.

at first he was being fed beneful and now mymom switched him to iams i think. i just dont want him to become overweight because thats not very healthy for any animal, human or dog.

 

[grab01]

my 70 lb dog eats 3 cups per day, though he eats Taste of the Wild. I feed less if he has a lot of treats during the day.

 

[BostonBanker]

If you can, I would try looking into some of the higher-quality foods for him. You are clearly trying to do right by him and keep him healthy, and a better food is a great piece of it. Gonzo listed some good brands, and there are lots of posts here that talk about other good options.

I think it's a pretty simple equation - if the dog is gaining too much weight, he's getting too much food for the amount of exercise he's getting (assuming there is no other underlying health issue). Five cups a day is a lot, especially for an inactive dog. My dog is 37 lbs or so, very active, and gets a whopping 2/3 cup per day when she's on kibble.

 

[bambee]

That seems quite a lot of food. Different dogs have different types of caloric needs. Here is something that could guide you in feeding your dog. Basic Feeding Guide for Dogs, How much should I feed my dog?

 

[Tankstar]

well commen sence then would say feed less, and up excersise since the dog doesnt get any. if he is pulling you, start some training, which will also make the dog happy.

 

[Gempress]

It depends a lot on the dog. My current two dogs have insane metabolisms. I used to feed them Natural Balance Venison & Brown Rice, which is a pretty good food. Zeus weighed only 55 lbs, and Voodoo weighed 60 lbs, yet they ate 6 cups of that stuff a day---apiece. A total of 12 cups daily. Dead serious. I have no clue where they were putting it; both are slim and not overly active.

On the other hand, my old golden retriever Tigger had a metabolism slower than cold molassas. She was only fed 1 cup of food a day, yet weighed 90 lbs and was admittedly rather fat.

If your dog is gaining weight, cut back on the food. If he's losing weight, feed some more. That's pretty much the only way to do it.

 

[ihartgonzo]

I have actually noticed that Huskies tend to be, well... "husky". hehe.

It makes sense, because they are dogs who are bred to keep weight on through miles and miles of pulling sleds every day in freezing temperatures. They tend to be easy keepers. Border Collies also tend to be easy keepers, and able to keep weight on with minimal food and lots of hard running on a daily basis. My BC got a little bit... fluffy... after adolescence. I fed him all sorts of diet foods in miniscule quantities and upped his exercise and he was not losing weight. Only after I got him on a premium kibble with no grains and high meat content/protein content did he get down to an ideal weight and he gained lots of muscle, too. As far as exercise, in my experience, several short (15-30 minute) play sessions a day are better than one long session. Teach him to heel or maintain a loose leash when you walk him (there are lots of posts about this in the training forum). Play games with him in a safe area where he can run off-leash. Practice long recalls. Have tug sessions. Set up playdates with other dogs. There are tons of fun ways to keep your pup active and healthy.

I would HIGHLY recommend visiting your local feed store/specialty pet store and looking for no-grain or low-grain dry foods (I listed some in my previous post). It will cost slightly more than Iams, but understand that you will be feeding him half as much, and he will be much healthier for it. I also recommend feeding him two measured meals per day instead of free-feeding. Put down his food, give him 10-20 minutes to eat, and pick it up even if there's food left. Better yet, make him sit and wait until you give him a release command before eating. He will learn to eat when it's meal time and it will earn you some respect as his resource provider.

 

[BostonBanker]

Border Collies also tend to be easy keepers, and able to keep weight on with minimal food and lots of hard running on a daily basis.

Seriously? Maybe it's just the bloodlines in our area, but almost every one I know is practically skeletal under that coat. A friend of mine who has four commented that if more BCs were smooth coated, there'd probably be a lot of people getting visits from animal control as possible neglect cases. None of the ones I know seem to be suffering any from being on the thin side; they just seem to have metabolisms I would kill to have!