2nd growth spurt?
I've been feeding him 4-5 cups of dry food enhanced by 1/3-2/3 of a can of wet food a day, and now am wondering if that's too much. I guess he's also been getting a tad less exercise during winter. |
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| That sounds like a little too much food. His metabolism might just be adjusting and now what wasn't too much, is too much! If you're giving him canned food, maybe try scaling the dry back by about a cup and then kinda watch him and see how things adjust. My adult OES eats about 4 cups of food each day (well, probably a tad less since the puppy steals mouthfuls), plus a few treats and he's probably still carrying a little to much padding. He hasn't been on the scale for awhile but I would venture to say that he's no longer 96 pounds. The winter does come into play, though. I excuse a few extra pounds because he'll shed it in the spring/summer. |
did he get any larger - or just heavier? Its hard to tell if its too much food since the foods vary so much in quality etc. when we fed kibble Morgan got three cups a day and he is terminally "fluffy". 
However, they do usually grow again anywhere from 13 to about 16 months. they sort of start getting their adult shape and fill out. I don't go too much by their weight but by the condition. you know the drill, see if you can easily feel his ribs without a covering of fat. t hey shouldn't be sharp, but you should be able to feel them. |
| Obe is the runt but only gets 2 1/4 cups a day, plus 2 teaspoon of yogurt (nonfat) and a couple of treats. The vet said his weight was perfect. Ribs were not overexposed could see his waist etc. What ever I 'm doing keep at it. |
| I give Snowy 1 1/2 cups twice a day and she looks fine. She is a very active dog. Also a few treats durning the day. She comes in about 68lbs.
at 18 months. |
hehe maybe you are all using differing sized cups?  |
Quote: I give Snowy 1 1/2 cups twice a day and she looks fine. She is a very active dog. Also a few treats durning the day. She comes in about 68lbs. at 18 months. Quote: hehe maybe you are all using differing sized cups?
Funny about the cup size! I laugh because my "brownie making" cup is indeed an odd size, a camp cup larger than 8 ounces, but I don't know how much larger. I just know it's perfect for brownies. As to food amounts.........3 off my dogs, ranging from 110 to 75 all eat the same amount......about 2 1/2 cups per day. MO gets 1 1/2 cups! We won't go into how many cookies they con me out of, other than to say the sizes are far smaller these days. So metabolism and activity determine how much they can eat. Yes, there is a late chest bloom in dogs. I especially notice it in Pyrs where they develope a broader chest around 14-18 months. This might be what happened. Or it being winter, it might be the winter love handles common to man and beast. Remember these guys, like their uprights, are healthier with a little less than with a little more. 5+ cups of dog food per day....I'm not sure any of my dog EVER ate that much and we are talking Pyrs, Newfs, StBs, Irish Wolf and of course OES. |
| should have been 2 1/2 not 2 1/4. I use a standard measuring cup, fill it up and dump into bowl. |
| Every dog is different, oes vary greatly in size so a set amount just doesn't work.
If he has grown taller as well, or seems more muscular, then he may be just right... |
| Thanks for the replies, everybody.
He's back to 100 lbs now; and I'm scaling back his food just a tad; he gets 2 cups dry+ 1/2 can wet twice a day. Most of the time he finishes it, but not always. Whenever he doesn't finish I throw the rest out because the leftovers attract flies. I also felt his ribcage, I think he's ok. Just don't want him getting any bigger/heavier. |
| I hope they get a growth spurt! Tonks and Luna have been 60 - 63 pounds FOREVER, and I wish we'd get to 70! I feed them 1 1/2 cups of kibble and 1/2 can of wet food twice a day, plus treats. Some days they finish all their food and ask for more; some days they leave some in their bowls. They are not at all fat; you can fell their ribs without difficulty. |
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