eating habits
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| Mady never runs over to the food bowl the second I put it down. She eats twice a day, but there are days when she doesn't eat everything in her bowl and even days when she skips a meal entirely. I find that on weekends she is often too excited about having us home all day and going out and doing fun stuff to bother eating. I am learning to make the first hour of the weekend day more low key, so that she takes the time to eat. I used to fret about it alot, but I have learned that, unless she goes an entire day eating nothing that I can just relax, she will eat when she wants to. |
| I think some of them just have to grow up a bit. Until Chewie was 3-ish, he was pretty blase about eating. Easily walked away from food, poor appetite when travelling. Now at almost 5, he eats all his food, all the time - even when not at home.  |
Wow maybe I keep Tiggy too lean.  The vet says she's good though  She drools on the floor while I get her meal and then runs to the bowl and scoffs it all down before going to check out Rastus's bowl just in case he missed a crumb, which he never does. I thought it was because we have to dogs but Dawn just made a lie of that theory. If my dog just skipped on meal here and there I would be worried if they're otherwise healthy and happy. Better than them eating too much and being ill or over weight. |
| Two of our group would be "self-regulators" if there was not the other scavengers that would eat everything in sight and smell. There is a point when feeding for a puppy, changes into feeding for a nearly grown dog. Quanity generally will go down, even if the dog is very active. Our experience is that the bigger the breed of the dog, the more efficiently they utilize the food and the less they actually need to eat. A bit of ribbiness is generally a good thing, although keeping an eye out for things that might indicate a medical issue. Coat condition, energy level, change in personality and color of gum tissue are easy ways to discover the onset of possible medical issues. Really does not seem like anything to worry about. Quanity to feed per the bag, is just a guideline. About the only caution with free feeding/grazing, is that oxidation/rancidity of the applied fats on kibble begins the moment air contacts the kibble. What is not eaten in one day should probably become wild kritter food the next. So start with a smallish amount and over the next days/couple of weeks up the kibble amount until you notice a consistent amount that is uneaten, then back off a bit. And keep adjusting as needed, down or up. Best way to feed is look for a nice tummy tuck, a slight narrowing behing the rib cage and a rib or two just slightly visible. Do realize that with the hairy beasts, it is a tad harder to see these things so you gotta go more on feel that sight. Will be really happy to have Moe come for a visit, if you want a second opinion  |
Bailee lives to eat! He is like a 78 lb. Furry Alarm Clock! In the morning, he comes into the bedroom almost precisely at 7 AM and puts his nose in your face to let you know it's FEEDING TIME! He loves to eat. We tried to wean him down to 2 times a day but at noon he was getting rather testy and would either come and sit in front of you or go sit by his bowl. In order to keep him from having a nervous breakdown we give him about a third of a cup of food at noon just so he thinks he had a meal.  By 5 in the afternoon he wants his dinner and again he is like a Timex! We never had a dog like this, ever! He sits and waits to be told "eat" while we fill his bowl and then its all gone in a couple of minutes. We even got one of the bowls with "obstacles" molded into it which are supposed to slow him down, but he mastered that bowl in about a week! |
| I agree with Jimandthom. Some dogs are just not big eaters. If your vet is happy with Moe's weight, and there are no underlying signs of a medical disorder, Moe is probably just not a "foodie". One thought though. You might want to try a new food, and see if there is something out there that Moe's likes better. My SIL has a Goldendoodle who NEVER ate, and was very active. He got way too thin. When they were over at our house, I gave Jordan some of Oscar's food, and he ate it up. I gave my SIL a bag of Oscar's food, and Jordan began to eat more normally. When he started to back off again a few months later, I gave my SIL the canned version to try, as I mix the canned and kibble for Oscar. Jordan loves the combo, has eaten it for years now, and is a perfect, healthy weight. Moe just might not like his current food. Now Oscar is just like Bailee! He gets fed four times a day, so he can take all of his meds. Guess who is staring at me about a half hour before each meal???? You would think we starve this poor dog! He would sooner die than skip a meal, so I know he is really sick when he won't eat. (It usually means he is having an IBD flare-up or pancreatitis.) Quincy was just as bad. I have never had a dog that was casual about food. Pigs, all! Laurie and Oscar |
| Jimandthom... Thanks for the note about leaving food around for grazing. I never knew that about the breakdown of the fats. I guess the better the dog food the more problem this may be. I will have to keep an eye on that from now on. Lucky for me my dogs finish everything by the end of the day. |
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