# Poor Panda...



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Daddy has been feeding her extras. Panda has gotten plump. Mommy has TRIED to get him under control. Now she has laid the law down on both of them...


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Oh boy! I feel her pain! Extra snacking during Covid and so hard to lose the extra weight. I like the prepackaged meals - her own version of Nutrisystem!!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Molly120213 said:


> Oh boy! I feel her pain! Extra snacking during Covid and so hard to lose the extra weight. I like the prepackaged meals - her own version of Nutrisystem!!!!


That's right! Weighed out to the morsel! No more Daddy-cheating!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> That's right! Weighed out to the morsel! No more Daddy-cheating!


We have a "daddy" problem here too. He doesn't seem to understand that TINY dogs need TINY treats or else they will not be TINY dogs anymore. I think he is trying to earn more dog "credits" than mama and make me look bad.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> We have a "daddy" problem here too. He doesn't seem to understand that TINY dogs need TINY treats or else they will not be TINY dogs anymore. I think he is trying to earn more dog "credits" than mama and make me look bad.


LOL! This isn't treats, though... That's her meal allotment! EXACTLY 28 grams. She's actually been on her diet for a month now. I just got tired of having to remember to measure it out before every meal or worry that he was sipping her extras. Now, with it all pre-portioned, he has no options. I even put all her supplements in the night-time ones.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

krandall said:


> LOL! This isn't treats, though... That's her meal allotment! EXACTLY 28 grams. She's actually been on her diet for a month now. I just got tired of having to remember to measure it out before every meal or worry that he was sipping her extras. Now, with it all pre-portioned, he has no options. I even put all her supplements in the night-time ones.


I always have my scale and proportion out their food in the evening for that evening and the following morning. I am petrified to not use my scale because there is no way I can eyeball it correctly!!!! My husband has no clue how to feed them! So he does not mess with their actual meals but he can be a bit generous with treats, especially when he is barbecuing and the little beggars are standing by with their mouths open like baby birds!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> I always have my scale and proportion out their food in the evening for that evening and the following morning. I am petrified to not use my scale because there is no way I can eyeball it correctly!!!! My husband has no clue how to feed them! So he does not mess with their actual meals but he can be a bit generous with treats, especially when he is barbecuing and the little beggars are standing by with their mouths open like baby birds!


LOL! Fortunately, Kodi is the biggest beggar, and he and Daddy share fruit, so there is little or no weight gain there. Plus Kodi is on the thin side these days, no matter what I stuff into him. Pixel, too, seems to always maintain a good muscular weight.

Panda runs to "fluffy". And we're not talking hair, here. I need to watch her weight carefully! LOL!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I should measure it out that way, with a scale. I use measuring cups because I mix foods but I have noticed variation. How much of a difference do you find it makes? I use a specific measuring cup but when it’s filled to the same place it seems like more or less once it’s in the bowl. Normally that margin might not mean much but Sundance seems to be right on the edge, just not quite as lean as he used to be. Just like the rest of my family


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I should measure it out that way, with a scale. I use measuring cups because I mix foods but I have noticed variation. How much of a difference do you find it makes? I use a specific measuring cup but when it's filled to the same place it seems like more or less once it's in the bowl. Normally that margin might not mean much but Sundance seems to be right on the edge, just not quite as lean as he used to be. Just like the rest of my family


I am not sure about dog food, however I used to make homemade bread and they always recommended weighing the ingredients vs. measuring.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

mudpuppymama said:


> I am not sure about dog food, however I used to make homemade bread and they always recommended weighing the ingredients vs. measuring.


We have a scale for the same reason, DH makes bread and other baked goods and it's better to weigh for that. I have to admit, I've never even touched it. When I do cook or bake I go basic. But I'd learn for Sundance!


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## Vartina Ancrum (Oct 10, 2019)

It's hard to maintain weight during Covid-19. I've gained a lot of weight. I must get it off because I can't wear sweat pants if they call us back to the office. I need that scale for portion control. :laugh2:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I should measure it out that way, with a scale. I use measuring cups because I mix foods but I have noticed variation. How much of a difference do you find it makes? I use a specific measuring cup but when it's filled to the same place it seems like more or less once it's in the bowl. Normally that margin might not mean much but Sundance seems to be right on the edge, just not quite as lean as he used to be. Just like the rest of my family


I think if you have JUST the right size measure, a solid measure is fine. When they were all on the same food and before we decided to breed Panda (see my OTHER post on that!  ) 1/4 cup of our kibble and 1/4 can of their canned food in the evening was just about perfect. Then we had to switch Panda, because the repro vet wanted her off the grain-free. (legumes also contain estrogen and mess with cycles... has NOTHING to do with the DCM issue... who knew?) That meant a DIFFERENT food, and counting calories. Add the monkey wrench that without me knowing and without CONSULTING me, Dave decided that Panda needed to "eat more if she was going to have babies" (NOT!!!) ...We ran into problems. 

I did quite a bit of measuring, and a FLAT 1/4c was pretty consistent in weight each time. It's only if you need to do less than that. Right now, UNTIL Panda actually IS pregnant, she is still on her "diet". AAt that point she will be back on her regular maintenance amount of food. The vet suspects, as do I, that the puppies are likely to pull the rest of the excess weight off of her.

The other thing that I found really annoying is these foods ONLY give you calorie counts based on "cup" measures... not on weight measures. Which makes it REALLY hard to fine-tune small dog caloric intake.


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## Vartina Ancrum (Oct 10, 2019)

Izzie's weight is fine but I noticed that Khloe is becoming a little porker. I think it's because she is getting extra treats thanks to having a baby sister now.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

What I've always found challenging is balancing meals vs training treats. Of course, I can't say I'm doing much training lately ...

I feel really bad for small plump dogs. Their owners should be taking better care of them.

Good for you for nipping this weight gain in the bud!

:flypig:


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

I feed Ricky exclusively. I use a measuring cup for years and his weight has been steady other than this last summer/fall when he gained a pound through lack of regular exercise when I was laid up. I reduced his serving for a couple of months and he is back on track now. I think it is more difficult to get an exact measurement with a measuring cup when feeding kibble. I feed Ricky Honest Kitchen which is as wet as I want to make it and therefore easy to get an exact measurement with a measuring cup. I mix up about 3 days worth of HK at a time (6/7 servings) and refrigerate it in a sealed glass container.

Some of you have said you give supplements with the evening meal. Why is that? I give his supplements (three of them) with his morning meal. Am I doing something wrong?

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> What I've always found challenging is balancing meals vs training treats. Of course, I can't say I'm doing much training lately ...
> 
> I feel really bad for small plump dogs. Their owners should be taking better care of them.
> 
> ...


Well, her meals take into account the amount of training we do, since our training is very regular. I think the mistake people make is thinking of training treats as "add on's" to the diet. I use high-quality food as training treats, so include that into calories used. I adjust their calories through meals, never through training treats. Those are a given in our lives!  When my dogs are training, they are also moving. A lot. So they are also burning calories. If we do something in training that is REALLY treat-intensive because of a HUGE number of reps. I think nothing of cutting their dinner in half that night.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Some of you have said you give supplements with the evening meal. Why is that? I give his supplements (three of them) with his morning meal. Am I doing something wrong?


Nope. Pure convenience.

Our eyes are barely open in the morning. And 3 dogs.  They get "cold cereal" (kibble) for breakfast, and supplements don't stick. Right now, Panda is ONLY getting kibble because... it's complicated!

Kodi makes things complicated! After trying to find her a good quality, fully "vetted" completely acceptable for expecting mommies, non-grain-free food (how is THAT for backward?!?) that ALSO has no fish or fish oil in it (so it doesn't set off Kodi's allergies if h licks her face or manages to get a stray piece) I called Pam King and asked what she was feeding these days. She said she was feeding Fromms. It DOES have fish oil in it, but it is W-A-Y down on the list. I decided I'd take a chance on it, and just work REALLY hard to keep even her dishes away from Kodi. The trouble is, that Unlike Instinct, Fromms does not make any canned food. And ALL of Instinct's canned food is grain-free. So I gave u and decided that MANY dogs live their entire lives on kibble. It's not going to hurt Panda to live on kibble alone for a few months. And the Kings certainly raise LOTS of beautiful dogs on Fromm's.

...And Panda does not CARE if her powdery supplements stick to the food. She does not leave a MOLECULE clinging to her dish. One of the pre-natal supplements she is getting right now is DHA. Again, because of Kodi, instead of the regular fish oil capsules, that MOST people use, _I_ have to buy the three times more expensive vegan ones. I was told to puncture a hole in the capsule and squeeze the oil onto her food. Panda? Throw the capsule into her kibble! She gobbles it down whole! I double she tastes it! LOL!

But, no, I am SURE it doesn't make any difference what time of day you give them their supplements! I suspect (gasp!) that there are SOME dogs that go their entire lives without EVER having ANY supplements!


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## JaJa (Jun 28, 2020)

I was teasing Ed about that the other day. I think I'll read these posts at dinner so he knows I'm not alone😋 Whether it's the classroom or hairy kids at home they actually thrive on lots of fun-WITH structure!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

JaJa said:


> I was teasing Ed about that the other day. I think I'll read these posts at dinner so he knows I'm not alone&#128523; Whether it's the classroom or hairy kids at home they actually thrive on lots of fun-WITH structure!


That's for sure!!!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Men are so hard to train!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Men are so hard to train!


Are they actually trainable?


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I had that problem with Jack. He was supposed to get a LEVEL 1/4 cup of kibble. The menfolk were giving him heaping 1/4 cups. He gained TWO pounds! It took a while to get him back to normal. 

I am looking at Fezzik and am wondering, 'is he too skinny?' He was baby-fat plumpish but last weekend he went SPROING and I swear his legs got an inch longer. Now he looks lanky.

Good luck with the Man Training.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mudpuppymama said:


> Are they actually trainable?


I don't know. I've been working on mine for 40 years now! LOL!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

morriscsps said:


> I had that problem with Jack. He was supposed to get a LEVEL 1/4 cup of kibble. The menfolk were giving him heaping 1/4 cups. He gained TWO pounds! It took a while to get him back to normal.
> 
> I am looking at Fezzik and am wondering, 'is he too skinny?' He was baby-fat plumpish but last weekend he went SPROING and I swear his legs got an inch longer. Now he looks lanky.
> 
> Good luck with the Man Training.


Puppies do that! I don't think you can make puppies fat!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Men are so hard to train!


Try increasing the treats!

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Try increasing the treats!
> 
> Ricky's Popi


ound:


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Since I used a pretty consistent amount of treats every day, I used to have a system that worked really well for me. I adjusted his dinner down a bit to account for a certain amount of treats. Then at the beginning of the week I’d get out a few bags of treats and cut up a few different kinds. At first I calculated it out, but after a while I started cutting up 14 low calorie treats and up to 7 higher calorie, depending on the treats, into tiny little pizza slices. Almost all of them are huge so I cut everything! This worked for me for a really long time. Often I would run out a day past a week, but usually it was pretty close to 7 days.

The other thing I did was adjust dinner if I happened to give a lot of extra treats (usually during the blowing coat era). 

Neither of these work as well anymore. Everyone is around giving treats all of the time, and not just out of the jar. I will fill the little jar and they’ll be gone in 5 days, one of my kids will tell me, but I’ll forget for 4 more days to fill it again. Then the next week I’ll go to fill it and realize he’s gone days without treats or practice. 

I have thought about coming up with a new system, but I think the best way to solve the problem is to set a goal to work on training every day. Most days I do, but it’s more grab something out of the fridge or break a huge treat with my fingers. Structure would really help both of us!


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