# Too much or not enough food?



## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

Chi Chi weighed in at the vet on 8/17 at 8.5 lbs. Today she weighs (same scale) 9.25 lbs. Seems like a lot to me. She gets 3.5 Stella and Chewy Surf and Turf Dinner Patties each day as well as training treats. But she hunts for food a lot lately. I can still feel her ribs so I don't think she is overweight. Is it possible she is having a growth spurt and needs more food? Or is she getting too much food and gaining weight too quickly. I cannot recall her weigh in before 8/17.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

How old is she?
I am not sure on this myself. Sophie I know is underweight I'd like to get about a pound on her but I feed her 3-5 times a day plus treats and she doesn't gain an ounce. But when she was growing I did notice she'd be a lot hungrier some times than others.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Do you know her height? Nino's littermate is right around 9.5 lbs, but he is shorter than Nino and could stand to lose some weight. If you can still feel her ribs, though, she should be fine. I did a quick peek at the Stella and Chewy's site, and it did say she should be getting 3.5 patties a day, but as a 9 pound adult. Keep in mind she is also a puppy, and while she is probably slowing down in growth and toward the end of it, she should be getting just a little extra food than the packaging recommends because the growth is taking a lot of energy. Think of a high school boy, growing like a weed and eating everything in sight but still being hungry.


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

KarMar said:


> Do you know her height? Nino's littermate is right around 9.5 lbs, but he is shorter than Nino and could stand to lose some weight. If you can still feel her ribs, though, she should be fine. I did a quick peek at the Stella and Chewy's site, and it did say she should be getting 4 patties a day (and that was just for 9 lbs). Keep in mind she is also a puppy, and while she is probably slowing down in growth and toward the end of it, she should be getting just a little extra food than the packaging recommends because the growth is taking a lot of energy. Think of a high school boy, growing like a weed and eating everything in sight but still being hungry.


Good info, thanks. Definitely know all about high school boy eating habits! She has been getting 3.5 patties since April, so I suppose it makes sense her to up her to 4 now. She's going to be one happy girl tonight!


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

Dee Dee said:


> How old is she?
> I am not sure on this myself. Sophie I know is underweight I'd like to get about a pound on her but I feed her 3-5 times a day plus treats and she doesn't gain an ounce. But when she was growing I did notice she'd be a lot hungrier some times than others.


She's almost 10 months.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Dee Dee said:


> How old is she?
> I am not sure on this myself. Sophie I know is underweight I'd like to get about a pound on her but I feed her 3-5 times a day plus treats and she doesn't gain an ounce. But when she was growing I did notice she'd be a lot hungrier some times than others.


I know all about the weight gain struggle. Nino is 9.25" at the shoulder, but weighs just over 7 lbs (he lost a bit of weight while he was sick, but has gained a decent amount back). There are some food brands that sell high-cal formulas for sporting/working dogs...how about high energy pups with the work drive of a gun dog? We have seen options like NutriCal and satin balls, but I'd rather stick to a normal diet :laugh:


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

I, too, am struggling with how much to feed Lola. She weighed between 13.2 and 13.8 from seven to twelve months. Then she was spayed. She blew up to 17 pounds in the last four months, and she clearly has a bit of fat around her, though i can feel her ribs if i try hard . She has always been stocky and has a very wide rib cage. She's doing a lot of training, and although i use the smallest possible bits for treats, I can't seem to find a balance.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

> I know all about the weight gain struggle. Nino is 9.25" at the shoulder, but weighs just over 7 lbs (he lost a bit of weight while he was sick, but has gained a decent amount back). There are some food brands that sell high-cal formulas for sporting/working dogs...how about high energy pups with the work drive of a gun dog? We have seen options like NutriCal and satin balls, but I'd rather stick to a normal diet


LOL yeah these guys need some high performance meals!!

I have the added problem of having to feed her that darn bland ZD food (which I hope eventually to get her off of and go back to home cooking) so she is literally eating 3 cups of food a day and still not gaining weight. She's keep around 9.4 - 9.7 lbs.

Wow I am surprised Lola weighs 17 lbs. She looks like a tiny girl in her photo. (she still melts me in your profile pic!)


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that you need to feed Chi Chi more food. If you can EASILY feel her ribs then she's probably fine. It's better to have a slim dog than a pudgy one. What does your vet think?

Note that feeding calculators on dog food packages often recommend too much food because the companies are in the business of selling dog food so don't feel you're doing something wrong if you feed less. Every dog is different so it's up to owners to monitor closely and adjust as necessary.

The best thing you can do for a dog's long-term health is to not overfeed them. If there are multiple people in a household it can be more difficult to keep track of all the treats that a dog is fed but it's not impossible. Tough love with the humans!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

boomana said:


> I, too, am struggling with how much to feed Lola. She weighed between 13.2 and 13.8 from seven to twelve months. Then she was spayed. She blew up to 17 pounds in the last four months, and she clearly has a bit of fat around her, though i can feel her ribs if i try hard . She has always been stocky and has a very wide rib cage. She's doing a lot of training, and although i use the smallest possible bits for treats, I can't seem to find a balance.


Have you cut down what you're feeding Lola at each meal? If she's gained that much weight I don't think it's just the training treats that need to be curtailed.

Good luck!


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

MarinaGirl said:


> I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that you need to feed Chi Chi more food. If you can EASILY feel her ribs then she's probably fine. It's better to have a slim dog than a pudgy one. What does your vet think?
> 
> Note that feeding calculators on dog food packages often recommend too much food because the companies are in the business of selling dog food so don't feel you're doing something wrong if you feed less. Every dog is different do it's up to iwners to monitor closely and adjust as necessary.


Yeah, according to the feeding chart on the bag I should give her as many as 6 patties per day. I'm not increasing her intake based on weight alone. It's mostly her behavior. While she would never turn down food, she is FRANTICALLY seeking it now. Running to where it is kept and looking at me with those eyes and whimpering. And as soon as I go near the bag she runs and jumps in her crate. At mealtime and wolfs it down and turns around and looks at me like "THAT'S IT??!". I started giving all her meals in a Kong because I was afraid she'd CHOKE! She has also started cruising the wastebaskets (see the chicken bone post). Something she had no interest in 3 weeks ago.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KarMar said:


> I know all about the weight gain struggle. Nino is 9.25" at the shoulder, but weighs just over 7 lbs (he lost a bit of weight while he was sick, but has gained a decent amount back). There are some food brands that sell high-cal formulas for sporting/working dogs...how about high energy pups with the work drive of a gun dog? We have seen options like NutriCal and satin balls, but I'd rather stick to a normal diet :laugh:


I know Nino and Sophie both were sick, and that has set them back a bit. But unless a puppy is severely under weight, I would let them catch up naturally. It is much more common for small breed dogs to be overweight as adults than under weight, and it's very easy for them to pack on the pounds quickly.

BTW, I don't know if you saw my post on the heights of my two girls. It absolutely AMAZES me how little weight tells you about height and vice versa. Panda is just under 9 1/2" so very close to Nino's height and she's closing in on 12 lbs... and you can easily feel her ribs. Pixel, OTOH, is over 10", and weighs 9 1/2 lbs dripping wet, but also in good body condition.


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## katscleancutdogs (May 18, 2016)

Kati as a full grown 4 year old and a bit overweight ask like that all the time. She actually is capable of climbing onto the kitchen countertop so we have to make sure there is nothing that will help her in that endeavor. 
Lollipop on the other hand, same age, I have to feed over the recommended amount because her weight is so low. If she misses a meal she is almost starvation weight. Her mom had the same super over active metabolism.

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