Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:50 pm Post subject: How much food
Our 8 month old lab weighs approx 28kg. We feed him science plan 500g split over 2 meals (300g am and 200g evening) plus treats etc., and whatever he picks up on walks (favorite being rabbit poo). He goes out at least twice a day for a total of about 2 miles.
He often poos 5 to 6 times a day and very occasionally vomits in the evening.
Can anyone tell me if this is excessive, and thoughts on his feeding, thanks
Can you see or feel his ribs? Best way to judge food is by sight/feel, as food packets tend to overestimate, plus it varies depending on how active he is or how many treats you give him.
Are his poo's firm or runny? As runny poos can be a sign of overfeeding.
Ideally you should be able to feel his ribs, and there should be a light covering of fat, with a defined waist, shoulders and under the tail.
If your having to really probe to feel his ribs then he is a bit fat, my breeders always suggested keeping them on the lean side to the point you can have one rib visible to minimise the chance of damaging their joints.
A good guide described it as having a light blanket over the ribs, if there is a duvet then lower the food as you don't want to overdo the exercise at such a young age.
If cutting the food down doesn't stop the vomiting I would get in touch with your vet for a bit more advice or see if some of the wise folks on here can offer any further advice.
____________ Gemma, Lee and our lovely little George
I think 500g a day is a bit excessive. My lab was started off on this food and used to have a cupful morning and same at night (hills measuring cup). this would amount to around 300g per day. Have you thought about changing to a better food with healthier ingredients. I cant recommend the food - it caused my dog lots of long term problems.
I generally think it's normal for a dog to have one poo per meal, plus one extra. So for a dog on two meals a day I'd expect 2-3 poos. 5-6 sounds like an awful lot of food is passing through undigested, although as Hills is full of undigestable bulking agents/fillers, this is probably why.
I have never fed anywhere near 500g per day to any of my dogs. I think the most I fed was 400g and that was to a very tall (25") GR/Lab , so if you are having to feed that much to keep his weight and condition, then you might be better off looking for a better quality food, so you can feed less.
Without seeing your dog my gut feel is that 500g is possibly almost twice as much as he needs nourishment wise.....which is why you're getting so much waste.
Mine (30kg and 24kg) typically get about 275g a day and it doesn't really vary on what brand they're fed
If you're going to cut his food I would recommend starting with a cut to 200g for each meal (so 400g a day) and then knock another 50g a day off for another week and so on gradually until you're happier with the feed/poop ratio
I agree with everyone on this too.500g does sound a lot. Lottie is 3,weighs 25kg and has 240g of Arden Grange Chicken over 3 meals (only because I can!!) and does 2 poos a day like clockwork. She was on Hills for a long time and also had 250g to 300g. She did really well on Hills and I only changed due to cost
I presume you are following the guidance on the Hill's pack?
I have used Hills as puppy food and adult and am pleased with it - we gave what the packet said - just as Frankie switched to adult he was on about 600g puppy food - a huge amount! This dropped a lot when he went onto adult food, asnd he is great shape, certainly not overfed!
Sam was on 500g when he was on Royal Canin's vet food split into more meals though. Have you thought about removing all the treats and seeing if that helps, mine goes far more when he's had biscuits or extras, easier to change than changing his kibble so might be an option to try first.
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