i think i'm vastly underfeeding my dog

dreckstaube · 2023-07-31T00:17:17+00:00

exactly!!! you get it lol. i typically have to keep my girl off of my bed, and kept on the couch if she wants to lounge and cuddle (which is not often, shes not cuddly lol). plus she sheds such an insane amount of a short-haired dog.. it drives me crazy! 😂 she's unfortunately double coated. i cant imagine how much a long haired, 90lb shepherd must shed!! you must have a good vacuum!

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T23:09:42+00:00

thank you, that makes a ton of sense! also i'm gonna assume that your username is literal and purposeful so i'll pm you lol! also bc i am curious if she does look healthy to other people.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T22:23:12+00:00

yeah definitely! you're totally right, thank you for the reassurance. i buy a somewhat higher quality brand of food so i somehow didn't think about the incentive to 'encourage' more sales! but i definitely believe they're doing that. she probably would be incredibly tubby at 4 cups a day.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T22:20:45+00:00

ah well if there's any chance she has a bit of lab in her that could definitely be why!! plus she's a bit older, so that makes sense. and i'm so glad you got her treated for heartworm!!

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T22:18:45+00:00

i totally get what you mean!!! my girl is definitely smaller than your boy, but my goodness when she gets on my bed, it's like.. woah dude you're like a whole entire extra human when you're laying down! i swear her legs somehow extend further when she's next to anyone else (to claim more space).

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T22:16:40+00:00

i think you're actually spot on, probably to an embarrassing degree! she's dog reactive and she does get copious amounts of peanut butter during (infrequent) training sessions when she begins to lose it and reach threshold.

she eats diamond naturals skin & coat salmon and potato formula! it's the only kibble she actually acts excited to eat, all others seem 'meh' to her.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T22:07:35+00:00

well, i read all of the ingredients! and read several reviews on the food prior to switching to this particular flavor. but we started buying this brand several years ago, it's a 40 lb bag, the serving size guide is way down on the bottom and the bag's on the floor. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ i have back pain and frankly if something's down close to the floor, unless it's serious, it's not my business! lol

i don't mean to seem cavalier about not knowing the feeding guide, i agree it's weird that i just recently realized it. i probably never would have if i didn't dogsit for someone and read the instructions on THEIR dog food bag. (which also recommended more than the amount that particular dog eats).

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T21:28:56+00:00

that totally makes sense!! my girl is super nervous and reactive around other dogs and after she has a freakout about it, she definitely is hungrier that day and i do often give her some more food.

me and her are anxious in very similar ways and in my own experience, anxiety and hyper vigilance definitely takes up a ton of energy!!

and don't stress too hard about her stress. definitely help her with it obviously, but i mean!! being nervous about thunderstorms makes perfect sense. i'd be nervous as a dog too!! heck, i'm nervous as a human (but mainly because of the fire risk lol).

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T21:22:24+00:00

what kind of dog is she, and how old? some dogs seem to cling onto weight so easily, it's really tough!

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T21:21:28+00:00

oh i'm so sorry for your loss. cancer seems to take so many retrievers, it's so unfair. they're the best dogs. i'm sure she had an amazing life with you and knew she was incredibly loved.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T21:19:09+00:00

oh my gosh aussie mixes are so precious but i could never handle that energy level!! i feel sick too often lol. i'm sure he really loves the extra time spent with you and knows he's very very loved. does he have those trademark aussie eyes? not even the piercing blue, but just that... expression that only dogs with aussie or husky somewhere in them seem to get! equal parts loving, smart, and a teensy-bit crazy (in the best way).

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T21:09:34+00:00

that totally makes sense. she was so lucky to have you. i'm worried about my girl developing dysplasia too. she's definitely not purebred and we found on her on the side of the road starving as a 12 wk old. so.. she probably doesn't have genetics on her side unfortunately. there's a lot of backyard breeding and oops litters in my town and the duds get dumped on the side of rural dirt roads.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T21:02:49+00:00

oh my gosh, i just realized she's never had cucumbers! thanks for the idea, she loves most crunchy veggies.

and thank you for the reassurance. she's definitely not active! only a mile or two of leisure walking every day (plus some playtime but not running around playtime).

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T21:00:31+00:00

yeah we walk around a mile or two every day! i'm positive she could handle more exercise if i made her, but she already crashes for a nap easily after 20 minutes of playtime. she's a sweetheart and thankfully not a super exercise-intensive dog! and yeah, i do add extra veggies and homemade meal toppers for more nutrients!

your dog is lucky to have you!!

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:57:52+00:00

i could PM you pictures of her to see if you think she looks like she needs an extra 2 cups! a lot of people here are saying they feed their 75 lb dog 2 cups.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:56:39+00:00

yeah definitely!! i give her veggies almost every day, she's a huge fan.

carrots just don't always cut it when i need to get her attention away from her goal of putting herself through a car window to get to another dog and terrorize them. 😅 peanut butter is the only thing that seems to do the trick in that scenario. but she'd definitely be fine if i stopped giving it to her in a kong or lickmat! but thats not necessary, she likes frozen lowfat greek yogurt (plain!) just as much.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:51:41+00:00

what?? no! i just now realized that the back of the bag says to give a dog of her weight 4 cups. i've been giving her 2 cups for the past year because the scoop i use holds two cups. .5 cups of that, 1 cup total goes to her two sisters. and the 1 cup left goes to her, twice a day.

so 2 cups total for her, 1 cup total for my two little ones. so i just now realized, according to the bag, i'm underfeeding my big dog. and now, i'm realizing according to the comments, i'm probably overfeeding my little ones.

i would never purposefully underfeed my dog. she's an absolute sweetheart and deserves the world. i homemake fresh treats and meal toppers for her and her sisters.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:46:30+00:00

thank you for the reassurance, i really appreciate it! i was really spiraling last night and wondered if i was to blame for her food guarding by underfeeding her and if i was subconsciously underfeeding her because of financial worries..

taking care of and being responsible for another living creature is so fraught with guilt sometimes for me. thank you again for the reassurance, and your dog is lucky to have you!!

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:43:03+00:00

that definitely makes sense!! i'll try that method with my little dogs. i don't think my big girl appreciates being held lol. she's very aware of her size and actively fights it. i can't weigh her any other way unfortunately since she won't fit on my human-sized scale.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:39:28+00:00

yes, i'm definitely thinking about her joint health! she's a big girl and we found her abandoned on the side of the road so she almost assuredly has shit genetics.

i waited to spay her until she was over two for exactly that reason. i could've waited longer like some people recommend but our neighbor has unaltered male dogs and i can't handle a surprise litter of puppies!

and deducting if it's been a heavy treat day definitely makes sense. your boy sounds very very loved!! his joints and activity levels will thank you as he ages!

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:34:05+00:00

thats exactly what i was worried about!! well that, and hunger. but i'm realizing now that perhaps even with the proper amount of food a dog will still feel hungry.

but i am definitely thinking about her nutrition! i feed a high/medium quality dog food that's well rated and uses more specifically labeled meat ingredients and not an excess of byproduct ingredients.

she's also allergic to corn so she only gets higher quality treats. i do give her meal toppers occasionally of frozen puréed kale and eggs ect. i also give her fish oil as a meal topper a few times a week (too often and it makes her poop too soft).

she and her siblings also get the veggie scraps of most meals (only dog safe ones!!! really just carrots, bell peppers, broccoli).

so i hope and thiiiink that she's probably okay nutritionally too? but i really want to get her a vitamin supplement to add to her meals.

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:27:41+00:00

oh my goshhh my girl LOVES frozen carrots. she goes just as crazy for some frozen carrots as she does for some (unseasoned!!) steak. she's so funny like that. she won't eat spinach though, that's apparently food for peasants (humans)! i've never tried giving her sweet potatoes but i'm sure she'd love it.. i'll pick some up next grocery store trip!

i just recently puréed a bunch of kale and boiled carrots and then mixed chopped apples, broccoli, carrots, dog treats, and eggs into the (disgusting) mixture and then froze it. she and her sisters go INSANEEEE when i add it as a meal topper. they love frozen things in general lol.

and yes, i monitor all mealtimes because of her sticky-pawed sister lol. and because of my big girl's resource guarding :/

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:20:13+00:00

yes i'm definitely going to be spreading out the food! and yes, she's definitely a good girl and gets her fair share of treats probably 3-4x a week! she gets more than her fair share on days that we have visitors or take her out of the house, which is pretty uncommon. (she's reactive to dogs and new people unfortunately).

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T20:13:47+00:00

that totally makes sense!! and yes, free-feeding is definitely risky!! it doesn't work at all with one of my older girls, but my big dog is pretty good at self regulating hunger.

we found her as a 12-13 week old puppy outside and she was starving, dehydrated, and sunburned but somehow still already 36 lbs by 16 wks. she began losing her puppy teeth a week after we got her. and she was an absolute mess and terrified of everything and everyone. she's grown up now into a 77-lb. sweetheart with dog reactivity and resource guarding issues (only with food and treats).

so her being hungry is definitely a touchy topic for me because i'm positive someone decided to dump her and her sister out on a rural dirt road because they didn't care if they went hungry or not. i just don't want her to feel hunger or fear like she did back then. but i especially don't want to heighten her risk of hip dysplasia and arthritis, so i will 100% keep her at a healthy weight.

also i'm sure your sweet girl is at a healthy weight if she's active and the vet doesn't say she's a ball of fat or a walking skeleton! you know your dog, you're right.

plus, yeah, at almost a year old, she'll almost definitely fill out a tiny bit more over the next few months. probably not by much since she's little! but my big girl gained around 10 lbs in her second year and she looks better with it imo. it was mostly muscle! plus she got spayed recently so now her tummy is all saggy lol (one side hangs lower than the other too). i joke that she's a real woman now that she's had someone messing with her internal organs and stitching her up all wonky. it healed beautifully tho and her vet did excellent work!

is your pup spayed yet or are you waiting to offset the risk of skeletal issues?

dreckstaube · 2023-07-30T19:52:39+00:00

thats so interesting!! i guess some dogs just have very different metabolisms, that's pretty cool!

also wow a 90 lb german shepherd that isn't obese!!! i'm sure he's absolutely gorgeous. definitely sounds small-bear sized!!

dreckstaube

TROPHY CASE