What to feed a dog who never seems to be full?

[kookicat]

At the moment, he's getting slightly below the reccomended amount of high quality, lite dried dog food, plus a few treats (Mostly small amounts of dried chicken, veggies and a tiny bit of fruit.)

He has had a worm count done and it came back low. He'll be getting wormed again soon.

He's also on the chunky side, despite lots of walks. (20mins morning, 30mins night). He won't play with my other dogs either. I keep catching him rading the kitchen bin! He always seems hungry- or is he just greedy?

Thanks!

[tarynls]

If he's on the chunky side....I'd say his raiding the kitchen bin is being greedy! I think if he were truly hungry he'd be lean.

[MistyBlue]

Very few dogs are ever full. They will lie to you all day long saying they're starving to death...but they are indeed lying. If their weight is fine, they're fine. You could put a meal out every hour of the day and many dogs will wolf it down like they've never eaten before. Or dogs that will stop eating dog food when full will still raid people food. The smell triggers that, not hunger.
Try getting an in the cabinet kitchen bin with a child latch on that cabinet. Or train him to stay out of the bin. Or find a bin he can't get into. Some of the step-lids will work to keep a dog out, but some smart dogs figure those out fast. I went through trying many different trash bins with my late Malamute. (he was a big time liar about starving to death, LOL) I remember once bragging to hubby that he couldn't figure out the flip lid...and as I was bragging he walked by with the lid aroound his neck and garbage all over his face. :lol:

[kookicat]

Very few dogs are ever full. They will lie to you all day long saying they're starving to death...but they are indeed lying. If their weight is fine, they're fine. You could put a meal out every hour of the day and many dogs will wolf it down like they've never eaten before. Or dogs that will stop eating dog food when full will still raid people food. The smell triggers that, not hunger.
Try getting an in the cabinet kitchen bin with a child latch on that cabinet. Or train him to stay out of the bin. Or find a bin he can't get into. Some of the step-lids will work to keep a dog out, but some smart dogs figure those out fast. I went through trying many different trash bins with my late Malamute. (he was a big time liar about starving to death, LOL) I remember once bragging to hubby that he couldn't figure out the flip lid...and as I was bragging he walked by with the lid aroound his neck and garbage all over his face. :lol:


Oh, I'm glad it's not just me! I've been through so many diffrent types of bin and he's still managing to get into them! He knocks them over and digs at the top until the lid comes off. If I'm in, I shut the bin away in the boot room where he can't get at it, but my OH keeps leaving the door open.

I'm glad to hear he's not hungry though! I've been feeling like a bad Mummy! ;)

[Casey09]

If you want to "fill him up," you can get canned green beans and rinse the salt off and mix them with his kibble. That way, you won't be overdoing the calories. A lot of dogs, though, are obsessive about food. I wouldn't worry too much.

[tarynls]

If you have a flip-top type of bin you can use a bungee cord to secure it. I'd put the bungee cord horizontally ..... keeped my Husky out of the bin and works for the raccoons too!

[kookicat]

Maybe I should use a bungee cord to attatch OH's hand to the door knob. ;) I have one of the bins you step on to open, but the bungee cord sounds like it might work for that too. Thanks! :)

[yellowbritches]

Yep. You are not a bad mommy. Most dogs are food nuts and will act like they haven't eaten in days, even if you just fed them 5 minutes ago. Don't believe him. The canned green beans idea is a good one, but don't count on it making him go "ahhhh, I'm stuffed," and staying out of the bin for the rest of the day! ;)

[kookicat]

That's true. I'll try adding more veggies to his diet and see if that helps. Are green beans better than other veggies? He gets cooked swede, raw carrot, raw cabbage, broccoli and peas. Plus anything else I have handy at the time! ;)

[Watermark Farm]

>>>>He always seems hungry- or is he just greedy? <<<<

OP, make sure you have his thyroid checked! A hyper-thyroid dog can seem hungry all the time. It's a good thing to rule out.

[Laytian]

Feed about a cup of cooked veggies per meal (for a dog over 30lbs, less for a smaller dog). Instead of canned, buy a bag of frozen veggies (healthier, cheaper, no salt) and steam them with a little water in the microwave. Add the water the veggies were cooked in to the food (when cool, of course!) or, put it into an icecube tray and freeze for later dog treats in hot weather (just make sure you have a clearly separate tray just for dog treats! Iced tea with green bean water would not be pleasant. :no:) You can cook a whole bag of veggies at once and put it in the fridge until mealtimes, or, cook a cup at a time and cool the vegetables in cold water to cool it quickly just before feeding.

Cruciferous veggies will have the same effect on dogs as on people -- harder to digest, more gas. So make sure to cook them enough and feed in smaller amounts until your dog is used to them and can tolerate them. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. all fall into this catagory.

Dogs don't digest raw vegetables well at all, which means that they don't add much in the way of calories, but, OTOH, they also don't get any nutritional value out of them, which is rather a waste. Cook the veggies lightly (I cook cruciferous veggies a bit longer) so that they can be digested. Steamed veggies really don't add that much in the way of calories, but they do add some nutritional value which is worthwhile. I do use raw carrots and fruit as treats, but mostly because it's a good crunchy treat for the dog once in a while.

Most fruits and veggies, *other than* onion or garlic (technically not a veggie, but...), grapes, or raisins, are fine for most dogs. Variety is a good idea -- peas, beans, carrots, broccoli, greens (mustard, turnip, collard), squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, sweet potatoes, whatever.

I'm glad to hear he's not hungry though!

Oh, he's *hungry* all right! Just not starving. ;) Just like overweight people who need to diet, their appetite doesn't match their caloric needs and they feel hungry even though they've eaten more than they should. So you're on the right track by helping him to feel full without adding to his weight and by encouraging exercise.

[CatOnLap]

You are letting your dog raid the kitchen?
Bad doggy Mommy!

When our puppies were young, when we caught them counter surfing, they went back in their crates for 10 minutes. They are a year now and do not counter surf anymore. ( but do not leave edibles at doggie nose height!)

The only animal allowed to raid our kitchen is our 20 year old cat. He has figured out how to open the upper cupboard door and flip the butter dish onto the counter.

Our dogs do get all our leftover veggies, rice and potatoes from supper and seem to love things like carrots, peas and spinach. And even thought the big bag of kibble is easily accesible if they got hungry, they generally only act hungry when they see us eating people food.

[Alagirl]

HAHAHAHAHA, dogs being liars ...but it is true!

My late Dalmatian acted like she never saw a crumb of food every evening when Hubby walked through the door, didn't matter if she just finished her dinner...got into a lot of arguments with hubby over that, that I let his Pup starve! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: I just fed her after he was home...

But the beans are a great way to trim calories from the meal without cutting amount. And just don't throw so much tasty stuff away! ;) Truth it, the dogs do train you to be more aware of your trash habits. Sometimes you just have to take the waste out a bit earlier and put a new liner in the kitchen bin.

[wendy]

At the moment, he's getting slightly below the reccomended amount of high quality dried dog food,
that's why he's chunky. Those recommendations are ridiculous. Which of course is why you see so many fat dogs waddling around these days. I don't think I have ever fed more than half of the recommended amount to a dog without the dog gaining weight.
Anyway, try feeding the dog out of a toy like a buster cube or kong or kibble nibble ball. Instead of snarking up the food in ten seconds and going looking for more he'll have to spend half an hour or so working hard, and most dogs seem much happier after such a meal. Plus it might distract him from his battle with the trashcan.

[kookicat]

Thanks everyone.

I'll try adding cooked, frozen veggies to his meals. He really likes his veggies, so it's a good way to bulk out his feed! He won't use one the the balls- he's a spaniel and it might run over his precious ears. :rolleyes: (Seriously, I've never seen a dog so protective of his ears- he got a burr tangled in his ear fur once, and from the way he was crying, you'd think he was being murdered!)

In the spring and summer, I do hide his food outside in small bowls, so he has to work for it. Haven't been able to do it yet this year because it's been too wet. :(

He only ever gets into the bin if my OH leaves the boot room door open. I keep it closed! I'm waiting for my compost bin to arrive, so I can start using my scraps for something more useful! ;)

[Mali]

I add a can of "no salt added" green beans to my Labs SmartPak meal morning and night. He has definately dropped some pounds in the past year. Now when he begs us for treats, I just feed him a can of green beans. He loves them!

[Horsegal984]

Just a note, while hyperthyroid will cause increased appetite, it is almost always associated with weight loss and being thin. Hypothyroid will cause weight gain, but usually decreased or no change in appetite.

Also, as a general rule dogs are hypothyroid and cats are hyper, you rarely see it going the other way for some reason. We're not really sure why, but that's just one of those medical things we gave up trying to explain! ;)

Otherwise the advice here is solid, just don't let him guilt trip you too much, sounds like he just likes to eat as much as me!

Katherine
Vet Tech

[MistyBlue]

tarynls...ahhh, you have a husky? Then you know the fun of keeping them out of...well, everything! :lol: :yes: Malamutes and Huskies...two of the worst food thieves in the canine kingdom. They love to steal!

Yup...dogs are liars. So are horses. :D My two can run out of hay after eating 3 straight hours and within 5 minutes try whinnying at the house a few times looking pathetic...because they're s-t-a-r-v-i-n-g! Liars.
My cat lies a lot too. Cats are smarter though. I'll feed her, she finishes eating and acts full. But within ten minutes I'll hear hubby call out, "Honey, do I need to feed the cat or is she lying to me again?" :lol: She goes behind my back and begs to hubby!!!!

Kooki...don't feel bad. You're not a bad dog mommy if the dog is acting starved to death. As a matter of fact...the chubby ones are the *worst* liars. My Mal was a constant weight battle with that dog and he'd practically pretend to drop dead of hunger 5 minutes after a meal.

[MunchkinsMom]

Some of the step-lids will work to keep a dog out, but some smart dogs figure those out fast. I went through trying many different trash bins with my late Malamute. (he was a big time liar about starving to death, LOL) I remember once bragging to hubby that he couldn't figure out the flip lid...and as I was bragging he walked by with the lid aroound his neck and garbage all over his face. :lol:

Oh, we had a german shorthair that managed that trick. She was the worst for stealing food off the table, counter, stove and trash, as soon as your back was turned. It drove me nuts (she belonged to my in-laws). So we got the swinging lid cans for the bathrooms (there is not even food in that trash, she also had a thing for used tissues) and she came out wearing the lid like a collar. Now we have a trash compactor in the kitchen, the dogs can't get into that one! And I have fewer bags to take to the dump each week.

My dogs are always acting like they are starving, and I have to laugh, sometimes 3 of them come to bug me, acting like they need to be fed - but I ask my MIL first, and she has usually already fed them. So I just look at them and say "nice try, thanks for playing - now go lay down".

[DustInTime04]

I have three golden retrievers. The youngest is a bit on the heavy side and is always hungry! Our vet recommended adding green beans to his breakfast and dinner. It seems to satisfy him and doesn't add the extra calories.

[PaulaK]

Plain pumpkin (NOT the prepared pie filling) can also be added as a filler. We use frozen green beans (dogs don't seem to care if they are frozen or defrosted) and pumpkin and have managed to fool our corgis into thinking they are full.

[ponygirl]

Plain pumpkin (NOT the prepared pie filling) can also be added as a filler. We use frozen green beans (dogs don't seem to care if they are frozen or defrosted) and pumpkin and have managed to fool our corgis into thinking they are full.

Does it do to dogs what it does to kitties? Act as a laxative?

[PaulaK]

ponygirl
Nope. We feed a premium kibble that promises less "output" and have noticed just a small increase in the size of piles. They still only go 2-3 times a day as they did before the pumpkin. They've been on this "diet" for years. Vet always remarks our dogs are the only corgwn he sees that are the correct weight.

[jetsmom]

How old w/the dog? At the risk of sounding like our favorite "shoes are evil, it must be IR" poster, dogs that have Cushings will exhibit a ravenous appetite, pot bellied appearance and increased water intake.

[Mtn trails]

Most fruits and veggies, *other than* onion or garlic (technically not a veggie, but...), grapes, or raisins, are fine for most dogs. Variety is a good idea -- peas, beans, carrots, broccoli, greens (mustard, turnip, collard), squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, bananas, sweet potatoes, whatever.


NEVER and I repeat NEVER feed grapes or raisins to dogs. They are highly toxic and it takes as little as 7 grapes or raisins to kill a dog due to extreme liver poisoning. I've read many stories of dogs dying from eating one or the other and not long ago a Lab ate 1/2 a container of raisins and was dead before they could get him to the vet.

[kookicat]

How old w/the dog? At the risk of sounding like our favorite "shoes are evil, it must be IR" poster, dogs that have Cushings will exhibit a ravenous appetite, pot bellied appearance and increased water intake.

Ooh, that's quite interesting. He has a huge fluffy coat too. Can you tell me more? :)

ETA- he's rising five. :)

[CatOnLap]

NEVER and I repeat NEVER feed grapes or raisins to dogs. They are highly toxic and it takes as little as 7 grapes or raisins to kill a dog due to extreme liver poisoning. I've read many stories of dogs dying from eating one or the other and not long ago a Lab ate 1/2 a container of raisins and was dead before they could get him to the vet.
Yeah, I took it that Laytian meant not to feed grapes or raisins, but its Kidney failure, not liver, and the lethal dose is somewhat higher than you state. In this case Wiki seems to be pretty reliable as a summary.
A 30 kg (70 lb) labradog would need to eat about 300 grams ( 2/3 lb) of raisins, apparently. But the thing is, they WILL eat them as they are sweet. If there was a two lb bag, I bet the dog might eat half if he was one of those greedy ones. The problem is thought to be a fungal toxin growing on the grapes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape_and_raisin_toxicity_in_dogs

[Joy Karr]

Be sure you are feeding good quality dog food. No grocery store brands with empty calories. Just like people food that leaves you craving more, dog food can do the same. Definately the added veggies are good and healthy. Take a look at www.dynamitemarketing.com, They have a kibble and a close to raw that they make in their own mill, 250 lbs at a time in a cement mixer. I always get comments on the condition of my dog. Lab/dobie mix. She has been on this feed for 5 years. No vet bills either.

[kookicat]

Yep, he gets good quality dog food.

This is what I'm feeding him right now:

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product_group.asp?dept_id=711&pg_id=385

[jetsmom]

Ooh, that's quite interesting. He has a huge fluffy coat too. Can you tell me more? :)

ETA- he's rising five. :)

It's usually more common w/older dogs, but here's a link-

http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html

Thyroid problems can also cause increased appetite.

[Mtn trails]

And we all know that Labs are food motivated dogs. They are the greedy ones mentioned that will eat more of what they shouldn't until they are stuffed and, unfortunately, that could be deadly.

[wendy]

sorry, but that's NOT a high-quality food. Note the prominent use of gluten to pretend it has meat in it.

[gloriginger]

Does it do to dogs what it does to kitties? Act as a laxative?

Puumpkin does either, if they need a little help it moves things along, if they need some binding it does that too...:)

I feed my chubby pup pumkin and green beens too- she gobbles up her food.

FWIW- light dog food is often a waste of $- they add "air" to the kibble. Economically buyng regular food and feeding less is much better.