Hello!
Soon-to-be adopter here, preparing for our first greyhound to arrive hopefully next week!
I've been doing lots of research on what to feed... and wow, there's a lot of information out there. I did pick up what the dogs are being fed currently (Costco's Nature's Domain Turkey/Sweet Potato) to start off with to minimize the changes while Vincent (our adoptee) settles in. Ultimately I'm interested in seeing how he does on a raw diet, and am doing lots of planning to ensure it's balanced and likely will start off with a commercial premade option over slow 2 week transition.
My main questions though are about adjusting feeding amounts for additional food given outside of mealtimes, and where greyhounds may classify in terms of activity level.
1) Do you, and if so how do you adjust meal amounts for additional calories they make intake during the day? I'm wanting to do some training so treats will be part of that, and will be using kongs to mitigate possible separation anxiety/boredom. I don't intend to fill the kongs full of peanut butter mind you, but may give up to 2 XL a day and know the calories can add up. I also am looking into giving recreational bones/bully sticks/etc. so my hound can chew away.
2) How does your hound line up as far as feeding guidelines/activity level? The feeding guideline range seems fairly broad, so I'm curious if greyhounds tend to go to the lower or higher end of the spectrum, or if it just varies from dog to dog. I know he's not going to be doing a lot of 'activity' but is fairly muscular and don't want to be underfeeding him unintentionally.
3) How often did you weight your hound in the first few months? I thankfully have a vet within a block, and a couple local pet stores that have scales. I've read that overweight dogs are a common issue, and especially greyhounds shouldn't carry extra weight. I don't want to obsess about keeping him at race weight -- I know it will flux somewhat with retirement and adjustment -- just want to be mindful.
I realize I'm very likely overthinking this somewhat, too... and a 'just be thoughtful and weigh when it's convenient' is fair advice.
Thanks!