Fattening Up My Grey

[Guest Norzy]

Hello!

 

My grey is on the lean side for his size. He was listed as 68 lbs on greyhound-data.org during his racing days, and we just took him to the vet after having him for about 1 month and he was 67.4 lbs! I want him to put on some weight but he doesn't seem really into food. We give him a little bit more kibble per meal than what's recommended for his weight based on the bag (he came to us eating Purina One, we tried him on Blue Buffalo and had to switch back b/c he didn't really eat too much of it, and now we are going to start him on Diamond Naturals) and mix the kibble with cottage cheese (most often), wet food, canned salmon, peanut butter, canned pumpkin, etc. He eats treats like Milk Bones, but only covered in peanut butter, meaty treats that look like jerky, and pigs ears.

 

A lot of times he doesn't finish eating his food (we feed twice daily) and we have to coax him back with pets to eat some more. Today we didn't walk him because it was very cold out, but we let him out to potty several times and he always does zoomies afterwards. Is his lack of exercise the direct reason for his lost appetite? What else can I do to get him to eat more? We just took him to the vet and everything checked out. As far as we know, there's nothing wrong with him - he plays and wags his tail and sleeps just like he is supposed to!

 

Any ideas??

 

Thanks!

[Guest sweetpea]

So at one month you've been through 3 foods, he's not sick, and he's down .6 of a pound.

 

He's fine.

 

You don't want to "fatten" him up. You want to keep him lean and healthy.

 

Maybe cut back on all the mix-ins, I'm over-whelmed just reading about it.

 

Honestly, after 5 years, sometimes Sweetpea finishes her food, sometimes she doesn't;

and yet, every time we go to the vet she weighs 60 pounds.

 

Good luck!

 

Buzzy

[OwnedBySummer]

I usually find that the bags give bizarre quantities. I've never fed a dog, any dog, according to the package instructions. With Summer's current food, for instance, I feed her 2 1/2 cups for breakfast (no add-ins, just some warm water in it). The bag says for a 56 lb. dog, feed 4 1/4 cups. It doesn't list any higher (Summer likes small food pieces, so the manufacturer assumes I'm feeding a small dog, LOL) but she weighs 68-70 lbs. If I fed her even this much kibble, she wouldn't finish it, either. AND she'd be overweight.

 

I do feed twice a day and for dinner she gets 11 to 13 oz. of canned dog food, depending on the can size. With a bit of salmon oil. If she ran hard with greyhounds that day, I will add a handful of kibble to dinner.

 

That is all she gets for meals. Snacks & treats on a typical day would be 1 dehydrated tendon, a small piece or two of dehydrated liver or lung, maybe a snippet of cheese if I'm having some and a cookie at bedtime.

 

Her weight goes up and down by about a pound or two. At the moment, 70 lbs. is her high but she's been on exercise restriction for about 6 weeks and has only just now started running again. I expect her weight will drop to her usual 68.5-69 quite quickly.

 

You might also want to check your pup's racing weight on Trackinfo. I found Summer's was different there, vs Greyhound-Data.

 

But that being said, I'm not overly concerned with how much more she weighs, just that the weight is appropriate "pet weight". Those all-important last ribs are visible (in Summer's case, MOST of the ribs -- she seems to be an all or nothing girl, LOL), her hips are there, her tuck is gorgeous, she has visible muscle definition. The way your dog looks is more important than what the scale says. Not that the scale is to be ignored, of course, it's part of the whole care process.

 

Here is a current picture. The angle is a bit weird, it looks like her head is huge. But you'll get the idea.

 

Edited October 18, 2011 by OwnedBySummer

[Guest KennelMom]

He sounds fine to me. It's not unusual for a greyhound to be under their race weight after they've retired - they'll lose muscle mass naturally from lower activity level and as a result of their spay/neuter and subsequent hormone loss. Half a lb is not unreasonable. Plus, you never know if a racing kennel ran their dogs lean, heavy or just right.

 

Definitely go by the look and feel of the dog, not the number on a scale (hey, just like people! weight is no indication of body composition or necessarily health). Weight is handy to know because a drastic change may indicate a health issue. Other than that, meh.

[Feisty49]

A fairly new owner of a Greyhound here but like with children, you can lead them to the dinner table, but you can't make them eat. If he was totally off food for a couple of days, I would be concerned, but it seems he knows what works for him. If only us people knew that!

 

I judge Annie Bella's weight by her ribs and hip bones. When she had diarrhea, it was obvious she lost weight because I could see all her ribs. When her weight came back up, only the last 3 ribs could be seen with little points at her hips.

 

Did you make a typo when you typed his weight was 67.4 pounds? That's a minimal loss from his previous weight. A long drink could put .8 of a pound back on him.

 

Thanks to OwnedbySummer for info about Trackinfo. If the weight is different from Greyhound-Data, which one is more likely to be correct?

[Guest Swifthounds]

What Buzzy said.

 

Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat and is more dense. Unless your hound is doing lots of conditioning and running, he will lose muscle as he settles into life in your home. It's pretty common for a hound's healthy weight to be below the racing weight. Even the switch from bulky sprinting muscle to leaner running or long walking muscle will tend to make the hound appear smaller and weigh less than racing weight as the muscle load loses bulk.

 

With a healthy greyhound, when they stop eating extra food offered, it's almost always because the human involved is feeding too much and the dog is self regulating.

[OwnedBySummer]

Thanks to OwnedbySummer for info about Trackinfo. If the weight is different from Greyhound-Data, which one is more likely to be correct?

I'm guessing Trackinfo. BUT... I don't know for sure. Someone else will hopefully confirm?

[Guest BlingDogs]

I would leave out the mix-ins, before he gets too fussy! I used to give Dory all sorts of mix-ins and she went through a major fuss-bucket stage. After no 'treats' till all her food was finished she is back to finishing it all.

[GeorgeofNE]

It's a Greyhound. He's supposed to be lean.

 

The numbers on dog food bags seem to be designed to sell more dog food, as they're ridiculously high as far as I can tell.

 

Just for reference, my dog raced at 67, I've had him four years, he weighs 64 pounds. I feed him 1 cup of kibble twice a day, plus treats. He's nine, and he looks awesome!

[Sighthounds4me]

If he's healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. He's eating enough to stay healthy, and that good enough.

 

I have an almost-three year old Borzoi that is VERY lean. He looks starved, but he is fed. He often chooses not to eat, though the food is there at all times. He is also VERY active, and rarely stops moving while outside. He is very healthy, just thin. I'd rather he be thin than heavy, because as he matures, he will fill out. Same with your guy, I suspect.

[Guest KennelMom]

Thanks to OwnedbySummer for info about Trackinfo. If the weight is different from Greyhound-Data, which one is more likely to be correct?

I'm guessing Trackinfo. BUT... I don't know for sure. Someone else will hopefully confirm?

 

They might both be right...or wrong. A dogs racing weight is not written in stone and may be adjusted by the trainer or if they move to a different kennel. I've seen kennels that seem to run their dogs lean and a few that run them heavy (IMO). So theres nothing magical about a racig weight other than that's what they were set to race at.

[krissy]

Summit weights 75lbs. He gets 3 cups of food per day. He'd eat more if I gave it to him. When I first got him I was giving him 4 a day. He wasn't putting on weight at that amount but was sometimes leaving food. I dropped down to 3 cups and he didn't lose weight and he finished all his food. Like others have said... if he looks good I wouldn't worry about it. Summit runs lean, even by greyhound standards, but that's his happy weight. Even when we have obedience classes and he's getting the same amount of kibble and probably an equal amount of calories in treats... still doesn't put on weight. I just let him be.

[onrushpam]

It's also important to remember that not all track or vet scales are calibrated the same. For example, dogs that come to JCKC from Naples will often appear to have lost 5-10 lbs. Not so. The Naples scale weighs heavy and the JCKC scale weighs light. Our vets' scale seems to be on the light side. Go by how the dog looks. The photo of the red dog above shows a dog in perfect weight! Good job!

[Guest LindsaySF]

With a healthy greyhound, when they stop eating extra food offered, it's almost always because the human involved is feeding too much and the dog is self regulating.

Agreed.

 

 

[Guest iLoveLucie]

A lot of times he doesn't finish eating his food (we feed twice daily) and we have to coax him back with pets to eat some more.

 

I thought my Buddy was a picky eater when we first brought him home; I too would coax him to eat with pets and treats. Turns out I was making too much fuss and was teaching him to be picky and get rewarded! After getting advice from folks on GT, I started to put down his food dish then ignore him. I'd pull it away after 20 minutes even if he didn't finish his meal. A couple of meals went unfinished, but after a while he figured it out and now he's on a good schedule. Occasionally he won't finish, but now I know it's becuause he's not hungry.

[Guest Norzy]

Thanks to everyone for giving me such helpful advice! Oliver is doing fine and I am definitely less anxious!

[Guest Swifthounds]

Great to hear. . Feel free to post pics of your guy.