New Rescue Feeding Habits Keep Changing

[Guest antiqueal]

I adopted a 1.5 year old female greyhound the end of November 2013. She is around 53 pound. For the 1st month she had a regular feeding and poo schedule.

Initially she would eat 1 cup around 8am, stop eating until I took her out for a poop, come back in and finish eating another cup, then in the evening she would eat 2 cups around 5pm and then want to go out for another poop.

Now she won't eat any food in the morning, want to poop around 11am, finally start eating around 2-3pm and then act like she is starving at 5pm and then will sometimes poop again, but not always.

I work from the home, I try to have a consistent schedule, but it seems to keep changing.

Since this is my first greyhound, I am looking for advice.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Alan and Ciara

 

[ramonaghan]

Welcome from another Tennessean! First, what kind of food are you feeding? Four cups a day seems like an awful lot for a girl that size unless you're trying to put some weight on her. For comparison, my 60 lb girl gets about 2.5 cups total of high-quality kibble, split into an 8 a.m. feeding, a mid-day Kong, and a 5 p.m. feeding (and she still poops 3x a day). I'd try cutting back on the food first and see if that helps her feel hungrier in the morning. I'd also pull her up food after 15 minutes or so if she refuses it; she'll eventually learn that she has to eat at that specific time if she wants to eat at all.

 

Has she been to the vet recently to rule out anything medical potentially affecting her appetite?

Edited January 30, 2014 by ramonaghan

[Guest antiqueal]

I was told by rescue group to feed her 4 cups a day. They were feeding a cheaper brand of food (not sure which).

I feed her "Earthborn - Primitive Nature".

 

She doesn't gulp down her food and is still a little nervous when eating. If you walk by she will stop eating, so we leave the food out for her if we disturb her.

 

Ciara's weight hasn't changed since we got her.

We did a initial consultation with the vet when we first got her and have since taken her for nail trimmings. The vet checks her out each time (since she is a new dog) .

NOTE - Dr. Bihl at Volunteer Vet is the best vet I've even used!

[Guest grey_dreams]

According to the Earthborn Holistic website for Primitive Nature, they recommend 2.25-2.75 cups per day for a 55 pound dog. They do not recommend free-feeding.

 

It's best to feed twice a day. Most people here do not free feed. Put the food down and give 15 minutes or so to finish. If it's not gone, take it up and don't offer food again until the next meal. With less food and schedule, she will be fine. Four cups of that food is way too much for such a little girl

[schultzlc]

Welcome from VA!!

 

I have had my hound, Luna, since March 2011. In the beginning, she was crazy about her mealtimes, and would gobble everything down right away. Over time, she got used to my schedule (and began to realize that I would feed her every morning and every night no matter what), so she started slowing down at mealtime. She will kind of go in phases. Sometimes she'll go a few weeks of eating her breakfast right when it's served to her, and doing the same at dinner. Then, she'll go into another phase of a few weeks of leaving her breakfast until sometime in the afternoon, but like your hound, she will still want her supper on time. With her, I've learned to not worry about her eating habits too much. There isn't really a rhyme or reason for her changes in appetite, and she doesn't have any health problems that cause these changes. I've learned that, if she's hungry, she'll eat. She does a pretty good job of self-regulating her weight, so I've always wondered if her appetite is part of the process.

 

Because your pup is still pretty new, you may want to mention it to her Vet. Eventually, you'll start to know her patterns, and maybe you'll figure out if there's a specific trigger.

[Guest antiqueal]

Thanks schultzlc, that makes me feel better. Being my first greyhound, I just want to make sure I'm not doing too many things wrong or missing important signs.

[Guest PipDG]

Wow - Luna sounds a lot like Emmie. We've had Em for ten months now and some mornings she isn't interested in breakfast at all. She will return to graze on it during the day. Other mornings she will scoff it down. Warmer mornings seem to equal a lesser hunger. Evenings are a different story - she is a voracious eater at night. We don't have any other dogs so are able to leave her kibble out for her to eat at her whim. She's a good weight and active, so we're not trying to restrict her diet at all either. We figure she's just relaxed enough now that she doesn't feel someone's about to steal her food from her.

[Riverhound]

I free feed.

 

When I got my first hound, Joe, it was rough getting him to eat. I had to add cheese, oil, and *stuff* to the kibble to get what I though he should have in him, and he still lost weight for the first few months. Then, he settled in, and i got used to tempting him with goodies, so he got chunky. Eventually, we compromised. I always leave kibble in the dog's bowls (we have a second one now). They get cookies a couple times a day. Some people food when we have leftovers. They eat when they're hungry, and there's no competition for food.

 

If the dogs were old or had health problems, I'd be a lot more careful, but I'm comfortable with what they eat now. Both dogs are more likely to eat at night than in the morning, but will sometimes be ravenous early in the day. I just fill the bowls. It won't work with all dogs, but does for us. Good luck!

[Guest annickaandjef]

i'm a recent adoptee (12/28/13) as well, and Penny (about 55 lbs) initially would show varying interest in her food. The first few days it was almost impossible to get her to eat - even if we put some cheese or yogurt on top, she would lick the "good" food off of her kibble.

 

we started adding broth to her kibble (as well as a salmon oil additive, since she has very dry skin living in horrible Chicago), and microwaving for a minute or so. this makes the food softer, and brings the scent out of it. we alos started feeding her out of a puzzle toy t(the "dog torndao") which she loves. it takes some adjustment but the prep doesn't take long at all once you get the hang of it...about three minutes, based on Penny's clock! she's never had a problem eating since we started this routine. she'll sometimes eat 75% and come back later for more.

 

good luck! sounds like she's just adjusting to her new schedule

[galgrey]

According to the Earthborn Holistic website for Primitive Nature, they recommend 2.25-2.75 cups per day for a 55 pound dog. They do not recommend free-feeding.

 

It's best to feed twice a day. Most people here do not free feed. Put the food down and give 15 minutes or so to finish. If it's not gone, take it up and don't offer food again until the next meal. With less food and schedule, she will be fine. Four cups of that food is way too much for such a little girl

[GeorgeofNE]

There is nothing particularly special about feeding a Greyhound versus a regular dog. Dog food bag feeding suggestions are always wildly high. Think about it: they want you to buy their food!

 

My 67 pound male eats 2 cups of kibble per day, and he's the perfect weight for him. I feed a premium food, but he's 11 and that's all he needs to keep his weight correct for his size/metabolism.

 

4 cups sounds like way too much.

 

And your dog should not be determining when she's fed. Just pick a time and stick with it. You'll have a heck of a time getting her on a schedule if you let her tell you when she wants to eat. I think it's important that a schedule be maintained even if you are home. It's very useful knowing, in general, when your dog is going to need to go out.

[FiveRoooooers]

I will pop in here to say that my foster eats 4c per day of Natural Balance kibble and with add-ins (sweet potato, canned, veggies) plus treats she is holding her weight at 62#. I'd like to see a few pounds on her but she is holding steady. She is healthy and has been properly de-wormed. The bag guidelines are just that, guidelines: every dog is different.

[Banjoman]

I have had Chancey just a week & she is currently eating the racing greyhound dried food that I was given, a 27% protein one. I was told to give her 4 cups a day + the equivalent of a tin of dog food. She needs to put on a good bit of weight and is getting two good size cups + half tin / packet of wet food at 1.00.p.m. & the same again at 9.00.p.m. I am trying to get her to produce nice firm poops and have cut down the amount of water I soak the dried food in. It seems to be working but she still produces quite a few poops daily, some better than others!

 

Chancey is 5 years old & my first greyhound so it is trial and error here.

[krissn333]

Mine eat TOTW Pacific Stream. Clarice at 19 months of age and 63 lbs. has to eat almost 4 cups of food a day to maintain her weight and she is still a little too ribby. I keep my dogs looking light but man she is SOLID.

 

Ozzie weighs 70 lbs and I maintain him with 3-3.5 cups per day. When he is more active in the spring and summer he may need to eat more.

 

Every dog is different but 4 cups of that food for a smaller girl is probably just too much (and they'll poop more and sometimes have runnier poop if they're eating too much).

Some of them are incredibly self-regulatory and seem to know how much they need to eat. My angel Fritz was one of those.

 

Mom's boy Sunny would eat until he blew up though

[Guest antiqueal]

Thanks everyone for the information.

BTW, the 4 cups a day was the recommendation from the Greyhound adoption group.

In the last week, Ciara has slowed down to eating 1 cup in the morning and 2 cups in the evening. So hasn't gained or lost any weight, so I will give here what she eats.

[sobesmom]

I think you're on the right track. Many dogs will only eat what they need. She was probably getting a bit too much food - but it's fine to put a little weight on a new dog - and when she hit her "fill" amount, she started backing off.

 

Glad it's working out. Keep asking questions! It's wonderful to see new grey owners that care!

[Guest antiqueal]

Update...she continues to eat different amounts each day, but ends up averaging around 3.5 cups a day

Here is what I do now -

Morning - 2 cups with some extra protein (tuna, chicken, etc.) and 1 cup water

Evening - 2 dry cups with fish oil (wife hates the smell, but Ciara loves it).