Is 6 Cups Overdoing It?

[Guest FloridaGirl]

When I acquired Claymore, MSGAO said he got 3 cups in the mornin' and three cups in the evenin' (plus 2 glops of yogurt). I didn't bat an eye, because I was like "Well, they should know..." But from what I have been reading re:food here on greytalk, that sounds like a hefty amount of food. I am soooooooo (times infinity) against overfeeding that I am now concerned that I will have a Fatty McFatfat on my hands rather soon.

 

His racing weight was 70lbs, and I assume since he retired to MSGAO in September he's probably gained a few. He's still super muscular, and when I run my hands along his sides and spine I don't feel any squish - it's just straight up man muscle. And since we're still in the first week I was going to wait for the first wellness visit/fecal so he doesn't think I'm a vile torturer - so I don't know his current weight quite yet.

 

He is also having soft doody, but I assume that's just his transitioning. It became suddenly very soft this morning, and I'm not quite sure where that came from, and he wasn't interested in more than a few mouthfuls of food either. Again, chalking it up to transitional gut issues. He's also the king of poots right now.

 

Anyway, do ya'll think 6 cups a day is too much? He's 4 years old, and while he does excessive pooping from what I'm used to (he'll poo 2-3 times on walks - with declining consistency - am and pm... and all the large dogs I've ever known poop once after mealtime in am and pm) from what I've read here this is actually normal for a needlenose.

 

I saw so many sick pets due to simple overfeeding and took so many classes on canine nutrition working for the vet that I'm terrified of him becoming a Fatty McFatfat! Someone help me stop overthinking it!

[Time4ANap]

Overfeeding will cause soft poop and diarrhea.

 

Read the directions on the bag to determine the amount of food for your hound's approximate weight. Every food will be a little different. Start there and then adjust up or down in a couple of weeks as needed to maintain a healthy weight. 6 cups sound like 2 too many to me, maybe even 2 1/2 too many but will vary somewhat depending on the KCal count of the food you are using.

 

Depending on which scale I use, Rocket weighs between 78 and 88 lbs (yes - there is that much varaince in vet scales.) He eats 3 1/2 cups per day, plus gets 1/3 can of green beans and some Olewo carrots on his food. We used to feed about 4 cups per day but had to cut that back as he got older because of weight gain. He looks great even if one or two of the scales say he is over the weight he should be at.

[locket]

Our Jack came to us at 75 lbs and now weight close to 80. We are feeding a little over 4 cups (we are filling the measuring cup not to the 2cup line but to the top of the cup) per day + a large milkbone, a kong filled with pb and training treats. He still needs to gain some weight, but we didn't want him to take too much weight. The adoption agency told us about 5 cups per day so I guess we would be close to that. 6 seems a bit much..

He poops once, sometimes twice (I suspect marking) during his morning walk, once during his afternoon walk and once before bedtime. Poot king here also! He would literaly come over to us to toot and head off, LIKE WE WANT TO SMELL IT!!!

[Guest FloridaGirl]

Ok - that's what I was thinking. The only dog I ever met that ate 6 cups a day was a 140 lb Neapolitan mastiff. He had paws the size of a lion's. I was also thinking that overfeeding may be causing the poo issue (poosue?). I am also considering grabbing some Olewo carrots as from what I've read here like they're sort of like little orange miracle pellets.

 

WHY DO THEY TAKE SUCH PRIDE IN THEIR POOTS? They're like 4th grade boys!

[locket]

Ok - that's what I was thinking. The only dog I ever met that ate 6 cups a day was a 140 lb Neapolitan mastiff. He had paws the size of a lion's. I was also thinking that overfeeding may be causing the poo issue (poosue?). I am also considering grabbing some Olewo carrots as from what I've read here like they're sort of like little orange miracle pellets.

 

They are!

 

WHY DO THEY TAKE SUCH PRIDE IN THEIR POOTS? They're like 4th grade boys!

 

OMGOSH I KNOW!

[GeorgeofNE]

Well, my boy is small, but he only eats 1 cup 2x a day, plus his treats. My last boy was a bit bigger, but same amount.

[Guest FloridaGirl]

So I double checked on the feeding guidelines... 3 CUPS A DAY FOR HIS SIZE. It was sort of chaotic when I went to pick him up (another couple had shown up and they WANTED TO MEET AND ADOPT A DOG RIGHT. NOW.) and the lady who was telling me the feeding schedule was a new volunteer and...well, a bit scatterbrained bless her heart. Anyway, she told me and also wrote down 3 cups twice a day ("3 cups am and 3 cups pm")...but maybe she was thinking 3 cups split into two feedings?

 

Poor Claymore, I have stuffed him to the gills. Gonna grab some of those orange miracle pellets anyway, but until then Claymore is going to be getting major reduction in food intake! I feel like a dope for not trusting my initial instinct of "you have got to be joking".

[Tallgreydogmom]

Check your label on your food. We have some big boys that get 6 cups a day. You should be able to cut him back a little and see if he loses weight. We feed our's the grain free Nature's Domain from Costco, Salmon and Sweet Potato.

 

Did you deworm him? Not that he wasn't dewormed at the kennel. Worms are to dogs like a cold is to people. It happens.

[Time4ANap]

So I double checked on the feeding guidelines... 3 CUPS A DAY FOR HIS SIZE. It was sort of chaotic when I went to pick him up (another couple had shown up and they WANTED TO MEET AND ADOPT A DOG RIGHT. NOW.) and the lady who was telling me the feeding schedule was a new volunteer and...well, a bit scatterbrained bless her heart. Anyway, she told me and also wrote down 3 cups twice a day ("3 cups am and 3 cups pm")...but maybe she was thinking 3 cups split into two feedings?

 

Poor Claymore, I have stuffed him to the gills. Gonna grab some of those orange miracle pellets anyway, but until then Claymore is going to be getting major reduction in food intake! I feel like a dope for not trusting my initial instinct of "you have got to be joking".

 

Hold off on the carrots until he has adjusted to the brand of kibble and the amount you are feeding. When you start adding things, you have no idea how well (or not) the kibble is working for him. This will give you an idea of what is a "normal" stool for him so you can detect any major changes later on. The carrots work well, but depending on your hound's stomach, other treats, etc he may or may not need.

 

Rocket has stomach issues and we tried the carrots to see if they would make a difference in the frequency of those issues. They firmed up his stool and we haven't seen the type of stomach issues that he was having in a while.

 

Anytime you start changing the diet, make sure that you make only one change at a time, whether it's adding something, changing portions or brands, or giving add-ins like carrots, yogurt or pumpkin. Not every dog needs those add-ins, and we often see new adopters who read the info on the forums, and suddenly the dog has diarrhea because they added yogurt, pumpkin and beet pulp to the food, all at the same time. There is such a thing as "too much of a good thing!" In many cases, a dog needs no add-ins and the kibble works fine. Over time you will be able to detect those subtle changes by monitoring stools, his coat, skin flaking or itching etc. It's nice to be able to know that you added something a week before itching appeared, etc.

[Guest FloridaGirl]

Oh yes! I did research on the most similar ingredients/recipe to the brand he was on at the adoption facility. He was on Kirkland's chicken n' rice there, and since I don't have a Costco where I am, I had to find out what was closest. Turns out 4Health chicken n' rice is nearly identical, just sold by tractor supply, so that's what I've been giving him (and they gave me some of his Kirkland's food as well, so I've been transitioning over gently). The 2 glops of yogurt was already a part of his diet when he was there. Even though for me giving dairy to a critter is just completely against everything I ever learned, I'm going with what he's had at lest in this initial transition. My brain is yelling at me THIS IS WHAT IS CAUSING HIS DOODY ISSUES, DOOFUS but I know I can't be sure of that.

 

Many moons and one marriage ago, I went through a looooong ordeal with a skin condition pit mix pup who turned out to be allergic to pretty much everything but air - and the air had to be purified. Eventually she just had to be on Purina DCO (and NOTHING else) and hydroxizine caps permanently and everything settled out - normal poops and reasonable skin. I'm just having flashbacks to that ordeal!

[greysmom]

More than likely, you're not dealing with that sort of ordeal. It's just, as you suspect, a period of adjustment for him.

 

How much you feed will depend entirely on him and his new lifestyle. I almost never go by what it says on the label of the dog food - the dog food company is out to sell you as much dog food as they can, and, IMO, usually advise way overfeeding. Unless your dog is doing performance sports like lure coursing or straight racing there's probably no need for him to be getting that much food. (It also may be contributing to any anxiety he's feeling during the day if he has to poop more often.)

 

Your boy does get some nice walkies in, so I would begin by reducing each meal by 1/2 - 3/4 cup and see how it goes. You also want to get him in to a vet and check for worms - even if he was wormed at the adoption kennel he will probably need it again. I suspect that ultimately he will settle in at 2 cups or less per meal. Some dogs are lactose-intolerant and some are fine with dairy. Mine all love yogurt on their meals and it's an easy way to get them some probiotics daily. Use full fat yogurt and watch the sugar content. Take the calories into consideration when figuring out how much to feed him - and also for any treats he gets during the day.

 

As you know, you want him to maintain a healthy body weight. Generally for greyhounds that means the last few ribs being visible, a nice firm tuck up, maybe some hip bones and/or spine prominences (depending on his physique) apparent. Many people estimate a weight based on the dogs racing weight, which may or may not be accurate given injuries and racing schedule at the end of their careers.

 

I wouldn't add in anything to his food until he's a bit more stable, or you have clear evidence (or vet advice) that he needs it.

[Guest FloridaGirl]

greysmom- You are so nice, I really appreciate that. And I can definitely see that his heen heeeeening habit may just be because he always has a full tank because I was just gleefully going along and not questioning what I was doing. We do do (*snicker*) some nice walkies and we will eventually work up to longer adventures, and I do definitely plan on taking him to the vet/torture dungeon very soon (want to get him microchipped too!). I'm going to keep at the same feeding (food + yogurt) but reduce like you said.

 

I really love this forum - every one of you have been so patient with my constant "OK BUT NOW AM I KILLING HIM? WHAT ABOUT NOW? ...AND NOW?" posts. I keep cool and calm around him and then release all my anxiety on here. Thank you, new friends!

[Opals_mom]

All this time you were worried about him vomiting and he's so full I'm surprised he didn't Of course I'm sure now it'll be

YOU'RE STARVING ME MA'AM

[Hubcitypam]

I've always fed 4 cups a day for 70-80 pound dogs. It does depend to a degree how calorie dense your food is.

[Guest FloridaGirl]

I fed him a heaping 2 cups for dinner (+ yogurt glob) and he seems quite pleased with it! He wasn't looking for more or anything. Just like "Well, I certainly appreciate this delicious meal, ma'am." And then we sat around and cuddled a little and bonded, and then went on a delightful walkies. And his poo was formed. And now he is peacefully comatose in his crate, listening to the scary jesus channel on the radio (the only one that comes in on my alarm clock). He's not even heen heeeening for the bunnies as they are out for their evening exercise.

 

I am realistic that this is a mere gold nugget in a long road ahead, but I am thankful for it. We've both had a lovely evening in step with each other. It's almost like the equivalent of a really good date!

 

Aww, right before I was going to click "post" the demon child downstairs decided to have a screaming tantrum and throw what I assume to be bricks at the wall. It makes the whole apartment shake when she does this. He woke up and heeen heeened, which he has full right to (I feel the same way). Then he turned over and promptly restarted his coma.

[FiveRoooooers]

All this time you were worried about him vomiting and he's so full I'm surprised he didn't Of course I'm sure now it'll be

YOU'RE STARVING ME MA'AM

Yep. Split between two meals daily, my 70 and 74# boys each get 3 cups of kibble, the 79# boy gets 4 cups. The girl dogs amaze me. Bea is 72# and is just holding her weight beautifully with 4 cups a day. (Foster)Sweet was a little girl, 62#, and packed away 4 cups a day. We were like, where is she putting it?!

[Walliered]

Take a fresh stool sample with you. Otherwise it will be old rooter tooter way of getting it and most dogs hate that.

[Guest FloridaGirl]

Oh gosh yes! I don't know how many times I told a client to simply bring in relatively fresh doody and we wouldn't have to do the ol' poke n' twist. So many people just don't want to bother, but I always thought - ok, would YOU like a stick swirlin' up your hiney? IS IT THAT HARD TO FIND A PLASTIC BAG?

[OwnedBySummer]

FloridaGirl, I love the way you express yourself. Thanks for the smile!

 

And yes, I, too, think that 6 cups is a bit much. It does depend on the type of food and exercise levels, of course, but that's still a lot.

My 68-69 lb. girl gets a chicken/brown rice kibble at about 350 cal./cup and she gets 1 1/4 cups in the morning (no add ins other than water) and 1 can of moist food for dinner (no more kibble with this but she does get salmon oil on the meal). A few dehydrated treats here and there, a small milkbone at bedtime and that's her done for the day.

[Guest Bean_Scotch]

I feed my dogs(all 9 of them) once a day. Most of them get their bowls full(probably about 5-6 cups) and some get 1/2 full(2-3 cups). I don't measure their food, I just adjust what I'm giving them based on their weight. If they look fat(I can't see the last 2-3 ribs) then I cut their food. If they're skinny, I'll up their food...works well for us.

[shawna]

Cosmo came from Southland. He raced at 86 lbs and came to me on 5 cups a day. He's down to three and weighs 88 now. We feed Fromms and rotate the proven sources every couple of bags. I had to take him off the yogurt, it was making NASTY RUNNY POO and the gas was horrid. I add coconut oil, fish oil, and he gets pb in a kong.

 

Best of luck adapting to each other.

[Guest AimeeBee]

I agree with suspecting that the yogurt might be contributing Claymore's gas/soft poo issues. Some dogs are ok with dairy and some aren't. Maybe he's in the "aren't" category, or can have it occasionally with little effect but not every day. Mine absolutely loves yogurt, but if he has it too often it gives him serious gas.

 

George was eating about 5-6 cups a day when I got him and was losing weight on that amount (he had been retired about 2 months at that point so I suspect his metabolism was still very high). He now gets ~4 cups a day plus coconut oil and treats and hovers around 76lbs (raced at 77lbs). How long has Claymore been retired? I think you just have to continue to keep an eye on his condition and use your best judgment of how much is too much/too little until he settles in.

 

Sounds like you are on the right path though!

Edited February 28, 2015 by AimeeBee

[Burpdog]

Haven't read all the replies. The kind of food depends on how much you feed. Some of the cheaper food you might feed 6 cups whereas a better food you can feed 3 cups.

[Guest FloridaGirl]

Hey all - here's a bulleted update:

• Moved to 4 cups a day and he's happy and trim
• Poos are FORMED AND NORMAL (*decent doody dance*)
• Energy levels normal, not begging (but now very interested in training treats, which is heck yes!)
• Significantly LESS DOODY taking out 2 cups of food a day
• Added coconut oil because I just can't do fish oil. Bleh.
• Also I take the coconut oil too so we're both healthy.
• Got some olewo carrots juuuust in case the coconut oil doesn't help clear up his flaky itchy winter skin after a while.

Thanks all for your suggestions!

[Guest FloridaGirl]

Even though his poos have somewhat firmed up, his gas was still mighty. And I just had this gut feeling that the yogurt was causing it. So I replaced yogurt altogether with Olewo carrots, and not only does he adore them (plus gets more hydration) his poots are down to normal dog level. It's only been about 24 hours on the carrots and zero yogurt and it's a noticeable difference (seriously, I have a fan going all night and plenty of ventilation, but MAN O MAN was that nonsense frequent!)

 

In short: YAY