Add Things To Help Her Feel Full... Fiber?

[Guest mgodwin]

Hey gang,

 

I need a bit of advice. Ginny is on Orijen alternating between Original and Six Fish. She loves it!! I feed 1 cup 2x/day per the recommendation on the bag (she's 64lbs). The only problem is when she's finished, she still seems to be ravenous. If I feed any more than 2c/day she gains. If I feed less, she loses. So, it looks like 2c/day is where she needs to be from a calorie perspective. What are some things I can add to her food to help her feel full/sated without adding extra calories? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Time4ANap]

Green beans.

[JAJ2010]

Green beans! When Sunshine started a medicine that's side effects was ravenous hunger, she was eating a costco giant green bean can every two days!

[Guest mgodwin]

Green beans.

 

 

Green beans! When Sunshine started a medicine that's side effects was ravenous hunger, she was eating a costco giant green bean can every two days!

 

I had heard about green beans! Every dog will be different, but how much would you recommend feeding per meal?

[Beachbum1]

Face (88 pounds and 6-1/2 years old) gets a half a can of no-salt cut green beans with breakfast and dinner.

I had cut his food back around 20%.

 

He also gets a half a can in the early evening, as a snack.

 

He LOVES his green beans, while Taylor thinks I am poisoning him if I put one in front of his nose.

[Hubcitypam]

Another vote for green beans. Vet recommended.

[Time4ANap]

Start with a half can and adjust from there as needed. I usually buy the "Ends and Pieces" which gives you a full can of green beans instead of some whole beans and a bunch of water.

[juliemac]

Olewo carrots (or beets) can also help fill her up ... Riley won't touch any vegetable that has a recognizable shape, so I also shop sales in the baby food aisle.

[macoduck]

Green beans.

[Roo]

He LOVES his green beans, while Taylor thinks I am poisoning him if I put one in front of his nose.

 

Terrier Daisy has this reaction! I tried giving her green beans (because healthy and filling!) and held one in front of her nose. She gave it a small lick, then looked at me as though I had deeply offended her by offering her such a thing.

[greysmom]

You can use just about any kind of vegetable that your dog will eat. We use canned pumpkin or sweet potato (the organic mashed kind, not the packed in syrup kind) though you have to be careful as they can cause loose stools in some dogs.

 

If you need a LOT of fiber many turn to beet pulp. This is the magic ingredient on the Iams green bag dog food that firms up so many dog's poops. You can buy it in (large) bulk at feed stores. It does need to be reconstituted before serving. It's pretty economical too.

 

You can add overcooked rice, pasta, beans, or other carbs too just be careful about the added calories.

[TINMANPDX]

Olewo carrots (or beets) can also help fill her up ... Riley won't touch any vegetable that has a recognizable shape, so I also shop sales in the baby food aisle.

I second this! It really fills out their meal, plus they seem to like the taste, and poos are firmer.

[RedHead]

Another thing you can do is try to slow down the regular meal eating. Some dogs just scarf down their food in two seconds and immediately want more. You could try putting it into a kong, or better yet, one of those puzzle toys. You can even just scatter feed it around a room so your pup has to sniff and search it out (this is a natural behaviour and they love it!). That way, the eating process actually tires them out (and is mentally stimulating), so they seem more satisfied afterwards.

 

If you don't want your pup to gain weight, I personally wouldn't add too many starchy foods (i.e. sugars) in as extras..

[Guest mgodwin]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I think I'm going to give the green beans a shot and see how it works out! I'll keep ya posted!

 

Another thing you can do is try to slow down the regular meal eating. Some dogs just scarf down their food in two seconds and immediately want more. You could try putting it into a kong, or better yet, one of those puzzle toys. You can even just scatter feed it around a room so your pup has to sniff and search it out (this is a natural behaviour and they love it!). That way, the eating process actually tires them out (and is mentally stimulating), so they seem more satisfied afterwards.

 

If you don't want your pup to gain weight, I personally wouldn't add too many starchy foods (i.e. sugars) in as extras..

 

This describes Ginny to a T. She scarfs down her food VERY quickly. It's to the point that she has to hack up a piece of kibble that tried to go down her trachea. I'll look into finding a way to get her to slow down. Thanks for the input!

[Fruitycake]

We found that adding about 1/2 cup of water to Monty's kibble slowed him down enormously! Those kibbles get slippery and it takes him over twice as long to finish. (Might help the belly feel fuller, too.)

[GeorgeofNE]

I have never met a dog that didn't act like it was starving any time they thought they might get more food out of you.

 

I also have a 64 pound dog, and I feed him 1 cup 2x a day. He also gets a large Milk Bone when I leave for work, and another one before bedtime, and a few treats here and there.

 

If anything, he could lose a pound or two. Maybe I'm mean, or maybe I'm just used to being around dogs my entire life, but I don't give it a thought when he looks at me like he is starving (usually when I'm eating). I just assume he's being a dog!

[Hubcitypam]

I free fed for years and years until Poodle became diabetic...and yes, I could tell who was eating from the noises at the bowl. Especially if it's an only dog and once you can work through the initial phase and they know the food will be there sometimes it really does work and is a great stress reliever. I just kept an eye on what I put down but not one of many dogs of multiple breeds ever gorged his/herself after they knew the food would be there.

[Jerilyn]

Not everyone likes green beans.

 

[Hubcitypam]

That looks like a fresh or frozen one. Canned were the key here...They have no sodium ones.

[Guest mgodwin]

So I added green beens and she loved them! But, she was still behaving in a similar way. So I took Redhead's advice and started feeding her in a large "Kong Wobbler."She LOVES it and it now takes her about 7-8 minutes to get through a full cup. She seems much more content after eating now.

 

We found that adding about 1/2 cup of water to Monty's kibble slowed him down enormously! Those kibbles get slippery and it takes him over twice as long to finish. (Might help the belly feel fuller, too.)

 

I was adding water to her food already, per the recommendation from another grey owner. It still only took her about a minute to finish a full cup.

 

Not everyone likes green beans.

 

 

OMG! Absolutely beautiful! Ginny apparently loves green beens haha!

[RaineysMom]

another suggestion for GB's when Rainey started with seizures she was ravenous all the time, thank God for green beans. I would buy 20 16oz frozen packages at a time when on sale. I'd just defrost under running water for a few minutes and they were ready to go. They are so low in calories I didn't worry about overfeeding her them.

[Guest jpreston409]

You can use just about any kind of vegetable that your dog will eat. We use canned pumpkin or sweet potato (the organic mashed kind, not the packed in syrup kind) though you have to be careful as they can cause loose stools in some dogs.

 

If you need a LOT of fiber many turn to beet pulp. This is the magic ingredient on the Iams green bag dog food that firms up so many dog's poops. You can buy it in (large) bulk at feed stores. It does need to be reconstituted before serving. It's pretty economical too.

 

You can add overcooked rice, pasta, beans, or other carbs too just be careful about the added calories.

How much beet pulp would you add to his dinner? Several of my OTTBs are on beet pulp all winter so I have it readily available, just never considered it for my grey (who conveniently is going through some soft stool issues as we try to figure out what works for him food wise).