How Much Do You Feed Your Greyhound?

[Guest henrytow]

From talking with other owners, there seems to be a wide dispersion in the amout of food greyhounds need every day. I can think of body weight, level of activity, age, and metabolism level as reasons for healthy dogs to differ.

It would be too complicated to run a poll that tried to adjust for even one of these factors, but I would be interested in the answers to the basic question:

How much do you feed your dog?

[woolfy]

 

A good rule to go by to keep them healthy is:

 

Take there racing weight and add 3-5% to that for there normal weight

 

Divide that by 15-20 and that will give you the amount of cups per day to feed them.

 

We feed Pro Plan and if you look on the bag under there weight it comes out the same as doing the math above. A fat greyhound can cause some serious health problem and skeletal problems as they get older as there bones won't be able to take the extra weight.

 

Also take into consideration dog bones and table scraps you feed them to see if that has a tendency to put on weight.

 

You should be able to see there last three ribs and have an hour glass shape to them.

 

Woolfy

Edited April 5, 2004 by woolfy

[Guest 2dogz]

I feed Nutro about 6.5 cups a day. I have a very very very big boy.

He's slim. Moderate activity. Sleeps most of the day but runs

full out twice a day or as the mood strikes. His weight is around

86lbs, he's been as high as 92 and still looked very slim.

[Guest jananice]

I dthink a lot of it depends on the quality of the food. I was feeding Walter about 5 cups of Nutro a day, but when I switched him to Natural Balance, he only eats 3 cups a day. He's 86.5 lbs (and maintains it perfectly...I weigh him every month).

 

Rosy is 63 lbs and eats 2 cups a day of NB.

[Greytlady94]

I don't think that this can be covered in a poll using quantity since all dog foods are not created equally, it's going to vary widely depending on what you feed. I have a 91 pound male who is in excellent shape, but could lose a couple pounds, and he eats 3 1/2 to 4 cups a day. You also have to take into consideration that all dogs are not getting the same amount of exercise.

I am feeding him Chicken Soup For The Pet Lovers Soul.

[Jiffer]

I was feeding 3cups Iams and he gained, switched to 4 cups Eagle Select Holistic and he lost. So it really does depend on the food type! Right now he's on about 4 1/2 cups mixed Eagle and Proplan.

[Guest 2dogz]

**oh and I also give 6 or 7 cookies a day.

[Guest CoachGrieber]

I give my girl 4 - 4.5 cups of Nutro daily. I'm new to greyhound ownership, but, when I took her back to tthe agency I got her from so my rep could fuss over her, I was told that she's looking GREYT! (which made me very happy )

 

oh yeah... and the occaisional greenie and cookie here and there

[Mystella]

1 cup kibble a.m.

1 cup kibble p.m.

 

with both feedings she gets some additions, usually veggies but sometimes a scrambled egg or some chicken or beef.

 

I know this doesn't sound like much food but my girl has a tendency to gain weight easily, plus it is Eagle Pack Holistic and smaller amounts are sufficient.

Edited April 5, 2004 by Mystella

[Guest ProudGreyMom]

Jake weighs 92 lbs and he gets 5 cups. Andy weighs 66 lbs and he gets about 3 cups. They also get pumpkin, yogurt, cookies and veggies, and they eat different brands of food.

[Guest Jodie]

Rusty gets around 3 cups of Wellness. He also gets cookies, peanut butter and yogurt during the day too.

[Paula]

Dash weighs 80 lbs., and has been getting 3 cups of Nutro a day, for over 3 years.

[Guest GreyhoundGrrl]

We do 4 cups a day here, and I think she's a great weight

[SarahMarie]

Tuna is a small female (50 - 55 pounds) and she gets Pro Plan dry dog food - Extra Care, Natural Turkey & Barley. She eats 2 to 2 and 1/2 cups per day. This is the perfect food for her.

 

 

From the Pro Plan website:

 

Feed to normally active, healthy adult dogs and dogs with sensitivites to more common pet food ingredient sources. Using turkey and barley may help address some of these issues; consult your veterinarian. Like all Pro Plan® formulas, this food is formulated to bolster your dog's key protective systems - the immune system, digestive system and skin & coat systems.

 

* Unique ingredients like turkey and barley for dogs with sensitivities to more common pet food ingredients.

* Rich in whole grain barley, rice and oat meal as natural sources of B-Vitamins.

* Uses natural corn gluten meal as a concentrated, high quality, highly digestible protein source.

* No added artificial colors, flavors.

* Naturally preserved with Vitamin E.

* Optimal protein to fat ratio helps maintain lean body mass to help dogs stay stronger, longer.

* Appropriate levels of fat and calories to help keep dogs at a healthy weight.

* Calcium, phosphorus & other minerals for strong bones and teeth.

* Complete nutrition with vital antioxidants helps support a healthy immune system.

* Helps reduce accumulation of plaque and tartar for dental health.

* Vitamin A and Omega-6 fatty acids promote healthy skin and a lustrous coat.

* Highly digestible for maximum nutrient delivery and small, firm stools.

* Recommended by Veterinarians.

 

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein (Min) 26.0%

Crude Fat (Min) 16.0%

Crude Fiber (Max) 3.0%

Moisture (Max) 12.0%

Linoleic Acid (Min) 1.4%

Calcium (Ca) (Min) 1.0%

Phosphorus (P) (Min) 0.8%

Selenium (Se) (Min) 0.30 mg/kg

Vitamin A (Min) 15,000 IU/kg

Vitamin E (Min) 460 IU/kg

Ascorbic Acid** (Min) 70 mg/kg

 

** Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food

Nutrient Profiles

 

Ingredients:

Turkey, barley, brewers rice, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), chicken meal, oat meal, corn gluten meal, fish meal, egg product, natural flavors, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, calcium carbonate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), zinc sulfate, ascorbic acid (source of Vitamin C), ferrous sulfate, riboflavin supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite. M-4460

Edited April 6, 2004 by DeweyGreyhound

[PatricksMom]

Patrick gets about 3 1/2 cups per day of Canidae, split into two meals, plus flax seed oil, vegetables, and usually a canidae cookie.

 

edited to add: Patrick came to me weighing 69 lbs, now he's 73 lbs, with a couple ribs visible.

Edited April 6, 2004 by Patrick'sMom

[Guest moon880]

Sonic & Ty get 1 3/4 c. twice a day right now.

[Guest cvacchia]

I'm feeding 4 because I have to take into account his greenies, milkbones, denties, and kongs stuffed with yogurt and goodies!

[RyanUOP06]

1.5 cups of Chicken Soup in the morning plus 1.5 cups and about an inch of Natural Balance "dog salami" in the evening. She maintains a weight of 57-58 pounds.

[Guest minnie]

We feed nutro here. When we got Cowboy he weighed 79 pounds we had him since Oct 2003, we took him to the vet about three weeks ago and he weighs 86. The vet said he was perfect weight .He gets 2 and a half cups morn and same at supper. We also give him cookies and greenies.

[Guest LynnM]

Nutro High Energy here. Joplin eats 4 to 4 1/2 cups per day. If he needs to gain, we go to 5 cups plus a can per day. My last foster, Rudy was up to 9 cups for the first 2 weeks. Another foster, Thunderdude, needed to lose and only got 3 cups per day along with MAJOR exercise.

 

I also like to fast the dogs (that don't need to gain weight) for a day every couple of weeks.

 

Lynn

[Guest aalvt1971]

Domino, my big goofus, gets 2 cups twice. Canidae.

Sierra, my little bean girl gets 1 1/2 cups twice. Canidae.

 

I've always gone with about 1 cup dry/20 lbs body weight and it has worked wonderfully.

 

Angel

[Guest Movinhammerhead]

I have only been a Grey mom for a couple of weeks now, and the one thing that I couldn't get over is the fact that they eat so little for them to be so big. My foster parents fed Harry 5 cups a day split up into two times a day. That seems like such a small amount. When he eats, he acts like he is starving, but I figure that is probably because he had to fight for his food some. He is not skinny by any means. Not fat either. He is just a big healthy boy.

[Guest ejw]

1 cup in the am, 1 cup at night. Eagle Pack Holistic. Both girls get a turkey neck in the am and pm, (a half hour to a full hour before the kibble) plus a cup of veggie slop with their supper kibble. They got a tad pudgy over the winter. Once they slim down a bit, which they are doing, they will resume 1 1/2 cups each meal and I'll stop the veggie slop for a while (some days it just gets pooped out!) And lately a small handful of popcorn. I'm on a popcorn streak and they are major bums as soon as it comes out of the microwave!

[Guest Greymom19]

I vote for four cups of food day but what Bluebell actually eats is much less. She eats Canine K/D with a handful of Kibbles 'N Bits thrown on top to make it more tasty. She is SO picky! I swear she has weekly hunger strikes! I've taken the attitude "here's your food, you can eat it or not." After searching madly for hidden Milkbones, she usually goes to her bowl and eats (usually!)

[Guest kristijewell]

We feed sensitive stomach formulas (no corn) by Nutro, Pro Plan, and Nature's Recipe. She gets about 2 and a half cups of kibble plus one can of food per day. We just started doing the canned, so we may have to adjust those levels as she goes along.