Hungry dog

[danny7299]

Hi there

we have recently got a 2yr old westy dog, who always seem to be hungery, we also have a boarder terrior ***** who is about 5yr old. We feed them the same size portions but the wasty seems to still be hungry.

We feed them on dry dog food a little bit in the morning And about 2 small handfuls in the evening .

There are no signs of worms or anything like that.

I was just wondering a) how much to feed him, B) is dry complete dog food ok or do they need some meat?

Many thanks

 

[Badger]

Hi therewe have recently got a 2yr old westy dog, who always seem to be hungery, we also have a boarder terrior ***** who is about 5yr old. We feed them the same size portions but the wasty seems to still be hungry.

We feed them on dry dog food a little bit in the morning And about 2 small handfuls in the evening .

There are no signs of worms or anything like that.

I was just wondering a) how much to feed him, B) is dry complete dog food ok or do they need some meat?

Many thanks

is the westy an active dog?

 

[danny7299]

Yes we walk them about 3-5 miles a day and they play alot at home

 

[Apache]

There will be a feeding guide on the bag based on the dogs weight. This is your initial guide as to how much your dog needs. You will notice it gives a range as every dog is different, and as Badger points out, the activity level of the dog plays a big part in the amount of calories your dog needs.

The next vital piece of information is what sort of condition is your Westie in? More than half the dogs I see are overweight to some degree. Your dog should have a waste (go in behind the ribs when viewed from above) and you should be able to feel ribs with no pressure, but not be able to see them.

What food do you feed them? If it is a complete food then they don't need any meat or supplements. Meat every now and again is ok for a treat. You have to be careful with dry food as it is very concentrated interms of calories. The analagy I give atleast once a day is:

"if you take a tin of Pedigree Chum and put it in a blow, then refill the empty tin with dry food and put it in a second bowl there is approximately 4 times as many calories in the same volume of dry food"!

Much of your tin of wet food is water! People frequently overfeed their dogs if they have moved from wet to dry food.

That said, I feed my own dog based on body condition, giving her the same every day and if she gets a bit fat, reduce it. If she gets a bit thin give her more (might happen one day!). If she gets any human food scraps I cut her dry food down significantly for the day.

So long as your dog is not fat (some dogs are just plain greedy) and you can feels ribs and see a waste and is fit and well then I wouldn't worry.

You should worm the dog every 3 months as a minimum.

 

[danny7299]

That's really helpful info... The westy is in good shape the boarder is a little tubby but westy is chasing the boarder enough for her to loose weight.

Many thanks for the info

 

[Apache]

That's really helpful info... The westy is in good shape the boarder is a little tubby but westy is chasing the boarder enough for her to loose weight. Many thanks for the info

No problem mate