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Post by Heather (& KC) on Feb 26, 2013 7:38:10 GMT -5
Okay, not me (I wish), our new boy. ;D
Thunder has been home a week and is settling in fabulously. He's established Thunder Hill as his personal bathroom and has de-wormed his way into our hearts. Yes, the tummy passengers have been eradicated (hopefully).
So, now that his tummy worms are gone, he's still ravenous. He needs to gain 3or 4 pounds Bill said and I trust the number....all I know is we see too many ribs.
He's a total foodie. We're feeding him 2 heaping cups twice a day and another handful at bedtime. He would eat more and needs to gain weight. How much is too much. Should we increase his meals (which he inhales) or should we give a little more at bedtime? Thoughts? This is new to us. Mister Max was a grazer and always had food in his bowl!
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Post by GreyPoopon on Feb 26, 2013 8:31:10 GMT -5
It can take a while for the extra food to make a difference if a dog has had tummy trouble. He might not gain weight for a while and then suddenly gain a lot.
There are a lot of variables: dog weight, food type, activity, and so on. But, FWIW, Graham (should be 85 lbs) lost weight in the fall due to antibiotics, and then it got cold, and he's now getting over 2 1/2 cups twice/day (ProPlan beef).
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troysmom
Hound Nut
Troy & Leopold
Posts: 1,717
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Post by troysmom on Feb 26, 2013 9:32:08 GMT -5
I agree with Greypoopon. When Ghost came home he was a twig and very hungry all the time. It took him a month or so to start to fill in. I free ranged Troy so he had to get used to that but over time his eating habits settled. Now he has free range as well as his homemade meal at dinner and he is doing just fine.
Glad to hear Thunder wiggled his way into your hearts and is doing great.
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Post by maidmarcia on Feb 26, 2013 9:34:37 GMT -5
Licorice has gained about 11-12 lbs since I adopted him and he looks amazing. We have had random people call him "thick" "heavy" and "fat", but I don't think he's any of those things. He just doesn't look like a starved dog any more. Judge for yourself He was 73 lbs when I got him almost 2 years ago. He's around 85 now.
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Post by newtothis1 on Feb 26, 2013 18:10:35 GMT -5
I truly think each dog is different. Scully came off the track at 64 lbs I've had him one year and two months and he is only 67 lbs. He eats 4 cups a day, sometimes more if he's emptied his bowl. On top of that he gets cookies and treats, Two nice long walks a day and runs three times a week. He is a small male to start and his ribs still show slightly.
My rather long winded way of saying that unless he is badly underweight, don't try to hard to put the weight on.
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Redhead
Grey Lover
Teague (Natural Red Head)
Posts: 823
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Post by Redhead on Feb 26, 2013 18:34:46 GMT -5
I wouldn't give him much more than he is supposed to have in a day, it is probably better to gradually put on the weight. You can add in some extra protein sources if you want as well which always helps to put on weight and keep them full. 3-4 pounds isn't really a lot of weight to gain, with a little extra food he will be there in no time! Teague actually weighs a pound or two less than some of his racing weights.
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Post by angelollie on Feb 26, 2013 21:04:45 GMT -5
I agree .... it'll be much easier on Thunder to increase his weight gradually rather then have several pounds put on quickly. And he may not be just ravenous from the tummy travellers but also from the excitement and changes of settling into his new home, etc. It will take a few months for his metabolism to slow down then he'll put some weight on. I wouldn't be too concerned at this point. Believe me, the weight will come.
Thunder sounds like he is settling in beautifully.
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oliviablonsky
Junior Grey Lover
Zeke, Addison, Hunter, & Mayleigh!
Posts: 367
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Post by oliviablonsky on Mar 1, 2013 20:08:33 GMT -5
My two girls have put on a bit of weight since i've had them and they were each getting 3 cups a day and my vet told me they could each be getting 4 cups a day. on both of them the ribs still show, and the back hip bones too. Addie weighed in last time at 62lbs, and Mayleigh in at 59lbs. They seem happy and to be honest mine are ALWAYS ravenous. they aren't losing any weight they just really enjoy eating. they are fed twice daily, but if i put food in front of them once or twice more each day, i'm sure it would be gone .... i guess some just like their food hope this helps. good luck!
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Post by lotsoffreetime on Mar 1, 2013 20:28:55 GMT -5
FWIW, we have had different experiences with all five of ours when it comes to putting weight on and appetite. Merlin and Tiana would be what you would call "self regulators" who would be unlikely to eat more than they need to eat to maintain their weight, although Merlin would eat if we let him free-feed and we have to watch his weight a bit. Tiana is a true self-regulator and never ever over eats. They both gained weight slowly when they got home with no issues. Tiana weighs 63 pounds and Merlin weighs 85 pounds. She gets 1 & 1/3 cup of food twice a day and he gets 1&1/2 cups (we cut his food back a bit a few months ago to drop his weight down...I suspect he weighs about 80 pounds now, but haven't had him weighed since we decreased his food...but now we can see the weight he has lost, and he looks healthier for it).
Rio and Mirage are total chow-hounds and will not stop eating...ever! If we left the food containers open, they would gorge themselves until they were sick. But, whereas Rio is overweight, Mirage is not...you can see her ribs still and she seems to have a nit of difficulty keeping weight on. We really struggle with Rio...she weighs 75 pounds, but is not a big girlie, just stocky and overweight. We feed her only 1 cup of food twice a day, less even than Tiana who is smaller than Rio, and Rio still is losing weight very very very slowly. Medically, Rio is healthy...it is just different metabolisms. Mirage weighs about 63 pounds like Tiana, and gets the same amount of food as Tiana, but could occassionally we have to adjust it and increase it if we see her losing weight.
Willy has been our problem. For the longest time after we got him, he could not really gain enough weight for our liking, and he lost it quickly. We could see his ribs and some of his vertebrae. He is much taller than Rio, but weighs 75 pounds like she does. He has a decent appetite, but is not a piggy like Rio and Mirage.... he stops eating when he is full. He gets the most food of our 5....2 cups twice a day. We finally have him where we want him....looking healthy with a decent weight on him.
I guess my point is, it can take a while to figure out what your dog is like, because each dog is different. As long as he is gaining weight and looks healthy, then everything is going along fine.
I don't think I have had a chance to congratulate you on adopting Thunder yet....what a wonderful addition to your home! I can't wait to hear about your continuing adventures with him!
Janette and the Crazy Quints
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Post by Heather (& KC) on Mar 2, 2013 8:56:30 GMT -5
Oh my! I do wonder how you keep 5 straight. LOL.
Thanks every one! I'll stop worrying about my hoover boy. Hopefully he'll learn that food will be regular and predictable.
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Post by rubylottie14 on Mar 2, 2013 11:25:49 GMT -5
I used to worry a huge amount about Zak, my 1st greyhound (bridge baby) as his spine always showed. his little hip bones were visible and his ribs too all this inspite of giving him proper amounts of food, and he had lots of human treats too like bacon, bread and butter with peanut butter, cheese, yoghurt, eggs etc etc etc. He had nothing wrong with him, no illness etc. He had been starved along with 3 other greyhounds and locked in a shed and had been rescued by the RSPCA. I often wondered if the starving meant he couldn't put on weight. He was 21 kilos when they first got him. When I had him he had reached 28/29 and stayed at that.
I spent a very long time feeling that people would think I was not giving him enough food. After a long time I took a deep breath, told myself he was eating well and was simply a greyhound that wasn't going to put on an ounce.
It is hard when you have a skinny malinks - but his coat was shiney, his teeth were good and his health was tip top.
I understand how you feel Heather.
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