How much is enough?

[Rudy's mom - MI]

Just wanted to get some advice from other dachie owners. Our Rudy is 16 months old and loves to eat! When I took him to the vet in Dec. his weight was 11.9 and the Dr. said he was overweight ( he was starting to look a little pudgy ) I would like to know how much a mini should have to eat. I was feeding him 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 in the pm with lots of treats (because of his training) After the Dr. visit I changed it to 1/3 cup and less treats. He eats Iams mini chunks. I thinks he has lost a few ounces, but I am interested in knowing how much other moms/dads feed their mini's. I think his ideal weight should be around 10 or 10 1/2 lbs. Rudy is anxiously awaiting your reply.
Thanks!

Rudy's mom - MI :dog:

[blazeman]

That standrard for the mini is 11lbs. Jake was the same way when we were in class. At first he got a little pudgy, then I cut back on his food a little. I also went from 1/2AM & 1/2PM to 1/3 each times. Jake was alsy being walked about a mile everyday.

As for the ideal weight of your dog, it would depend on his build, and height. Jake is right now at 12.3, but he doesn't look fat at all, but I am thinking will loose a pound when we start the walks.

So basically... I am no help :)

[dutchman]

Just like people every dog is an individual. Some can eat large amounts and will still be thin others can hardly eat any thing at all w/o putting on the weight. I have three boys Frank 18.5#, Tanner 11.5# and Dexter 10.5#. Frank gets about 1/3 cup twice a day. Tanner and Dexter get at most half that amount. They also average two puperonies a day. One morning and one noon when I go to work. Be aware the suggested feeding amounts listed on the food bags are as a general rule greatly overstated and will result in a very fat dog.

I think the rib test is one of the best ways to monitor teir weight. Run your finger over their ribs. IF you can't feel the ribs w/o applying heavy pressure you have a major weight problem. The ideal weight you dan feel teh individual ribs easily but they don't stand out visually. If your fingers just fall into the space between the ribs and you can see them stand out when you look at teh dog it is underweight. IF you want to use weight as a guide for how they are doing a baby scale or a shipping scale work best for our little buddies. A bathroom scale even a good doigital one just can't get you a good enough reading for these little guys. The +- 1-2# difference you get just stepping off and on checking you own weight w/o the dog is too ig a percentage of your dogs totl weight. I have a digital shipping scale I purchased at Sam's club that I will use from time to time. IF you are lucky your vet may keep their scale in the lobby and won't mind your dropping in from time to time to check out how the diet is going. That has the bonues of getting the dog use to visiting the vet w/o any thing happening to them. That meanas less stress going through the dor when you do visit for an exam.

Good luck,

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[mamaw]

The rib test is the most accurate test to know if your dachsie is overweight or underweight. sometimes we have to adjust the amount of food they get (including snacks) depending on their size.

[Rkax]

To see pics of a rib check click here http://www.purina.com/dogs/nutrition.asp?article=286

[Rudy's mom - MI]

I took Rudy to the vet today just to get him weighed to see how well he was doing on his two month diet. I was guessing maybe he had lost 4 oz. but couldn't believe it when it showed he weighed 12 lbs.! He gained! from 11.9 to 12.0 It looks like I will be reducing him to 1/4 cups now instead of the 1/3. Wow, 1/4 cup just seems like almost nothing (and I'm sure that's what Rudy will be thinking also.) His ribs do seem to still be a little more padded than they should be. Hopefully when the weather starts to get better we will get back to our walks. Does anyone else have a ten or eleven pound mini that eats 1/4 cup of dog food twice a day? Would like to hear from you. Thanks!

Rudy's mom - MI :dog:

[Mark]

Hi RM-MI,

Here's how we feed our 2 minis . . . they each get a mini carrot at noonish, 2/3 cup of kibble coated with can food and pure pumpkin at 3 PM and 2 small dog treats (like milk bones) at 7:30ish (PM). If they needed to lose weight . . . 1/4 cup twice a day wouldn't be that far off from what they get.

Perhaps a different brand of food that digests better would also help. Most people here know that we feed Nutro Natural Choice (NOT Nutro Max). It digests very well and the stools are firm. If you do switch foods . . . be sure to make the change gradually.

I hopes this helps . . . and please keep us posted.

[Cindi]

Dachshunds would eat till they burst if they could....well most of them!!! Although the reg's say mini's should weigh 11 pounds or under some will weigh much less and depending on their genetics some will weigh ah-hum....more. I have a 13# boy in good weight who eats 1/2 cup raw mix + 1/4 c kibble a day plus cookies but he runs and runs and runs and in good weather we do lots of agility training.

#2 dog weighs 11#. He get 1/4 cup kibble + 1 tablespoon raw mix once a day (I feed breakfast), 1/2 cookie dinner, 1/2 cookie bedtime.

#3 dog weigh 11.75# and she is, I admit, a tad pudgy BUT she also only gets a little over 1/4 cup kibble + 1 tablespoon raw mix, 1/2 cookie dinner, 1/2 cookie bedtime

When Dad is home I do believe he slips in more cookies.

If your dog is not losing weight, you must cut down on calories in some manner. 1 cup per day is, IMO, of mini chunks is too much for a 16 month old dog that is not working his tail off during the day :) 1/2 cup per day would be maximum for a moderately active dog. If he is moderately active and you are giving cookies, count those cookies in his calories and cut down his food to account for the cookies - he won't like you BUT you can fill his bowl with a little warm water and add some pumpkin or green beans to help his tummy feel full. His waistline and his heart will love you.

Cindi

[Rudy's mom - MI]

Well, I'm working on a new plan. I sure want to take good care of our baby and don't want him to be overweight. I think I will start with reducing his food to 1/8 cup am, 1/4 pm , & 1 small milkbone evening. I would also like to try the baby carrot, green beans and pumpkin. What kind of pumpkin do you use? (no salt, no sugar, canned?) Also what kind of green beans? (canned, frozen, no salt?) Thanks for all of your help. I'm new at being a dachsie mom so I need all the advice I can get. I'll just keep working with this until I find the right amounts for him. Oh also Rudy loves to chew the light brown colored rawhides. Do they have alot of fat in them?

Rudy's mom - MI :dog:

[Mark]

Hi again,

We don't know about (and don't use) the rawhides, but someone at DBB will, I'm sure.

The pumpkin is canned PURE pumpkin, not pumpkin mix. We've also used canned green beans, no salt added.

Good luck and keep us posted. :)

[juliette]

If you are also looking for treats other than milkbones (very high fat, not very nutrious), try any of the following:

mini carrots (been suggested before, but everyone's dogs except mine love them
Grapes (my spoiled rotten slobs insist on seedless and peeled if possible - I am NOT kidding)
Steamed green veggies

The other alternative is to keep back a little of the kibble and feed it as a treat.

We've had to put Otto on a diet as this freezing winter means he hasn't been for his usual 1 1/2 - 2 hour walks and he was getting pudgy. He's back down to fighting weight now and look fabulous.

Good luck - be prepared for the guilt of puppy eyes for a few weeks!

[dutchman]

One word of caution on the grapes. I can't remember where but recently I saw a posting or news article that reported a respected source is not recommending grapes not be given as treats. It seems some dogs have a very bad (lethal) reaction to them and while the dosage that can be tollerated appears to very greatly from dog to dog the recommendation is now being made to aboid grapes (and rasins) as treats.

I just did a quick web search here is the ASPCA poison center's reprot ont he current grap investigations http://www.aspca.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8353

I can't remeber if that is what I had seen before or not. It's not as srongly worded at what I thought I rembered seeing. In any case it appears it's really too early to tell much but people might want to use caution introducing the grapes as a new treat till the studies have been completed.

Tom

[juliette]

Thanks Tom, this type of information sharing is exactly why I love DBB!!! Otto will not be happy (he adores grapes!), but no more grapes or raisens for him after that report!

Cheers
Juliette

[Cindi]

Steamed veggies :)....I'll send my husband right over!!! I use the canned, inexpensive green beans - open up the can, put them on - sorry, in the morning I just don't have time.

Remember that some veggies and fruit store sugar and that means extra calories ie carrots and grapes and raisins .... just remember to count them in the calories. My kids eat grapes, too, report or not. However, they are only getting 1-3 a day so I think you need to go on moderation of everything.

My kids do rawhide...especially in the winter when it is either rawhide or barking!!!! I don't have a problem with them but I do take it away from them when the pieces get too small. I don't have fights (I have 4 dogs right now) because there are always a minimum of 10 pieces laying around at a time when they are chewing. If a *problem* occurs the Alpha B**** steps in and everyone gets a spanking and the problem miraculously disappears.

Cindi

[Patt]

Hi All:

Here's another site (one of many) on Canine Food Safety.

http://www.starbreezes/com/11/foodsafe.html

Patt :greensq:

[blueskyz]

My girl would eat all day long if I let her! Whatever u do don't feed them pinapple. My girl likes grapes and don't seem to bother her but pineapple, orange anything citrus seems to upset her stomach and ends up coming back out :raz:

[Rudy's mom - MI]

when I took Rudy to the vet today to get his Frontline I had them to weigh him and he has lost a few ounces - his is down to 11.6 instead of the 12. This seems to be a good weight for him, his ribs feel just right, not to padded, just a little. So thanks to all for their advice on how much and what to feed. Rudy gets 1/4 cup Iams kibble for breakfast and 1/4 cup with 1 Tablespoon of pure pumpkin for supper. And of course he loves the baby carrots for a snack and maybe one dog cookie each day. Thanks for everyone's input, it was so hard to know how much was enough.:raz:

Rudy's mom - MI :dog:

[importgf]

How much should puppies eat each meal?:book:

[Cindi]

don't you just hate those answers <GG>
1) Age of puppy - if they are under 3 months and a good weight (meaning not so fat they are tubby at all times) I put down a full bowl of whatever they are eating. After 5 minutes max ( or less if they start wandering around) I pick it up and put it away until next meal. I feed 3 - 4 times a day depending on how the puppies are doing. This is generalized. Right now I have 7 week old puppies that are no longer nursing because their mother is not particularly fond of them so they are eating 4 times a day. Normally their mother would still be sleeping with them at night but that is not happening.

2) After 3 months - I start monitoring their food intake to maintain good weight. I have mini's so mornings and lunch is still the full bowl routine. Evenings I start slacking off somewhat because I feed my adults in the mornings.

3) My adults get 1/4 - 1/2 c per day; except for the show/agility boy who is getting 3/4 c.

Cindi