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Chewie is 8 months, eats two meals a day...Fromm's, yet always acts like he is starving.  The package has a recommended daily amount for dogs 15 lbs and dogs 30 lbs.  Since Chewie is 23 lbs I feed him an amount in between.  Since he went on two meals a day he usually gets some kind of jerky...chicken or sweet potato chew in the afternoon plus he isn't lacking for treats.  He is always sniffing around the kitchen floor looking for crumbs, begs like crazy when we have food and devours his meals in 30 seconds flat.  He really hasn't gained any weight in the last couple months, but I understand minis slow down much earlier than larger dogs.  When you feel his ribs under all the fluff, he feels just right.

 

So, do you think I am underfeeding him or is he just a little piggy?

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Can you feel a layer between the skin and the ribs? or is it just skin over ribs? Leaner is far better than fatter. Can you see ribs when wet? I go by that more than any package directions because the amount depends also on how your dog is able to digest the food, depends on the moisture in the stomach when eating and the length of time it spend in the system. Its not unusual for a doodle to be very food oriented but also adequately fed.
ask your vet if he thinks Chewie is underweight, and if he isn't, you are feeding him the right amount! If he gets an excessive amount of exercise, he may need more food than the recommeded dosage on the bag. I free-feed my dogs and they self-regulate, but I didn't start using this method until they were done growing. Some dogs can't be free fed though and will eat until they explode... labs are famous for having a tendency to get chubby, so it just depends on genes and your dog's eating patterns. Most likely, he just loves food, which you can use to your advantage ;)
Despite his size, I definitely think Chewie inherited his appetite from his retriever ancestors; he's a chowhound! Be glad, because food motivated dogs are easier to train than those who dont' care about food, IMO.
I agree that you should ask the vet if his body mass is appropriate, and if so, maybe you could just slow down his eating. There are special dishes you can buy that make it harder for them to gulp their food, or you can just place a good-sized can or other heavy circular object in the center of his food bowl & accomplish the same thing.
Yes, his love of food often work to our advantage...he will do about anything for a treat. I do have one of those "slow feed" bowls...he still manages to devour it in short order. The last time I stopped in the vet to have him weighed and pick up his heartworm meds (I keep having him weighed thinking he will progress to the next dosage which is 25 lbs), I mentioned to the vet tech how he had stopped gaining. She felt him and said he felt perfect to her. We have never fed him from the table, yet he has begged there from the day we got him...he just knew where the good stuff was...LOL.
Peri is the same weight - I feed her 3/4 cup twice a day (1 1/2 cup daily). She is on Fromms as you know. She also acts like she is starving, but I think she would eat until she threw up if I let her. Sometimes I add a little greek yogurt (1 T), but that is it. She tries to eat Taquito's food also. She is a NUT!.

Vet says she is very healthy. I don't think she is too skinny or fat, just right. I would be willing to bet your Chewie is also. Speaking of this, Chewie and Peri are similar in so many ways - wish we could let them meet sometime :)

Oh and exercise - on a non-rainy day, she probably gets at least 1-1 1/2 miles of walking in. When it is beautiful here and the daylight is longer than from 7am-5pm (yuck), I walk her at least 2 miles/day. I add a another 1/4 cup per day when she is getting that much exercise.
I have an 18 month mini doodle, Maya that acts the same way. My vet recommended that I add some vegetables to her food to fill her up without the calories. It seems to be working great. I also add a little pumpkin to it. It seems to be working because she is not eating anything on the floor. Prior to this she would eat leaves or anything on the ground. She also seems to be happier.
Ned stopped growing at about 9 months - not 8. We fed him twice a day at that time (now he prefers once a day). He isn't food obsessed but he loved to check out everything that might be food and he was glad to steal any he could. He was also glad to eat any treats you might give him. The big tip off for us that Ned had enough to eat was that he didn't and doesn't gobble his own food down. I am wondering if you should increase Chewie's food serving a bit and see what happens. If it appears that he is getting fat, you can cut back. It is important for growing bodies to get enough nutrition.
I too have a chowhound--Mattie loves food and is totally obsessed with any opportunity to eat!Her meals are gone in about 10 seconds with no exaggeration. Mattie is supposed to be about 33-35 pounds, but is 38 right now. I haven't seen her ribs in a while. She gets less than a cup of food a day! Treats are tiny, too--I break up all the cookies into small pieces. I think she just has the lab's chunky body with really short mini-poodle legs.
Some foods have the caloric content on the bag. I found that switching from high quality EVO food to a lamb-based dry food that also was corn and wheat-free (which I think is better for their overall health) resulted in almost 200 calories less a day in the cup of food that she gets. She still hasn't lost any weight, though! That may be because she gets less exercise in the winter.
I have been adding some green beans or cooked carrots to Peri's food the past few days and she has not been as "piggy" lately. I think this is filling her up more. She loves it.
This is something I was definitely going to start doing. Allyson, how much do you add? Fresh, canned, frozen?

He just got groomed at a new place Friday and the groomer said she could not believe how little he was when wet. I asked her if he seemed thin to her and she said not at all...just perfect.

Yes, I also think Peri and Chewie could definitely be best buds...seems like they always have something in common. Too bad they don't live closer.
I add canned or frozen - I heat them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds. If they are canned, I make sure I get low sodium AND I rinse them prior to serving them (to get any excess salt out). I cut them up into little dices and give her about 1/8 - 1/4 cup mixed in with her food every night. They are so low call I think it is fine.
Thanks, I will have to try it. I'm sure he'll like it...there isn't much he doesn't like.

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