The Question:

“Hi, my dog loves to eat and seems to never get enough; so I feed him 1 cup of dry dog food in the morning and evening with 1 1/2 cups of steamed green beans each feeding. Within the last 3 months he seems to not to have a lot of energy to play. I was wanting to change dog foods but don’t want him to gain any weight. Could you suggest a low calorie dry dog food? And do you think I should feed him more than 2 cups total a day. Many of the brands say to feed a dog this size 4 to 5 cups of dry food a day but when I do he seems to gain weight. My dog Cort is trained for the hearing impaired, I got him when he was 2 years old from Caine Champions in CA and they said to feed him Eukanuba dry food. We do not feed him any treats except for doggie popcorn low calorie, dry chicken jerky and 2 times a week pork rawhide bone. We do not feed him any people food. About 3 to 4 times a week we go on a 45 minute to 1 hour hike in the mountains. The other 3-4 days he stays in the office with me, my husband and I are age 55 & 63. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep him more active without atrenning us? I appreciate any help you can give me.”
~Sara Childre

The Answer:

This question brings up a number of “myths” in the nutrition field, both human and animal.  First of all, we are feeding a carnivore here.  This means “meat-eater” and the main part of the diet should be meat (protein).  However, in most commercial pet foods, the manufacturers cut corners and put far too much grain/carb/sugar sources in the diet (hence the weight control issue in most pets).

There aren’t great regulations on pet foods so they can get away with this, at the expense of our pets.  Also, our pets are left feeling unsatisfied and still hungry at the end of the meal.

Secondly, dogs are scavengers and will eat whenever the next meal presents itself.  So, feeding based on hunger level is never a good idea.  They will generally always seem hungry (especially Labs and Golden Retrievers).  They should feel satisfied right after the meal, however.

Third, calories are NOT the issue.  Appropriate amounts of proteins, versus carbs (sugars) versus fats will control weight.  The amount of calories in the wrong form (sugar) will only amount to a weight gain.  Most ALL treats are SUGAR based (especially the ones that you mention) and only compound the problem of too much sugar in the dog food.

This could actually turn into a 60 page answer so I am going to leave you with a couple resources at the end for more info.  But, the bottom line for your pet is to SLOWLY switch to a clean, natural, properly formulated product like Nature’s Variety or Orijen, for example.  The proper balance of nutrients will result in optimum weight without “cutting calories” or sacrificing.  As for the treats - toss everything you have and reach towards carrots, broccoli, turkey or chicken chunks, eggs (boiled) or other fresh veggies or meat sources.  Be sure to give small amounts at first so as to not upset the stomach.  After 6 months, re-evaluate the weight and if you are not making any progress, please have the thyroid levels checked.

For more information, please see www.naturesvariety.com or my website at www.creaturecomfortshousecalls.com or visit your local Barnes and Noble and read up on feeding your pet an all natural diet and the benefit of that (Dr. Pitcairns book is great!).

~ Dr. Sandra Miller

This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 11:44 pm and is filed under K9 Expert Question. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.