# "Underfed" dog gaining weight?



## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

At Levi's last vet visit he weighed in at 14.6 lbs. Ideally he shouldn't be more than 13. Only about 3 months prior he was a little over 12. But i'm happy with him being anywhere between 12-13. Determined to help him lose about 2 lbs, I've been strict about how much food he gets, almost entirely cut out treats and i've been trying to increase his exercise. He gets 3/4 cup of Acana Chicken & Burbank Potato per day. The food is 435 calories per cup which leaves him eating 326 calories per day. According to this calculator http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/ in order to hit a goal of 13 lbs at a typical activity level (he is at least averagely active, if not a little more than that) he should be eating 0.96 cups (417 calories) a day. That would imply that I'm underfeeding him yet I can't seem to get him to lose any weight.
I then downloaded an app on my phone called SlimDoggy that helps you to track how many calories your dog is eating vs burning in a day. It claims that while resting he needs 360 calories just to survive so especially coupled with exercise, he would once again be majorly underfed. I have a hard time believing that he burns 360 calories lying around. 
Is this grossly inaccurate? It would seem logical that if he was actually needing almost 100 calories per day more than he's getting that he would be pretty skinny and weak. He is neither one of those things.
I feed him all at once and he grazes throughout the day whenever he wants. He's not very food motivated, and far from glutinous. He always finishes his food by the late evening and then searches around for more, even coming to me and crying/whining for more. As you can imagine this makes me feel awful because i don't want him going to bed hungry, but I realize how unhealthy it is for him to be overweight and for such a small dog, even 2 lbs seems like a lot. His waist is disappearing. Also the more I run him, naturally the more hungry he is.
Any ideas? I've tried the green bean thing but he hates them and I'm not thrilled about giving his a lot of veggies anyways because his poop gets too soft and then his anal glands back up. The same thing happened when I switched him to a grain free food in attempt to try the high protein low carb approach. His body really does best on grain inclusive. Once in a while I'll give him a tablespoon of canned pumpkin if he seems really hungry because its hearty and only has 5 calories.


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

You are still probably feeding too much ... 

Those calculators are wrong unfortunately and are just a starting point. They are usually based on a very active dog as "average".

Every dog is different but I'm feeding Zoey 1 1/3 coups a day of 395 kcal/cup food and she is around 35 lbs. She is active, alert and healthy and she just had a Vet visit and everything is OK.

My only issue with feeding very premium food is the lack of bulk that a dog gets fed. I was feeding 4Health that was less calories and feeding 1 1/2 cups a day; At one point I was feeding Orijen the store said I was feeding way too much ... they said a 80 lb dog should be fed 1 cup a day, Zoey was a pup eating 2.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

those calculators say that Baby does not eat enough to survive, so take them with a grain of salt lol. dogs are different. my 15lbs dog and my 30lbs dog require the exact same amount of food to maintain their weights(1cup/day) you will just have to experiment with your individual dog to find the right amount for HIM


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

According to the food calculators Manna should be about twice her weight. A vet visit last week told me that she could use an extra pound or two as her ribs are a bit too easy to feel. Gain of salt definitely, every dog is different.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

ok I put Baby dog into that specific calculator it says that she requires 887 cal/day her food is 397 cal/cup...she should therefore be eating MORE then 2 cups a day...lol Baby would be MASSIVE on that much food! she eats ONE cup a day...ONE. and that's her maintenance amount, when she was on a diet because she was 11lbs overweight, I was feeding her 3/4 cup/day. she maintains very nicely on 1 cup a day, and when I noticed she was steadily gaining weight I found out my mom was feeding her an extra 1/2 cup when I wasn't home, so even on 1.5 cups a day(still WELL below what the calc. says) she was gaining weight like crazy. go by your dog, don't even look at those calculators lol

haha I punched Gem into that Calc too, its says she would be eating 4.2 cups per day....she eats 2 cups per day...


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## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

So if I would like my dog to lose 2 lbs, do you suggest decreasing his amount of food, increasing his amount of exercise or both? I'm already trying to increase his exercise and have removed 99% of treats, but he's pretty active as it is. I just feel like no matter what approach I take, he will wind up hungry!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

NicoleIsStoked said:


> So if I would like my dog to lose 2 lbs, do you suggest decreasing his amount of food, increasing his amount of exercise or both? I'm already trying to increase his exercise and have removed 99% of treats, but he's pretty active as it is. I just feel like no matter what approach I take, he will wind up hungry!


I am going to gently point out that dogs are designed to eat whatever they can, as often as they can, and in as great a quantity as possible. A great many dogs will NEVER stop being, or acting, 'hungry'. Even if they're stuffed. Even if they get into the dog food bin and ate until they were visibly bloated, they would sit up and beg for a piece of cheese or another bit of food.

They are often bottomless pits. 

It makes us feel bad because a lot of people equate food with love and caregiving. That's a human psychological thing. Don't make it your dog's health problem.


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## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

CptJack said:


> I am going to gently point out that dogs are designed to eat whatever they can, as often as they can, and in as great a quantity as possible. A great many dogs will NEVER stop being, or acting, 'hungry'. Even if they're stuffed. Even if they get into the dog food bin and ate until they were visibly bloated, they would sit up and beg for a piece of cheese or another bit of food.
> 
> They are often bottomless pits.
> 
> It makes us feel bad because a lot of people equate food with love and caregiving. That's a human psychological thing. Don't make it your dog's health problem.


Lol I know quite a few dogs like that haha. But as I mentioned, Levi is a grazer. I feed him his whole portion early in the morning and it sits there all day while he picks at it. Def not a bottomless pit. Most of the time he will only eat when I eat because his bowl is in the kitchen so when I sit at the table he goes and eats some of his food. He usually finishes up around 9 at night but then looks for more right before bedtime (around midnight). Lol I'm prob waay over thinking this.


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## dogloverforlife (Feb 23, 2013)

My little 24 pound BC mix is the same way. She is spayed and ten years old. I have had her for 9 years throughout all that time according to vet records she has never varied from 24-25 pounds. IMO she feels good. Can't go by looks because her hair makes her look puffy especially after a groom. Anyway I had her to the vet(where I work) and one vet said she could lose a couple pounds. Thinks she would be healthier at 21-22 pounds. 
I can not get her to lose. I switched her to Annamaet Lean. Here is the kicker, this girl hasn't gotten over 1/2 cup of food for the past year. She gets 1/4 am and 1/4 pm. She doesn't lose! Now before anyone mentions thyroid her T4 was normal in august. I have thought of doing a full thyroid panel through Michigan state, but I read if her T4 is normal then not to bother with the full panel. Plus she has no other symptoms of a thyroid problem. 
OP I am in the same position as you. Not sure if I should worry or just keep her happy.


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

dogloverforlife said:


> My little 24 pound BC mix is the same way. She is spayed and ten years old. I have had her for 9 years throughout all that time according to vet records she has never varied from 24-25 pounds. IMO she feels good. Can't go by looks because her hair makes her look puffy especially after a groom. *Anyway I had her to the vet(where I work) and one vet said she could lose a couple pounds.* Thinks she would be healthier at 21-22 pounds.
> I can not get her to lose. I switched her to Annamaet Lean. Here is the kicker, this girl hasn't gotten over 1/2 cup of food for the past year. She gets 1/4 am and 1/4 pm. She doesn't lose! Now before anyone mentions thyroid her T4 was normal in august. I have thought of doing a full thyroid panel through Michigan state, but I read if her T4 is normal then not to bother with the full panel. Plus she has no other symptoms of a thyroid problem.
> OP I am in the same position as you. Not sure if I should worry or just keep her happy.


Zoey's Vet office consists of 3 Vets along with a fill in every so often. The fill in saw Zoey once and said she needed to lose a couple of lbs. and the Vet that usually sees her said Zoey is at an ideal weight and the other Vet likes to see dogs with a little less weight on them so it could be a personal preference of the Vet. Zoey has a tuck and not much waist but you can feel her ribs easily. Because she doesn't have a waist I was thinking she is getting fat since I haven't been able to get her to the dog park for running ... turns out she had lost 1/2 lb. from her last Vet visit - so even though she looks "fat" she really isn't. 

Is it possible that your dog is a little larger than the "normal" breed? That would take into account being a little heavier. My sister has a Wheaten Terrier that is physically larger than Zoey but Zoey is about 5 lbs. heavier; although I can't see the Wheatens's physique I can say that my dog might be more muscular or dense than her's.


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