# Fat dog



## sophie6678 (Jul 15, 2013)

Hi all, 

My name is Bernie and my dogs name is Sophie. Sophie is 3.5 years old and a Riesenschnauzer - Labrador mix (we think). She loves her food and would do anything for it which was great when she was a puppy as she was very easy train. I know she is not the skinniest of dogs but people have been saying she has got fat. She weighs 27 kilos (59.5lbs). She gets 240g a day of happy dog food. In the evening she gets a denta stick and then on a Sunday she normally gets a bone. We try not to feed her any of our food. Is 240g too much food. We tryed cutting her down before about a year ago and she raided our bin twice which made me feel bad as i figure she was starving (it is something she would normally never do).


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

if you cut back food the dog takes some time to adjust and will be hungrier than usual. i can't tell if your dog is overweight from those pics. can you take one from the side and one from above? also, be happy is not a good dog food. try dogfoodadvisor.com for better suggestions. if you're on a budget, pure balance, rachael ray nutrish just six, rachael ray nutrish zero grain, and purina one beyond are all decent foods that can be found at most walmarts.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

It's impossible to say if 240g is enough/too much because it depends on your particular dogs metabolism, exercise amounts, etc. Here's a good chart on body condition:


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## sophie6678 (Jul 15, 2013)

Thanks guys. The food our dog is on is called Happy Dog not be happy. Happy Dog is quiet expensive and is highly recommended here in Germany. I will take some better pictures of her so you can see her body better. thanks for the advice


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

This company?
http://gb.happydog.de/products/dry-food/supreme-line/adult/

Seems very high in grains and low in protein for the regular one. Which one do you feed? 

A food that has more protein will help build fat burning muscle. Senior citizen Max had been fed 22% protein kibble for 7 years and a year after being on raw which is about 40% protein by dry weight he gained 15% of his previous ideal weight in muscle.

I never paid any attention to the suggestions on the kibble bag but put my hands on the dogs. I want to easily feel the ribs, hips, shoulder points, chest keel bones but not see any but the shadow of the last couple of ribs when dog is moving. I kept a 1/3 and 1/2 cup measure in the bin and used one or the other depending on how the dogs felt to me that week. I like the dogs to be between a 2 and a 3 on that chart Amaryllis posted.


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