Harley and I are going through a bit of a bad patch, nothing to do with her and everything to do with me having a rough run of health issues. In the mean time we have moved from summer/autumn to winter here. And although our winters are incredibly moderate they are still cold for us. Harley has also moved from puppy food to adult food in the last 2 months. I am not sure what the reason is but we have noticed that she is much hungrier than before. I know labs are known for their appetites but Harley has always been a picky and reserved eater. She loves her treats but she won't scoff just anything. We are also strict about her only having kibble and treats for training. She doesn't get any of "our" food. I think I say this out of guilt because between being unwell and my work I haven't been able to take her to training for about a month now. I still do work with her at home, but I must admit that most of the time we just play - which she loves, but she also enjoys working. Walks have been shorter than normal too. She is now 19 months and way less energetic than she was but I still want to make sure we get back to our previous exercise and training schedule. But in the mean time she seems ravenous. She is mugging me for at least an hour before supper and where she wouldn't get out of bed before 8ish, she is up and asking for breakfast as soon as she thinks we will give it. I have considered breaking her meals into 3 again, so that she gets lunch but she gets so little as it is. The last time I added veg to her meals she has some tummy issues. Her weight has remained really steady since she has reach her adult frame and we are careful with watching it. So does anyone have any low cal options for me to bulk up her meals a bit? She is currently on the Acana Heritage Large Dog kibble and she weighs 31±kgs.
Harley loves dried fish skins or fish cubes. They are low calorie and an be broken into small pieces. We also use frozen kongs to occupy her mind - we use natural yoghurt and bananas or blueberries or tuna. I found Harley became more food orientated after she was spayed and it was and is, a struggle to maintain her weight. I’m sure your Harley knows you’ve been poorly so is being calmer, but will regain her energy once you are up and about more. Hope you are feeling better soon x
So sorry to read you are having health issues! I hope things will improve and you will be able to do what you want to do! I give Finn a large (winter) carrot. He likes them very much. Full of fibers and low in calories. But I don’t think you were looking for this kind of advice.....
I'm sorry to hear about your health issues I know you said veg upset Harleys tummy but have you tried watering them down a bit? We cook up frozen peas or frozen mixed veg in the microwave with some water. The veg flavoured water is then cooled and we give it to Maxx to try and get a bit more water in him - he gobbles it down. Then we throw the cooked veges into the blender with some more water and blend it until it is a puree. This goes into a Kong and frozen. To make it a tad more interesting I pop a couple of tiny bits of cooked chicken breast about 3/4 of the way up and finish with one piece right on top. We also puree bananas and water for the kongs. We also give carrots....he loves them!
So sorry you are having issues with your health, I hope you will take a turn for the better soon. It seems to me that Kongs would be a good way forward. Do you ever scatter her kibble on the ground for her to search for? I do this with Cassie now that here in the Uk the summer is here, it takes her 15 minutes or so to eat it instead of 30 seconds in a bowl! She really enjoys it, her nose is working all that time. It might help Harley to feel as if she's "working". Do you think the cooler weather has sharpened her appetite?
I wouldn’t recommend changing to three meals. She’ll feel hungrier, tummy not full. Better to have two bigger meals that satisfy her. I’ve also thought Snowie is hungrier at night, wondered if it was the colder weather. He’s slim so he’s getting more - but mostly our veg. Also leftovers - adores lentil curry! We’re finding he settles better at night having eaten more. I’ve also bought some fatty meaty bones because I think he needs the fat for sateity - had his first last night.
Thanks for all the support. I will look at the options for Kongs. And I found a very nice sounding day care and Harley will be going there for the day next Wednesday and hopefully every Wednesday from then on. It is a structured activity day care and they have 2 other labs and 1 GR that attend. Harley will go from 08:30 - 15:00. The daycare is only available on a Wednesday and a Thursday. Even once I am better I think it may be a good idea for her to go. Wednesdays are one of my busiest days and it will give her a chance to socialise. In the beginning it will help me not feel so very guilty about not taking her out for long walks.
This is what I have done for a few years. Due to health issues I couldn’t take them for a walk. Just to the corner of our street and back wasn’t very far. That is why we had a dog walking company, who came to collect our boys and walked them for a few hours. They went at 09:00 until 12:00. They came home tired and slept the whole afternoon until my husband came home to take them out again. I thought I was obliged it to the dogs, even if it was rather expensive....Now we only have Finn, and since a few weeks he won’t be joining the dog walkers for I am a able to walk him again!
Thank you for the recommendation of banana in a kong. Harls loves it and this evening had some banana and apple bits. She has this about an hour or two after her evening meal and we call it her pudding kong. So far her tummy has handled it very well.
It sounds delicious! But... banana is high calorie! Very high in carbs. But it is nutritious so I’d not stop feeding it. But just in case you’re worried about weight gain... Having said that, I don’t think calories per se should be the issue. It’s more about too much sugar. Fat, which is high in calories, also provides satiety (so you to eat less), while sugar/carb can have the opposite effect of increasing appetite.
Thanks @MF, I will keep an eye on her. I am also going to be mixing in other fillers with veg vs fruit.
Steamed brocolli, cauliflower, and cabbage are very popular in our house! Almost zero calories. But does produce bigger poos. And possibly gas!
If veggies aren’t an option, another thing I have done is use a low fat kibble. You can give them “more” for the same calories. Because Duke has a food sensitivity to anything with any form of chicken in it I use Ivory Coat low fat Turkey.
