After Holly was a spayed we reduced her food by about a third, as recommended by the vet. Over the last few months we've been weighing her periodically and adjusting her food to try and keep her between 26 and 27 kg. This morning I popped into the vets on the way to our walk and weighed her on their scales. She was 25.8 kg, which is about half a kg less than she was on our bathroom scales. There's a lesson here. If you plan to feed your dog to a weight then make sure that you have good scales! Meanwhile, we'll add a small amount to Holly's dinner for a couple of weeks then take her back to the vet to be weighed.
Re: Feeding to the right weight I really wouldn't worry to much about the numbers! Go by what she looks like, rather than keep having her weighed. Her weight will probably fluctuate anyway so as long as she looks about right I would stay as you are. I know mine weigh within a kilo around a certain amount and I only ever stick them on the scales if we are at the vets for something else. If I think Ruby is looking a bit tubby I reduce her food a bit or if she is looking a bit skinny then I increase her food. Hope this helps. Chloe
Re: Feeding to the right weight We're not too worried about the numbers, just the downward trend. She's active, healthy and happy which is what really matters.
Re: Feeding to the right weight Unlike chloe i go by numbers especially for barley, mainly because of his fur which makes it hard to judge if he is getting tubby or skinny. We also need to keep him within a certain boundary to make sure that he is not loosing or gaining too much due to his other health problems. Puzzle is easy to gauge if she needs a little more or a little less, at the moment she needs a little more as she is getting a bit skinny. We try to use the same scales every time to weigh them as each one is different, bathroom scales said barley was 36kg which set alarm bells ringing, pets at home scales said he was 41kg, then vets scales said he was 38kg which is about right for him so all scales tell a different story.
Re: Feeding to the right weight Perhaps the reduction of a third was too much. Maybe try just a quarter reduction instead? I don't go by numbers either, I measure by handfuls and eye lol I try to visualise the size of her stomach and how much food would fit in there in one meal haha. I don't know how we'll cope if I find I have to reduce her food after her speying as she has very small measurements already!
Re: Feeding to the right weight I never have put too much emphasis on weight, more on the look . My Sam weighs as massive 38 kilos but not an ounce of excess fat on him, he is just tall , big boned and big muscles , muscle weighs heavier than fat so although on paper, he is overweight, he definately isnt
Re: Feeding to the right weight That's exactly it - if you told someone he weighed 38kg they would immediately say he was overweight, whereas if you didn't say the weight and they just saw him they would say he wasn't overweight at all! I use the numbers purely so I know how many wormers to give! Chloe
Re: Feeding to the right weight I'm a scientist so I like numbers. I remember being told by one of my lecturers that analysis without numbers is just opinion That said, Holly looks about right. She has a waist and we can't pinch an inch.
Re: Feeding to the right weight We weigh ours from time to time but tend visually check. I know for a fact they put weight on in the summer when not working, just training. In fact I was commenting last night that 'Kes' looked a bit podgy During the shooting season the weight just drops of them, so then the food intake is increased supplemented with tripe ,chicken wings or good old fashioned Chappie.
Re: Feeding to the right weight Yes, I do weigh Penny and keep track of it for medication purposes, but not for food.
Re: Feeding to the right weight [quote author=Hollysdad link=topic=6433.msg85538#msg85538 date=1401981320] That said, Holly looks about right. She has a waist and we can't pinch an inch. [/quote] Yes, I thought on your recent photos that Holly looked good - a little slimmer and looking spot on.
