i have a sheltie named dexter... vet said he should weigh 20 lbs... since we got the ol "berries" chopped off poor guy put on a lot of weight and pulled in at 45lbs... to be honest i thought he was supposed to weigh 30lbs... but the vet said hes like a 400lb man... i used to leave dog food sitting out all day because i have a pug and they ate at different times... ive never been quite sure how much to feed the guy... the vet said a week ago to do a cup and a half then down to a cup.... he seems to be very hungry... he just sits in the kitchen... i just found out my pug needs to be fed twice a day with 2 or 3 carrot treats a day to fulfill her hunger pains... i went and bought healthy cookie like dog treats... his teeth are pretty bad too and wanna go to more of a softer dog food... ive been softening the purina one ive been feeding him... hes 8 years old my pug will be 5 in dec.... i have thought about doing my own dog recipes... i got some recipes off a pug site cause my pug is borderline overweight but isnt as bad as dexter.... i didnt think he ate all that much really... he usually just eats all the meat pieces out of a fresh bowl and leaves the rest for paisley and then eats when he has to the rest if it is still there the next day... but ive been reading and everyone says their shelties are like under 20lbs... which baffles me... like my pug should be like 18 lbs and dexter is twice her size... but i guess he wouldnt be if he wasnt 45lbs... im worried about my lil man, cause hes getting old i wanna prolong his life... he used to run and play fetch forever and i mean forever now he gets the ball once and hes done.... theres not much room to walk around where i live... so throwing the ball across the yard was his exercise, but he doesnt wanna do it anymore... should i feed him like i would the pug almost cause i cant feed one and not the other....
can i get suggestions on a sheltie diet?
- Thread starter MissRaven
- Start date
corbinam
Moderator
One thing to keep in mind (at least for my dogs) is that they have perfected the hungry look. I often say that if somehow they got into my pantry and into the bag of dog food that they would eat the entire thing...and then dare to look hungry at 5:30 when it was "dinner time".
It's really up to you to manage your dog's food intake. Some dogs are good and can handle free feeding, but others cannot. I do not free feed for that reason...might as well not give them the opportunity to gain weight.
A few years ago my dog was 5 # over weight. I cut his food intake drastically (down to 1/4 C twice a day) and added green beans (UNSALTED!) to "bulk up" his food so he felt that he was eating more. We also used carrots as treats.
You just have to be very vigilant. Every treat counts...and can contain a surprising amount of calories.
Also, as with people, it's a big help if you add more exercise to your dog's regimen. Right now it might be hard for him to walk a lot, but start slowly. Make it a point to walk to the end of your road for a week (don't over exert him...keep an eye on him for slowing down, excessive panting, limping, etc...) then the next week take him a bit farther until you're really getting some good exercise with him.
As an aside: every dog is different. The best thing you can do is to monitor your dog's food intake and adjust as necessary.
My dogs are around 15#. They both eat around 1/3 cup twice a day.
Good luck! Please let us know if you have any other questions. And good for you for wanting to help Dexter get down to a proper, healthy, and much more comfortable weight!
It's really up to you to manage your dog's food intake. Some dogs are good and can handle free feeding, but others cannot. I do not free feed for that reason...might as well not give them the opportunity to gain weight.
A few years ago my dog was 5 # over weight. I cut his food intake drastically (down to 1/4 C twice a day) and added green beans (UNSALTED!) to "bulk up" his food so he felt that he was eating more. We also used carrots as treats.
You just have to be very vigilant. Every treat counts...and can contain a surprising amount of calories.
Also, as with people, it's a big help if you add more exercise to your dog's regimen. Right now it might be hard for him to walk a lot, but start slowly. Make it a point to walk to the end of your road for a week (don't over exert him...keep an eye on him for slowing down, excessive panting, limping, etc...) then the next week take him a bit farther until you're really getting some good exercise with him.
As an aside: every dog is different. The best thing you can do is to monitor your dog's food intake and adjust as necessary.
My dogs are around 15#. They both eat around 1/3 cup twice a day.
Good luck! Please let us know if you have any other questions. And good for you for wanting to help Dexter get down to a proper, healthy, and much more comfortable weight!
ClantyreSheltie
Forums Sage
Get rid of the starch and carbs, get rid of the free feeding, toughen up and ignore the "I'm starving to death" face. The thing with dogs is that the human 100% controls the food. Your dog doesn't stand there with the fridge open like "hmm...". So if your dog is fat, it is your doing. Sounds pretty mean, huh? 
Getting altered is no excuse to let the dog get fat. I have had two dgs altered as adults, and neither gained an ounce.
Get a good quality food, feed 3/4 of a cup. Give them ten minutes, then take up the bowls. If they don't eat, they don't eat, and thats too bad. In the evening, offer 1/2 a cup, same deal. If he isn't losing weight, back the food down. Stay away from low fat foods and prescription diet foods.
Getting altered is no excuse to let the dog get fat. I have had two dgs altered as adults, and neither gained an ounce.Get a good quality food, feed 3/4 of a cup. Give them ten minutes, then take up the bowls. If they don't eat, they don't eat, and thats too bad. In the evening, offer 1/2 a cup, same deal. If he isn't losing weight, back the food down. Stay away from low fat foods and prescription diet foods.
I second the adding green beans to their food and using carrots as treats. We've really scaled back on the amount of dog treats our dogs are getting - even the rawhide chewies (bought some low cal chewies instead).
I was on here just under a month ago asking the same kind of thing:
http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=11065
Since I've switched everything, Oreo (who was 26 lbs) has lost 2 pounds and Bella (who is pretty slim anyway) lost 1. I'm pretty thrilled with those results.
I probably feed our dogs just under 1/3 cup of kibble and maybe 1/4 cup or less of green beans 2x a day. We also use a good grain free food (Taste of the Wild for us).
And I agree... Oreo can act like he hasn't eaten in days when he just had dinner a half hour ago. LOL they get a good game face on.
Good luck!!
I was on here just under a month ago asking the same kind of thing:
http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=11065
Since I've switched everything, Oreo (who was 26 lbs) has lost 2 pounds and Bella (who is pretty slim anyway) lost 1. I'm pretty thrilled with those results.
I probably feed our dogs just under 1/3 cup of kibble and maybe 1/4 cup or less of green beans 2x a day. We also use a good grain free food (Taste of the Wild for us).
And I agree... Oreo can act like he hasn't eaten in days when he just had dinner a half hour ago. LOL they get a good game face on.
Good luck!!
I have two Shelties. Fergus my little guy at 16# I could free fed with no
problem,he will eat what he needs and leave the rest.
Baxter my big guy is another story. He'd eat as much as he could get and still want more. There is a reason he weighed 54# when I adopted him from rescue.It goes without saying I do not free feed here.
The others have offered great suggestions for getting Dexter's weight down. It's basically cutting back on food volume and stepping up exercise. Baxter still gets only 1/2 cup of food twice a day and very few treats. His 34# weight has been holding steady for over a year now. A word of warning though it's going to take awhile so don't get discouraged. It took nine months to get Baxter from 54# to his proper weight of 34#. If you can get his weight under control he will feel so much better. Baxter is a different dog since his weight loss.
problem,he will eat what he needs and leave the rest.
Baxter my big guy is another story. He'd eat as much as he could get and still want more. There is a reason he weighed 54# when I adopted him from rescue.It goes without saying I do not free feed here.
The others have offered great suggestions for getting Dexter's weight down. It's basically cutting back on food volume and stepping up exercise. Baxter still gets only 1/2 cup of food twice a day and very few treats. His 34# weight has been holding steady for over a year now. A word of warning though it's going to take awhile so don't get discouraged. It took nine months to get Baxter from 54# to his proper weight of 34#. If you can get his weight under control he will feel so much better. Baxter is a different dog since his weight loss.
OntarioSheltie
Forums Celebrity
A really good, low cal treat is dehydrated beef liver. Its a bit expensive but its very healthy, low cal and my dogs go NUTS over them. Great for an extra special treat or training treat.
This is the brand that I use;
http://www.purebites.com/products.html
I know as people we feel guilty for giving them 'boring' treats like carrots and other veggies, but we really shouldn't. Just because WE think its boring, doesn't mean the dog does. As far as my dogs know, treats they get like carrots, broccoli, bananas and berries are candy.
This is the brand that I use;
http://www.purebites.com/products.html
I know as people we feel guilty for giving them 'boring' treats like carrots and other veggies, but we really shouldn't. Just because WE think its boring, doesn't mean the dog does. As far as my dogs know, treats they get like carrots, broccoli, bananas and berries are candy.
KarenCurtis
Forums Sage
Get rid of the starch and carbs, get rid of the free feeding, toughen up and ignore the "I'm starving to death" face. The thing with dogs is that the human 100% controls the food. Your dog doesn't stand there with the fridge open like "hmm...". So if your dog is fat, it is your doing. Sounds pretty mean, huh?
Get a good quality food, feed 3/4 of a cup. Give them ten minutes, then take up the bowls. If they don't eat, they don't eat, and thats too bad. In the evening, offer 1/2 a cup, same deal. If he isn't losing weight, back the food down. Stay away from low fat foods and prescription diet foods.
While this does sound harsh, it is what I was going to say. It really is extremely important that your dog lose weight. You can correct what you have done and start feeding him correctly. Others here have done it. I have a 30-32 pound sheltie, he is tall at 18 3/4 inches. The vet said that was his good weight, but after awhile I saw that he was gaining a few pounds, and was able to cut back on his food and switch to low calorie bicuits. My dog has lost about 3 or 4 pounds. That doesn't sound like much, but it really is. Shelties do tend to gain weight, and mine seems always hungry. Too bad!