Am I feeding too much?

Hi Everyone,
I have two 1 year old pugs, and I want to make sure I am not feeding them too much. Someone at the dog park made a comment about my "big" pugs, and now I am concerned....they don't look overweight to me!
I feed them each 1 cup of Natural Balance in the morning/evening with 1 tbs. of yogurt on top. They do get a few treats throughout the day, such as green beans, but I'm careful with those. I wanted to get some input on their diet. Thanks!

-Kristin

Are you giving them a cup at each meal or a cup total per day?

All of mine get 1/3 can each of canned food in the AM, and 1/2 cup of food at night. The night dinner gets a spoonful of yogurt, pumpkin and (a small spoonful) canned food in it.

1 cup both morning and evening does sound like a lot. What do they weigh?

All of mine get 1/3 cup of Honest Kitchen..so, I think, once it is hydrated, it ends up being a little more. They also get pumpkin daily, and then a variety of other things, like yogurt, green beans, carrots, raw meat, etc.

If you are giving 1 cup both morning and night, then that might be too much. If it is a cup total, so 1/2 cup morning and night, then that could be right.

Like MJ said - how much do they weigh?

Di they still have a waist? The waist is the first thing to go when a dog gets too fat. Make sure there is a bit of an inward curve below the ribs and also see if you can feel the ribs without too much effort.

Not Afraid wrote:Di they still have a waist? The waist is the first thing to go when a dog gets too fat. Make sure there is a bit of an inward curve below the ribs and also see if you can feel the ribs without too much effort.

This is a good rule of thumb. You should be able to readily feel their ribs when you touch them (not see the ribs, just be able to feel them without having to dig for them).

Every food has different calorie contents but we feed California Natural and each pug gets 1/3 cup morning and evening of dry kibble and 1 TBS of wet food, plus 1-2 TBS of either broccoli, green beans or carrots. And honestly, Bruno and Leo are still overweight and could stand to lose about 2 lbs. each.

I feed mine 1/3 cup kibble in the morning then dinner they get a bit of kibble mixed in with about 1/3 of a canned.

Matilda and Bob both get 1/3 of a cup of Natural Balance in the morning and 1/3 of a cup at night. I think our vet would like Matilda to be a pound lighter, but agrees that she looks great. Both of them are really active.

The male pug weighs 22 lbs, and the female 19. I was following the serving guidelines on the bag when I started giving them a cup each at both meals...I guess that is too much. Thank you for all your suggestions!

kristin12 wrote:The male pug weighs 22 lbs, and the female 19. I was following the serving guidelines on the bag when I started giving them a cup each at both meals...I guess that is too much. Thank you for all your suggestions!

Yeah those guidelines are CRAZY!!! I also feed about 1/3 c. of the Honest Kitchen (dry). Mine vary in weight but also in activity levels. Sometimes you just have to do a trial and error before you find the right amount.

its always good to check with others and compare...but yeah, some very good suggetions above. just important to find that right amount... :)

Despite the sponsor, this is a great guide to check if your dog is at the appropriate weight:
http://placervillevet.com/canine%20body%20condition.htm

Just like us dogs vary in their intake and out put. I have one dog who, I swear, puts on weight just by looking at food and his optimal weight is 24 lbs. I have another who eats more than any of the others and stays relatively lean at 16 lbs.

The breed standard is 14 to 18 lbs, but most pugs I've seen aren't in that group. Tank (my 24 pounder) would only hit breed standard weight after he died. He's just a BIG boy and is never going to be 18 lbs. As long as your pug is healthy, you can find ribs without the use of heavy excavating equipment and they have a waist and energy, then no matter what the weight, they are fine.

I've had pugs who were fat at 13 lbs and ones that were scrawny at 22 lbs.

Tilly (15/16 pounds) gets 1/3 cup kibble twice a day.

I'm glad to see other people doing the 1/3 cup 2x's a day. My husband thinks I am not feeding ours enough, I always remind him that when we go to the vet she says they are both at a good weight and to keep them at that.

I realize my situation with Winston is a bit more complicated since he's on a maintence dose of prednisone, but he gets 1/4 cup of kibble with a spoonful of pumpkin and a spoonful of green beans twice a day. He was up to 23.6 pounds in November, as of a week ago, he was 22 pounds on the nose. We still have at least 2 pounds to go.

I'm glad you asked because the guide on the bag is printed by the people who make the dog food, of course they want you to feed more than the dog needs!

It's good to keep an eye on your crew and their weight, good for you!

Anyway all foods have different caloric count, they never post it on the bag, but usually you can find it on thei web site.

Co-Pilot is 14lbs and gets about 250 calories in kibble plus some treats, which in her current food is 1/3 cup 2X a day. When she was a little heavier she got 1/4 cup.