I took Savannah to the vet this morning to be spayed. The vet mentioned that I should watch her weight, that she seemed to be getting a little plump. He said she is not overweight, but could easily be if not watched. We feed Canidae 3 cups total a day. She also gets many treats during the day. Should I cut back on the treats, cut back a little on food, both, or just see if she slimms up a little as she gets older?

What dog food do you feed? Does the dog food have how much you should feed on the bag? If so, do you follow it? How old is your dog? Can you post a picture of it?

I'm not sure what she/he looks like but if vet says it needs to lose some weight than the dog probably should.

My dog I had before the two I have now was told that she needed to lose weight. I cut down on her food but I sometimes think it was the dog food I was feeding her,which was Ol Roys. The vet said Ol Roys was full of fat and salt. Also she had a problem with eating her poop and the vet told me to switch to another dog food. I switched to a different dog food but now that I think about it. I should of feed her the same amount since the dog food I switched to didn't have all that fat and salt in it.

Do you feed a lot of treats? What kind of treats do you give your dog? I would probably start by not giving so many treats, that's if you give a lot of treats.

I don't give them treats too much. What I do with mine dogs is not give them the whole treat all the time. I sometimes break the treat up into 2, 3 or even 4 pieces.

My puppy got more food that that. Usually four cups a day, and he was still slim - now he got a little chubbier, but he's not bad.

I think lots of exercise is key here. Take you puppy on longer walks, and make sure it gets to run and just move a lot. Also, lots of water.

This is what Hunter looked like about one month ago:




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I talked with my vet again when I picked up Savannah this evening. She said to cut back on the treats and this should help.
To answer a few questions; we feed Canidae, Savannah is 6 months old, and she does get alot of exercise, several play times a day in the yard and two 30 min. walks a day, at least I think this is enough. Thanks for the help.

You may try substituting her treats with some vegies. Carrots work well for this. Is Savannah a field type or English? Some vets are used to seeing the field type and if she is English she may look chunky to them. It sounds like the quantity of food is correct. We feed Canidae and Zoe is 11 months and gets 1 1/4 cups plus raw 2 x day. If you are exercising then the quantity of treats may be the culprit.

Good Luck,

Patty & Zoe

Also remember that any treats given means that much LESS of her regular food. That's where I think alot of us go wrong. We feed the alloted amount and then give treats on top of it.

Fortunately my 2 are very active and I unfortunately forget to give them treats alot, so they do OK.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have tried putting carrots in her Kong instead of fattening treats, and she seems to really enjoy the carrots. She is an english lab, and I think you may be right about the vet not understanding that this type tend to be a little stockier.

Cooper is english style too, or whatever the stockier ones are, however, I know both my vet and myself would like to see him slimmer. Its alot easier when they are younger. I would cut out the treats, or, if you continue to use treats, cut back on the food a little. Also remember that the amounts on the package are just a guideline...they are not set in stone. If I followed the package, Coop would get 3-4 cups a day...instead he gets 2 cups a day and is still prone to portliness.

Well... big boned is one thing -- portly another! Kitkat is right on target regarding the feeding guidelines. It's all in the ribs -- if you can feel them easily and your puppy has a waist, you're in business. If you have to dig for the ribs (even a little), that's a problem - especially with a puppy. Canidae is a very high calorie food and each puppy/dog has its own metabolism. Comparing your puppy and the amounts she is fed to other peoples' pups is apples to oranges. If your pup requires less food, count yourself lucky -- think of the money you will save :)