We went for Kody's first yearly checkup a little while ago, and the only issue is he's a little overweight. I had noticed this, but wasn't sure if he was really overweight or if he was just getting an adult body. Well, he was overweight by about 2 pounds.
I cook lunch for him every day and was sure that was the problem and so I cut back on that. Instead of a palmful of oatmeal, he gets one tablespoon. And about the same of chopped carrots. And then about 1.5 ounces of hamburger.
In the evening he gets just a half cup of Merrick dry food which is actually measured out now but that's about the same as before. When he was getting bigger lunches he wouldn't eat all the dry food I put out, now he eats it all which is a good sign that I've cut back his lunches enough. I think he's losing weight, but it doesn't have to happen fast. He'll be weighed again in a month and if he hasn't lost any weight we'll cut back a little more.
Why not cut back on the kibble. The other food is fresher. If Kody is hungry adding a bit of pumpkin is filling and nutritious. I give my two miniature Doxie’s 1/8c of Spot’s Stew kibble morning and evening, topped by another 1/8 cup of the doggie stew of the day (I make this with fresh veggies, whatever meat is available and round it out with an Honest Kitchen freeze dried mix to thicken. I must confess the short-haired boy, Merlin, looks like a teenaged Frank Sinatra, slim and sinewy while MacLeod a long-haired boy is probably overweight. They eat the same, walk the same, play all day and there it is?
Hmmm… well I can see I was obviously giving Kody too much of the “real” food before, but if he still doesn’t lose weight, maybe cutting back on the kibble would be a good idea. Thanks!