Satisfying appetite in dogs who are prone to weight gain

[Djsquires]

I can’t seemto find how to start a new topic! So I apologise but.....my old English sheepdog is 2 years old and is happily fed on Original Origen mixed with a low calorie tinned food. The problem is there is just not enough to satisfy her but she’s prone to putting on weight....basically I need a bulker to make her bowl more full whilst keeping her weight down. I’ve been adding my other dogs dried low calorie royal canine gastrointestinal kibble that I give to my 2 old terriers but her poo is now runny and paleish.

[Dottie]

I’ve split your post and given it a meaningful title so it will be searchable. Please can you tell us what low calorie wet food you are using? The reason I ask is that most wet foods have higher fat/protein levels.

[Djsquires]

Butchers...wholegrain lean and tasty. 1/2 tin with  160g Origen and 50g royal canin. For breakfast she has 60g royal canin, usually with a tablespoon cheese or leftover meat generally chicken.

[Tinyplanets]

Oats cooked in water and green veg such as cabbage, are  good for adding bulk without adding too many extra calories.

[Dottie]

I looked up the Butchers and it has high protein (47.1%) and moderate fat (14.7%) - link. Orijen Adult is high in protein and fat - link. Protein and fat have higher calories than carbohydrate. These quality foods sometimes need to be fed in lower quantities which might not satisfy appetite.

Regarding weight control my experience is that it’s easier to stick with one product and to weigh the food. In this way you can adjust the quantity up and down by 10% until you get the right amount. Dogs need animal protein so it might be helpful to try a product that has moderate protein and lower fat, say 10% to 12%. A number of the cold pressed foods meet this criteria.  I find that topping up this type of food with lean protein eg chicken, fish will raise protein without adding too much fat. As Tinyplanets has said, supplementing can help. Suitable vegetables are useful but they should be cooked and mashed to aid digestion. Some hungry dogs do better having the daily food allowance divided into three meals.

[Djsquires]

Thankyou for that......she was a very fussy eater and it took ages to find the Origen that she liked....I’m afraid I don’t have time to add cooked veg etc.....and she was getting very heavy on the correct quantity of Origen for her size that’s why I tried substituting some of it for what I thought was lower protein/calorie. I think il try the Origen lower calorie feed on its own.

[Dottie]

As mentioned, dogs sometimes need smaller quantities when fed high quality foods. It’s necessary to adjust the amount down until the weight is steady. Some dogs will always appear hungry even when you know they are getting enough for their needs. I suppose you just have to be firm with them but it’s not easy.