My Dog is ravenously hungry 24-7

[lmdbww]

7 1/2 year old schnauzer (pic in sig). She is about 16 lbs.

I have always fed her grain free food because of sensitivities and dry skin (anything from California Natural to Fromm Four Star to most recently Wellness Core). I give her one tiny puppy treat a day when I leave for work and she gets 1 cup of food a day (which always seems to be a lot for her size but she's always maintained her weight so I didn't change it).

She still seems ravenously hungry all the time. She digs in the trash and eats tissues and napkins and toilet paper and whatever paper product she can find. Once in a while I'll give her an extra scoop of food and she will totally eat it all up without an issue (I prob do this once a month).

Does she need more meat on her diet or something? Maybe the Wellness Core isn't doing it for her. Lol i was thinking of trying her on Evo (our first dog did wonderfully on it).

Thoughts? Maybe she is just part wildebeast or something.

[Deleted]

Hehe, I think in part it's a dog thing. I'm quite convinced my greyhound would eat until she exploded if left to her own devices. Does your dog get enough exercise/mental stimulation? Do you feed once a day or multiple small meals? If you feed dry kibble, have you tried using a kibble ball (tricky treat ball, buster cube, etc.)? Our trainer's mantras were "give your dog a job" and "a good dog is a tired dog." Add a scoop of pumpkin or some plain canned green beans to your pup's food to add bulk w/o calories. I'm also a big fan of kongs, they've been a lifesaver for us, my dog goes nuts when I open the freezer. A few spoonfuls of plain yogurt or peanut butter or applesauce and then freeze them.

[lmdbww]

Mar 5, 2015 7:54:05 GMT -5 @bonsoirlune said:

Hehe, I think in part it's a dog thing. I'm quite convinced my greyhound would eat until she exploded if left to her own devices. Does your dog get enough exercise/mental stimulation? Do you feed once a day or multiple small meals? If you feed dry kibble, have you tried using a kibble ball (tricky treat ball, buster cube, etc.)? Our trainer's mantras were "give your dog a job" and "a good dog is a tired dog." Add a scoop of pumpkin or some plain canned green beans to your pup's food to add bulk w/o calories. I'm also a big fan of kongs, they've been a lifesaver for us, my dog goes nuts when I open the freezer. A few spoonfuls of plain yogurt or peanut butter or applesauce and then freeze them.

Kongs keep her busy for 3 seconds.  I feed her once a day and she gets plenty of exercise. 

Maybe i'll try the green beans or pumpkin, I remember doing that w/our first dog too (to help express her glands). 

[cmeon]

Oh, do try feeding her twice a day- she very well could be getting hungry on the "no-meal" end of the day. But, I've personally never met a healthy dog that turns down food- no matter when their last meal was.

I would attribute the tissue/paper chewing with funsies- we've had a few of those over the years. Very thankful our current batch aren't into that- it does get annoying, particularly when you have children who aren't always careful about where they leave things!

Some dogs do require more calories than others, our smallest dachshund (of 6 at one time) always required more kibble than any of his siblings. We have always had trouble maintaining his weight- we have to adjust his kibble fairly frequently. He's just a very, very spazzy, high energy dog.

I'm not a fan of EVO anymore, it used to be awesome- but, Natura sold out to Proctor and Gamble a few years ago, and now P&G have sold it to Mars. I just don't trust companies that make shitty kibbles to maintain the recipes of healthier (pricier to manufacture) kibbles for long.

[redredwine]

My dog would eat the entire bag of food if I left it open and let her have at it. In fact, I know somethings up with her if she's NOT eating. She always acts like she hasn't eaten for DAYS (we give her treats but keep her at a healthy weight)

I think it's a normal dog thing.

[grover]

Our dog will eat all day if we let him. We started switching treats from store bought treats to things like frozen bananas (in a kong or just plain old frozen banana), green beans, carrots and homemade dog treats. It gives him a snack, but lower calories.

[spa]

Our Heeler will eat until he explodes if he could (but he was left tied up in a field no food or water), our GSD barely eats (only meat and canned food [but I think the canned food is giving her hot spots])

My friend's schnauzer would eat everything from pantyhose to milk bottles. I think it might have something to do with the type of dog? Another thing might be (probably a long shot) worms... but if you are up to date then I wouldn't worry about it.

[awick14]

My dog could eat 2+ large bags of dog food if it was allowed. Lol (he's 65 lbs)

We feed him twice a day and give him a few treats daily. He is still always starving.

[Deleted]

My in-laws' dog is the same way, so their vet recommended feeding her canned peas and green beans. They're healthy, low calorie, and full of fiber.

Sent from my 0PAJ5 using proboards

[dr.girlfriend]

Honestly, I would ask your vet if her weight looks healthy. They judge by how visible the ribs are, etc., which I can't tell from a pic. I do agree that feeding more than once a day would probably help too.

[tldtx]

I don't really have any advice to add but I think my pup is a wildbeast too. She is 5 months old, we feed her 3 cups a day and she still acts like she hasn't gotten enough! Also we usually throw a greenie or bone in there as well.

[mich1]

We ave a 25 lb German Spitz and he gets about 1C of food/day but we break it up. In the morning, he gets 1/4C and in the evening, he gets the balance.

One of the things that we have discovered is that if we put his food in water, it slows him down and he doesn't eat as fast. It takes him time to chase the crunchies around the water (about 1/2-1 C) and it seems like the amount he gets satisfies him a bit longer.

Like the others, the mutt would eat the whole bag if he had access. The vet doesn't want him any heavier as he as arthritis in his spine, so someone needs to be his gatekeeper.