# Always Hungry



## Lilly521 (May 29, 2004)

Alright so a couple months ago when I took Sunny to the vet I found out he had gained 5lbs, at the time weighing 14lbs (he is 3 years old so its not like he actually grew). The vet gave me quite a little talk on how I had been overfeeding him and I knew she was right. Since then I have switched Sunny to a reduced calorie food and stared actually measuring his food in a measuring cup rather that just eyeballing it. Its working and he is slowly losing weight, actually starting to show a waist! I am having a lot of trouble having him stick to his diet though, this is because he seems to always be hungry. When he finishes his food he will stand at the bowl pawing at it and whining until I add more food (how we got to 14 lbs in the first place) or if I hide the bowl in a cabnit someplace he can't see it. I feel like I am starving my dog







. I had been feeding him the Nutro lite for less active dogs but was having some difficultly finding in the store all the sudden so I currently am switching him to Natural Balance reduced calorie.....I know those aren't super top quality dog food but I was under the impression they are decent and I don't have tons of extra cash right now. I am following the package directions 1/2-1 cup of food per day for dogs 0-15lbs....been giving him about 3/4 cup. Tried spacing it out more threw out the day but it doesn't seem to matter he is always whining for food. I just feel awful, I mean today when I fed my fish he sat there begging for fish food







. Is there anything I can about this? I am very seriously considering taking him back to the vet this is becoming such an issue but I am not really sure they would be able to help any....probably just tell me I should be feeding science diet lol.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Dogs are natural beggars. You'll probably have to teach him to behave when fixing food or eating.

Maybe teach him to go lay down in his bed.


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## Lilly521 (May 29, 2004)

Well he doesn't beg for food that I am eating. Yeah he follows me around hoping a spill something but never whines. I hope its just him begging for the heck of it rather than actually being hungry but he just seems so convincing.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Mine are like that too but they would burst if I kept feeding them. Funny how they always want something they can't have...reminds me of my kids. Haha.


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

Harley was the exact same when I first reduced his portion size in a bid for him to lose some weight - he finished what was in his bowl, then looked at the emptyness there - then looked at me as if to say - hey, where's the rest?!

Just be firm, if you know that you are feeding the correct amount, dont waiver, stick to your guns! It's hard, I felt like I was starving him too - but in Harley's case, lets face it, there's plenty there to lose, and little risk of him ever really starving! 

It may take a little while, but eventually Sunny will get used to it - even though it doesn't seem like it now!

Good luck!


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## dogloverx3 (Apr 14, 2006)

Grate some carrot into his meals , or use them as a treat . Carrot fills them up but is low in calories . All 4 of mine are trim , taut and terrific . Sarah


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Sunny sounds like my Lady. That girl lives to eat, too! 

Lady got up to a whopping 11 1/2 pounds when I first adopted her because I just keep feeding her since she acted so hungry. She was dx with diabetes a year and a half later so I really learned my lesson!

Green beans save us. I thaw the frozen cut green beans and cut them in half. I put them in her Twist and Treat so she gets to chase them all over which slows her down. They are full of fiber and really fill her up.

You have to be strong with Sunny. Not only does obesity (along with genetics) cause diabetes, it can cause knee problemss and shorten their life.


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

You ladies are lucky I have the opposite problems with them not eating. I just don't think 10 or 15 little kibbles fill them....for the last 2 days they have been getting bored of the raw.


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

I know what you are going through, Koko is exactly the same, although he is not overweight but he loves his food and if I let him would eat all day long. I find the best way to deal with him is to feed him half his wet food in the morning and put some kibble out for him to nibble, then the other half of his wet food at night with some more of his kibble, all measured for the day's intake, this works well with him.


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

I have the exact same problem with Boo. He is on reduced calorie dry kibble also & acts like he is starving all the time. He makes numerous trips to the fridge & cabinet during the day, scratching until I really feel bad for him. I do keep green-beans & carrots for him to munch on, but they don't really seem to satisfy him long. I'm thinking some of his behavior is habit & the fact he has me trained so well. I do know how you feel, I hate that Boo seems like he is starving all the time & it bothers me to see him standing at the fridge or cabinets begging for something to eat. He has always done that, even before being on a diet, he just has gotten worse.


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## Lilly521 (May 29, 2004)

Well next time I go to the store I will grab him some healthy snacks, probably would hurt to grab myself some as well.....we put some of this weight on together lol.


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## totallytotontuffy (May 16, 2007)

If you are sure that the weight gain is due to overfeeding, disregard the rest. Tuffy had been gradually gaining weight and along with that she would sit herself down in the middle of the sidewalk and refuse to walk. I thought it was because she overweight. A couple of weeks ago she had her annual check up and the vet commented about her weight gain. When I told her about Tuffy not wanting to walk, and that I was feeding Tuffy the same portion of food as Toto (who is very trim), the vet suggested that we run some blood tests to check for hypothyroid. The results reflected that her thyroid levels were very low and she has since been on medicine. She too was hungry all the time so I thought I would mention our experience.


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## Lilly521 (May 29, 2004)

> If you are sure that the weight gain is due to overfeeding, disregard the rest. Tuffy had been gradually gaining weight and along with that she would sit herself down in the middle of the sidewalk and refuse to walk. I thought it was because she overweight. A couple of weeks ago she had her annual check up and the vet commented about her weight gain. When I told her about Tuffy not wanting to walk, and that I was feeding Tuffy the same portion of food as Toto (who is very trim), the vet suggested that we run some blood tests to check for hypothyroid. The results reflected that her thyroid levels were very low and she has since been on medicine. She too was hungry all the time so I thought I would mention our experience.[/B]


His energy is very sporadic but I assume that normal, acted this way since he was a puppy. One day he is a crazy dog doing laps all over the place and then he sleeps the whole next day. The doesn't really sound the same at what happened with you but I will still keep my eye open for anything along those lines.


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## starry (Sep 4, 2006)

Maybe you could feed him a bit more and exercise him more too. It saddens me to see a hungry







animal even tho I understand they shldn't be too heavy.








Losing the weight could maybe be spread out and not too rushed







...Mine is picky but my Lhasa is a hoover.
Oh and please get some foods that are low in calories like mentioned above. And please don't feed him that crappy Science Diet.


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