[Starr05]

Ok so my dogs eat good food Flint River Ranch, I feed them a little more then the bag suggests, but they act like they are starved. I feed them seperatly at the same time 2 times a day. They scarf don their food like it will be taken away. then when they are done if we are eating they are up in our face wantung our food so we put them in thier kennels when we eat now. They have their stool checked for parasites at every vet visit...i think the last time was in november and it was neg. Any ideas? Is this normal? I hate to say this but back in the day when I knew nothing about good quality dog food we fed purina, pedigree and even iam and i dont remember any of our previous dogs acting like that.

 

[Boxerpop]

Try feeding them three times a day or is that  not an option at your house.

 

[Nexu]

I've found there is a HUUUUUGE difference in how food driven different dogs are.  Some dogs are food-food-food 24/7 and some act like it's no big deal.  My Lola, sometimes I have to entice her to eat by spicing up her dog food with some wet dog food or an egg or some chicken breast, etc... mixed in.  And I've fed her about 7-8 different good dog foods and she's just not that big of an eater.


With dogs that are that crazy about food, obviously, I think you have to make sure they don't over eat and get fat.  But as long as you are feeding to ideal body condition I wouldn't worry about them being food crazy.

 

[Starr05]

[quote="Boxerpop\";p=\"80629":nmfw4afx]Try feeding them three times a day or is that

 

[Barbs2Ks]

Kiah always acts like I am starving her; I think if I put cut up cardboard in her bowl she would think it was the greatest thing in the world.  She will sit in front of the cabinet, look up at where I keep her treats and give me the sad "please give me a treat"  look.

 

[tootsie]

Wow..6 cups sounds like an awful lot. I don't have that problem with Maddie. She eats like a bird.  :roll: I don't know, if they look good and are healthy, maybe they just feel they need to eat really fast so that the other one doesn't finish first and try to get their food.   :-??

 

[PlaYtiMe24_7]

Like Nexu said, different dogs like food differently. My oldest, Xena, use to be a grazer, she'd just pick throughout the day. Ever since I got the puppy though, I had to put her on a schedule. I go by the feeding instructions so Xena gets 3 1/2 cups a day...i give 1 1/2 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon, and 1 in the evening. She usually doesnt eat her breakfast or she'll just pick at it then leave it. She usually eats her lunch and dinner but not very hungrily. Zoe, my puppy on the other hand, gobbles down her 3 cups per day like your dogs and then goes looking for Xena's kibble that she left. If I'm eating, shell look at me with those puppy eyes.

I'd say if your dogs are at a healthy weight, then just keep doing what you're doing or you could break up the total of 6 cups into 3, 2 cup feedings per day. Some dogs will just eat and eat and eat if it was available. Like humans, it can take them a few minutes to register that they have just eaten. Zoe will sometimes beg for a few mins then wander off.

 

[sumyasmom]

Ok so my dogs eat good food Flint River Ranch, I feed them a little more then the bag suggests, but they act like they are starved. I feed them seperatly at the same time 2 times a day. They scarf don their food like it will be taken away. then when they are done if we are eating they are up in our face wantung our food so we put them in thier kennels when we eat now. They have their stool checked for parasites at every vet visit...i think the last time was in november and it was neg. Any ideas? Is this normal? I hate to say this but back in the day when I knew nothing about good quality dog food we fed purina, pedigree and even iam and i dont remember any of our previous dogs acting like that.

jessica, i feed sumya the same food as you do, and she does the same thing! she never used to care so much about food before!!

 

[Starr05]

jessica, i feed sumya the same food as you do, and she does the same thing! she never used to care so much about food before!![/quote]



Maybe its because they LOVE the food so much then lol!

 

[sumyasmom]

let's hope so huh!! :lol:

 

[samsonsmom]

I have never had one Boxer that didn't act that way, but definitely there are some that are not food driven...Mine act like they are refugees from some 3rd world country and you can tell by looking at them that are very healthy...It's a heck of a lot easier in the long run to keep them thin rather than allow them to start putting on weight and have to try and remove it, so my advice is keep doing what you are doing...They will get over it...Angel is like a Hoover in the kitchen, constantly checking the floor for any possible morsels that have dropped But I refuse to feed more, she doesn't need it,,,

 

[nano]

My male Mateo is constantly starving and is fed three times a day.  I find my males are more food driven and some more hungry than others.  He needs restricted intake as he tends to get overweight if I don't monitor closely.  I have only had one boxer that had a very poor appetite for the first 2 years.  Almost anorexic at times.  Mateo scarfs it up like there is no tomorrow.  I have to feed each meal in two parts - 1/2 cup at a time or he eats so fast he chokes.  Just the way he is.  Kinda like his mother...............

Nano

 

[HannaBanana]

My dogs would eat until the cows come home.  However as an owner, its my responsibility to set boundies on how much they eat.   They get two meals a day, but lately I have been cutting back the two meals, and doing three smaller meals over time.   This allows them to eat IMO at a slower rate as well as helps to eliminate the hunder pukes in the am.   I also think again stictly IMO that 6 cups is WAY too much for MY dogs.   If they are acting hungry, then I do give them a marrow bone with meat attached to curb their hunger and to entertain them.   I also fell its easier to fatten up a skinny dog then to shed wieght on a fat dog.

So maybe try the smaller three meals, some recreations chewing stuff and what not.