jeffrey's mom

Our boy Jeffrey is almost 7 months old, and weighs 33#. We feed him Canidae, and for his weight and age, they recommend 1-2 cups of food per day. We already feed him almost 3 cups, but he always seems so hungry. He's constantly looking at us for food, scratching at where his treats are kept, sniffing and licking the ground for anything that tastes good, etc.

Now Jeffrey's not fat at all, I can feel his ribs but not see them when just looking. The vet says he's a good weight also.
So my question is: should I be feeding him more because he's hungry, less because that's what is recommended, or stay the same?

Jill

Marcia

If we let ours eat until they were no longer hungry, they would explode/bloat/otherwise self destruct. Most bassets are perpetually hungry. Try mixing some no salt added canned green beans to his food to bulk it out a bit. Canned pumpkin is good too - both are good for preventing anal gland problems. Don't give in to the sad face! Keeping him at a good weight is the best thing you can do for him!

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Loving Slave to Sally, Bliss, Waldo & Chloe kitties, and watched over by Daisy Mae and Rocky ATB

BubbaLeroy

Bogie Carter gets 1 and 1/2 cups of Innova dry kibble a day, with a couple of tablespoons of canned Innova to make it more tasty. He got picky after his second rock surgery, so we started adding a little canned food to spice it up and never quit. Don't give in to those sad eyes, extra weight is a Bassets worst enemy being very very hard on their joints and back. Fresh fruit like cantalope, watermelon, banannas, and carrots are some of Bogie's favorite snacks and healthy, too.

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You don't own a Basset, a Basset owns you!!
Aroooooos from Bogie !! - Trumbull's Who's Teasin Bogart CGC- Born April 21, 2005
ATB: Bubba - (Trumbull's Surley It's Stormin Norman) Sept. 8, 1998 - Dec. 20, 2005

Marcia

Watermelon is very high on Sally & Rocky's list of favorite treats as well.

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Loving Slave to Sally, Bliss, Waldo & Chloe kitties, and watched over by Daisy Mae and Rocky ATB

jeffrey's mom

Jeffrey LOVES fruits and vegetables. So we give him a mid-day snack of bananas, melon, apple, cucumber, etc. and that has been helping him make it to dinner without too much of a fuss. But he will NOT let me forget his dinner. He goes into the kitchen and just looks at me when it's time for him to eat. Very cute.

We're being really careful about not letting Jeffrey get overweight. I've seen a whole lot of overweight Bassets, and I know it's not good for them, just like it's not good for us humans.

Thanks for all of the helpful comments. You all have lovely healthy Bassets.

pinehawk

what is the protein/fat content ratio on the food you are feeding? he may need higher ratios.what i have done in the past and present is when my dogs turn 6 months old i change them to the adult formula and have not had a problem. my one field trial/hunting dog gets 3 cups of 30% pro.20% fat during the off season,and when they start the the training/hunting season he gets bumped up to 3 1/2 cups.he weighs 65 lbs.(+/-).

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