[BurnsideBassett]

I have a one year old (18 July) female Bassett I got her when she was 8 weeks. She currently weighs 26kg. I recently rescued (5 weeks ago)another Bassett Female she's 4 years old and weighs 26.5kg. They each have 4 weetabix and milk for breakfast (7.30am). I was also feeding them lunch consisting of 1 tin each of dog food + mixer. Dinner followed consisting of a tin each of dog food with mixer. Once a week I make them beef stew with vegetables this does for 2 meals. I also treat them to Pilchards once a week. When I first got the pup I tried her on dried food (Purina) but gave this up a couple of months ago as she just wasn't eating. My mother who had a Bassett Hound years ago has advised me that 3 meals a day is too much so I've cut them down to breakfast and dinner. Is this right? On the side of the dog food tin it advises for a dog weighing between 25 - 30kg 3 tins a day. The older dog is definately a little overweight. AM I doing right????? I don't want to starve them.

 

[Valerie and George]

Dogs will insist they're hungry ALL the time, so you can't trust that as a guide. :lol: Have you asked your vet for a guideline of how much to feed them? George has dry food available all the time and about once a day he gets a can of food to supplement his treats, which are legion. He gets cheese a couple of times a day and usually gets some leftovers from our suppers, too. He doesn't get ALL of that every day. If he gets leftovers, he doesn't get a can of dog food and vice versa. I should think dry food and a can apiece twice a day would be adequate for them.

 

[twobassets]

I love Wheatabix! Luck dogs you have. :lol: My two are fed twice a day and get about 3/4 cup of dry and loads of veg. We take about two tablespoons of canned food & mix in some warm water to make a gravy and pour that over the top. For treats they get a few biscuits throughout the day but mostly carrots, apple or other veg.

You have to watch the weight with these dogs and as Valerie said they will always be hungry (or at least they want you to think that). :roll:

 

[Mikey T]

!. Most dogs are lactose intollerant so milk often causes stomach upset or worse

Dog Food FAQs: Supplements/Foods to Avoid/Allergies

Should I give my dog milk?
No. Most dogs are lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is a common form of maldigestion. A puppy has the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the sugar in milk called lactose. However, as a dog ages, he generally stops producing lactase. When your dog consumes milk products, the lactose is not digested and the symptoms of maldigestion occur

2. 2,3,5 or even a 100 meals a day is not going to make a dog fat. It is not the number of meals but the amount and caloric intake of the food eaten. Multiple smaller meals have been shown to reduce the incidence of bloat in breeds with that tendency which bassets are one of many.

3. the only way to acess a dogs weigh is by it body condition. There are links to different methodologies below. Keep in mind however that most owner tend to underevaluate a dogs weight. In a Purina® Study

found that most owners couldn't accurately assess their dogs' body conditions. When owner and expert scores were compared, only 28 percent of owners characterized their pets as above ideal body condition, while 79 percent of the experts scored those same animals to be above ideal body condition. Dr. Larson says this gap is serious because pet owners are not likely to recognize that their pets are overweight and even moderate excess body fat may lead to problems.

links

Corpulent Canines?


Body Condition

“Do I Look Fat in This?” Is Fido Overweight?