[NAGDU] Food - feeding extra

[Wayne And Harley]

Hi,I only adjust my dog's food,  up or down, based. On whether the dog needs to lose or gain weight.  It's worked well for my dogs for fifteen years. Your Mileage May Vary. 
Yours, Very Sincerely And Respectfully,

Wayne M. Scace 

-------- Original message --------
From: Morgan Leland via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
Date: 12/16/2015  20:35  (GMT-06:00) 
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
Cc: Morgan Leland <morganland at me.com> 
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Food - feeding extra 

I agree, Raven. I only fluctuate my dog by 1/2 cup at this point but we have also only been home for a month. The vet has been very supportive of this practice and Fairbs is healthy and happy. I, too, tend to eat more on busier days which is why I asked my vet in the first place. As a student I spend some down days and others where I walk miles to run errands. I change the night feeding to compensate for her energy level that day. 

I like hearing everyone's individual tips and practices. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 16, 2015, at 5:49 PM, Raven Tolliver via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:

I think if you live a lifestyle that changes from day-to-day, changing
food amount on a daily or bidaily basis is more suitable. If almost
everyday is the same for you, then it suits you and your dog to feed
the same amounts each day.

For the past 1.5 years, I have lived a lifestyle that can range from
sitting around all day to walking 4 miles or heavy play sessions some
days. Since I only feed 1 meal daily, I notice that on more active
days, my dog will linger in the kitchen around the fridge, waiting for
food to appear, so I feed a 2nd meal on those days. Now that I know
he'll be more hungry, I just feed a large amount of food at once if I
know the day will be more active.
This makes sense to me because on less active days, when I spend a lot
of time writing and editing, I also eat less -- 2 meals or one meal
and a late snack. On days where I'm on my feet and active for hours at
a time, like when I'm at LDB, I eat 3 full meals.

I also gorge and fast my dog every 2 or 3 weeks for cleansing, so his
food amount ranges from 8 oz to 3 lbs throughout the month. And I
typically feed less during the winter time since I am generally less
active during this time of year.

No, it isn't healthy for a dog's weight to yo-yo, but it does happen.
What I would suggest and what the guide dog schools do about it are 2
different things. The guide dog schools suggest, at least to families
who are hosting breeding stock or puppy-raising, that the food amount
is adjusted every so often to compensate for the fluxuations in
weight.
-- 
Raven
Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
www.1am-editing.com

You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
have or what you do.

Naturally-reared guide dogs
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs

> On 12/16/15, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I don't buy into this business of feeding extra when you'll be doing "a
> lot".  Of course, people are free to do what they please, but, for over 30
> years, I've fed roughly the same amount every day, adjusting occasionally
> to
> maintain weight, and my dogs have been just fine.  In fact, they've retired
> weighing about the same as they did the day we met, despite "filling out".
> I suppose, if by "doing a lot", I meant walking 10 miles, then maybe I'd
> feed a bit more, but I don't actually walk 10 miles a day, and I bet most
> others don't either.
> 
> I suspect it's not healthy for a dog's weight to yo-yo, the same as it's
> not
> healthy for a human.  I do all I can to keep the dog at what I feel is a
> good weight, defined by how his body feels to me, and, in my experience,
> maintaining food at a fairly constant level helps me do that.
> 
> Tracy

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