[catlikethief]

My Sophia is 10months old (TODAY!), she has what I like to call pudgy spots. When she runs her back fat looks like it jiggles (I know not the most flattering description) and she has a roll around her neck/ collar area.

At first I thought that since she's on the shorter side maybe she would stretch out and up a bit more, maybe grow into her skin but I dunno.

She's on good food (Acana- Grasslands) 3 1/2 cups daily and gets plenty of exercise, she weights 59 pounds. When I feel for ribs I don't really feel them.
Here is a picture, you can see the roll around her neck.

And a video of her wet, she looks over weight to me. Could this just be an awkward growth phase?

Thanks much!

 

[jwemt81]

It's really hard to tell from just that one picture, but she does look a little round in the video and she doesn't seem to have the lift at her waist line that she should have. At 10 months old, Goldens don't have baby fat. As for the roll around the collar area of the neck, that's a normal Golden trait. Some Goldens are just more "wrinkly" than others. I don't know how may calories per cup are in the food that you are feeding, but 3-1/2 cups a day sounds like an awful lot. When our dogs were puppies, they were eating 3 cups a day and then they were cut back to 2 cups a day when they were around 6-7 months. They do go through a lot of funny looking stages as pups; however, if you can't easily feel her ribs (at any age), then you need to start cutting back on the food and make sure that she gets regular exercise. At 10 months, she is either already at or is very, very close to her full adult height.

 

[catlikethief]

It's really hard to tell from just that one picture, but she does look a little round in the video and she doesn't seem to have the lift at her waist line that she should have. At 10 months old, Goldens don't have baby fat. As for the roll around the collar area of the neck, that's a normal Golden trait. I don't know how may calories per cup are in the food that you are feeding, but 3-1/2 cups a day sounds like an awful lot. When our dogs were puppies, they were eating 3 cups a day and then they were cut back to 2 cups a day when they were around 6-7 months. They do go through a lot of funny looking stages as pups; however, if you can't easily feel her ribs (at any age), then you need to start cutting back on the food and make sure that she gets regular exercise.

Thank you for your observations. It's so hard to gauge what's the right amount with her. She seems like she's always *OMG IN YOUR FACE HUNGRY* maybe she's just playing tricks on me. I'll cut back her food and see where it gets us. I sense more sugar snap peas in her future.

 

[Mssjnnfer]

I agree with Jo. My two are 7 months and 10 months old and they both eat 2 cups a day. They always act super hungry still, but I'm sure they would still be hungry even if they ate 10 cups a day. LOL.

 

[Bock]

I would also agree she is overweight. Decrease the food a bit and up the exercise! Good for you for being aware of this.

I just want to point out that although jwemt was feeding 3 cups a day to her puppies and jen feeds her dogs 2 cups a day, my golden was eating 4 cups a day of a high quality food up until 2 years old so it is possible for some dogs to eat a lot of food and still be skinny, however that's besides the point. I just wanted people who may read this thread to realize it's ok if they happen to be feeding more than 3 cups a day AND the circumstances warrant it.

 

[jwemt81]

One thing that I forgot to add is that you can add some green beans to her meals as fillers to help her feel full and more satisfied after she eats.

The number of cups that you feed each day really depends on the type of food and your dog's nutritional needs. The ribs are a very good indicator of whether or not your dog needs to gain or lose weight. If you can actually see the ribs, the dog needs to gain a few pounds. If you can't feel them, then it's time to cut back on the food and increase the exercise. If you can easily feel the ribs and not see them, then you are right where you want to be.

 

[Mssjnnfer]

Oh yeah, I definitely agree. There really can't be a set cup standard. When we got Max she was being fed like 5 cups a day of Ol' Roy by her previous owners. She was pretty pudgy and round (as you can see from my middle picture. She's on the left) and we couldn't feel her ribs at ALL. We cut it down to three cups a day of Natural Choice and she slimmed down a bit, but then we cut it even more to two cups and now she's at the perfect size. So I think just taking a look and then sort of testing out different portions for a while you can figure out how much they need to stay slim. =D

 

[catlikethief]

One thing that I forgot to add is that you can add some green beans to her meals as fillers to help her feel full and more satisfied after she eats.

The number of cups that you feed each day really depends on the type of food and your dog's nutritional needs. The ribs are a very good indicator of whether or not your dog needs to gain or lose weight. If you can actually see the ribs, the dog needs to gain a few pounds. If you can't feel them, then it's time to cut back on the food and increase the exercise. If you can easily feel the ribs and not see them, then you are right where you want to be.

I'll have to try the green beans. Do you do fresh,frozen or canned?
So I have to correct what i said about how many cups she gets daily. After looking and double checking the amount her plastic cup holds, it's roughly 1 cup, knowing my husband he does a heaping scoop in the morning. Meaning she gets between 2- 2 1/2c a day depending on who feeds her. And some days she just gets raw food.

Per the Acana site the cal distribution is: ME (metabolizable energy) is 4200 kcal/kg (420 kcal per 250 ml cup) with 35% of energy
from protein, 35% from premium animal fats and 30% from regional fruits and vegetables.

So basically my take on this is she isn't getting enough ya ya's out during the day. 840cal a day seems like a normal amount, correct?
I'm so afraid to switch her to a grain food in hopes of holding off her hunger. When she was a pup she constantly had sturvite crystals. After much $$$ at the vet I switched her to Orijen Lg Breed Pup food and the problem went away but then she became my little chunky monkey...

Btw- thank you again for all the help!

 

[catlikethief]

Oh yeah, I definitely agree. There really can't be a set cup standard. When we got Max she was being fed like 5 cups a day of Ol' Roy by her previous owners. She was pretty pudgy and round (as you can see from my middle picture. She's on the left) and we couldn't feel her ribs at ALL. We cut it down to three cups a day of Natural Choice and she slimmed down a bit, but then we cut it even more to two cups and now she's at the perfect size. So I think just taking a look and then sort of testing out different portions for a while you can figure out how much they need to stay slim. =D

Maxie is a cutie.
Thanks for all the advice. I'm thinking I'll tweak her feeding a bit and add more physical activities to her day. She's a lazy bum, she must think she's a cat with all the sleeping she does.

 

[fuzzbuzz]

Maxie is beautiful. I'd love to give some advice but since I'm still trying to shed my baby fat (54yrs later) I don't think I'm qualified to do so.:no:

 

[Ljilly28]

It took Tally FOREVER to grow into the loose skin around his neck and it took his brother Gabe and sister Eve even longer, lol. Tally also has a hair poof just after his neck that makes his topline look soft when it isnt ( he is 68 lbs)- if I use thinning shears, he loses 5 lbs in 5 minutes!

 

[Tanyac]

I agree with what everyone has said but I would suggest you feed less gradually, so your dog won't really notice the difference. If you add some "fillers" then you could do it a little quicker.

If your dog is a little lazy, it's probably because of the excess weight. This will change as she gets fitter and loses some.

Unfortunately, the feeding guide on a packet of food is only an estimate of what you should be feeding. Activity levels, whether your dog has been spayed etc can all make a big difference on the amount fed. I always go on the rib test with my two, as their thick coats often hide the truth

 

[AquaClaraCanines]

I think her amount of food should be reduced down to two cups. That's what I would do

 

[mdoats]

One thing to keep in mind as you're working on this... many goldens (mine included) act like they are starving all the time! If it were up to Rookie he would eat non-stop. It takes a little while to figure out the difference between when they're hungry and when they're just being greedy.