Doggy Appetites

Earlier this week I spoke with my parents who told me a story about our dog, Cooper. Apparently, he got into a pan of brownies left out on the counter. He was completely fine and didn't get sick (chocolate is poisonous to dogs), but the story got me thinking about doggy appetites. 

It seems that all the dogs my family's had are chow hounds. They are always looking for little snacks to steal whether it be from our kitchen or where they're dog kibble is kept. Just reading the ingredients on dog food, I can see why they would be so hungry. Iams dog food's ingredients read like a gourmet selection: with beef, lamb, fish, even sweet potatoes and rice! That's more than my mom cooks when I come home from school!

I have to be honest, when I was a little girl I was tempted to eat dog food, and in fact, I did. Well, I only had a small piece of kibble and I thought it was disgusting, but with ingredients like those, it's no wonder dogs are always wanting to eat more. And with such adorable faces it's even easier to give into temptation and feed them treats all day.

But a note of caution, while most dog breeds are active and have metabolisms that keep them in relatively good shape, it's very easy to overfeed your dog and cause it serious harm.

Cooper, my dog I mentioned earlier, had an accident when he was a puppy. We noticed that his belly looked distended and he seemed lethargic and a little out of it. So we rushed him to an emergency vet clinic, anxious to find out what was wrong with him. Well it turned out his bloated belly was fully of kibble. Five times more than what he should have eaten. We figured that he got into our ferret's food. 

Although we were obviously relieved he wasn't seriously injured, the vet ended up pumping his stomach because she said that stretching out the stomach too far could tear it or push into other organs. 

But an even bigger concern with giving in to your pooch's tummy growls is the weight concern. Dogs may whine and act like they aren't hungry, but they will be absolutely fine. If you're not sure how much is too much, ask your vet what is the appropriate amount of food given your dog's breed and weight.

For example, we feed Cooper twice a day. However, our previous dog, we gave him a larger portion of food in the morning and he would nibble on it throughout the day. Each dog is different but it's best to stick with a regiment so you have a healthy and happy companion!

Caption: This picture was taken at the Furry Skurry in Dayton, Ohio. You can read more about it from my previous post!