Do you feed more/different meals in colder months?

[AsahiGo]

I'm currently on a mission to 'bulk' my dog up, as he's underweight (recently adopted him), and whilst looking at this came across a lot of journals about winter feeding.

I don't have a working dog, nor does he live outside, but I've been considering this for a while. Does anyone change or increase their dogs' food in autumn/winter?

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I base what I feed on the condition of the dog. I have a larger, older, less active dog who is fed the same quantity of the same food as younger, more active one. I've found he's needed more food to keep condition as he's aged, even though he is less active now, and the youngster eats more than the old dog did at the same age, but is clearly burning it all.

I've never found that winter makes much of a difference - not enough that I have a winter feeding scale vs a summer one. Exercise levels, though, do make a difference.

Incidentally, how old is your dog? If he's under 18mo/2yrs or so, he might just not have bulked up yet, and could outgrow his underweight look as he reaches maturity and puts on some muscle.

[ErrolTheDragon]

My dog does generally seem to want a bit more food in colder weather.

[pigsDOfly]

My dog seems to be starving at the moment and starts staring at me with sad eyes at least an hour before each meal is due.

It's been going on for a couple of weeks now and now I'm wondering if she's preparing for the coming cold weather - her breed originated from a cold climate so it would make sense for her to get prepared well ahead of the winter.

I haven't noticed this in the past as I have dropped the amount I feed her within the last years or so. Up till now she's been happy with the lesser amount but I've actually started giving her a very small increase in food as she seems so hungry. I definitely don't want her to bulk up though, as her weight is perfect at the moment.

I'll be seeing the vet in a few weeks so will ask about it.

I've had cats in the past and they always seem to want a bit of extra food in the cold weather and they always seemed to add a small amount of winter weight then lose it in the spring.

I think we humans often feel we want a bit more food in the winter too.