To feed my dog junk food (junk-ish dog food, that is)

[ScaredyDog]

My lovely dog has come home today after three weeks with my ex (he's lovely too).

But she's so skinny! I don't mean her bones are showing, and I know he does feed her, but he runs a lot and she goes with him - and I know she expends every last calorie bouncing around, so for every mile he runs, she probably covers two.

AIBU to indulge her tonight with as many dog biscuits, cat biscuits (her favourite) and chews that she could possibly dream of in her doggy dreams? She seems so hungry!

We'll be up the hills walking again tomorrow, and she's well exercised when she's here with me, but I'm shocked at how tiny she's become!

(Light-hearted btw, I'm not concerned about how he's looking after her.)

I would, but slowlyish, don't want to have to clear up the mess from an over wolfing sesh

:)

It won't hurt once in a while.It's nice to spoil 'em! Besides. cat food has a higher protein level so can't harm in that respect occasionally. However of course some foods can adversely affect dogs - from poisons and fit-inducing like chocolate, to all manner of other damage.

Seriously, what are you and your ex feeding her on? And what breed is she?

I had hell on earth trying to put weight on my younger GSD - at one stage you could see his ribs no matter what I fed him, awful for him and embarrassing to this rescuer and fosterer!

I was advised to feed the additive free, high protein Naturediet range and saw the difference in weeks, Now he looks fantastic!

I changed from that to Fish4Dogs for practical (storage) and financial reasons. It also is additive free (so can safely feed it to my epileptic elder GSD) and I also feed it to my fussy older Lab x. If your pooch is looking ribby it may help to feed one or the other and get the ex to do so too, especially if she's very active.

BTW, cheky question, but I can understand children going to stay with the ex, but what's with your pooch going to stay with him? :)

My ex can have the kids, they're a PITA (shame he won't!) but my dogs... no way Jose! :o

It depends on the breed of dog tbh

pop her down the vets if your worried maybe your ex doesnt know how much food she needs

God no, I'm not worried about him mistreating her! She just gets a lot more exercise when he has her.

I share the lovely mutt with the ex as we rescued her when we were together, so now we're not together any more we share "custody" - so she stays three weeks with us and then anything from a week to three weeks with my ex.

She's very happy and adores my ex and his OH as much as she does me and DP.

She's a collie cross, some greyhound in there so she's got that lovely high waist that greyhounds have and a deep ribcage, but I can see a little bit too much waist tonight! She looks like she's a bit empty, but she's very shiny of coat and happy.

She's flat out after playing with her "babies" now (stuffed toys that she wangs around the room and fights with) and has a belly full of food, so she's happy.

She sounds lovely... far too lovely to share! I couldn't do it, I'd be lost without my mutts!

:o

I've thought about Fish4Dogs but have heard so many bad things about their factories (which are local to where I work, not where I live) that I've never touched them.

Is their food good? Smelly? I know their factories are! We feed her a combination of Wagg and Pedigree, with a little tinned food.

She sounds like a well loved dog and thats all that matters go ahead and treat her. I wish all dog owners were as caring as you and your ex.

I found that Pedigree goes straight through my sensitive tummed GSD2 (I hear breeders don't recommend it because of this) and that Wagg is pretty cruddy, producing a large amount of orange poo!
Also Wagg has a lot of colourings and little real meat content.

Fish4Dogs has I believe recently changed hands or somesuch - some folk are now less satisfied with it than previously but I (and the rescue I help out at) have no issues. I'm vegan and my teenaged DC are veggie yet we find no issue with the smell of it at all.

Certainly Fish4Dogs has a high protein content and is better at building up dogs and maintaining weight on harder to put weight on pooches. If that doesn't take your fancy though I can't speak highly enough of NatureDiet - as I said, it did wonders for GSD2 in a very short space of time and the only reasons I changed to F4D was because of being given it by the rescue for epi GSD1 and finding it easier to store and cheaper in the long run, plus just as good nutritionally for GSD2 and Lab X. The bugger with NatureDiet is sourcing it if you don't have a local bug pet store and storing it!

Fish4Dogs have a Puppy Club where if you register for a pound you get big discounts on puppy food (including 15kg sacks). You feed far less ounces of F4D per meal than you would Wagg and so it works out, together with a 20% discount if you spend over 100 pounds in one go and free delivery, to cost little more than the price of Wagg. Add to that the cost of Pedigree and tins and you would probably be saving money as well as feeding a better quality food.

What kind of dog is she? I always prefer to see dogs lean No harm in indulging her a bit, but don't overdo it!!

Doh- just saw you said she was a collie-greyhound cross! I find dogs like that can look quite lean quite quickly, but she is no doubt happy and healthy. indulge away!

DBF I have both problems! witchydog would eat anything and everything and needs her weight watching, but my poor oldboy (16 next month) eats fine and is as thin as a rake I have done all the tests and found nothing, and not sure I want to keep on looking, given that he eats, plays and enjoys his walks, shows no other sign of ill-health. But when I am out with him, I hasten to tell people his age, as DH says he looks "terrible" (when 112 you reach, look as good you will not, I tell him)!

I have the opposite problem. GSD2 would and will eat anything and everything (far from a GSD trait!) yet failed to look a decent weight until I put him on NatureDiet and then F4D, yet my fussy 12 yo Lab cross, who might look like a proper purebred Lab at first glance but is far from the typical walking dustbin is getting a bit podgy in his old age!

He's not fat but is not the sleek boy I adopted 8 years ago either... but then again I'm not the perfect size 8 that I was 8 years ago...!

I'll look into Fish4Dogs, I can always send her with food when she goes to stay with exDP.

She's still moulting loads (I mean loads, coming off in handfuls) and exDP has been brushing her every day, which makes her look smaller, as she's not got her longer wavy hair, only puppy-like fluffyness at the moment. She's lost most of her winter coat, but any food that might stop that (I understand food can help to limit shedding?) would be great too.

You might find it helpful to compare fish 4 dogs with orijen. I believe orijen has a higher protein content. Have a look at fish 4 dogs salmon oil. I put this on my dogs' food and my 13 year old collie still has a gorgeous glossy coat. Unfortunatley, nothing seems to stop him shedding!