Dog hungry/ begging for food (very hard done by 😂)

[IHopeYouStepOnALegPiece]

3yo Westie has been on neutered dog dry kibble since neutering at 6m, daily allowance is 145g and has always been absolutely fine, never needed to beg, doesn’t always finish it (infact was a nightmare as a puppy to get to eat!) and is a comfortable weight for her little stature!

Unfortunately in the last few months has developed some food allergies so has been on an elimination diet and switched to hypoallergenic food. Her daily allowance is 110g (and due to its higher calorie content the vet has suggested 100g)

She is hungry! Has always had her food down and been a grazer (rightly or wrongly, it worked for her) but now has 4 small meals a day, inhales them and sits at the bowl begging for more and is becoming highly annoying a begger at the table (which given the allergies is so not allowed 😂

Vet says tough, she’s 5.5kg and can’t put on weight as she’s small in stature. So does anyone have any thoughts on this?

@IHopeYouStepOnALegPiece

id go & see a different vet.

she's not just begging when you have something that smells good, she's properly hungry. Poor wee thing. I hope you can get her allergies sorted & life back to normal!!

No veg snacks? Mine have raw veg every night. Or Woe Betide....

No apparently not right now, which given how much she loves a carrot is very sad!

The allergies have been a nightmare for her, poor little love has been so itchy and has made patches red raw. We know beef is a definite allergen but there’s something else so trying to narrow it down

Thank you! Yes us too, it’s been really miserable for her!

Im leaning towards a second opinion now tbh

Going from 145g to 100g is dropping down a third of her meal portion. It might be higher in calories but it's obviously not filling enough. A dog that never begged pre change in food usually means it's the food that's the problem not the dog. Get a second opinion (or up the amount and watch her weight more carefully).

Although if she's not allowed extras, including carrots, she's more likely had her whole food intake cut in half rather than down a third. Poor baby.

Could you try using one of those activity feeding mats which will slow down her rate of eating so she thinks she has had more food than she actually has?

You don't have a greedy dog you have a hungry little dog who has now taken to begging for food. Your dog won't understand why you've stopped feeding it enough. The dog trusts you to feed it and it must be really hard to see it go hungry. If the dog loves a carrot I'd give it a carrot and see how it goes. I'd up it's food from 100 to 110. It's still a big cut on its food. I'd be seeking out a different vet who might recommend a different food.

I think I might be like my 70s parents, who were a bit lax. I wouldn’t dream of depriving my dog of food. But I wouldn’t let them become fat either.

They are both sweet natured (mostly) and easy dogs. One is a terror for begging, but that’s him; the other one gives it a go but isn’t so bothered. Both dogs know that if I say No, that’s it and wander off.

i appreciate that you need to find out the allergies, but standing by the bowl when she is finished, sounds hungry, not greedy. I’m not sure whether lots of people measure how much food to give their dog for each meal.

She’s not greedy, never said she was.

Im going to talk to the vet again and up the food slightly in the meantime but im not going to give her carrots etc without the go ahead from the vet. Watching her rub herself raw or licking her paws so much due to blisters that they bleed is fucking awful and I’m not risking it

She has a couple of brain training toys and likes her food wrapped in a blanket but give her an activity feeding mat and she’ll instantly throw it in the air to empty it 😂 she little bit strong. And v smart 😁

What's the vets' reasoning behind not allowing carrots?

I would order an allergy test - and see a different vet.

Can you try splitting her food into 3 portions instead of 4? It might fill her more.

Is there a different hypo allergenic food with less calories so she can have more for the same calorie count? I think the volume of it probably matters to whether they feel full. Otherwise bulking it out with low cal stuff like veggies seems a good way to go as long as it's clear those aren't causing the allergies (never heard of a dog with a carrot allergy but maybe such thing exists)

My dog doesn't have allergies but I did switch him to a weight management food after he started putting on weight post neutering. I'd originally tried feeding less of his previous food but he could tell it wasn't as much and presumably didn't feel full and we had a lot of whining and begging. This food is the same, if not more, volume of food, high protein but just less fat and it's worked great for him he lost weight and isn't hungry or feeling shortchanged. He does also get veggies for snacks and has some of his food in a Kong wobbler or the snuffle mat which slows him down and makes meals last longer