We decided to put our Cairn terrier on a diet as although he is a big dog (he was the only pup to survive the litter therefore got all the milk) he was 30lbs and needed to trim down.
I have brought his feed down from 150grms to 125grms a day. Problem is he is ravenously hungry all the time now. Hence lots of begging at meal times which he never used to do (he used to be very fussy about his food). I have to be very careful about the food I give him as he has Colitus, anyway we have found that James Wellbeloved agrees with him so we have stuck with that. I am just really worried that maybe we aren't feeding him enough, I would hate to be starving him. Is 125grms enough do you think?
A

Does his tummy tolerate veg ? If not raw some cooked will not increase his calories too much and you could use it as titbits to help with the begging maybe

Funnily enough he used to love carrots when he was a pup, so I've tried him with a raw carrot today, he had a little nibble but he wasn't really interested. Actually I might try cooking some.
Thanks for the idea.
A

I think I read somewhere once that eating its food is basically the best thing in a dogs life and making it so that is all over in 2 minutes flat you are depriving it of the most fun in his day!
What I'm getting at is make his dinner last longer, maybe put it in one of those treat balls so he really has to work for each nugget of kibble. My dogs are all fed raw so a big marrow bone will entertain for hours without over filling but I imagine that might not be any good with the colitis?
When they talk about human dieting the advice is enjoy what you are eating, put down the fork and chew it properly. if it takes you 30mins to eat your dinner I think you'll feel more satisfied even if its the same amount you would have wolfed down in 10!

I don't know about quantities for a Cairn I'm afraid but I think upping exercise is as important as just restricting food.

Also, can he have chicken stock/gravy? If so then try freezing a kong filled with it. I did that to keep my pup busy a few years ago and it worked really well. Just hope they don't get bored and leave it to thaw on the sofa....! BTW, I stuffed the small hole with blue tack and froze it standing up, remove blue tack before serving :)

> I have brought his feed down from 150grms to 125grms a day.

Did you drop by 25gms in in one go?  I only drop very slowly (say 5gms max) a bit at a time, and that's for Collies, so it does seem a huge drop for a Cairn.

Have to say that your original 150 gms sounds high for the breed, but he has only got used to what you gave him.  Try going slower, and replacing with left over veg (or cook extra when you do your own), I put broccoli, cabbage, etc in for mine when they need to lose a few pounds. It does seem to work better than giving a "light" version of a complete.

If you're using JWB give their nutritionist a call, they must have one. They'll be able to advise what amounts you should be aiming for, make sure you tell them it's for weight loss. Don't know how good the JWB service is, never having fed it, but AG and Burns are certainly very helpful, and Chudleys and CSJ!

Soaking the food so it plumps up can help, as it makes them feel a bit fuller instantly, this is what I do if my older girly needs to lose a little, plus adding in carrots and veggies to meals.

Dear All,

I have followed you're advise and it has worked a treat. I split the 125grms between the morning and evening meals and add some water to it. In the evening I give him cooked veg (as he has gone off raw anyway and cooked is more filling apparently) which he loves and it doesn't seem to bother his stomach either. Hamish has lost his extra weight and looks fit and healthy again.

Many Thanks for your help!!!

Andi

andi that is great news!   :-)  :-)  :-) 

Thanks for the follow up.  It is always nice to hear the outcome.