# self regulating food intake



## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

So I have noticed that my basset puppy Barney does not clean his plate when he eats. He is 4 months so I oofer him 2% of his target adult weight. He will eat some of each meal but never finish my chihuahua has been doing the same thing but she is not an aggressive eater. My dachshunds on the other hand would probably eat until they exploded. Do some dogs only eat what they need or is he just not that crazy about chicken? He is also not so interested in his lunch meal.


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

I have heard of some dogs that can self regulate, however I don't own any  Ziva ate an entire turkey neck in 1 sitting which was about 10x the food she should eat. Every dog is different.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

My Rhett was the same way, because he started when he was only 14 weeks old, he still had a tiny stomach....and one he would eat about 1.5% he would slow wayyyy down, some days not even eating the whole 2%. Now...well now, at 8 months old he will eat all of it and more if given the option!LOL

But you have to remember for a puppy, if they are smart and not pigs like my Mum's Frenchie who will eat as much as is offered no matter what, their stomachs are very small, and we are feeding them what they will, pretty much, always eat!:wink: 

So lets say a cheer for having a puppy who is a smarter eater then some!!!:tongue:


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

Both of my dogs eat until they are satisfied then they stop. The amount of food they eat varies from day to day so trying to anticipate how much to feed them every day is impossible. Some days they eat every bit of what I give them, and some days they leave half their meal behind and I find it sitting there the next morning. Sometimes one will eat the others meal if one is really hungry and the other isn't. No aggression though. The hungry one will wait until the other one abandons its food. They trade off doing this and it's only occasional.

Sometimes they also like to let the food "ripen" before they eat it, and I let them. I can't tell you how many times I've fed them mid-day, had them look at it and walk away, leaving the food sitting out in the sun, only to come back in the evening to eat it all with vigor. I don't do this when we vacation in the wilderness since the meat will attract dangerous wildlife if you let it sit out too long. But at home in suburban Los Angeles we don't have much of an issue with that where we are so I allow it.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

We used to leave food out for all our dogs in an automatic feeder and they never overate. 

I can't imagine doing that with my dachshund. I am 100% sure she would eat until she died. She got into a bag of dog food once and had to go to the ER because of the huge amount of food she had consumed before I caught her. She totally dehydrated.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

I knew he was a genius. I am really happy since we changed his diet. He had diarrhea the first 4 weeks here and was having trouble gaining weight. One week o RAW and you can no longer see the outline of all his ribs and he looks perfect. So now people don't look at me like I am starving him. He is not as food driven like i hear bassets are. I can sit next to him on a couch and eat dinner and he will just sleep. My other dogs howeer never break a stare it can be very annoying.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

barneysmom2510 said:


> I knew he was a genius. I am really happy since we changed his diet. He had diarrhea the first 4 weeks here and was having trouble gaining weight. One week o RAW and you can no longer see the outline of all his ribs and he looks perfect. So now people don't look at me like I am starving him. He is not as food driven like i hear bassets are. I can sit next to him on a couch and eat dinner and he will just sleep. My other dogs howeer never break a stare it can be very annoying.


That is EXACTLY how Rhett was...it was horrid....but as SOON as he started getting raw meals his stool was perfect and he hasnt even had one issue(aside from when he got into the inlaw's krapple...but I dont count that!:tongue 

And as for food driven...Im trying to remember, as I was only 6 when we got out Basset growing up...but I dont believe the food drive hit her till she was about 12-18 months old.....then GAME ON!!! LOL :lol:


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

xellil said:


> We used to leave food out for all our dogs in an automatic feeder and they never overate.
> 
> I can't imagine doing that with my dachshund. I am 100% sure she would eat until she died. She got into a bag of dog food once and had to go to the ER because of the huge amount of food she had consumed before I caught her. She totally dehydrated.


My red dachshund is ridiculous in how much she wants to eat. She is completely crazy when it comes to eating she is never satisfied.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Well, I have labs...I'm pretty sure they would eat until their stomachs burst if I let them, lol.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

I am sure Barney is going to be a typical hound. I am thinking his tummy is so sensitive he does not feel like eating as much as he could if he was not having tummy issues. His poops are still loose but kind of have shape but they are so small it is amazing. I take this as he is digesting so much of what he is eatinf. When he was on kibble he had so much diarrhea this has caused it to inflame his colon so much he still has blood now when he poops. Although this morning he did his first one without blood those doggy leash poop bags seem so much larger now which is awesome.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Like Jayjay, both of my dogs self-regulate. My understanding is that dogs that are fed a high quality diet from a young age learn to self-regulate. If you adopt an older dog, or your dog has been fed really crappy commercial foods for an extended period of time, then it's likely that it will lose the natural instinct to self-regulate.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I seem to get surprised by the information I find on the net. I've had a lot of different dogs from hounds to "wolves", and I fed a lot of different food, even Ol' Roy. Yet all of my dogs have been self regulators. Until I started feeding raw, my dogs' food was down 24/7. If the bowl was empty it got filled and the closest I've been to having an obese dog is my oldest Iggie. He could stand to lose a pound.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

^^^ you are lucky Sadie my red dachshund gains weight so fast and it just a garbage disposal. One time my husband and son left 50 munchkins on the table. My husband walked in later and she had scarfed most down she was so bloated and could barely move for two days. When I just had my 2 dachshunds they would leave kibble in the dish all day then when I got my chihuahua they would eat it . With this diet forget about it they go crazy for breakfast and dinner. I get up at 6 they used to be asleep they are up anxiously awaiting food even crying to come out of their kennels.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Celt said:


> I seem to get surprised by the information I find on the net. I've had a lot of different dogs from hounds to "wolves", and I fed a lot of different food, even Ol' Roy. Yet all of my dogs have been self regulators. Until I started feeding raw, my dogs' food was down 24/7. If the bowl was empty it got filled and the closest I've been to having an obese dog is my oldest Iggie. He could stand to lose a pound.


All my dogs self regulated until recently - it wasn't even an option. And most of these were dogs that were dumped off and were either starving or very hungry when they got to our house. We fed big bags of cheap dog food. I couldn't afford to feed 8-10 large dogs high quality food, nor did I have the time to monitor their eating habits and feed each one individually. I put the food out and assumed they ate what they needed.

We didn't have small dogs - just big ones.

Maybe they gorged a couple of times, i really don't know. I suspect they learned from all the other dogs their table manners.

If I had gotten Snorkels back then I think she might have just killed herself. I really don't think she has an off switch. Or, maybe i am wrong. I guess I'll never know for sure because I'm not going to let her free feed unless it was an accident like last time.

Edited to add: Sadly, had I known about raw feeding back then I could have fed them so much better for alot less money. We could have had all the dog meat we wanted for nothing.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

I am hoping the raw diet will help saide lose weight. She has been packing it on lately maybe it is age I know when she has been on a raw diet before she lost weight you really had to feed her extra because she would really slim down.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

Bambi has always been a self-regulator even on different diets. For a while I tried to get her to gain a lb by feeding more but it turned out she was leaving the "extra" in the bowl or hiding it (she hid half a chicken back in the hallway and my mom, who's grossed out by raw meat, stepped on it...oops). Some of our fosters have been self-regulators, too, mostly toy breeds when I think about it.

Sophie and Gracie would eat until bursting, I'm sure. Especially Gracie.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

My first dog (black lab) got into an open bag of kibble that was left out by the owner of a large studio where I was working (he owned 4 labs and allowed me to bring mine in as well.)
By the time I found him, he literally had munched his way through half a 40 pound bag of kibble. At this point he was about as wide as he was long, waddling back to our car. Besides making burping sounds all the way home, drinking a ton of water, and sleeping off the food coma... he was fine. I fasted him for 2 days, and he was good to go.

Self regulation? For a labrador--- no way!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> My first dog (black lab) got into an open bag of kibble that was left out by the owner of a large studio where I was working (he owned 4 labs and allowed me to bring mine in as well.)
> By the time I found him, he literally had munched his way through half a 40 pound bag of kibble. At this point he was about as wide as he was long, waddling back to our car. Besides making burping sounds all the way home, drinking a ton of water, and sleeping off the food coma... he was fine. I fasted him for 2 days, and he was good to go.
> 
> Self regulation? For a labrador--- no way!


We had a wonderful black lab who had to stay overnight at the vet once. He somehow got out of the cage, ate a giant box of chocolate he found in the office along with a bunch of the regular food you find at a vet's office, and then had diarrhea everywhere including in the vet's desk chair. 

We got a phone call very early the next morning telling us to come and get the $*'"%*# dog. Like it was OUR fault!


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

barneysmom so glad to see you here. Have you started all your dogs on PMR or just Barney? I have never let my dogs self regulate. Maybe some dogs but not mine. Maddie wasn't to big on food when I got her even though she was over weight but now on PMR she is very exited about meal time.


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## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

SpooOwner said:


> Like Jayjay, both of my dogs self-regulate. My understanding is that dogs that are fed a high quality diet from a young age learn to self-regulate. If you adopt an older dog, or your dog has been fed really crappy commercial foods for an extended period of time, then it's likely that it will lose the natural instinct to self-regulate.


<LOL> Not sure that I can agree with this one <LOL> My first Rottie was a self regulator, I now know that he was eating CRAP that we would travel all the way to Atl (from Savh) to purchase <sigh>. Then we adopted a dog from our Humane Society, to keep him company- well, that first night he ate & walked away & she finished it for him. That happened about 2 more times before he began eating everything in his bowl! I haven't had another self-regulator since Attila. My present Rottie was fed the BEST (raw) from 41/2 mths and you had better not leave any food around. My APBT who has eaten raw since being weaned will eat YOU if you get too near his bowl <LOL>.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

Herzo said:


> barneysmom so glad to see you here. Have you started all your dogs on PMR or just Barney? I have never let my dogs self regulate. Maybe some dogs but not mine. Maddie wasn't to big on food when I got her even though she was over weight but now on PMR she is very exited about meal time.


Yes all 4 of my dogs I always portion out there meals. My basset puppy is 15 weeks and not eating as much as is recommended for his weight so I figured he was leaving some behind because it was to much. Maybe he is bored with chicken? I was also thinking he is getting in teeth maybe his gums are sensitive he is leaving most of the bone behind.


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

I have never started a puppy on PMR so I don't know what would be best. But I will tell you none of my dogs has ever had a problem with raw food. But I know Liz Breeds Collies and Shelties and feeds PMR so maybe she will chime in here.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

barneysmom2510 said:


> Yes all 4 of my dogs I always portion out there meals. My basset puppy is 15 weeks and not eating as much as is recommended for his weight so I figured he was leaving some behind because it was to much. Maybe he is bored with chicken? I was also thinking he is getting in teeth maybe his gums are sensitive he is leaving most of the bone behind.


Rhett went in and out of eating well and then not so well, since the time he was about 5-6 months old he is now eating really well!:smile:
But when he was your boy's age he would go in and out, every day was different amounts...I always assumed it was from breaking in new teeth, and being kinda bored.
When he was still needing to be on chicken but got bored I soaked his meals in pork "juice".....he took back to eating it PERFECTLY!:wink:


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

He is easily distracted being 4 months so that is probably part of it too. I can see some adult teet coming in and some big bulges in the back.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

Barneysmom, if he is maintaining an o.k. weight I would not worry. He has teeth coming in and shifting around. He is also probably not going through any growth spurts for a few weeks. If he is just being a little picky you can use some of his food for training treats. Sometimes feeding something partially or wholly frozen is somethign they like to soothe their gums. If he is losing too much weight and you are truly seeing too much bonieness you might try going to two meals per day - my collies like to go to one meal a day about 16 weeks - I think it really helped their appetite as they were ecstatic over their food the next day. I think they were finally hungry. Puppies generally eat so often it can become boring whereas dogs who are fed once or twice a day seem to look forward to their food. I hope any of this helps and he starts eating. Although, allt he bassetts I have known have been pretty low key about everything. Fun and happy but not crazy.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

His weight seems to be maintaining it is nice to not see his ribs anymore. He had giardia since I have had him about 5 weeks and it has been an awful experience. The constant blood in the diarrhea but ow they have been firm. Last night and this morning he seemed more enthusiastic about eating so hopefully . He has been on two rounds of giardia so maybe it is starting to work or maybe the diet is helping. One thing I have noticed that is great is every morning and during the day he would get eye boogers he does not get them anymore so that is good.. Also he just now took a nice solid poop for the thrid day in a row without blood.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

^^^ I was thinking the same thing. I am wondering if two meals is better he is very so so about lunch. He barely ate any yesterdau=y and by the time I gave him dibber he ate more than usual. Hopefully the second round of panacur is helping with the giardia. He has been having solid poops since thursday before that they could be solid but sometimes he would poop a small amount of diarrhea with blood in it. thanksfully he has not done this in days the blood in the stool for the last month can be very worrisome. He looks so much more filled out I have also noticed he would get eye boogers a few times a day he has not been getting them anymore or very tiny in the morning so that is good.


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