# Always Hungry



## cherper (May 8, 2009)

As you know Leila is not a picky eater and never turns her nose up at ANYTHING. I can't think of one thing she's had and didn't like which is good right? WRONG. She acts like she is hungry all the time and its driving me mad. I feel so bad  Tonight I gave her several green beans, from our dinner because she acted so hungry and had finished her meals for the day.
I give her 3/8 c. day and occasionally a sweet potato fry or a small treat when we're doing tricks but this is not a daily thing.
I know she's a pup and that's partly it I guess, but i do not want her to gain any more weight but i also dont' want to starve her. Her upper body is well insulated and ribs are not really feel-able. lol
Do you think i'm feeding her enough? I can ignore the "mommy i'm starving look" if i KNOW she's really not. But how can i know for sure?


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## openallhours27 (Aug 24, 2010)

We have the same problem here.
I fed Chi Chi his rhird of a chicken wing last night which he happily munched, didnt manage to eat it all 20 mins later we sat down with our dinner and he was like a thing posessed. Jumping and springing all over us 
I knew he couldnt be hungry but god he needs to learn some manners.


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## chideb (Jan 29, 2008)

Cheryl, It sounds like Leila isn't getting enough to eat to me.. While you may not want her to gain any weight, she is a 6 month old puppy and is not done growing. I understand that you would like a 5 to 5.5 pound adult chi, but that is not the norm for pet chis. I certainly don't mean to encourage her to over eat for her frame and exercise level, but that is something you determine when she is finished growing. It has been my experience that a chi puppy's adult size is genetically determined regardless of what we hope they will be.. and for them to be hungry may do more damage than a couple of pounds. In twenty years of living with chis and lots of them, I haven't had a pup who acted like it was hungry all the time. Please reconsider her daily intake. Blessings, Deb


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## 18453 (Feb 6, 2010)

She's a dog they are natural scavengers and alway hungry in the wild they ate what they could because they didn't know when the next meal was.

You should feed her the appropriate amount for her weight i don't know what that is in kibble terms..

And to be the bearer of bad news she is a six month old puppy she WILL grow she's still got some height to do and you will get probably another 2lb out of her. If you are concerned about her shape then you should NOT diet a puppy unless it's last resort. You said you rarely walk her... That's where you're going wrong she needs an hour a day now just take her with your big dog as he must be exercised!!! I lay money within weeks of daily walking her shape will change. 

She is tubby IMO but pictures are deceiving but exercise will fix that or you'll end up with a lazy dog who weighs 10lb which I know you don't want (btw I'm not getting at 10lb dogs I just remember Cheryl wanted a smaller side chi)


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## rocky scotland (Jun 15, 2008)

cherper said:


> Do you think i'm feeding her enough? I can ignore the "mommy i'm starving look" if i KNOW she's really not. But how can i know for sure?


Ohhhh man I know that look well, Rocky would eat me if he got half a chance.
He is a total nightmare when out on walks, people drop their food and its like a prize to him, we are working on the 'leave it' command lol!


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

As has been said, I agree don't try to diet her she's still got growing to do. 

We feed our boy, and within reason, let him eat till he's full, in kibble terms I get a handful which is close to 1/4C and let him go to town, he's usually licking the bowl and running around with it in his mouth afterward but I know he's at least satiated and nourished. He'll let us know when he's hungry again, which usually turns out to be 2 medium sized meals a day, 3 if it's an early morning/late night ordeal. 

He is pudgy at the moment but I know as soon as he stops growing because I exercise them it'll even out. 

Gretel was overweight for a bit and once I switched to 2 1/4c meals with exercise she was a healthy and happy adult :]

Just let Leila grow, you can sort out the logistics later.


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

well...she is only 6 months old. dexter ate a "carpload" when he was younger. he's slimmed down frmo 3 meals to 1 meal and is satisfied with his treats and chews and bullys laying around for his treat pleasure when im not around


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## lyredragon (Jul 28, 2010)

Oh yeah. Foxxy and taggert are walking vaccuums. They're not picky either. dust bunnies, hair, q-tips, crumbs, dead flies, spiders, gunk from lunch, sticky stuff cemented to the carpet for three years. Within 2 weeks of getting foxxy she chewed out a sticky spot that I swear to you I had scrubbed oer, picked over, everything short of pulling up the pile. she bit at it and sucked the carpet untill all of the stuff came up.

outside, dead cicadas, june bugs, bees, ants, dropped lunches, melted icecream, candy hidden in the grass, not to mention th rabbit --ehem-- rasins. There's also nothing more grosethan having a dead suckling bunny picked up out of the long grass, and upon human discover of said thing in dog's mouth, demand a 'drop it' only to have have the dog crunch it so that the milk and mostly liquefied organs come out in an orangeish spoiled milk smelling mess all over long fur.

yeah. that was not a good day on my end. 

the only thing my dogs are picky about is kibble. they don't like it. Hay, I don't blame them. raw chicken is waaay better anyways


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

speaking of vacuums, just wanted to share

i sucked up a big mosquito that flew in while dexter was coming back in from peeing...
yay for awesome black*decker vacuum! it was so strong it killed it! muhahahaha...

ok done takin the thread to a different subject


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

Puppies should not be hungry all the time. I free feed my pups. They will be pudgy at this stage, then grow into their adult shape. Please reconsider the amount you feed her.


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## Terri (Aug 21, 2009)

Is she due to be wormed?
Sometimes they can act really hungry all the time due to that needing done too.

If not then i agree dont try to diet her.
Also dont allow begging at the table or wherever you eat your meals.
Giving scraps will just make her beg for food more, which am sure you know anyway. lol


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Since I switched my 5-year old Midgie to THK (which she never used to act hungry on the kibble) I give her 1/2c of THK a day which she gobbles up & loves it but at night begs for something more to eat. She's never done this, like she's starving to death, so I sometimes give her a little cottage cheese & I still have some kibble left which I give her & that seems to help. 
I've always had just one Chi & have always left kibble in the bowl for them to help themselves. I know that dogs beg by nature, but I know what you are talking about--this is more than begging & I, like you, can't stand to see my baby acting like she's starving. You could give your baby a couple spoons of yogurt or cottage cheese, or maybe a carrot. If you only have the one Chi & if you feed him Kibble I would keep kibble in the bowl for him. Don't do this if you have more than one animal as they'll eat it all up to keep the others from getting it.


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## omguthrie (Oct 13, 2009)

I agree that puppies have a different shape to them than adults do. I also agree that pups need extra calories for growing and playing. However, puppies should not be fat. You should still be able to feel ribs. An overweight pup puts extra stress on growing joints which can lead to joint issues such as hip dysplasia, luxating patella, etc.

If you think your girl is overweight I wouldn't cut her food back, but I would increase her exercise which may actually cause you to need to up her food later! Increase her muscle mass and the fat will redistribute and she will shape up.

That being said... my chihuahua will eat anything that's not nailed down or eats her first! She loves her food, treats, chewies, etc. But if she finds a crumb on the ground she's on it! But she has learned that it is not acceptable to harass me while I'm eating. She is expected to stay in her bed or to go play with the other dogs while I'm eating. Sad eyes and sad whimpers get her nothing. So stay strong if your girl is trying to use those tricks on you!


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## 17428 (Jul 10, 2009)

*Dahlia the vacume cleaner*

I free feed Dahlia as she is a high energy chi even though spayed.
She eats anything you give her on the side.She loves people food!
She will eat a lot of no-no stuff too and is better then a vacume cleaner! 
She has to be watched at all times.
I wish I knew her secret for eating like a pig and staying a skinny minnie!!


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

omguthrie said:


> I agree that puppies have a different shape to them than adults do. I also agree that pups need extra calories for growing and playing. However, puppies should not be fat. You should still be able to feel ribs. An overweight pup puts extra stress on growing joints which can lead to joint issues such as hip dysplasia, luxating patella, etc.
> 
> If you think your girl is overweight I wouldn't cut her food back, but I would increase her exercise which may actually cause you to need to up her food later! Increase her muscle mass and the fat will redistribute and she will shape up.
> 
> That being said... my chihuahua will eat anything that's not nailed down or eats her first! She loves her food, treats, chewies, etc. But if she finds a crumb on the ground she's on it! But she has learned that it is not acceptable to harass me while I'm eating. She is expected to stay in her bed or to go play with the other dogs while I'm eating. Sad eyes and sad whimpers get her nothing. So stay strong if your girl is trying to use those tricks on you!


I agree with this.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

chideb said:


> ............... she is a 6 month old puppy and is not done growing. I understand that you would like a 5 to 5.5 pound adult chi, but that is not the norm for pet chis.
> 
> It has been my experience that a chi puppy's adult size is genetically determined regardless of what we hope they will be..


This is very true! Once all is said and done, and she's done growing, she'll probably be about 7 to 8 lbs. Her overall shape will change as her growth gets more complete. For whatever reason, Chi's under 6 lbs. full grown is just not the norm these days. But they are still very lovely little doggies.  If it helps to ease your mind, her full grown size will be very comparable to most of the full grown Chi's here on the board. 

I would try to exercise her a bit more. While you don't want her dieting as a pup, you certainly don't want her "fat" either. Either can be unjust to her health.  Feed her healthy, and the right amount for her size, no treats, and plenty of exercise.


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I'm gonna take a video of my guys at meal time for you. Holy cow, you genuinely would think I DO NOT FEED MY DOGS! Whining, jumping, pawing at my legs while I make their food (teaching them not to do this is easier said than done!), lord, it just is ridiculous. They seem desperate for their food (well, except Oakley). So I think that's normal from Leila.


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

By the sounds she's got a layer of fat "padding" on her ribs so she's probably a bit overweight. (ribs should be easy to feel) I do think you're feeding her enough for her age & while I think she will get a little bit bigger, if her weight levels out she probably will end up gaining only another pound or so. Heck, Milo was 7lbs at 18 weeks when we got him & he's an 8 1/2lb adult. He was just a VERY chunky puppy because he was free fed. haha 

But yes, my pups always act like they're starving. We of course had been doing raw so we're still trying to get back into a routine with feeding time (when we did kibble I had them sit on their bed until I'd prepared their bowls) & it's SO hard! We're getting there. I make my pups sit on the couch until I prepare their ZiwiPeak (put in bowls, add wet food & water and set them on the floor in their "places"). Still I have to correct at least once every meal time because someones usually hopped down. And Maya...she whines & bounces around the couch like MAD. I'm hoping with a little more routine they'll chill a bit. LOL But still...they all come running when I call to Milo (since he is the one who's bowl is the furthest away). Except Maya...she may be the spaz while waiting but she will sit right on the couch until I call her name. Such a good girl. 

Anyway, I'd just keep feeding what you're feeding. If you feel bad that she's acting hungry do what you did...give her some cooked green beans.


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## cherper (May 8, 2009)

I don't want to "diet" her, I want to make sure she is getting the "proper amount" and not just eating until she's stuffed.
I think she is gonna be one of those dogs that eats at every chance so I dont feel like I can rely on her as a gauge.
I realize she isn't due to have an "adult body" until older but I don't want her to get so far above a proper weight that i Have to diet her.
























I don't think she's "FAT" lol just cannot feel her ribs at ALL. 
I don't trust the dog food companies suggestions either, I have been a dog owner a loooong time and from my experience their "recommendations" are always high, obviously they want to sell more food.


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## 18453 (Feb 6, 2010)

She doesn't look over weight. Daisy is padded on her ribs but I can feel them

You need to exercise her if you exercise her she will burn off any excess fat


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

cherper said:


> I don't want to "diet" her, I want to make sure she is getting the "proper amount" and not just eating until she's stuffed.
> I think she is gonna be one of those dogs that eats at every chance so I dont feel like I can rely on her as a gauge.
> I realize she isn't due to have an "adult body" until older but I don't want her to get so far above a proper weight that i Have to diet her.
> 
> ...


Just be careful not to "gauge" "fat" when they are sitting or laying down. Or anything tucked. They have to be standing like she is in these photos. Any other position is going to make her look "full." Gia, very very short bodied/legged has almost no tummy area. So if she sits down, she can appear frumpy. But standing she is a skinny thing. But anyway, from those pics, it looks like she is just built that way. Looks like a normal growing pup to me. She is short legged so keep in mind she is probably not going to be the "frail" body type Chi. So in all honesty, from my view, I would continue to feed her normal portions, no treats, and plenty of exercise. If you do that, as she lengthens and gets a tad taller, she will look and be perfect. The amount on the bags is always a bit more than they need. I don't now what her metabolism is like, but up until the age of 1 year, I fed my pups what they would eat. But we have never been "treat" users, no table food, and we walk and play around the house. So you have to base everything off what her lifestyle is like. There is no way to give you an exact amount of food that will work for her. With a bit of exercise, and getting to her full growth, and leaving the treats and stuff out, she'll be fine. 

Maybe try changing her food to a higher protein. That might help satisfy her.


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## cherper (May 8, 2009)

She is on fromm puppy gold. protein=min 27% , fat=min 18%
For her age the bag says 1 1/4 c. min. daily. But...that says "small" dog and she is smaller than a typical small dog. I may up her amount some.


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I can't feel Oakley's ribs either, I posted some pictures, from the top she looks like a round little ball but healthy from the side...I don't know why I can't feel her ribs, but I guess on some dogs its just not the rule of thumb we should use for weight?


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Are you feeding her 1 1/4 cup a day? Sometime certain foods just aren't filling to them. I have had that experience where when using a certain food mine seem more hungry. Wouldn't hurt to try something else. Have you ever considered Ziwipeak?


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

The only real way to know if they need to lose some weight is to talk to your Vet.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

cherper said:


> I don't want to "diet" her, I want to make sure she is getting the "proper amount" and not just eating until she's stuffed.
> I think she is gonna be one of those dogs that eats at every chance so I dont feel like I can rely on her as a gauge.
> I realize she isn't due to have an "adult body" until older but I don't want her to get so far above a proper weight that i Have to diet her.
> 
> ...


This is beautiful & perfect. Don't worry about not feeling her ribs, a puppy shape up nicely exercise playing. If you feel she is really hungry, there's lots of healthy options you can give her to curve the hungar like a carrot, a bit of banana, cottage cheese, plain yogurt & the list goes on. I'm going through the same thing with my 5 year old, but I just changed her diet to THK & she loves it but acts starving to death (she's never acted like this before, there's a difference with begging). I feed her half a cup of THK with meat in it & when she starts acting really hungry usually in the evening, I'll give her something like a little cottage cheese.
The food recommendations are a general amount for the average Chi. You are right not to go by that because your Chi might require a little more or less food. Puppies usually require more because they burn calories so fast. Most puppies are extremely active. In my opinion I would give him a little more food if you think she needs it all the while watching that she's not getting fat. I don't believe this Chi is going to get fat if you're not feeding "HI" calorie food like cakes, cookies. Feeding her good healthy food will enable her body to use the food more efficiently where eventually she won't act as hungry, but all dogs beg whether they're hungry or not. Good luck.


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

Honestly, she looks perfect in those photos. I'd not change a thing...just keep on doing what your doing. Or if you think switching her food up will help try that. I know you'd considered Honest Kitchen. Because it's hydrated it may be more filling to her? I'd suggest ZiwiPeak but honestly my pups act like their starving when I feed that. LOL I do give them a bit of wet as well as a add a bit of water to it so I feel it fills them up a bit more than if it was just the dehydrated ZP. I am considering adding 1 meal of Honest Kitchen in though & doing 1/2 & 1/2 just to see if this satisfies them a bit more. But I think my dogs would eat any & everything if given the opportunity. LOL

But Leila's shape looks great now. I wouldn't worry a bit about under or over feeding her. She looks like she's getting the right amount of nutrition right now.


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## cherper (May 8, 2009)

Thanks! Thats a relief  The belly hangage will probably go away as she gets older. Honestly i have never stressed this much over any of the dogs i've EVER had. And i've always had very fit dogs, not skinny not fat. And our family does not practice giving scraps to the dogs. Leila makes me second guess everything i do, because shes' small .
I figure the "small" dog recommendations on my bag of dog food is pretty general. I mean my mix Lucy is considered a small dog but she is like 16 lbs. So that is why i hesitated going by that. Last night when we were having dinner she was acting hungry and my boxer was eating but leila had finished hers a bit earlier. So i gave her like 4 or 5 green beans. She loved them and was licking her lips and looking at me like "is this it???" Can't I have more" She's such a nut!


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

She's beautiful :flower:

I don't see this belly hangage you're so concerned with 

I agree with the ladies here, you're doing fine just stop stressing it, keep doing what you're doing and she's going to grow up just as intended to be beautiful.

On the topic of kibble though, I tried our girl on a couple things ziwipeak and nutro and both made her act like she was having their last meal! She would beg and cry all day! It was miserable!

I haven't convinced the bf to let us switch over to raw as he sees no problem with the kibble we use now, just need a bit move convincing...! I have a feeling if I do though it'll be more staving behavior ha.


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

MChis said:


> Honestly, she looks perfect in those photos. I'd not change a thing...just keep on doing what your doing. Or if you think switching her food up will help try that. I know you'd considered Honest Kitchen. Because it's hydrated it may be more filling to her? I'd suggest ZiwiPeak but honestly my pups act like their starving when I feed that. LOL I do give them a bit of wet as well as a add a bit of water to it so I feel it fills them up a bit more than if it was just the dehydrated ZP. I am considering adding 1 meal of Honest Kitchen in though & doing 1/2 & 1/2 just to see if this satisfies them a bit more. But I think my dogs would eat any & everything if given the opportunity. LOL
> 
> But Leila's shape looks great now. I wouldn't worry a bit about under or over feeding her. She looks like she's getting the right amount of nutrition right now.


I tell ya, that's why I don't feed Ziwi alone! I believe my dogs would be pissssed with the small amount of food they'd be getting. I usually do add Ziwi to their THK on meals I haven't added raw meat or something else but its just a small amount of food they would be not pleased at all, haha. They get much "more" food w/ THK, and they still seem starving. I've never once seen any of my dogs other than Oakley walk away from food. Ever.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

I only suggested the ZP because it's a good food. I have no clue if it will help with the hunger. :wink: Just throwing out suggestions for different foods, knowing ZP is awesome!


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## Aquarius (May 8, 2009)

That is the problem I find with Ziwipeak, you feed such a tiny amount it's like slurrrp and it's gone - Biggles eats his in about 10 seconds.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Maybe just keep her on what you have her on, and offer the green beans to fill her up. With ZP you use so little, but it has a higher protein content. What about EVO? For the most part I'd say that mine would eat anything I would feed them, and all day long if I'd let them. So sounds like that isn't uncommon no matter what food choice. :wink:


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

Aquarius said:


> That is the problem I find with Ziwipeak, you feed such a tiny amount it's like slurrrp and it's gone - Biggles eats his in about 10 seconds.


Precisely why I add water & a bit of wet to my crews ZP...and the reason why I'm consdering adding in a bit of Honest Kitchen. My pups are done with the ZP (with out water) in a few seconds as well but the water slows them down tremendously. As well as adding in a bit of wet squished down in the bowl. Takes them a minute to figure out how to get to the good stuff around the water. LOL

It is an awesome food for sure. Sometimes I wish it was prepared a little more like Honest Kitchen so it was more "filling". LOL


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

TLI said:


> I only suggested the ZP because it's a good food. I have no clue if it will help with the hunger. :wink: Just throwing out suggestions for different foods, knowing ZP is awesome!


Its such a good food. I just am psychologically too weak to feed that little HAHAHA.


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## Aquarius (May 8, 2009)

I don't think we can get Honest Kitchen here, but I am thinking of supplementing it in some way probably by adding Burns kibble. When I started them out I was giving them half and half and that seemed fine.

I just feel there is no eating enjoyment particularly for Biggles who wolfes it down 

I put the water in it this evening I saw that you had recommended that - and it did seem slightly more substantial.

I have 3 other adults in the house who feed the dogs if I am not around - it's hard to convince them that they just need the portions I give - I am sure they are more generous doling out the portions - it would be so easy to overfeed on the zp


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

flippedstars said:


> Its such a good food. I just am psychologically too weak to feed that little HAHAHA.


Me too, really. When we used it I felt like I was giving them treats, not a meal. For their size it was like just a few pieces. I was feeding them other stuff at the same time. I think canned food, maybe EVO grain free. With the girls it doesn't matter, they can eat all day and stay actually too thin for my taste. But with Chance, he's more cobbie, like your little Bryco, so I have to watch my "experiments" with food carefully. :lol: Otherwise he could end up a Pillsbury doughboy. :lol: :lol:


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

MChis said:


> Precisely why I add water & a bit of wet to my crews ZP...and the reason why I'm consdering adding in a bit of Honest Kitchen. My pups are done with the ZP (with out water) in a few seconds as well but the water slows them down tremendously. As well as adding in a bit of wet squished down in the bowl. Takes them a minute to figure out how to get to the good stuff around the water. LOL
> 
> It is an awesome food for sure. Sometimes I wish it was prepared a little more like Honest Kitchen so it was more "filling". LOL


I bet if you added Keen to your pup's diet, its their most affordable (but IMO one of their best formulas because it's so simple!), it would cut your feeding costs a bit ! THK costs me close to Ziwi to feed only because we use one of their most expensive formulas for the two puppies...will be SO GLAD when we aren't using that one anymore! Haha.


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