Mon Aug 21 10:26:56 PDT 2006

Supersizing the Dogs

My dogs are putting on weight again. *sigh* Feeding three dogs properly can be harder than you think.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that everybody eats something a little different. Spencer will eat anything, but Glindy won't eat vegetables (even pureed baby food) and Benny won't eat frozen raw products such as Nature's Variety or Farmore.

In addition, because of Spencer's bilious vomiting syndrome and Benny's acidifying diet requirements, I have to feed twice a day. That means that I can't make the dogs skip meals when they are going to get larger RMBs that day. Glindy sometimes ends up with an extra half-pound if I'm feeding her something large like a lamb shank, or Benny ends up with double his daily ration if I'm giving chicken wings.

And to make it even more complicated, if I feed something small that can be apportioned more accurately, Spencer swoops in for second helpings. On days when I feed lamb riblets, for example, Spencer and Benny each get one riblet, and Glindy gets three or four. But if Spencer finishes his before Glindy does, he wanders over to her pile of food and steals an extra riblet from her while she's munching another piece.

So, I'm often forced to stand guard over Glindy's food to keep Spencer away, or prevent the other dogs from licking Benny's bowl after he finishes his medicated food. Every once in a while, though, I turn my back at the wrong moment, and it all goes out the window.

And day by day, the dogs just keep putting on more weight. Argh!

Posted by Todd A. Jacobs | Permalink