Question about feeding amounts

[*blackrose]

Originally Posted by Southpaw

That's the first time I've ever heard that before. Wonder where that info came from? I mean, yeah, lots of dogs would get fat on the recommended amounts... so what are we supposed to do to keep them at a healthy weight if this were actually true? (which it's not).

I honestly don't know where she got the information from. Which was why I was pretty sure she was not correct in any way, shape, or form. But, I've heard people say you can't mix different brands of foods due to the fact the dog won't be getting the proper nutrition, so I thought, well, better be safe than sorry.

Good point about feeding a skinny dog more. But, excess vitamins are just excreted from the body. I don't think you can really OD on them.

[Emily]

Originally Posted by *blackrose

I honestly don't know where she got the information from. Which was why I was pretty sure she was not correct in any way, shape, or form. But, I've heard people say you can't mix different brands of foods due to the fact the dog won't be getting the proper nutrition, so I thought, well, better be safe than sorry.

Good point about feeding a skinny dog more. But, excess vitamins are just excreted from the body. I don't think you can really OD on them.

Well, no, my understanding is that that depends on if the vitamins are water soluble or not. Those that are not water soluble can build up in the body, though I believe most are.

(Hence the catterwalling about raw fed dogs dying of Vitamin A toxicity from eating raw liver. Except that it takes a LOT of raw liver for a LONG time for them to die from it.)

[PWCorgi]

Oh geez, yeah right!
If I fed the recommended amount of food, Frodo would look like a hippo. He's gotten an a-ok from every vet he's ever seen (except for his temperament, of course, lol) and a couple months ago had a complete blood panel done and everything was where it should be.

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

Originally Posted by Emily

Well, no, my understanding is that that depends on if the vitamins are water soluble or not. Those that are not water soluble can build up in the body, though I believe most are.

(Hence the catterwalling about raw fed dogs dying of Vitamin A toxicity from eating raw liver. Except that it takes a LOT of raw liver for a LONG time for them to die from it.)

We JUST talked about this a couple weeks ago in one of my Physiology classes! Vitamins A, D, E, K are fat-soluble (versus water soluble) so they can build up in the body versus being excreted through the urine. However, it takes A LOT to reach toxic levels, and Vitamin A and Vitamin D are the only ones that have proven to be dangerous in large amounts - no one can really say for certain what excess Vitamin E does and excess Vitamin K supposedly increases coagulation, but again, it's not definitive.

But yes, I think the guidelines on the bag are just that - guidelines. A super active, working 50lb dog is going to need more food than the elderly 50lb couch potato. Just go with whatever amount works well for your dog and keeps them at a good weight!