overfed /obesity!!

[MeekosMummy]

Need a bit of advice if im over feedin my Meeko. Hes 6months old and about 3 stone in weight (maybe a little over) but on average google says thats 42lbs +. He has 3 cups for breakfast with some cottage cheese and the same in the evening. I say 'cups' but its a small ish plastic cup (see pic below) ive taken the pic next to my hand and mug so you can see the rough size of the cup. We dont give him many treats through the day either.




This is Meeko recently.. Taken on Sunday

 

[RaRett]

Well when the bags say 'Cups' they actually mean measured cups as in 8 Ounce - as long as your 'mug' is 8 ounces, you are fine but 6 cups of food aday seems like alot to me !

Different food brands also call for different quantities. Low grade food, actually has you feeding MORE, so its not really as big of a bargain as people think.

Hershey is 10 months old now, and is fed 1 1/4 cups at Breakfast and 1 1/4 cups at Dinner for a total of 2.5 cups aday
Gizmo is almost 3 years old, and is fed 2-2.5 cups at dinner.

1 Cup or 8 Fluid ounces equal about 240ML if that helps you

 

[linwhite]

Translating your cups. Your coffee mug looks like it would hold 12 to 16 ounces. The blue one 10 to 12 maybe. A cup = 8 ounces. You're feeding him a lot. My Zamboni, who is also 6 months dob - 6/25/2012- and gets 3 (8 oz) cups a day. He weighs 45 pounds. their growth starts to slow down about this age so you might want to cut back.

We'd need a picture taken from the top, with Meeko standing up to tell. Meeko should be wide at the shoulders and tapering down in the back showing a waist line, almost an hourglass figure
Kind of like this. It's an old picture but it should give uou the idea.

 

[MeekosMummy]

This is from the top.. To me he looks skinny and underfed lol x

 

[loveabully]

he looks great to me perfect weight I feed Franklin a 1 cup of kibble an a 1/2 a cup of green beans twice a day the kibble is Fromm beef frittata this is what mine looks like its a measuring cup it's 8 ounces I would use one just so you know how much you really are giving him what kind of food does he eat? It might be a lot of food 6 cups a day but he looks great is he really active

 

[MeekosMummy]

The cup im using is 210ml of fluid between 7 1/4 and 7 1/2 ounces.hes not over active hes quiet and has a mad half hour a few times a day. And he goes for a 1hr long walk each day sometimes he runs for a bit chasing his ball on his walk some days he doesnt. Hes on dry food with a dollap of cottage cheese. He demolishes it all though each meal time and often goes to his food cuboard for more (i dont give him more though lol) i think from tomorrow il do 2 cups each meal time and see how he goes x

 

[LynnA]

I think from the photos he looks great. What dry food do you feed and is it the recommended serving by weight on the back that you go by.

I give Otis 1-1/4 cup of dry food twice a day, he was on 1-1/2 until last week when my vet said he was overweight. He is almost 1 (01/14) and weighed in at 64.8 lbs.

 

[kazzy220]

The cup im using is 210ml of fluid between 7 1/4 and 7 1/2 ounces.hes not over active hes quiet and has a mad half hour a few times a day. And he goes for a 1hr long walk each day sometimes he runs for a bit chasing his ball on his walk some days he doesnt. Hes on dry food with a dollap of cottage cheese. He demolishes it all though each meal time and often goes to his food cuboard for more (i dont give him more though lol) i think from tomorrow il do 2 cups each meal time and see how he goes x

From the pics you took he looks fine to me! Which food are you feeding him? And I'm going to tag [MENTION=1648]Lucy-licious[/MENTION] here just in case it's a brand that we don't have here in the States. And I've been here a few years now and got a bit out of touch with dog food brands!!

 

[RaRett]

He looks good to me, from that angle. But like others have asked, different brands = different amounts etc.

Time to head to work I'll check back when I get home

 

[Davidh]

If you can easily feel his ribs, he is too skinny. A bully should have a little waist as he does, but you should not see his ribs or easily feel them. Our male pup at 6 months old, we were feeding him FROMM Puppy Gold and 1 1/2 cups twice a day and he weighed about 45 lbs. If you are feeding 3 cup twice a day then you may want to get a better quality food so you can feed less.

 

[porkysmamma]

He looks good to me too this is an overfed overweight bully
N that's after losing 10 pounds mama will get her fit yet lol ur Meeko is very handsome!!!!!!


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[ABEBD]

Hello,

Each bulldog is different. It depends on the parents and the bloodlines. The European English Bulldog is about 20% bigger in size and weight.
Do you have pictures of the parents? Not for us, but for you to look at.

Bulldogs grow UP the first year and out the second.
Bulldogs are ALWAYS hungry.
Better food is less to feed, less stool volume and better digestion.

In a previous post, [MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION] and [MENTION=6176]linwhite[/MENTION] both mentioned the shape; but the ribs usually don't spring out until around 18 months.

My opinion, based upon the top pic you posted is that Meeko is underweight. The "guide' on the dog food bags are only an estimate. You need to monitor and change how much you feed based upon how YOUR dog looks.

I have 2 very big males; one weighs 85 lbs from S. Africa and another that weighs 70 lbs from Yugoslavia. Both of these exceed the AKC standard but certainly are not overweight Just bigger bodies. When I go to the vet, I do not let the vet look at the weight at first. I ask the vet to simply "look" and "feel" my dog before looking at the actual number weight. This way the actual number does not interfere with the opinion. When my big boy was 95 lbs he was 3 and not overweight. At 6 I have slimmed him down a bit.

So how much food you feed is only related to how your bulldog body type dictates. Even expensive food has to be feed enough for correct body size.

Also, since Meeko is only 6 months old, don't worry too much about over feeding. He will continue to grow up and then out till he is two years old.

You decide,
everyone has an opinion.
I only share what I do, not what anyone else should or needs to do.

Good Day~

 

[Davidh]

[MENTION=1869]ABEBD[/MENTION] I said nothing about ribs "springing out", I said if you can easily feel their ribs they are too skinny, even at the age their bully is at.

 

[ABEBD]

@ABEBD I said nothing about ribs "springing out", I said if you can easily feel their ribs they are too skinny, even at the age their bully is at.

Sorry...I wasnt implying you said anything about "springing"....
you mentioned "shape"...

The springing was my comment.

 

[bullmama]

I would think if you were in fact feeding a total of 6 cups a day then your bully would not be as trim as shown in the photos, but at the age of 6 months sometimes no matter how much you feed it seems like it just does not stick. It was certainly this way with my Pookie Bear, I had him on 3 cups a day because of this so I am thinking 6 cups is a huge amount!!! And holy turds there must be a lot of poo in the yard!!!

Once they are a year old it will finally start sticking, and then you have to watch their weight carefully to make sure they don't get obese. It can litterally happen overnight I swear!

Also, what the brand of food is being fed will have a lot to do with it.

If that was a typo and you are actually feeding 3 cups a day, you could up it just a bit. I would only up it on one meal however. If you are indeed feeding 6 cups I would not add anymore to that at all. Again, depending on brand of food.