# Hungry or Food Obsessed



## Cody_boy (Mar 6, 2011)

Hi,
I have a golden retriever, Cody, who is about 82 lbs, but he always seems SOOOOO hungry. He is a master counter surfer, and always scarfs down his food. He just turned a year old this month, and is currently fed 3 cups daily (1.5 cups/meal) of Wellness Chicken formula. Cody is an active puppy, and gets about 45 minutes at the dog park in the morning, as well as 2 other walks (about 10-15 min. each) daily. How do I know if he is always hungry and needs more food, or if he just loves to eat? I am afraid he will become overweight if we give him too much food, but on the other hand, I DO NOT like to see him always hungry.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Have you discussed this with your vet? 

In some ways, this is very normal dog behavior, but some dogs have an extensive enthusiasm for food that could be part of an underlying health problem.


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## Cody_boy (Mar 6, 2011)

RedDogs said:


> Have you discussed this with your vet?
> 
> In some ways, this is very normal dog behavior, but some dogs have an extensive enthusiasm for food that could be part of an underlying health problem.


Thanks,
I will make sure to mention it to my vet on the next appointment. Do you happen to know of any specific problems that could cause this food obsession?


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## cprcheetah (Apr 26, 2009)

Hypothyroidism can cause food obsession....Shellie had it massively before we started her on thyroid pills, it's helped but she is still ALWAYS looking for food. It's not a good idea to feed them whenever they are hungry or you could get a 'table' instead of a dog....right now we have 2 labradors boarding where I work and both are easily 30-50# overweight and can barely move :-( Sometimes adding unsalted green beans to their food keeps them satisfied a little longer.


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## Cody_boy (Mar 6, 2011)

How do you tell if a dog has Hypothyroidism? Are there any symptoms to look for besides an obssession with food? By the way he was cought today eating a stick of butter lol.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Some symptoms you might notice, poor coat quality, skin problems, ear infections, lethargy, but you may not see any symptoms either. Your vet will have to run a blood test to check his thyroid level, and you should ask for a full panel to get all the results. Also be aware, Golden Retrievers need thyroid medication if they test in the Low end of Normal range, some vets are aware of this.

You could add unsalted green beans to his food to help him feel more full, or try a food that has fewer calories per cup so you can feed him more without increasing the calories. 

Goldens are notorious for being food hogs though, so it's not unusual for him to be so food driven.


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## cprcheetah (Apr 26, 2009)

Here are the official signs: http://www.nzymes.com/pc/articles.a...product_id=&panel=0#caninehypothyroidismsigns

The most common signs are the dog is fat & lazy, chronic infections, poor hair coat. However I have heard that they don't start showing clinical signs until the thyroid's function is 80% destroyed. However the only one Shellie had was a hair coat that wasn't growing and hyperactivity (which is NOT the norm). Your Vet can run a blood test, but even better is to have a Thyroid Panel sent off to Jean Dodd's (she is the leading expert in thyroid disorders in dogs) HEMOPET.HTM as she also offers her interpretation based on breed, age, activity etc.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

Some dogs with low normal thyroid can also exhibit some hypothyroid symptoms - most often it is decreased drive and mild coat issues. The protocol now is to put the dog on thryoid medication for low normal. Vets usually leave it up to the owner. Performance dogs that have low normal are always put on thyroid medication.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I had a vet tell me once that a dog would rather eat 5 cups of cardboard than 2 cups of good quality, nutrient dense food because they felt 'fuller' eating 5 cups even if the calorie count was the same. Bearing that in mind, Ranger has never been a food hog except for when he had to go on a diet and I cut his high calorie food intake from 2 cups to 1.5 cups a day. 

All of a sudden, Ranger was food obsessed. Started hovering his nose around counters, drooling while watching me eat and giving me the drama queen "I'm starving" eyes. I switched his food to a low calorie food so he could go back to 2 cups a day and it immediately stopped (even though the calorie count between the 1.5 cup of old food and the 2.5 cups of new food was the same).

That being said, you have to know your dog. Some are food hogs and some aren't. It was a big change in Ranger which is why I noticed but my brother's dog has always been food obsessed. He gets 3 cups a day in the summer and 4 in the winter...I can't imagine if he got cut down to 2 cups a day! 

Definitely get your boy checked out for a medical reason and if it's not a medical issue than maybe giving him a snack between meals would help bypass the crazy hungry attitude. Sardines, an egg, a stuffed kong...something like that.


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## caligal (Jul 28, 2010)

I think you need to feed him a little bit more. He is only getting about 1220 calories/ day with your current food. The feeding guidelines on the bag are suggested for the average dog. Yours seems slightly more active than the average. My 80 lb Golden gets 1800 calories/ day and he is very active. His food has 360kcal/cup, so he gets 5 cups a day.

Still a good idea to have his thyroid checked to be sure.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

80lbs is a significant amount for a one year old (depending on genetics). Cody may not be fat but I wouldn't feed him more unless he really is too thin. 

Cosmo is ALWAYS hungry but I he wouldn't be a Golden if he wasn't! Labs that have passed through our home were the same way.

I agree, consult with a vet or consider that you may just have a very food motivated Golden.


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## Cody_boy (Mar 6, 2011)

jackie_hubert said:


> 80lbs is a significant amount for a one year old (depending on genetics). Cody may not be fat but I wouldn't feed him more unless he really is too thin.


I just wanted to let you guys know that Cody looks about an average weight (although I am no expert), but he is VERY tall, even compared to a fully grown, male golden. I never measured him, but I don't remember seeing a golden retriever that was taller than him. He also has very long legs and HUGE paws. He looks very lanky. Cody has a very nice, dark gold/red looking coat, almost like an Irish Setter, and it is very shiny. Cody's energy never dropped, so I don't see any signs of hypothyroidism, but I will ask the vet on the next appointment. If you want, I can also post some pictures of him later so you can see what he looks like.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

FYI, here's how to measure height: How to measure your dog

The AKC/CKC standard is 22-24 inches.


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## Cody_boy (Mar 6, 2011)

I just wanted to say that Cody just got neutered 2-3 weeks ago, but nothing has changed at all since then. His energy and food obsession has stayed the same since a little while after we brought him home. I also want to say that the vet took blood tests right before the neutering appointment, and they said everything was normal.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

It could be his food is just not filling him up it could be lacking something. Have you thought about changng foods?


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## Cody_boy (Mar 6, 2011)

General V said:


> It could be his food is just not filling him up it could be lacking something. Have you thought about changng foods?


I was thinking the same thing about his food not filling him up. I always thought that Wellness was a good brand, but maybe it just does not agree too well with Cody. Do you have any good recommendations for him? Also, do you think it would be a good idea to switch to a food with less kcal/cup, so that way he will get more cups of food a day?

By the way, I just measured Cody and he was just over 26" at the withers. I had him stand up straight against a wall, I laid a ruler along his shoulders and I marked that spot on the wall. When I measured from the floor to the mark, I got a little more than 26", although that seems VERY tall for a purebred Golden Retriever. Could I have calculated the measurement wrong?


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

You could try a high protein food and see if that fills up...though most high protein foods are very nutrient dense, which means you'd probably be feeding less than the wellness. A good mid-range caloric food that's high in protein is Orijen. I think it's 400-some calories per cup as opposed to EVO red meat which 527 cals/cup. Both EVO and Orijen are grain-free and high protein. I think you need to find a good balance of how many calories needed to keep him at a good weight, volume of food to achieve it, and counterbalance it with his food obssession.

3 cups a day is a good volume of food to feel full for a dog which is why I think maybe higher protein might be an interesting option to try. Hopefully you can find a good balance!


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

You should be able to easily feel his ribs.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Oh and pictures would help, too.


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## Cody_boy (Mar 6, 2011)

Ranger said:


> You could try a high protein food and see if that fills up...though most high protein foods are very nutrient dense, which means you'd probably be feeding less than the wellness. A good mid-range caloric food that's high in protein is Orijen. I think it's 400-some calories per cup as opposed to EVO red meat which 527 cals/cup. Both EVO and Orijen are grain-free and high protein. I think you need to find a good balance of how many calories needed to keep him at a good weight, volume of food to achieve it, and counterbalance it with his food obssession.
> 
> 3 cups a day is a good volume of food to feel full for a dog which is why I think maybe higher protein might be an interesting option to try. Hopefully you can find a good balance!


I know that Origen is a grain free food, but I don't know if that would be good for Cody or not, because I have heard mixed opinions. Also, is the issue with giving too much Calcium and Phospherus to a large breed puppy still an issue? Even though he is very tall, at 26-26.5", friends who saw him only 1-2 months ago said that he grew a lot taller lately. How much more will he actually grow? Also, all the foods I have given him were either for large breed puppies, or they were approved for all life stages. Is that still necessary?


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I think most people switch from puppy to adult food around 6-9 months, but I'm not positive on when to change over depending on the size of dog. My brother made the change to adult when his pup was 6 months due to puppy food giving him diarrhea...a year later, that puppy is now 30'' at the shoulder which surprised everyone. I'd think that at 26'' high, your dog is done growing height-wise but will start to fill out a little more. 

What are your concerns regarding Orijen?


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## Cody_boy (Mar 6, 2011)

Ranger said:


> What are your concerns regarding Orijen?


I heard that Origen is a great food, but I just have heard mixed opinions about feeding a grain free kibble to an active puppy. What would be some pros and cons of feeding Origen to Cody?


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

i had my lab on Orijen when she was a puppy. she did ok on it, i was just a bit concerned about the protein percentage. it is high so it made me nervous and i took her off it. i did soooo much research and phone calls about the high protein and puppies and never got a concrete answer as to if its perfectly safe. i know with anything high in protein the kidneys do work overtime. i even brought her to the vet to have her blood levels tested and they came back ok but i was just worried. She is now on Wellness and my 8 week golden is on Fromm's Gold LBP and doing just wonderfully on it. good luck


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

High protein if from the right source us fine, just know that some of the richer foods can give soft stools for some dogs. You'd have to try it to know, no two dogs are the same. Cosmo got a lot of gas from Origen so we switched. You can also try acana, made by the same company but features varieties with grain.


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