How much to feed Shelties?

[prospect]

My two sheltieas, Mick and DJ, have been declared TOO FAT by their veterinarian. We have been free-feeding them. Mick weighs 32 lb (he's about 16" tall) and DJ weighs 22 lb (he's about 14" tall). They are almost 2 years old (littermates).
Vet told me to feed them no more than 1 cup of dry food per dog per day. She also told me to consult with the dog food bag and to feed 25% less than it recommends.

I feed Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul light. Bag says dogs 20-30 lb should eat 1 1/2 to 2 cups per day.

So I started Tuesday with restricted feeding. I give a cup in the morning, split between the two dogs, and a cup in the evening, split between the two dogs. We have cut way back on dog treats and leftovers.

Here's the kicker - they don't seem particularly hungry. They don't clean up the food right away or even within a couple of hours. They do clean it up before the next feeding.

Thoughts? Am I feeding them too much?

 

[danisgoat]

When figuring out the amount of food that your dog should get it is for total food for the day. Sometimes one treat can be more calories than 1/2 cup of kibble. You need to take the entire calories for the day in mind when figuring out how much to feed your pet.

 

[Caro]

Actually even cutting it down by 25% is generous. I would be aiming for 33-50% less calories. They probably only need 25% of what is recommended and to lose weight you will need to cut another 25%. You could try replacing one of the meals with vegies or a small bone. If they start acting hungry give them vegies. Most commercial dog food carries more nutrients than they need so cutting back isnt a problem.

You might also want to look at this - its a dog calorie counter (I prefer the second one down the page) http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm Remember to enter the value of the weight your dog should be, not currently is. It is useful to have a look at the difference between the calories to maintain their current weight and the values to maintain their proper weight - in humans to lose weight safely you should double the difference. The safest way to lose additional weight over this is to increase exercise
http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm

 

[Narmowen]

Luke gets as much as he wants (usually about 1 1/2 cups), as he's very active, and if he doesn't get it, he gets way too skinny. Molly and Harry get just under 1 cup, and they've went from fat (couldn't really feel ribs), to just slightly overweight.

Exercise is coupled with lower amounts of food, though.

Jock, Molly's dad, could only have 3/4 cup of food a day. Anymore and he'd put weight on. Any less, and he'd get underweight.

How you're feeding is how I feed (2 meals a day). One thing I was told, though, is that whatever they don't finish in about 1/2 an hour, pick it up. Give them the regular amount for the next meal.