# Eating (and eating, and eating, and eating, and eating)



## ardentlysurreal (Jun 15, 2011)

My V has now been in my family for 3 weeks. Does anyone else have a problem with their V eating nearly every time you put food in front of their face (both dog and human food)???? She wants to eat all our meals. She wants to eat all the droppings. She wants to eat every dry food serving I put down. She wants to eat every wet can meal I set down. She wants to eat the cat's food. She wants to eat the cat's poo. She wants to eat all of the plastic goods in the house (with two kids there's a lot)... And she doesn't even do it slowly, she acts like her previous owner (rescued dog) never fed her or would choose other dogs to eat before her and she wouldn't get much... What do I do? I can't let her get overweight but I can't have her always hungry (it makes me feel bad for "starving" her)... She's on Blue Buffalo but I'm finding that most of you don't like that brand, what's a good brand for starving V's like mine???


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## tlm324 (May 10, 2011)

Congratulations on your new family member! How old is she and how much does she weigh? We feed our girl Wellness and we feed 3 times per day. She came from a large litter and eats very quickly from the beginning. We had to SLOW her down. We feed in a kibble ball or in her food dish with a large rock on top!


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## ardentlysurreal (Jun 15, 2011)

She was born November 15 2009 according to her paperwork. She eats EVERYTHING though and I'm sick and tired of telling her to drop all my daughter's marbles, Squinkies (a toy), and my son's Lego's.... I swear if I put nine cans of wet food in a bowl she would eat it all in one serving and then start begging for dinner scrapes. Is this normal for this breed or is she just anxious since it's been under a month and the kids keep her hyper all the time???


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Not good to allow to eat everything. Vet bills will be surely mounting soon.

My suggestion is to use a wire crate, perhaps 36" when not supervised or actively engaged. Properly stuffed Kong toys should be available for her inside crate.
I don't think she should be allowed access to all the house.
Please feed her 2-3 meals/day only. DO NOT feed only 1 meal/day (bloat).
Exercise as necessary, or as suggested by others who own V. dogs.


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## tlm324 (May 10, 2011)

I know it's hard but she is still a puppy and you have to puppy proof your house just like you would if you had an infant crawling around. Does she have somewhere to go to get away from the kids? Sounds like she just might be anxious. Do you have a crate? Using a crate is like her little den. She still needs rest and downtime. My V would eat an entire bag of food if given the opportunity! Try feeding three times a day around 6 hours apart and use a kibble ball so it will take her longer to eat and work for the food. Here is the one we have http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Busy-Buddy-Kibble-Nibble/dp/B001F0RRUA Kongs, large size, are also good safe toys to use, you can put kibble in them and smear peanut butter on the inside and freeze!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

My boy, Willie, was also rescued. He was in a very "high kill" shelter, and had been running around (lost) for some time before a kind person finally called the Animal Control guys. He would have starved or frozen to death if it wasn't for that phone call. Anyway, since he was very skinny and had been starving for who knows how long, he was an enthusiatic eater when I adopted him. I had to feed him every two hours, a small amount of food (like a half-cup). I used puppy chow to begin with (Kirkland - the Costco brand) just to put some weight on him. 

If it's any comfort to you, my dog did finally get over thinking it was his last meal. He still eats all of his food, but he's not at all "frantic" about it now. 

Bless your heart for saving her! You could try feeding smaller meals, more often. Any good quality dog food that she likes (and it doesn't sound like that will be a problem) should work for you. Have patience, because this is a big adjustment for her, too. And baby-proof your house. If she ingests plastic, you could be in for some big Vet bills. Best of luck to you!


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Use the higher protein foods - Taste of the Wild or Orejin are Copper's Favs. Let her eat as much as she wants. With exercise I don't think a V will get fat. Also, work on obedience. She shouldn't eat any people food, and should not have access to dangerous items she can swallow. She is probably just getting accustom to the new digs and will settle down once she know her place and the rules.


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