My dog acts starving after meals. How do I make her feel full?

What a great picture of Alfie! The calorie contents of different foods vary so it's hard to say without knowing what brand of food he's getting. However, in general, a 60lb pit bull will require more food than a 60lb dog of a different breed. They tend to be very heavily muscled which burns a lot of calories, and they also tend to be very energetic. He's also young so will require more food than a senior dog. One cup of dry food 3 times a day might just not be enough for him. I would recommend increasing his canned food to one can twice a day, or you can try adding 1/2 cup dry food at feedings. Watch him to make sure he's not gaining too much weight. Also, if he still seems hungry, you may want to have him checked over by his veterinarian. Intestinal parasites and certain metabolic diseases can cause them to be excessively hungry. And some dogs are just hungry all the time, not matter how much they just ate (kind of like people). The last thing you can try is adding water to his food to bulk it up and make him feel fuller. You can also feed him vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, celery, and cucumbers to give him high fiber/water, low calorie treats.

Do you think her body weight is appropriate? If she is underweight, she can eat more. If she is normal, you may consider putting her food in treat or puzzle toys so that it takes her longer to eat. She may also be looking for attention. Help her get in more play time or do obedience training to give her mind something to do. If she still seems really hungry, you can try feeding a weight loss food at higher amounts - they usually have more fiber so that it fills the dog up without adding extra calories.

Try spacing out the food over three feeds a day. You can also try to add extra fiber to the food, such as bran, in order to bulk it up and make her stomach fuller. Make sure the food you are feeding (I am not familiar with it) is labeled as a complete puppy food for medium breeds. If not, I would change over to a food by a company that offers scientific formulas such as Iams. Hills, Purina ProPlan, etc. Make sure you transition slowly over about a week's time. Take Calli to your vet for a weigh-in and find out if she is a proper weight. Hunger is not necessarily correlated with not being fed enough. If she is the proper weight but keeps begging for food it is rather a behavioral thing.

There are some disease processes in dogs that can cause an increased appetite. Most notably is an endocrine disorder called Cushing's Disease and the appetite is the result of excessive steroid production in the body. A pet taking steroid medication could also have increased appetite. There are other possible diagnoses as well so if the change is significant a good place to start would be an exam and bloodwork with your family vet. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

No there are no such thing as an appetite suppressant. However there are several conditions that can cause an increase in appetite including: Diabetes Mellitus, intestinal parasites, malabsorption or some endocrine disorders. Baseline bloodwork can rule out most of these disorders. Also you can try a fulfilling diet such as Royal Canine satiety, which is meant to keep pets feeling fuller for longer, so that they can lose some extra weight. This is a prescription diet, so check with your veterinarian to see if this is an appropriate diet for your pet Rosie. Best of luck to you. Take care.

If the dogs are maintaining a good weight, they do not have a problem with not getting enough calories. Both of these breeds can be food obsessed and are prone to struggle with their weights due to this behavior. Iams is a good food so you don't need to change it. You may try adding canned, salt free green beans to the food bowls to increase the bulk. You may also try feeding them with food puzzles, a food ball or a slow feeder. Many times this is behavioral if the weight is good. As adults, they can eat a diet dog food to allow them to eat more without all the extra calories. Best of luck.

Unfortunately that answer will depend on a few factors. 4 cups of food a day sounds like a reasonable amount for a young 63 pound dog that is active. My 70 pound dog eats about 3 cups a day and is completely convinced that he is starving every day, but his weight is perfect. It just depends on the dog. So, my first recommendation is to evaluate Cooper's Body Condition Score (BCS). I have included a link below with detailed information about a BCS. https://www.purina.co.uk/dogs/health-and-nutrition/exercise-and-weight-management/dog-body-condition-tool Often, we think a dog with a BCS of 6 or 7 out of 9 is a normal weight when they are actually overweight. If you have any questions about Cooper's weight or how to determine his BCS, then I would certainly consult his veterinarian. Otherwise, if his BCS is normal and he appears to be acting normally otherwise, it might just be the Cooper thinks he should be eating more food than his body actually needs to maintain his weight. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.