- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 4
- Points
- 3
Our boy is recovering from CCL surgery and I need help with his calorie intake please!
Before the problem started he was given 2x 400g tins plus free fed dry, he would leave on average about a quarter to a third of his tins each day. He had a completely off leash walk between one and 2 hours every morning, sometimes up to 3 hours maybe once a week or so. Plus half an hour to an hour in the evening, so anywhere between 2 and 4 hours daily. He chased the ball and scents but rarely played with other dogs and a lot of his walks were street and path, also swimming a couple of times a month, and very enthusiastic digging as well. So a very active dog and a nice slim 18kg.
In September he was put on lead rest and restricted time, and rapidly put on almost 4kg despite cutting him down to one tin per day, still free fed dry but his consumption of dry didn't really increase. He was down to a half to one hour walk in the morning and no more than half an hour at night, all on the leash.
Just before Christmas he finally fully ruptured his CCL, at which stage the vet said we could now relax a bit as he couldn't do any more damage, but obviously no walks at all. But 3-5 times a day toilet breaks he would take the opportunity to have a little run around with no weight on the bad leg, and still played pretty active games in the house. To make sure he took his meds, because he sometimes doesn't eat, I switched him to cat pouches, 2 a day plus the cat's leftovers which isn't much.
Fast forward to now, we had the operation last Friday. Obviously this is now 6 weeks complete rest followed by a programme of very slow very short lead walks and hydrotherapy with the realistic aim of building up to one hour off the leash by the end of the year. Right now he is having a 100g pouch of cat food at night and I bought some foil trays of Butchers 150g which he loves, and reduced fat dry but so far I've got away with not giving him any dry at all. It feels like he is still getting heavier.
Should I stop the cat food altogether and split his 150g foil tray into two meals and add a little low fat dry? He also gets one small Dentastick (used to be a large one) and has his paracetamols in a small treat 3 times daily. Does cutting his food from 6-700g a day down to 150g sound about right for the level of activity he had to what he has now? Unfortunately I can't seem to find calorie information about any of these foods.
Before the problem started he was given 2x 400g tins plus free fed dry, he would leave on average about a quarter to a third of his tins each day. He had a completely off leash walk between one and 2 hours every morning, sometimes up to 3 hours maybe once a week or so. Plus half an hour to an hour in the evening, so anywhere between 2 and 4 hours daily. He chased the ball and scents but rarely played with other dogs and a lot of his walks were street and path, also swimming a couple of times a month, and very enthusiastic digging as well. So a very active dog and a nice slim 18kg.
In September he was put on lead rest and restricted time, and rapidly put on almost 4kg despite cutting him down to one tin per day, still free fed dry but his consumption of dry didn't really increase. He was down to a half to one hour walk in the morning and no more than half an hour at night, all on the leash.
Just before Christmas he finally fully ruptured his CCL, at which stage the vet said we could now relax a bit as he couldn't do any more damage, but obviously no walks at all. But 3-5 times a day toilet breaks he would take the opportunity to have a little run around with no weight on the bad leg, and still played pretty active games in the house. To make sure he took his meds, because he sometimes doesn't eat, I switched him to cat pouches, 2 a day plus the cat's leftovers which isn't much.
Fast forward to now, we had the operation last Friday. Obviously this is now 6 weeks complete rest followed by a programme of very slow very short lead walks and hydrotherapy with the realistic aim of building up to one hour off the leash by the end of the year. Right now he is having a 100g pouch of cat food at night and I bought some foil trays of Butchers 150g which he loves, and reduced fat dry but so far I've got away with not giving him any dry at all. It feels like he is still getting heavier.
Should I stop the cat food altogether and split his 150g foil tray into two meals and add a little low fat dry? He also gets one small Dentastick (used to be a large one) and has his paracetamols in a small treat 3 times daily. Does cutting his food from 6-700g a day down to 150g sound about right for the level of activity he had to what he has now? Unfortunately I can't seem to find calorie information about any of these foods.
