Veteables?

Question
QUESTION: I have a 7 month old Great Dane.  He's already on the Eagle Pack Holistic dog food.  I feed him twice a day and he eats dinner the same time we eat dinner every night.  But it never fails he gets done eating his dinner first and sits and cries at us like he's still hungry.  I make sure to follow the charts on the dog food bag for feeding him cause I know how important it is to keep them the correct weight.  I was just wondering if adding some vegetables to his dog food would help him feel full?  What kind of vegetables are good for him?  How much should I add to his feedings?  Right now he's getting 3 cups of dog food twice a day.  He reminds me of Scooby Do....he'll eat anything you put infront of him LOL!  He's our big loving baby and I just want to do what's best for him.  He's probably about 60 pounds already and he's not really skinning or chunky...to me he looks just right.  His father is 135 pounds and mother is 130 pounds.  Thanks for your time and input!

ANSWER: Hi Karrie,

If your pup is growing at a good rate you don't want to upset the applecart by adding a lot more food. 60 pounds at 7 months sounds a tad light to me for a Dane and yet I can't say for sure unless I could see him. It's better as you no doubt know, to grow them a little slowly. At 60 pounds with a projected adult weight of say 130, I might look at feeding up to 3000 calories a day depending on activity level. If this is the food you're using:

http://www.eaglepack.com/SP_LGAdult.html
then 6 cups provides 2352 calories so you could likely increase by 1/2 cup at each meal, but this might not make a huge difference in his feeling full. Some vegetables can be helpful, but a lot will affect the absorption of mineral, so don't go to town on this; a cup of green beans, carrots or squash, 1/2 cup broccoli and sweet potato,  that's fine and may also help with satiety. Don't go crazy on dark leafy greens; they contain anti nutrients (well, most veggies do, but greens have a lot) that can affect calcium uptake.

I would use a half cup of sweet potato, a cup of beans, maybe a cup extra kibble, and behaviourally? Ignore the begging. Trust me, I know how hard that is, but overfeeding a giant breed dog is really a bad idea.

All the best, Catherine

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Buddy   QUESTION: http://www.heartypet.com/eagle-pack-holistic-select-large-and-giant-breed-puppy-

That's the link to the kind of eagle pack dog food he's eating.  I added a picture of him I just took tonight.  I'd say he gets a good amount of exercise.  Him and my beagle mix like to race each other around our acre of backyard a few times a day.  When he's not running around with our beagle he's running around with our 4yr old daughter.  It's great!  They wear each other out and it's funny to watch LOL!  Thanks a bunch for the information!  Based on the updated information I just gave you.  What would the amounts be now?  Sorry by the time I get to sit down and write to you I'm tired and can't always think of everything I need to say lol.

Answer
Hi again,

Buddy is just gorgeous and looks a nice weight to me, from what I can see. There's no ME (calorie level) on that site, but I was able to track it down, now I know which one you're feeding; as opposed to the food I THOUGHT you were using at 392 kcals per cup, THIS food has 375 per cup so a little LESS, actually. Your boy is on the lean side and while that's good, having him feel hungry all the time is not. I would personally increase a little - the guidelines are only that, general guidelines - but not overdo it, say add a cup and a half per day.  you can also add in some tripe,  a little sardine or salmon, cooked green beans and carrots, an egg or two. Juts consider the additions as part of his treat allowance and monitor weight carefully. I think he looks great and hey - some dogs are just HUNGRY. he's a growing by and you don't want to have him hungry, but a giant breed should not be allowed to grow maximally either.

Hope this helps, Catherine