Should I ask my vet about my dog seeming hungrier lately?

[nikki1445]

Hi! I have a small (16-17 lb) dog of no particular breed. I feed her Hills Perfect weight food formulated for small dogs, and she gets 45 g food twice a day plus treats/ supplements for joint and dental health. I weigh her food out and her weight has been steady and she’s been a healthy babe with this regimen for the past at least two years.

While I am rigorous about weighing her food, I will give her more food if she asks for it, because she almost never asks for it (generally once a month or less). I know that some days I am hungrier than usual, so I’m sure she is too, and she does a good job at regulating herself and usually doesn’t even finish the extra food when she asks for it (I normally give her 15-25 g if she’s getting extra food).

The past week or two, she’s asked for more food 3 or 4 times, which is way more frequent than normal. She has also been finishing all the extra food, which is also uncommon for her. Is this something I should be concerned about?

For extra context, I do think she walks significantly more than most dogs generally and certainly most dogs her size, but this isn’t a change from our usual. Our long walk is around an hour and 1.5-2 miles per day. I don’t know how old she is, but we think about 6-7 years old. I live in the East coast in the US, and I don’t have any other pets.

 

[shela710]

@nikki1445 There's nothing wrong with giving the dog more food if it seems hungry and it's at a healthy weight and stays at a healthy weight. Maybe try some veggies like broccoli and carrots?

The few older/more senior dogs I've dealt with, they tend to get more fussy about being fed the older they get, too.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@nikki1445 It definitely doesn't hurt to check in with your vet and make sure it's not something to be concerned about!

 

[houston84]

@nikki1445 This fall my dogs have been unusually hungry. This seems to happen for early cold or a very cold petiod

 

[dutyandthebeast]

@nikki1445 She’s training you to feed her more… this is undesirable behaviour. Stick to your routine feedings.

It’s easy to see why she’d ask you for more food if she knows she’ll get it from you.

This likely has little to do with her being hungrier than usual, and more to do that she’s learned that begging will get her what she wants.

 

[cathya]

@nikki1445 What breed and how old? Are they drinking more as well?

A huge upgrade on appetite can be a sign of Cushing’s. It is a health problem that affects a lot of popular small breed dogs (yorkie, poodle, schnauzer, Maltese etc)

 

[nikki1445]

@cathya She is approximately 6-7 but could be a year or two older, and is no breed (street/village dog)

 

[cathya]

@nikki1445 I would just kind of tuck that in the back of your head and familiarize yourself with the other symptoms of Cushings.

 

[nikki1445]

@cathya I will, thanks! Her regular semi annual checkup is in November so I will just probably keep an eye on her appetite and any other small changes until then