My low-activity dog eats less food than the bag says. Is this normal?

Question

Is it normal for my 17# adult cavalier King Charles spaniel to maintain her weight on 5 oz (a scant 2/3 of a cup) per day? the bag of her food says she should be eating 1 1/4 cups of food per day, but if I give her any more than 5 oz. she will gain weight. She is at her ideal weight currently. she is not very active at all and gets minimal exercise. Is this normal? And she gets pretty much no treats (very occasionally) and no table scraps at all. Please explain if this is something that is norma. Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 6 years and 11 months old | 17 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

Remember that all dogs are individuals just like humans. Some dogs have a fast metabolisms and others have slow metabolisms. If Chloe is maintaining her weight then that is the appropriate amount of food to feed her. The only other conditions that will cause pets to gain weight easily is endocrine diseases such as Cushing’s disease or hypothyroidism. You may consider having her tested for those diseases since they will slow down her metabolism and caused her to gain weight easily. Otherwise you should continue to feed her the same amount of dog food. If Chloe is acting like she is starving or always hungry, you may try switching her to a lower calorie food so that she can eat a greater amount. If her lifestyle does change and she becomes more active, she will likely need to increase the amount of food. I hope this helps.

My low-activity dog eats less food than the bag says. Is this normal?

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