How much to feed 15 month male Corso?

[jeekree]

Hey everyone. I've searched a lot online and while I am finding a lot with weight/cup ratio, I am looking for any info that may be a little more Corso specific.

Our rescue Thunder was underweight when we got him, but has already put on a nice bit of weight. He looks better with the extra 5 lbs or so.

I started a home cooked diet mixed with some kibble that he seems to love beyond belief lol. But I wonder if he should be eating more since he always seems so hungry after eating.

He is currently going on 15 months in age and sits about 26" tall and right around 88lbs. He eats twice a day.

- I know bloat is a concern for large breeds. Are more feedings with smaller portions something preferred here on the forums?

- most sites show wide ranges of feeding for a dog that sits at about 100 lbs. 4-8 cups of kibble is what I see. That's a big range. Kibble is also condensed and more filling I'd imagine than a home cooked diet.

- I currently am basing some recipes off of various websites. Brown rice or lentils, certain vegetables, and boiled chicken (hard boiled egg every 3 days) mixed with a smaller portion of kibble.

- He seems much more alert and energetic with this diet. But also seems more hungry. His poops are good and solid, they were not so much when we first got him. The diet change seemed to help this.

So any thoughts on this diet style? And how much do you guys feed your CC's? The one dog of ours keeps him pretty active (lots of playing) and he takes a sizable walk with me every day.

Truly appreciate everything so far, you've all been great and extremely helpful.

- Jamie

 

[Nik]

I definitely feel that more feedings with smaller portions is the best way to feed. We were doing two feedings a day previously but our dogs were eating their food too fast (even with special bowls to stop them). So now we have switched to four feedings a day and the dogs are doing much better on that system (more consistent firmer poops etc). Also remember not to let them be active directly following a feeding. I try to keep them stationary 1/2 an hour - 1 an hour after eating.

The biggest way to know if he is getting enough (or too much food) is to watch his body condition and also his poops and adjust the feedings accordingly. Soft poops is often an indicator of over feeding. He should have a nice tuck but not be "bony". I think somewhere on the forum someone once posted a great body condition diagram/visual to show you what to watch for - what you want in body condition versus what you don't want on either end of the spectrum.

More energy and firmer poops is a great indicator though that you are already doing a good job with him. Body condition would be the other thing to look at. At 15 months seeming hungry seems pretty normal in my experience but I also noticed that them seeming so hungry got much less when we switched to 4 smaller meals (still feeding the exact same amount but spread out over more feedings).

 

[Smokeycat]

One thing I did with Kryten when I wanted to switch foods was to calculate the calories he was eating and then use that to figure out how much he likely needed of the new food. You might be able to do that to ensure that you aren't significantly over or under feeding with homemade. But how many calories he requires will depend on his body and can only be determined by his body condition.

 

[DennasMom]

Here's a good recipe calculator (calories, carb/fat/protein, etc.) for cooked food: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
Just copy/paste the ingredients and note the number of servings.

For home-made stuff, do your research (we feed raw, here) - and keep mixing things up. Nothing beats fresh food (raw or cooked), in my opinion, but you'll want to make sure you get all the nutrients covered. Variety can really help with covering different micro-nutrients... chicken versus beef versus lamb, etc.

When cooking food, the most often left-out nutrient is calcium, so you might check on that - and/or add in a weekly raw knuckle bone for some chewing fun and calcium-replenishment, too.

As for portions - good ideas on calorie counts and body condition, above.
And if the food is tasty, be ready for a dog to always ask for more. We've had to cut back Denna's portions, as she's gained some extra padding. She'll eat anything and everything I put in her dish and still stare at me with those sad "more?" eyes. LOL.

 

[jeekree]

Thank you so much. Your response is so helpful and that website is a godsend!