Rose is turning into a PIG!

I have never seen a puppy eat as much as Rose does. As you might remember we got her Feb. 14th and i sware she eats as much as two of our other dogs combined(she is almost 3 months old). My question is, can a dog eat too much? I dont want her to be hungry but it seams that she dont know when to stop eating. We limit her food by only feeding her small meals about 3 times a day but she will still, after eating her food, try to get into the cat food and the other dog dishes if there is any left in them. I tried the theory of letting her eat what she wanted, to see if she would actually stop once she got full, but she ate so much it scared me so i made her quit, she looked as if she would explode. She has been wormed and had her first set of shots so its not likely that. Any suggestions before she either eats us out of house and home or explodes?? (btw i know she is going to be a bigger dog then the others, therefore require more food but thats not the concern here, i just am baffled by her appitite and if this could be health or behavior problem).

Sometimes dogs simply do not have an off button. No matter what food you feed, they'll always be hungry. Yes a dog can overeat.

My dog is an awesome example! I wish I had a picture of the x-ray to share. I used to work at a barn and would be gone in the AM, I came home and my mom said that LiLo was acting funny, when I looked at her she looked bloated but I was thinking more along the lines of something stuck in her throat or something. I offered her bread to which she ate the first piece... but then stopped. Now LiLo NEVER refuses food, she'll eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. So I rushed her in, we xrayed her tummy and her stomach was extended all the way up into her chest because of how much food we ate. We're guessing she ate around 6lbs of dog food. We put her on an IV for the day and she puked up some food, and went home that evening feeling a bit better. But anyway you'll really need to keep an eye on your dog, another coworker, her dog is the same as mine and he got into his bag of food, didn't have enough time to eat as much as LiLo did, but he porked himself out pretty good. Dogs like that, no matter how you feed them, will always feel hungry... even feeding higher protein/higher fiber they just don't have an off button.

i was kinda afraid of her getting into the food bag, so we keep the food locked in a tub with a snap on lid. the vet said to try switching her to puppy food with milk replacement sprinkled on it to see if that would help but that didnt work either and seamed to upset her stomach so he suggested to just feed the smaller meals, i was just concerned that i wasnt doing right by her not letting her get "full". I am just glad its not only Rose that seams to have a eating problem. I wonder since she came from a large litter(12) if it didnt start because the pups had limited food because there were so many and she learned to gorge herself while she had the chance.

I have always heard that dogs should not be free fed because they will simply not stop eating. I have NO idea if thats true though because I have never had a dog

My sister feeds her dane alot throughout the day, and she still acts starved

I have always heard that dogs should not be free fed because they will simply not stop eating. I have NO idea if thats true though because I have never had a dog

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Some dogs can be free fed. My sister has 3 small dogs and they get a huge bowl of food and eat it throughout the day. A friend of mine also has a dog who picks at his food... it's kind of like cats, some can be free fed, some can't!

I am just glad its not only Rose that seams to have a eating problem. I wonder since she came from a large litter(12) if it didnt start because the pups had limited food because there were so many and she learned to gorge herself while she had the chance.

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That could be very true, I kind of think that's LiLo's issue, she basically acts like someone else might get her food first, so that's definitley something to consider.

One thing I do is I throw my dogs food on the ground so she has to move around to get it. I feed my dogs in the garage so I just throw it and she sucks it up. So you could try something like that to maybe slow her down, so she has a chance to maybe feel more satisfied, you could also put a ball or rock in her bowl so she has to eat around it, again slowing her down so maybe she can feel more satisified with her meal. It works for us because one of my dogs eats really slowly, so I can feed her ina dish and scatter LiLo's food and they get done about the same time.

Gotta love our piggy's!

My new puppy Lola (9 months, 45 pounds) will also eat anything that comes her way. She got herself into the bowl of cat food and then spent the next 24 hours pooping (the runs) every hour on the hour. Over feeding really messes up their digestive system.

Do not free feed your dog and limit the food based on the recommendation for their age. If you set up a regular routine on when they are fed, they will soon learn that they don't need to eat everything in site, as they know when the next meal is coming. Lola has gotten a lot better in the 3 weeks since we adopted her.