Let me try this again, Sue, as you said 4 cups was fine UNTIL you spayed her. Now she needs 1/2 to 3/4 of her previous diet. Spaying decreases the metabolism and the feeding has to be cut back afterwards. As I tell all my clients, cut back the food to half what you were feeding before the spay/neuter and adjust if needed from there. Spaying does not make a dog fat, we do that by over feeding. If you can't feel the ribs she is going to need an extreme reduction of calories and more exercise (the secret to weight loss for everything, cut calories and exercise). She has to stop gaining and start burning. We are seeing a huge obesity problem in animals more and more. Its leading to higher costs for pet owners with all the associated health problems, and most pets don't have insurance so the owners have to pay out of their own pocket for medications for diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Best, Katie Halfen Mackey DVM Casamoko Shepherds www.casamoko.com > She is very active. VERY. She lives outside. She doesnt get cookies or > treats. 4 cups was fine until she was spayed > > Sent by Sue from cyberspace .. ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2012. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================