I feel so guilty

Gabe loves to eat.  There isn't a finicky bone in his body; drop something on the kitchen floor and he's on it, even pieces of raw fruits and veggies.  With dogs I had in the past, I would fill their food bowls when they were empty.  They got along just fine and didn't get fat.  This boy, though, has started to expand outward rather than upward and onward.  The weight actually looks cute on him, but the Mini-Schnauzer breed tends to have several problems that can be brought on by their consuming too many calories or eating the wrong foods, pancreatitis being the main problem.  It occurs in 5% of mini schnauzers.  Diabetes is another issue related to diet.

This is the first dog we've had that isn't allowed "people food", so that isn't a factor, as difficult as this was for Cliff, because he likes to feed dogs.  Gabe has the same problem as Cliff and I:  He loves to eat.  The breeder thought he'd eventually weigh 13 pounds, and he's pushing 16 already (I'm glad he got bigger than 13 pounds, though).  I've been asking relatives how much food they give their little dogs, and their answers astonish me.  I can't imagine making a dog get by on so little sustenance.  Cliff's sister only gives her 13-pound Dachshund half a cup of food daily, although she does keep canned green beans around to treat her with.  Half a cup!!!!  My oldest granddaughter keeps her Shitzu on a strict diet, too.  Both these ladies are following the strict advice of their vets.  By the way, both dogs look healthy and are not a bit skinny.

I wish I'd asked my vet last time we were there whether my dog was overweight, but Gabe was a growing puppy and I wasn't concerned about it.  Now I'm worried enough that I'm limiting his food.  First I took it down to a cup-and-a-half daily.  I couldn't bear to give him less!  Once I did that for a few days, I decided to take it down to one cup daily, which is still more than either my granddaughter or my sister-in-law give their dogs.  I feel so sorry for Gabe!  I let him out of the kennel around 5 AM each morning, but I make him wait until seven for his half-cup of breakfast.  He finishes it post haste, licks the bowl, then sits beside the bowl and stares at me.  I can't stand it!  But rather than feed him more, I divert his attention by throwing a toy across the room for him to fetch.  His second meal is at 4 or 5 in the evening, another half-cup. 

This morning I was digging around in the freezer and came across some cooked beef bones, so I dug one out and gave it to him.  I feel much better now.  He's been happily gnawing on that bone for over an hour, and my guilt level has decreased somewhat.