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One quick question. Should I leave food out all day for my maltese or should I only leave food out when its dinner time. I feed him Iams dry food. He is eating about 2 cups a day. He weighs 7 1/2 lbs. I think he is eating too much? Any comments. Thanks. -Tony

• My Maltese, Buster, weighs 5 lbs. 2 oz. I leave his food out all day. I provide him with about 1/3 cup of Sensible Choice (has no dyes which can contribute to tearstaining) by the end of the day only about 2-3 pieces are left.

• I leave dry food out all day and then at a specified time each night I feed dry food mixed with Pedigree. It's important to feed the dog at the same time every night to establish a routine. If you leave dry food out all day it gives the dog a chance to eat if they are hungry, so don't worry if you are feeding them too much or if they don't eat all the food that is left out, My dog seems to eat more in the winter than in the summer. I would ask your vet if you are concerned that your dog is eating too m uch, only he/she would know if, for your dog's size, he is holding the right weight.-taram

• My goldens get 2 - 3 cups of Iams a day so I think your little guy is getting too much. Are you sure no one else is eating it? We used to have a cat that loved the Iams dog food. To check your dogs weight feel about half way down his ribs with your fingers. If you can feel ribs just under the surface he's fine and don't worry about your little horselet if not then he is too heavy and needs to lose weight.Best Wishes Marge

• Your little fella is probably fine. I have a 3 mo. old Beagle and he is a little pig also. He went from 7lbs. 2oz. in the first month to 13lbs. and 2oz. in the second month. When I took him to the vet they didn't seemed to be worried at all. km

• I was told to feed my 6 1/2 lb. male Maltese 1/3 c. premium quality dry kibbles 2 x a day. That's a total of only 2/3 (-3/4) cup per day! I think possibly you are feeding your dog too much, however maybe he is especially active?... I use Wysong dry kibbles mixed w/about 2 T. of homemade rice/chicken/vegie mixture. He gets a very minimal amount of snacks in between meals. -Laurie B.

• My Lucy is 1 yr old and weighs 8 lb. We were at the vet yesterday and was told she is okay in the weight department. I leave dry food for her all day and put about 2 or so tablespoons of Pedigree out for her in the morning and at night. I have noticed that some days she eats almost nothing (but she does love to take the dry food out of the bowl and toss it around and catch it). Other days, she cleans her plate. When she was younger, I monitored her food intake more carefully to be sure she was getting enough to eat and grow on but wasn't eating too much. It looks to me like she eats as much as she needs, but doesn't pig out. If I were you, I'd try giving smaller portions for a while to see if he is satisfied. I think I give Lucy way too much people food (she's a little beggar), so be careful about that, too! Check with your vet about the weight..he may just be growing into a larger dog than you expected. Good luck. Cathy Brown

• My Maltese, Jazz, is 1 1/2 years old and weighs 5 1/2 lbs. I leave dry food out for him all day long. But he usually does not eat when I am away from the house. He doesn't like to eat alone I guess. He usually eats no more than 3/4 of a cup a day. So, I think your dog is probably eating quite a bit. If you are at home with him/her a lot, this probably makes her feel real secure and prompts her to eat more. But don't worry, 7 1/2 lbs sounds like the perfect size to me. Shelley