would love to have sub-account for my obese dog!

krisiepoo

My poor pupper had elbow dysplasia surgery when he was 7 months old and undiagnosed hypothyroid for the next year after that. He was fat and in pain and I felt like a lousy owner.

I got him into water therapy and he started moving and losing weight and he LOVED it! We go swimming whenever possible, too, now that he's done with the therapy. See if you can getyour pup to swim.

Also, I foster for a golden rescue and if we have hugely obese dogs come in, we do 1/2 green beans, 1/2 kibble. So my dogs get approx 1.5 cups of kibble a day, if I wanted to get them to lsoe weight I would do .75 green beans, .75 kibble. They only get fruits and veg for treats, too.

Stick with it, a healthy dog will live longer and happier!

EAlexandraB

If you're currently free-feeding your dog (leaving food out all the time), switch to measuring his food and feeding him only once or twice daily at meal times. Leave the dish down for about 15 minutes, then put it away if he hasn't finished the meal. Leaving food out all the time means the dog gets to decide how much he eats, and dogs are notoriously bad at self-regulating food intake. (They're almost as bad as humans! :laugh: )

Make sure he's eating a high-quality dog food. This website has dog food reviews: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ . Feed a 5 or 6 star dog food to ensure he's getting great nutrition.

If he's hungry all the time, bulking up his meals with raw green beans or canned pumpkin (plain, not pie filling) can help, as others have mentioned.

Your idea of short walks several times a day is a good one. As he slims down and his ACL recovers, some off-leash running would be excellent. If you're near a body of water, swimming would also be GREAT for him, since the water will take some of the load off of his knees.

Good luck to you and Solomon! :flowerforyou:

beekuzz

Swimming, a great idea and water therapy. I'll find a place that he can get that as well. So much good info from you folks.

Belladonna261

The BEST thing you can do for your pooch and to help with the ACL rupture is to get that weight off, the WORST thing you can do is is drop to a nutritionally unbalanced diet which will complicate the problem even furthur.
Gold standard solution: see your vet, there are many diets to help with this these days - high fibre, lower calorie and fat (to help keep your pup feeling full while dropping the calories) with feeding plans and often nurse support clinics.
Limit the snacking, or take some of the daily allowance out of the meals and use these for snacks. Remember a tiny piece of meat may be small to us but can be 20% of your dogs daily intake EASILY.
Replace the food rewards with time rewards, play, keep going with short lead walks, use your pooch to help you move more.
Good luck

somedaysoon84

I spend a lot of my day gently telling people that their dogs or cats are overweight. This is a surprisingly uncomfortable conversation and many people get pretty defensive, so you have taken a big step . .

you took the words out of my mouth!! i'm VT, and i am usually the first to mention sparky's weight gain from last year. people get very agnry about their pets weight, as they do with their own.

i have a show dog who messed up her ACL, it can happen to even the most in shape. while she was up and unable to excercise i cut her food, and limitted treats.

if you are weak, as most of us are, to scruffy's pouty "feed me from your plate" face, i suggest keeping some frozen green beans, baby carrots, or a few pieces of kibble beside your plate. you get to feed the dog, and the dog thinks he's eating from your plate. WIN WIN!

dog treats are super high in Kcals. milkbones are like scarfing a piece of cake for us. BUT basically anything that is good for us is good for them. fruits, veggies, yogurt, etc. mine really like cucumbers BTW....

canned food is a good option for fat dogs, it is MOSTLY water. stay away from the alpo gravy styles(motly fat) and stick with the brown moosh. you can try some of the senior diets, as they are lower in fat and higher in fiber.

also, if your dog is a nibbler, as they eat through the day.... start picking up their bowl 20 minutes after feeding time. and break meals up into 2-3 smaller meals. once the food is up you give no more until the next feeding. the dog will eat better, and snack less. dogs in the wild (feral, wild, or wolves) may not eat everyday. technically they don't HAVE to. and while i wouldn't say not to feed everyday, it wont hurt to miss a meal or two while you are working on the schedule. just don't feel guilty!!! dogs have survived with people by making us feel bad and want to take care of them. its in their genes to make us feel guilty.

swimming is great, but not everyone has the access. once the weight is off, go for walks. "road work" is the very best way to build muscle and tone, and is mostly what i do to keep my show dogs fit and trim.

diet and not caving in to "the face" is really what its about. its hard, and frankly, as with dieting for themselves, a great majority of people fail.

Josteyn

Yes, you could buy your dog a treadmill... Or get him a special diet which no carnivorous animal would ever eat...

Or maybe you could just go walking with him and stop feeding him so much?

My suggestion for a treadmill was made for the times when the dog would be sitting about at home. I guess you missed that Mr. Smarty Pants.

Nope, didn't miss it.

But the solution to the world's problems and this one in particular is not technology, nor a machine, but good old-fashioned WALKING which has the advantage that it runs off fat rather than oil/fuel/electricity and takes no more resources than a pair of shoes.

Maybe YOU are the one missing something in life, my dear.

3dogsrunning

If you're currently free-feeding your dog (leaving food out all the time), switch to measuring his food and feeding him only once or twice daily at meal times. Leave the dish down for about 15 minutes, then put it away if he hasn't finished the meal. Leaving food out all the time means the dog gets to decide how much he eats, and dogs are notoriously bad at self-regulating food intake. (They're almost as bad as humans! :laugh: )

Make sure he's eating a high-quality dog food. This website has dog food reviews: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ . Feed a 5 or 6 star dog food to ensure he's getting great nutrition.

If he's hungry all the time, bulking up his meals with raw green beans or canned pumpkin (plain, not pie filling) can help, as others have mentioned.

Your idea of short walks several times a day is a good one. As he slims down and his ACL recovers, some off-leash running would be excellent. If you're near a body of water, swimming would also be GREAT for him, since the water will take some of the load off of his knees.

Good luck to you and Solomon! :flowerforyou:

Pretty much what I was going to say.
Although, the site provided is a suggestion, I don't quite consider it the be all end all. I am a fan of feeding affordable food your dog does well on, which may not be the "best" one on that site, but it's a good starting point.

3dogsrunning

I forgot to add, even of you don't want to schedule feed toucan still track how much per day you feed and limit it.

SherryTeach

Dogfoodanalysis.com is an excellent site to research quality foods. Practically every food on the market is rated with the nutritional analysis explained. I think my dog is worth feeding wholesome nutrients too. I expect her to be my companion for a long time. She is on Castor and Pollux Organix. Read the labels just like you do for your own food.

3dogsrunning

Dogfoodanalysis.com is an excellent site to research quality foods. Practically every food on the market is rated with the nutritional analysis explained. I think my dog is worth feeding wholesome nutrients too. I expect her to be my companion for a long time. She is on Castor and Pollux Organix. Read the labels just like you do for your own food.

But, as I understand it, is one person's opinion. Like everything else in life there are those with differing opinions. I have fed my dogs "superior" foods listed on the site and they have done better on some that were considered less superior. I don't disagree it is a great starting point and I also agree reading labels and understanding ingredients is key. Pair that with what works for your dog.

EAlexandraB

Dogfoodanalysis.com is an excellent site to research quality foods. Practically every food on the market is rated with the nutritional analysis explained. I think my dog is worth feeding wholesome nutrients too. I expect her to be my companion for a long time. She is on Castor and Pollux Organix. Read the labels just like you do for your own food.

But, as I understand it, is one person's opinion. Like everything else in life there are those with differing opinions. I have fed my dogs "superior" foods listed on the site and they have done better on some that were considered less superior. I don't disagree it is a great starting point and I also agree reading labels and understanding ingredients is key. Pair that with what works for your dog.

It is only one opinion among many, but I find the site provides pretty good info about WHY each food is rated highly. Certainly individual dogs respond differently to different types of food, but it's a good resource to start figuring out which foods are good choices. My own dogs do poorly on all dog food, so are fed a prey model raw diet.

ironanimal

Yes, you could buy your dog a treadmill... Or get him a special diet which no carnivorous animal would ever eat...

Or maybe you could just go walking with him and stop feeding him so much?

My suggestion for a treadmill was made for the times when the dog would be sitting about at home. I guess you missed that Mr. Smarty Pants.

Nope, didn't miss it.

But the solution to the world's problems and this one in particular is not technology, nor a machine, but good old-fashioned WALKING which has the advantage that it runs off fat rather than oil/fuel/electricity and takes no more resources than a pair of shoes.

Maybe YOU are the one missing something in life, my dear.

I even said a manual one. As in, no external power. Sigh.

I walk my dogs 5 times a week. I am well aware how walking works.

This was a suggestion for something for the dog to do when it WAS AT HOME.

bikhi

my cocker gets a half cup of 'taste of the wild' twice a day. she is not overweight. she does get the occasional pizza bone from her grandpa though.

grain free food is the best for your dog.

CharisSunny

I have an obese pusskitten. He takes half assed walks with me and the dog (normal BMI...the dog, not me :grumble: ).

brandimacleod

My boy boxer was starved for the first few years of his life. When I got him it was a battle to get him healthy, and he ultimately ended up about 10 lbs overweight. The vet said a diet would be more trauma for him than its worth. So we went for walks. And when I took up running I ran the younger fit boxer instead. She is a crappy running partner though, so I started my fat guy on C25K. He can run now, at least a mile and a half, and he swapped fat for muscle. He is looking GOOD!!!! But since I use and HRM and created my own names for exercises, I have one called "One old fat dog does c25k (and you better not think I mean me!) - hahahaha! Although when we run, he is no longer fat...but I am.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

My golden retriever is also overweight & whenever I take him for walks, I notice that he does more peeing & pooping than actual walk. We tried putting him on a diet for several weeks but still remained a glutton. Also my mom doesn't care about it at all :noway:

BreanneMG

I work in a vet clinic and see a tone of obese dogs, and usually the number one cause is treats, dog treats or human food.... NO MORE. If you want to give your dog a treat then give him/her a piece of their kibble, dogs dont care how big or what a treat is as long as they get one, a treat can even be praise give them and extra long belly rub. Making sure your dog gets enough exercise is important, if your dog has a torn CCL then I would not let him run very much as it will make things worse and more painful, a good thing for him to do is swimming.
Also look into prescription diets, Like Hills or medical. My Lab had weight issues due to bad genetics we didnt feed her much but she ballooned she was abou 37Kg since we have put her on Hills Prescription diet R/D she is not 27.3Kg and she get 3 cups of food a day.
Try feeding your dog 1-3 meals a day, so lets say your dog gets 3 cups a day either give him 1 cup 3 times a day or 3 cups once a day.
Good luck.

EPICUREASIAN

The 2nd most embarrassing question a girl wants to hear from a complete stranger is: "Is your dog pregnant?"

I about nearly died when somebody at the dog park said that about my doxie. I rushed home and cried about it to the fiance, only to discover that he had been tripling my dogs' feedings by mistake!

Doxies are prone to back problems, and my doxie had already undergone surgery once. I had to re-teach my man the correct food measurements...and the pups slimmed back down after a month of regular portion sizes and healthy snacks.

Consult your vet if you're unsure about how much to feed your dog. Educate yourself on what's in your dog's food. Try to keep your pup engaged and active. I think everyone has so far posted sound advice about how to keep your furkid happy and healthy.

3dogsrunning

I work in a vet clinic and see a tone of obese dogs, and usually the number one cause is treats, dog treats or human food.... NO MORE. If you want to give your dog a treat then give him/her a piece of their kibble, dogs dont care how big or what a treat is as long as they get one, a treat can even be praise give them and extra long belly rub. Making sure your dog gets enough exercise is important, if your dog has a torn CCL then I would not let him run very much as it will make things worse and more painful, a good thing for him to do is swimming.
Also look into prescription diets, Like Hills or medical. My Lab had weight issues due to bad genetics we didnt feed her much but she ballooned she was abou 37Kg since we have put her on Hills Prescription diet R/D she is not 27.3Kg and she get 3 cups of food a day.
Try feeding your dog 1-3 meals a day, so lets say your dog gets 3 cups a day either give him 1 cup 3 times a day or 3 cups once a day.
Good luck.

I giggle not because it is serious but the fact is labs are noses attached to stomachs, I know, mine is. The majority (please note not all) lack the ability to regulate their food. My own would (and has when he got into the room where we store food) eat until he threw up and keep eating. Sort of my point about free feeding. Some dogs will self monitor. Some dogs won't. I agree with monitoring treats and food intake. Prescription diets - often more expensive then they are worth.

EAlexandraB

Prescription diets - often more expensive then they are worth.

Prescription diets are also often made from seriously questionable ingredients. :noway:


Good food, reasonable portions, and enough exercise should have Solomon back on track, weight-wise. (Funny...sounds just like the recommendations for humans who need to lose weight! :laugh: )


Actually, could Solomon send some of his extra pounds to my Malcolm? I have a hell of a time keeping weight on him - he's got an astronomical metabolism and is SUPER active. He eats 3000+ calories a day and is still lean. (Yes, I'm more than a little jealous...)