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

Medea81

I have Great Dane's... when they are acting hungry after eating we give them raw green beans, hardly any calories and it fills them up. just make sure they are getting the right nutrition from their dog food, no corn/wheat/rice... go completely grain free, you feed less, and have less output. (My dogs actually eat a raw diet, healthier than an processed dog food)

And just for anyone confused, Dogs are carnivores! we chose to feed them grains/fruit/veggies... they did not choose to eat that. a natural diet for a dog is meat! preferably raw meat, and they can have raw bones, not cooked. a lot of vets are now changing their views on dog foods because dogs these days are overweight. Dog food is like crack, too many things in there, with added flavors to get the dogs to eat it.

sorry, small tangent there, I have researched this for a few years, and my dogs thrive, have nice shiny teeth (which I never brush), rarely visit the vet except for the yearly exam, haven't had an ear infection in a long time. I also feed my cats a grain-free diet because they are also carnivores, no need for grain in any food for your dogs or cats, they are put in there to be fillers, lessen the amount of meat they have to put in, and to jack the price up.

Bluebaloo210

Thank you so much for the info! I am amazed at the results you were able to achieve with your pets, and I am sure that the info you have posted here will be able to be used by many other pet-lovers!

Bluebaloo210

I have Great Dane's... when they are acting hungry after eating we give them raw green beans, hardly any calories and it fills them up. just make sure they are getting the right nutrition from their dog food, no corn/wheat/rice... go completely grain free, you feed less, and have less output. (My dogs actually eat a raw diet, healthier than an processed dog food)

And just for anyone confused, Dogs are carnivores! we chose to feed them grains/fruit/veggies... they did not choose to eat that. a natural diet for a dog is meat! preferably raw meat, and they can have raw bones, not cooked. a lot of vets are now changing their views on dog foods because dogs these days are overweight. Dog food is like crack, too many things in there, with added flavors to get the dogs to eat it.

sorry, small tangent there, I have researched this for a few years, and my dogs thrive, have nice shiny teeth (which I never brush), rarely visit the vet except for the yearly exam, haven't had an ear infection in a long time. I also feed my cats a grain-free diet because they are also carnivores, no need for grain in any food for your dogs or cats, they are put in there to be fillers, lessen the amount of meat they have to put in, and to jack the price up.

This is actually a common misconception: dogs are not carnivores (though they do belong to the order Carnivora-which includes other omnivores such as bears, racoons, skunks, badgers etc). They are in fact omnivores. As has been frequently mentioned in earlier posts, many dogs will eat vegetables, grains, and fruits in the wild and in the domestic setting. The term carnivore refers to two separate things: the first is a taxonomical order, which groups animals based on certain morphological and genetic characteristics. The second refers to diet, indicating that an animal has a digestive system that is able to handle only meat with a very limited capacity for the digestion of non-meat products.

Dogs are descendents of the wild grey wolf, which has been documented extensively as an omnivore: much of a grey wolf's diet is in fact meat, but grey wolves supplement that diet with various berries and vegetables.

In regards to the obesity epidemic that is currently plaguing our nation's pet community: it is certainly possible that the current diets containing grains, meat, fruits, and vegetables is contributing to a pet gaining weight. Unfortunately, it is far more likely that overfeeding of that highly nutritious diet is the culprit. Recent research has suggested that animals are not as good at regulating their food consumption as we would think/hope: they frequently cycle between obese and normal body weights in the wild.

All of this means that we need to take a stand in terms of their health: if you are feeding your animal a dry or wet diet, look at the back of the bag to see if the company recommends a certain amount of food per day. Space out that total amount of food throughout the day (if the bag says that 1 cup per day is recommended for a 25lb dog, then try to feed half a cup in the morning and evening). Let the dog feed for 15 minutes, and then take away the leftovers. If there are any left overs, measure that out and for the next meal, decrease the amount you feed by that amount (if your dog only ate a 1/4 of a cup, then only feed it a 1/4 of a cup). Then, watch your dog: does it gain or lose weight? It is frequently found that food companies overestimate the amount of food necessary to meet your pet's nutritional needs. For higher activity dogs (flyball-ers, retrievers etc), you may need to increase the amount you feed.

Just a note, that last paragraph is intended for general knowledge, not anyone in particular.

honeyb11

Hi guys, have you heard about www.pawtions.co.uk - they are a new dry dog food company and provide a bespoke diet plan for your dog. Telling you exactly how many calories your dog needs then packing it in the correct amount so it makes it really easy to monitor your dogs weight. Their veterinary nurse is on hand to discuss any issues too. I think it's great!

NettyIOM

I have a fat cat. I don't over feed him but have a sneaky suspicion that he pops into the other neighbourhood cat’s houses for extra dinners!