Dog getting too fat?
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Great opportunity to exercise together! Walk, walk, walk and keep her off the people food. I'm sure you know this.
But all my dog eats is people food!!
I want her to be healthy and happy. I've looked at dog food and it lists a bunch of chemicals and things like 'ash' get put into it.
Okay, not sure if this has been mentioned yet in this thread but they do not put 'ash' in pet food. It's what's left over after the food has been 'burned' for a nutritional analysis. Basically 'ash' is anything that's not protein, fat, or fiber in pet food.0 -
Interesting that you posted this. We just went to the vet this weekend and realized we were feeding our Siberian Huskies too much. (They are rescues, so we got them at about 1 1/2 years old. They are VERY active.) We figured since we run them 4-5 mi each morning and then walk them at night, they should get more "fuel" to supplement such an active lifestyle. You know, like we do.
No, no, no, said the vet. That is not how it works with dogs. It is all calories in. All diet. So we will go back to their normal, very small, portion. It is hard. And the vet flat out said, they will act as though they are starving all the time. But truly, I can tell you from pictures from last year to now: they are fatties! Ack!
(And you should never feed them people food. it is not good for them.)
Activity is good for them too, but it will not solve the overweight issue on its own. Diet, diet, diet.0 -
my great dane put on 20 lbs after going on anti seizure medication and then we entered the world of fat panic which for danes is a big deal as their joints will go on them...
we now walk 3/4 mile every day to try and build her endurance up after some of the muscles have weakened after having the seizures... but since we've started walking and her table scraps have been banned we've only had a couple of episodes and they were so mild! and it holds me accountable as she expects a walk no matter what the weather most days...0 -
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"But all my dog eats is people food!!""
I had a lab (labs do gain weight fast!!she was like 90 pounds when she should have been 60) when i was younger and all my dad would feed her was cheese and a bunch of junk people food...NOT to scare you but she died at age 5
people food is really bad for dogs unless its like chicken, rice, or some vegetables ....i would stick with dog food.... 0 -
Why why would humans want to inflict their ethics onto animals? Changing the physiology of an animal to fit into your ethics just blows my mind away. Cat's are obligate carnivores! To not eat meat is death for them. Sorry tangent but this just scares me that someone would inflict their beliefs onto animals.
Oh, I'm not vegan. My vet recommended a vegan diet because they were so overweight. If you see the progress pics I posted on page 2, you can see how much of a difference it's made. Seeing their progress does make me consider trying it, but I really love meat.
Wow, I'm surprised a vet recommended a vegan diet for cats, but maybe theres new research out there. Or is the vet a vegan?
A dog can get away with a vegan diet, considering that they're technically omnivorous (although they have a carnivorous bias). With a cat? No. A vegan diet is animal abuse. It is completely out of the realm of what a healthy feline diet is, and I'd run away from any vet that recommended it.0 -
I've heard vegan diets are great for cats too.
A vegan diet will KILL a cat. Cats are obligate carnivores. The only thing they can survive on is meat.
Dogs, on the other hand, are omnivores and can digest both meat and vegetables.
The only way to make your dog healthy is to feed him a diet that is HEALTHY for DOGS. You, as the owner, are in charge of what your dog eats and are responsible for what he eats. Just as you would not let him poop on the carpet or lift his leg on a chair, even if it would make him happy, you cannot let him eat foods that are so bad for him as a regular diet.0 -
My dog is a diabetic now and has been for the past four years. He used to eat tons of pizza, pasta, ice cream, cookies, etc. but it really affected him. He's now completely blind and needs insulin twice a day.
Look at his eyes, you can see the cloudiness.
Sometimes he gets lost just walking around the house. Yesterday he got lost under a chair in the kitchen. He didn't know how to get out.
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Dog food is new. Feeding "people food"to dogs is not. What do you think they fed fluffy75 years ago0
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We have 2 black labrador girls and typical labs ...they would love to eat our food.....ours get 2 meals a day of steamed mixed veg (carrots, brocolli and cauliflower), along with measured quantities of low fat/calorie dried dog food and a spoon of wet low cal/fat dog food.( i added the veg to "bulk" up their meals a bit!
They have never had any joint issues and are exercised for 2-3 hours a day.....we go mountain biking with them (the 12 year old one has a dog buggy that attaches to our bike and she goes in that if she gets tired....and the young one runs next to it...checking the old one is ok!) we also go running (off road with them)
The best exercise by far that we all do together...open water swimming in our friends' lake...the weather in the UK is eventually getting warmer so this last week we have started swimming outside together and this is the first year that the young dog has been swimming and she absolutely loves it...it means that we all get a cardiovascular work out- and is non weight-bearing so ideal for exercising them ...and us!
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GET SOME ROLLER BLADES!0
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Exactly! I do the same thing. Think about what *you* do to control your intake and do the same thing for your dog. Keep in mind what is or isn't healthy for your dog (onions, grapes, chocolate, etc.), but weigh everything, DO NOT FREE FEED!!! - feed two or three times a day, and just plain old keep track of what your dog is eating. Green beans are an excellent way to fill up the belly without adding many calories.We feed the raw diet and when we need to cut back intake we feed him green beans or broccoli frozen to fill his belly. Its not only healthy but good for their teeth.
And take your dog for a walk, play in the park, run 'em ragged chasing a laser pointer! Cardio, man!
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There are several good dog foods out there. I use Call of the Wild for mine. She has a healthy body weight, lots of energy and isn't plump. There is good stuff out there, you just have to look for it. You won't find much in the grocery store, you will likely have to go to a specialty shop. It is a bit more expensive, however, since it is higher in protien, you shouldn't have to feed your dog quite as much. Good luck.0
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My grandpa's dog was fed people food. One day she jumped up to answer the door, and dropped dead. We were all so sad.
Love your dog by giving her only dog food. You won't regret it.0 -
Great opportunity to exercise together! Walk, walk, walk and keep her off the people food. I'm sure you know this.
But all my dog eats is people food!!
I want her to be healthy and happy. I've looked at dog food and it lists a bunch of chemicals and things like 'ash' get put into it.
Yes, your dog is fat. An ideal body structure for a lab is to be able to see the last rib or two. There should be a defined waist when you look down on the dog from above and a good tuck-up behind the ribcage looking at the dog in profile. Don't go by what you see around town, if you're in the USA, dogs have an obesity epidemic just as bad as we humans.
As far as food, the problem with feeding essentially table scraps is that you don't know if your dog is getting a balanced diet. Plus, if you're not careful you can do a lot of damage - plenty of things we eat are toxic to dogs (baker's chocolate, raisins, garlic, etc). If you don't want to feed kibble or canned food, look into either buying pre-prepared raw food (expensive) or look up how to feed your dog raw yourself. You can start by googling Barf diet and go from there.0 -
I have a fat dog too. Unfortunately he's pretty big and hates dogs (bit one once and it cost us $500 in vet bills), so walks are pretty much limited as there are a lot of dogs in the neighborhood. He runs in the yard quite a bit at least (squirrels...). We feed EVO, he gets one cup a day and that's it (although unfortunately he often steals the kids food).
In your case, find a high quality dog food and go on a lot of walks!
I've always had chubby cats too, except my current one who's always been very thin for some unknown reason, but she goes outside too.0 -
I haven't read all the other threads, so I apologize if what I say is a rehash of someone else's post.
Talk to your vet about what your dog's caloric intake/deficit should be for weight loss. As others have said, there are plenty of high-quality dog foods out there. I use Natural Balance Limited Ingredient (grain free). It doesn't contain all the crap that the dog foods you can buy at the grocery store or Walmart.
If you must give people food as treats, it should be fruit and vegetables only. My dog will knock you down to get to a carrot; it's our main treat. She also loves apples.
You need to go for a nice, long walk at least once a day.
If you keep feeding her like you have been, she'll probably die a few years earlier than she normally would. Is that what you want?0 -
My black labs world is ruled by his stomach so we have to be careful!!!!! He gets fatter in the summer because with the heat here we spend much more time indoors. I only allow him a total of 2 cups of weight control formula each day and I split it into 2 meals. He will get 2 cookies a day and sometimes I will switch a regular meal with either raw ground beef or cooked chicken breast. He will occasionally get an apple as s treat.
If I don't watch what he eats, he will get very fat because he is not as active as most labs. 2 years ago I was able to get him to drop about 10lbs just by portion control with his meals.
Good Luck!
Thank you! My dog gets about an hour to two hours a day of walking/ running. She just got spayed so her activity is down a bit.
What kind of cookies do you give your dog? I've heard chocolate is bad for them so I tend to give Peggy peanut butter or oatmeal raisin.
Sorry, we call them cookies but they are just plain ol doggy biscuits.
Charlie loves PB with apples but I don't give that too often because it makes him super gassy...LOL
He's a big boy...weighs about 90-95lbs right now. He should be at 80-85lbs. He has a bad knee though so his exercise is limited.0
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