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

I recommend you research the "Green Bean Diet" of "Pumpkin Diet" for dogs. I have had amazing sustained weight loss with this diet for my Min Pin. Some would even say he is no longer fat!

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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?

I have a cocker spaniel who is seriously overweight. No hip bones there. I walk around my yard now that I get some exercise myself and get her to walk also. I walk to the bottom of the hill and I holler for her until she comes to me. I then pet her and go to the top and do the same thing. I also cut her off from table scraps and cheese-its.

My pup is not obese but she has had "weight problems" throughout her life. Every once in a while the vet has to put her on a special diet! I swear I have a yo-yo dieting dog, lol

I think it's FANTASTIC that you want to keep your best friend healthy and happy with you! The treadmill idea IS good if you have the money, but exactly what you said- multiple small walks to begin- is perfect. Every time YOU don't want to workout, tell yourself that Solomon needs you to get up and exercise! Use him as motivation! each week, set a new distance or time goal. Go a bit further each time and pretty soon, you and your big guy are going to be shedding pounds, combined with healthy diets, of course. Have you spoken to your vet to see how much./what type of food you should feed him? We found out that we were overfeeding my dog by about 1 cup of dog food per day. For a smaller dog (she's a mini schnauzer) that's pretty significant. I know Cockers aren't huge either, so definitely get clarification from the doc. Some of the mainstream dog foods claim to be healthy but actually have extremely limited nutrition in them. A big bag of quality dog food will run you more money but it should last longer, as you generally have to feed them less of it, and you know you're giving your pup the best. Oh- since he's working with a strained ACL, you may try letting him walk next to you in the grass versus on the sidewalk/street with you. The softer ground might be easier on his knees, letting him go further.

Good luck to you and Solomon! I hope you post again to let us know how you guys are progressing!

I've had good results getting my dog's weight down by switching her to a grain-free diet. I feed her Nature's Variety Instinct. I wish I could walk her as much as I used to, but her older age and arthritis makes it impossible. I do a few short walks a day to keep her moving... I just keep my eyes on her closely. Sometimes, even then I have to carry her home.

While I'm not currently working with an obese dog, I am a second-year vet student, so maybe I can give you some advice. Owners absolutely adore their pets, and frequently show this by giving their pooches treats, table scraps, keeping their bowls fed, etc... This not only packs the pounds on fast, but it can lead to conditions like pancreatitis, which can actually be a severe illness. The best thing that you can do for your pet is what you are doing for yourself: cut out the table scraps (these often contain way more sodium and fat than your puppy needs), limit the treats to one a day at the absolute max, and switch to a low calorie diet. The major pet food companies have created multiple diets that provide the perfect amount of nutrients for your pet. Once your pet starts shedding pounds, invest in a tennis ball and play with your dog for 15 minutes a day. Your arm muscles will thank you, and so will your pup!

*****The best advice****** :flowerforyou:

You made me smile today.

My chihuahua worked with me around children who would constantly feed him. Eventually, he lost his neck and was just a little wobbly sausage. What helped was going to the dog park and to dog beach. He hated it at first. He would hide behind me and growl (heh heh). Eventually, a brave dog would chase him and then gradually, he started chasing other dogs.

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 . As with people, the best thing you can do is to find out how much your dog needs to eat and budget calories accordingly. There are multiple places with calorie formulas or you could ask your vet. I like to do calculations based on my estimate of lean body mass. The type of food you feed is based on personal preference, though feeding a complete and balanced diet is essential. There are some decent diet foods that allow your dog to have larger portions with fewer calories, but, like with people, you can also feed controlled amounts of regular food if that works for you. You do have to be very careful with measurements, though, because there is usually not a lot of margin for error between deficit, maintenance and surplus.

I like canned food for overweight pets, because it provides extra water and tends to make animals feel fuller, like eating soup rather than dry cereal. The important thing is to know the calorie content of your dog's food and to portion it out accordingly. If you feed treats or healthy table scraps, you need to budget those calories for your dog, just like for yourself. Adding exercise does help, but I'd go easy on your guy with his injury. Diet, like in people, is most important.

I'm going to PM something to you.