Doggy diets?

[GSLeloo]

Anyone else have a fat dog? Now I know you put humans on diets that are fat but honestly I never really considered putting a dog on a diet. My dog is very good looking, she doesn't look fat she looks um... let's go with well proportioned, everything fits.

But she's supposed to be 75 pounds and is in fact 100. And now we have to put her on a diet. How do you make a dog lose weight? I mean we walk her three times a day, big walks and now we're gonna have to get her this special dog food that's for weightloss.

Am I the only one who thinks this obesity craze has gone a little far?

[Hulkein]

My sister did this for when our dogs got fat... She would give them half a cup each instead of the full cup.. it was still enough, just on the lower end of what you're supposed to give them. They both lost about 15-20 pounds I'd say, both were about 100. You also have to make sure no one is giving them treats.

I think this "obesity craze" has not gone far enough.

[Xcalibur]

Make them run, damn it. Run run run run and run.

When they're exausted, make them run again.

Dogs = running.

[GSLeloo]

She can't run that much, especially when it gets warm, she has a heart condition.

[Bobmuhthol]

<<I think this "obesity craze" has not gone far enough.>>

I think RangerD1's Hero title is accurate.

Fat fucks.

[Latrinsorm]

If it can't exercise, it will have trouble losing weight.

[Xcalibur]

Eh, dogs that cannot run are not dogs, they are furry pets.

Booh, my uncle had a cure with dogs that couldn't run anymore.

It was called either a.. ahh no.

Torture the poor animal more, feed him less :D

[Edited on 12-4-04 by Xcalibur]

[GSLeloo]

She can, my mom walks her for about a mile but... the dog is like dragging back by that point. Come summer she can only walk around the field in front of our house during the day. I'm gonna have to take her on long walks when night comes. We want to get the weight off before the heat really hits cause we know it'll be ten times worse for her.

[Warriorbird]

Feed your dog less. Problem solved.

[GSLeloo]

Actually my dad just heard this doctor on TV discussing canine diets and he said you shouldnt' feed them less because they lose out on nutrients they need. I think we're just gonna switch to a diet kibble and diet can. She had been getting skippy and kibbles and bits. And we'll have to cut out her biscuits. My dad heard there are 100 calories in one biscuit.

[peam]

I'd cut out can food totally, that shit's horrible for pets, and switch to a food made for chunky pooches. They're easy to find.

[Wezas]

Look into Science Diet, if your doctor hasn't already suggested it. Walks are definately good, but do be careful on hot summer days. Swimming (if possible) is also good exercise for dogs.

Normally I don't dissagree with most of the people in a thread, but most of you are fuckers. Obesity in a dog could be a medical condition (thyroid for example) and Leloo has already stated that her dog has a heart condition and cannot run.

::edited to add that Peam's last comment about canned food is a good one::

As for them "not being dogs" if they can't run, that's just retarded.

[Edited on 4-12-2004 by Wezas]

[GSLeloo]

Oh she can run hard and fast... see her go after a squirrel. But it's the heat that gets her. We're worried about the weight because it puts more stress on her heart and also her hips and retrievers are prone to get displasure (sp?). We used to feed her Skippy light canned food but then they stopped making it.

[Wezas]

Originally posted by GSLeloo
Oh she can run hard and fast... see her go after a squirrel. But it's the heat that gets her. We're worried about the weight because it puts more stress on her heart and also her hips and retrievers are prone to get displasure (sp?). We used to feed her Skippy light canned food but then they stopped making it.

First and most important suggestion:

Talk to your vet. The vet can determine if it's something hormonal or if it can be treated with a certain type of dog food (sometimes a bit more expensive then off-the-shelf brands). And see if the vet thinks swimming would be helpful (keeps the dog cool, works all the muscles). My dog is taking a special type of Science Diet to help her joints, as early x-rays show she may have hip-dysphasia. She's at a healthy 130lbs, just under what her weight should be at her age. Vet said that swimming is almost better for her then walking/running to keep her joints in working order.

[Faent]

Feed the dog less. Don't leave her/him with access to food all the time. Take the food bowl away in thirty minutes. As long as she's getting enough exercise, there's no reason to waste your time exercising her more. Just cut that food down and let her lose weight slowly. It might take six months to a year to safely knock off her/his extra poundage.

-Scott

[GSLeloo]

There's no need to take the food bowl away, she will eat everything in it within say a minute at the most. We have a kettle on our garbage can because otherwise she starts to eat the stuff in it. And she's scared of the water ever since a wave chased her at the ocean. We've tried throwing her in, she runs back out. Plus the dog will literally eat anything (human feces included) if she can find it somehow.

[TheEschaton]

Dogs shouldn't eat human stuff. Remember that. We used to give our dog bits of apple and grapes and things like that, thinking, "HEy, it's fruit, it's good for him". Dogs aren't made to digest those sort of things.

We went to a Science Diet kibble meal....and then we went half kibble, half raw meat, at the advice of our vet, and our dog lost weight, because he was better equipped to fully digest meat.

-TheE-

[Atlanteax]

Originally posted by GSLeloo
There's no need to take the food bowl away, she will eat everything in it within say a minute at the most. We have a kettle on our garbage can because otherwise she starts to eat the stuff in it. And she's scared of the water ever since a wave chased her at the ocean. We've tried throwing her in, she runs back out. Plus the dog will literally eat anything (human feces included) if she can find it somehow.

I used to have an old golden retriever (who has since passed away). She had the same "will eat anything symptons", and was often overweight, but not fat.

Basically, we fed her 3/4 as much was usual, and she gradually lost the weight while also running/walking around in the backyard.

I now have two dogs, lab and bouvier. Whenever they started to seem to get heavier, I cut back on the amount of food. It's really the most practical solution. Both are significantly heavier than the "normal weight" for their breeds, but I'm inclined to say that it's muscle.

Webster, the yellow lab, is almost 110lbs, when "normal" weight is 75ish. However, it is simply basically because he is now larger (height and length) than his parents were (which explains the weight difference) yet he is always running in backyard or in house, and swims nonstop when the pool is open.

But he does have those days, especially during winter, when he starts putting on the excess weight (that makes him look fat). As I said, I scale back on the amount of food he gets to eat.

.

As everyone else posted... just feed your dog slightly less, 3/4 normal. After 2-3 weeks, you should see the excess weight gone.

Also, you dog seems like an expert begger (my former dog was), and it's easy to forget how much you are feeding the dogs, when it comes to scraps from the dinner table. It's possible that you're feeding her the right amount of dog food, but the table scrap is pushing her over the edge. So you can either keep feeding her the same amount of dog food and no scraps, or cut back on the dog food some and continue the scraps.

I don't like to waste food, so I put the dinner scraps on the bottom of the food bowl, and then add dog food on top, till the total amount of food is "enough".

Maybe you should try feeding them that way too. Btw, "human food" has nutrients too, so don't stress about that.

[GSLeloo]

See I'm also inclined to say she's not fat it's just muscle. Here's a picture of her from last night, does she look fat or just um... muscly

[Atlanteax]

Originally posted by GSLeloo
See I'm also inclined to say she's not fat it's just muscle. Here's a picture of her from last night, does she look fat or just um... muscly

She doesn't really look "fat" in that picture. Hard to tell with her lying down with fur laying out.

You need to take a shot from a certain angle, with her standing up. I always judge by the belly. Camera angle should be like 45 degrees, where you're between being right in front of her, and right at her side. That'd usually be the best angle to appraise a dog's fitness.

[GSLeloo]

I'll have to get that later, she's busy sleeping and isn't going to budge from her spot.

[peam]

A good side view of her standing on all fours is probably the ideal picture for making judgement.

[GSLeloo]

Ok these are the best I could get, and yeah I had to bribe her off the bed with a treat.. ~blushes~ Otherwise she would've slept all day!

[peam]

I think she looks a little chunky, but I wouldn't say she's morbidly obese. The vet's opinion is probably the one you should go with.

[GSLeloo]

We haven't taken her to the vet yet cause we can't afford it at the moment.

[Atlanteax]

I think she looks fine for the most part.

Just reduce the amount you feed her by like 10% for a few weeks and see what happens.

.

I have an uncle/aunt who do have fat dogs.

Its obvious from the moment you set your sight on the dogs (one is really really fat) as if you look at them with their head facing you, you'd see that it's literally a big round blimp in between the legs. They just have to freaking stop feeding it so much.

The problem is that they give the dogs all the table scraps, and they have this machine that allows dog to give themselves more dog food (not the brightest idea when you have a perpetually hungry dog).

They're not the ideal dog owners (judged from the feeding habits), but at least they appreciate their dogs.

.

Now, if your dog starts looking like a blimp, then you know you got a problem!

[peam]

Atlanteax is pretty much dead on. If someone has a fat dog, you know it.

My Grandmother had a beagle a few years back that was as spoiled as dogs come. All of the grandkids are pretty much grown now, so I think the dog was a way of coping with us being gone.

It was fed like a human, and it was fat fat fat. The dog looked like a potato with a nubby little head and four toothpicks for legs.

[Killer Kitten]

I'd recommend you take her to the vet. You'll want bloodwork done to screen for possible health issues (CBC/Chem/T4/Heartworm) as well as having a fecal sample screened for parasites.

Often for overweight pets the vet will recommend a prescription diet. There are several good ones available and your vet can recommend the one that will most suit the particular needs of your pet.

Radiographs can determine if the dog is in the early stages of hip dysplasia, but you can wait on these if funds are an issue. Oftentimes a difference in posture or a painful gait is evidence of arthritis, which is not curable but can be managed quite well with Carprofen or Cosequin. These drugs can often be purchased online at considerable savings, once your veterinarian has prescribed one of them.

Forcing the dog to exercise hard can do much more harm than good to the animal at this stage. The key is moderation, in diet changes as well as exercise. Too abrupt a change in diet or cutting off food too suddenly can lead to a host of health issues best avoided, especially in the case of an older pet.

For any health issue with your pet, the best advice always comes from your veterinarian.

Kimm/Tilone