Overweght Dogs

[petmezz]

Hi all

i have just come back from a 10 month working holliday over seas. the people looking after my dogs have done a wonderfull job i couldn't have asked for better from them but now i have a dog that is a little over weight and my parents dog is obease. i was wondering on opinions for the best way to get the dogs back into shape. i am fearly active with my dogs and always teaching them some thing (except when on holiday) dog sports i do are sledding (not at the moment not in the shape of the dogs) obediance and have started (pre holiday) agility.

any info on diet would be great, i uset to feed 1/2 kibble (nutrence active) and 1/2 raw (meat, veg pree) so now i'm thinking light kibble and raw.

your oppinions would be great.

[bridgie_cat]

well, if they were at a good weight before you left - go back to feeding that or a little less (so they LOSE weight as oposed to maintaining a stable weight) - and regular exercise is great - but dont do too much jumping (ie agility) if they are very overweight as this will be hard on the joints... or you can do it on a low height to get training hapening without doing too much damage...

nothing extreme - you want gradual weight loss...

as I said - if you had them at a good weight before you left, they should go back to that if you return to your regular feeding and exercise program!

BC

[Golden Rules]

I have had success with feeding roast pumpkin. It is a good filler and has no calorific value for dogs.

So if you are feeding kibble, go with 1/2 to 1 cup kibble per day, lots of pumkin and whatever other veges your dogs will eat - and spread all that over 2 smaller meals per day. A bone as a meal is also good (not marrow bones)

If feeding raw, still go with the pumpkin but stick to leaner meats like Roo - and of course lamb bones - no marrow.

There is also another Doler here who has had great success with Vetaslim included with the pumkin and light kibble diet. Her goldie lost 10 kilos

[Poodle wrangler]

Light kibble and raw sounds like a great start, with smaller portions than you fed previously e.g. cut by about 1/3 for the obese dog. I don't think Vetaslim should be necessary. Boring old diet and exercise works unless the dog has a thyroid problem.

With exercise, just be sensible taking into account the dog's ages and their new weight. Think of the weight through their joints. Swimming's good if they like it (easy on joints).

In the case of an obese dog, I think the best thing is to get the weight off sooner, rather than later.

I wouldn't fart around with making it too gradual- if they have some regular (appropriate) exercise they shouldn't lose much muscle mass. Dogs don't have the psychological issues humans do when it comes to food, either.

Good luck. Some people think food= love and are well-meaning, but quite blind to a dog putting on more weight than is healthy for them.

Edited September 26, 2007 by Poodle wrangler