He's Gotten Fat Again Help!

[HugUrPup]

I don't understand how Ollie has put on weight. He has 1 scoop of Iiams weight management kibble a day, 1 bone a week and that's it other than water.

I walk him for half an hour nearly every day (which is becoming a strain on him because of his weight gain).

Why has he put on weight? It doesn't make sense ;) Miley eats the exact same amount and is a perfect weight.

Edited April 7, 2010 by puggerup

[Erny]

I don't know, Puggerup, but have you spoken with your Vet about it? Unexplained weight gain can have a medical basis, such as hypothyroidism, to mention just one.

How much weight gain are you talking about, Puggerup? Could it be that for whatever reason he hasn't been exercising as much during the day as he might normally?

ETA: Dogs, just as in people, can have different metabolic rates and therefore digest their foods differently from another. For example, I'm lean. I might eat what another person eats and not put on as much weight as s/he, even if we might be of similar height. And I know of many dogs who, if they ate ANY where near as much as what my boy might eat (when he isn't in "no-eating mode") and they would be big round balls, whereas my boy is very lean and doesn't hold weight easily.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Erny

[puggy_puggy]

He probably only needs 1/2 a cup or less. Bones are massive meals.

Do you feed him treats?

What are your kids, partner and others in the house feeding him behind your back?

If he is an older pug then most do best on 1.5% of their ideal body weight of raw food daily.

We just had two very obese pugs come into care. One weighing 12.6 kg when it should be less then 9kg and the other 10.2kg when it should be less then 7kg. We will have them losing 500grams a week so hopefully 2kg in a month. They will not leave us untill they have lost all of their excess weight.

[HugUrPup]

Ok I didn't think of that Erny.

I took him to the vet a few weeks back and was told not to bother with vegies and just give the scoop of kibble and a bone for his teeth and nothing else and he should be ok. Obviously I was surprised with the weight gain.. I am sure the vet will be too. I'll make an appointment in the morning and have his blood checked.

[HugUrPup]

He probably only needs 1/2 a cup or less. Bones are massive meals.

Do you feed him treats?

What are your kids, partner and others in the house feeding him behind your back?

If he is an older pug then most do best on 1.5% of their ideal body weight of raw food daily.

We just had two very obese pugs come into care. One weighing 12.6 kg when it should be less then 9kg and the other 10.2kg when it should be less then 7kg. We will have them losing 500grams a week so hopefully 2kg in a month. They will not leave us untill they have lost all of their excess weight.

The scoop I give is probably less than a cup and more like half.. which is why I edited my original post. He only gets one dried bone a week and I throw it away and replace it with a fresh one. He doesn't eat the entire thing.

He can't eat raw meat because it makes him vomit which is frustrating.

I caught MIL giving him pizza the other night and did my nut at her. Other than that night he never gets treats or snacks.

I think Ollie would be back to 11kg's easily now. ;)

he's only 2 years old.

Edited April 7, 2010 by puggerup

[Erny]

Ok I didn't think of that Erny.

I took him to the vet a few weeks back and was told not to bother with vegies and just give the scoop of kibble and a bone for his teeth and nothing else and he should be ok. Obviously I was surprised with the weight gain.. I am sure the vet will be too. I'll make an appointment in the morning and have his blood checked.

I don't have much faith in the Aussie testing for thyroid. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to know more (how/why) - only that it is late and too much to type to explain. If you google "Dr Jean Dodds" you'll find a good deal of info on her website though. Australia doesn't test as thoroughly and the analysis 'guage' we use doesn't seem to be as specific as that in the USA.

ETA: Don't want you to be re-hashing your other thread, Puggerup .... but if you've more recently introduced kibble where before you did not feed it, the kibble might be what is creating the weight gain? I tend to find kibble to be quite fattening for many dogs.

The vegetables don't put weight on.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Erny

[tlc]

I have no advice, but I sure know it is tough trying to get weight off a dog, 2 of mine are built like elite athletes and the other two are built like couch potatoes:laugh: they all get plenty of excersise and I do mean plenty. But no matter what I do I cant seem to shift the weight off the two fattys. They have both been to the vets and she agreed the two of them are over weight Lacy by about 2 kilos for her size and Bronson about 3 kilos for his size. They dont get as much food as the other two and any bones they have they get the leanest. They eat no junk food what so ever apart from a small raw hide treat in the evening and a half a pigs ear about once a month. I sometimes feel guilty which doesn't help as they do so much excersise and then have the tiniest tea for the amount of excersise they do. On a busy busy day they may get a little extra like thier usual meal as well as a couple of chicken necks. I do feel however they are very healthy and the vet confirmed this, shiney coats bright eyes etc so I guess thats something. But the bottom line is we have to keep trying to get the weight off, I do want them to live long healthy and happy lives!!

Can you up Ollies excersise, maybe walk him everyday? Is the bones he has fatty or just meaty? I always give the fattier bones to my two non fatties. ;)

I also get annoyed when people comment on my dogs weight, it makes me feel like a bad owner and I know I'm not!! When you look at all 4 of them together it is obvious that they are not all over weight!

Good luck with Ollie!!

[puggy_puggy]

I think Ollie would be back to 11kg's easily now. ;)

He needs to come to pug fat camp.

[tlc]

ETA: Dogs, just as in people, can have different metabolic rates and therefore digest their foods differently from another. For example, I'm lean. I might eat what another person eats and not put on as much weight as s/he, even if we might be of similar height. And I know of many dogs who, if they ate ANY where near as much as what my boy might eat (when he isn't in "no-eating mode") and they would be big round balls, whereas my boy is very lean and doesn't hold weight easily.

I always attribute my two fatties with the dreaded metabolism problems like in humans. It stands to reason it has to be the same in dogs as it is in humans and all species I guess.

Puggerup, earlier on I found out that my MIL was feeding my lot choc chip cookies when they were visiting her (my OH takes them on the weekend to visit her) I went off tap as you can imagine, now she has a box of dog bickys and they are allowed one of them each when they go to visit.

;) @ pug fat camp!! How cute!!

[HugUrPup]

Erny, he was having the kibble with the vegies to fill him up, but the vet said he would be fine with just the kibble. I haven't increased the amount. It's also weight management kibble that the vet recommended.

tlc, I was trying to walk him everyday, but by day 3 he is wheezing and wants to be carried after 10-15 minutes. So now he walks 2 days then has a day off and then 2 again 1 off etc His breathing is fine when he isn't fat, and he can walk more, but now that his weight has gone up suddenly, he can't walk as often and is getting fatter

Puggy puggy, shall I send him to you for fat camp? ;) I think you'd fall in love and want to keep him.

Edited April 7, 2010 by puggerup

[HugUrPup]

;) tlc, my MIL keeps bringing those choc chip dog cookies over and I politely thank her and ask her not to bring any more as Ollie is on a strict diet.

I put them up high in the laundry and she keeps bringing them. I am up to 6 unopened boxes in my laundry cupboard now. I NEED to find her a dog..she's gone crazy since hers crossed the bridge.

[tlc]

;) tlc, my MIL keeps bringing those choc chip dog cookies over and I politely thank her and ask her not to bring any more as Ollie is on a strict diet.

I put them up high in the laundry and she keeps bringing them. I am up to 6 unopened boxes in my laundry cupboard now. I NEED to find her a dog..she's gone crazy since hers crossed the bridge.

If she gets a dog you can give them back, by then she will have a good supply!!

Maybe Ernie is right about a medical condition? can dogs get diabetes?

[HugUrPup]

I've wondered about diabetes actually.. he doesn't seem to drink a huge amount of water though.. probably 2 small metal bowls a day.

[~Anne~]

Pugger, just like humans, some dogs are more easily prone to weight gain. One of my boys, Boofy, is one such Pug. Monte on the on the other hand easily maintains weight and he will drop it within a few days if he puts some on and I redcue his intake. Boof though is really hard to shift weight from. I have to really pull out all stops to trim him down if he puts it on and we are on a never ending cycle with him. Olivia is like Monte thankfully.

Up his vege intake of high water content veges such as cabbage to help make him feel full without the calories and reduce his kibble and or meat a little.

Edited April 7, 2010 by ~Anne~

[huga]

Has he slowed down? Using up less energy? Lola has really slowed down lately (she needs soft palate surgery), so I've had to decrease her food intake.

Each day, she'll have a couple of sandwich crusts and either:

a chicken wing

or

2-3 chicken necks

or

a small (like palm sizes) lamb off cut

or

1/4 of a salmon frame

They really don't need much food. Porky little dudes

[stormie]

I'm assuming he's a little overweight, hence the diet, so I'm guessing he's probably not all that active, which means he's probably burning very little in the way of calories.

Basically, if his body is still storing fat, he's taking in too many calories so it's time to cut back even more. Once he loses enough to feel more active again, you'll find the weight will come off quicker and he may need to be fed more. But whilst he is storing the fat, you will need to cut back even more.

[Cordelia]

When I first adopted Cordelia (Lab) she weighed in at about 48kg... She lost 28kg in 3mths.. if she didn't lose weight, she was going to die... simple.

She was fed a very small amount of chicken mince every second day with vegies to fill her up... on the days when she wasn't allowed meat.. she only got vegies. Her diet consited mainly of pureed carrot, brocoli, apple, cauliflower, a smidge of garlic, (cabbage can be given but by God the farting was intolerable with Cordy), pears and an assortment of other fruits and veg (on meat days, she also got an orange for dessert is the citric acid helps breakdown animal protien and fat).

As Stormie says though... calories burnt need to exceed caloric intake in order to lose weight.

[poodlefan]

When I first adopted Cordelia (Lab) she weighed in at about 48kg... She lost 28kg in 3mths.. if she didn't lose weight, she was going to die... simple.

;)

Off topic but do you have a pic of her when you first adopted her?

[megan_]

try skipping a meal now and then too - it is actually good for them.

[HugUrPup]

Ok, before taking him to the vet and waste money on test to be told, his diet is just wrong I'm going to give him kibble every 2nd day instead of everyday and give vegies every other day. I'll see how he goes in 1 week and if he is doesn't lose any weight or puts any on, I'll be convinced there is something more to it and take him to the vet.

Ohhhhh... I think I know what's going on..

Miley doesn't eat everyday, but I offer her food.. I bet he has been eating her share.

That's going to be difficult.. she won't eat unless he is out there because she likes the guarding her food game. She has gone days without food when I have tried to separate them..

any ideas?

Edited April 8, 2010 by puggerup