Dieting Doggy...harder Than It Sounds..

[White Shepherd mom]

what brand of dry food do you feed her? One cup of one brand is not the same as a cup of another brand.

My vet told me to put Bella on a diet. He said to cut out all carbs and bulk her up with grated carrot and other veg.

For breakfast she gets 1/2 cup premium Light kibble and for supper I give her 1 grated carrot, 3/4 cup kibble and 1 spoonful Barf patty (or Light tin food). She also gets one biscuit around 5pm and an after dinner treat. She has lost 7kgs in the past year and at 33kgs bounces around like a puppy. And yes, she too would eat like there is no tomorrow if she could. You just have to practice tough love!

Good luck

[frufru]

Red Angel - that is way more than my very active mini poo gets LOL I would cut way back - give vegies to bulk up or as snacks

[Stanlo]

My girl has certainly turned into a keg since she was desexed. I have taken her off dry food and am now feeding her barf, am trying to keep her to half a pattie a day but I find she frequently throws up bile. Feeding her a bit of knibble prevents this but does nothing for her diet. Could I add carrot and cut out the knibble or should I also cut down on the barf. She is a one year old Lhasa.

[Erny]

I have a 60 kg dog who eats 2 cups of kibble a day and about half a cup worth of treats for training (such as liver), and he could still lose some weight and be fine.

..... I am green with envy !!! I have one here who is only about 33 or 34 kgs who could do with more weight on him and I'm trying to feed him 2 cups of Z/D kibble and 5 cans of Z/D per day (or whatever combo works out to be the equivalent of approximately 7 cups of Z/D kibble per day). That's IF he'll eat that much. I know that our stories are different and that the reason for my trouble is my boy's digestive difficulties, but thinking on even just the financial side of things, I wish I had half your luck!

Edited April 23, 2011 by Erny

[Champs Dad]

A dog acting hungry isn't a sign that it's not being fed enough, nor that it is unhappy. I can assure you that my little garbage guts is still happy despite the fact that she acts like she hasn't been fed in days, even if she's just had her dinner And best of all she is lean, fit, healthy and looks great!

The bolded bit ... so true! Your dog is overweight because youre feeding her too much. Cut back on the amount and she'll loose the weight. Bulk up with grated carrot. Feed morning and night to help her metabolism (half the daily amount am and pm).

My girl has certainly turned into a keg since she was desexed. I have taken her off dry food and am now feeding her barf, am trying to keep her to half a pattie a day but I find she frequently throws up bile. Feeding her a bit of knibble prevents this but does nothing for her diet. Could I add carrot and cut out the knibble or should I also cut down on the barf. She is a one year old Lhasa.

If she's throwing up bile she probably needs several small meals a day. If you find that feeding a bit of dry food reduces the throwing up, do that and just reduce the amount from her main meal, maybe bulk it up a bit with grated carrot. Or as you said, try some carrot instead of the dry food.