pebbles Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Need to get weight of two dogs and I can't feed them any less than I am now. Mick, Min Pin. 6 years and Abby, Silky Terrier, 4 years, both could do with at least half a kilo off. Meal consists of 1 dessertspoon of Barf, 1 dessertspoon of chicken mince and a sprinkle of Supercoat, Joint Guard and Missing link for both. A chicken neck every second night in place of the chicken mince. No treats etc during the day. They both run around a big yard area, chasing birds, lizards, anything that moves. Walked between 1/2 mile and one mile, depending on the heat, most evenings. Abby is on a course of cortisone at the moment and I know that will cause weight gain but she'd put weight on before this. I've bought a few tins of My Dog which I'll substitute for the chicken mince on the second nights. Any other suggestions please? I feel very mean when their dishes are nearly empty before I put them down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) You could try using the light Supercoat and I would cut out the chicken mince (its generally quite fatty) and replace with something lean like roo mince. What is in the barf? Edited February 1, 2012 by Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Never used canned food. Your portions are possibly incorrect. I'd recommend speaking to a vet if you are not sure! I use human grade urkey mince for my dogs plus veggies. When a dog I rescued had to diet, my vet told me just a palm sized piece of meat and the rest of the bowl with veggies - she was a cattle dog ... No treats of any kind except a carrot stick. I've dieted a number of dogs and short walks (depending on weather) are good if they are grossly obese as most haven't been walked for years but your dogs don't sound all that bad so I'm sure the weight will soon drop off. Edited February 1, 2012 by dogmad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Try Vets All Natural Mix Weight Loss, im using the puppy complete mox and couldnt be happier at this stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 cut out the supercoat and the cans .... thats the weight gainer right there. Put them on just BARF and feed them two small meals a day, make the morning bigger then the afternoon one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazxxz Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I don't know who you live with so this may be irrelevant: Talk to other members of the household so that they understand the goals, rules, and can cooperate by not feeding the dogs anything outside of the diet you have prepared. Also, think about whether there might be overly friendly neighbours sneaking treats to your dogs when you're not around. My dog lost a bit of weight when one neighbour moved - she was very difficult to convince to stop feeding him! I know what you mean about the small meals. I have a Westie who loves his food (and it shows). Most days he just gets one chicken frame, which would weigh less than 200 g, and he is at a good weight and isn't starving. Chopped kangaroo tails are good too - the larger pieces (>200 g) go to the big dogs, and a smaller piece is the right size for one day of food for the little one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Thanks for your replies. I've always fed the Barf, chicken mince, necks and Supercoat and just adjusted the amounts according to their weight. This year I'm down to feeding almost nothing and just can't move the weight off them. They only had the first tin substitute last night so that wasn't causing it. Slight problem up here is obtaining some of the other things. There used to be a great dog shop selling 'roo meat etc. but that closed down. The Barf is a prepared one which I get in Mildura, comes frozen. in separate pouches, "Dr B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W." generally get the mixed box, beef, lamb and rabbit. Poor dogs think their throats are cut, they used to get a few treats during the day but haven't had any for ages. Nearly out of Barf so I'll get two boxes and try the two feeds a day. Maybe get smaller dishes for them so it will look more :laugh: Nekhbet - Old duck has another lease on life, getting around like a youngster, bumps into things sometimes but going strong again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korbin13 Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I have the same problem here with one of my dogs. I have recently gone onto Vets All Natural Weight loss. I alternate between that a and a raw meaty bone. It is working, slowly. We haven't been able to walk as much recently due to the weather (I am a sook) but have substituted a walk for a swim. Once it gets a bit cooler, the walks get a lot longer. I really think that it is a case of less food, more exercise. But my focus has been on making that 'less food', very nutritional due to the fact that she is getting less of it, if that makes sense! And as cazxxz said talk to members of the family, I was shocked to realise how much the others in our household feed her! And being teenage boys (and all their friends) they were feeding her maccas, chips, BBQ, icecream etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 good to hear pebbles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austerra Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 As korbin13 said make sure all the family understand not to feed anything apart from restricted meals. When I worked at kennels many years ago the owners had two old house dogs (Cavs) that were as fat as mud, we were down to feeding them about a dessertspoon of food to no effect. Then the owner realised that the sweet biscuits were disappearing very quickly from the pantry and accused her daughters of eating them too quickly, they said they hadn't been at them, so after bit of surveillence it was found that the owner's elderly mother (who had alzheimers) was hiding the packets of biscuits in her handbag, that was always next to her chair, and feeding the cavs with them. From then on bickies were up on the highest shelf!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Thanks for your replies. I've always fed the Barf, chicken mince, necks and Supercoat and just adjusted the amounts according to their weight. This year I'm down to feeding almost nothing and just can't move the weight off them. They only had the first tin substitute last night so that wasn't causing it. Slight problem up here is obtaining some of the other things. There used to be a great dog shop selling 'roo meat etc. but that closed down. The Barf is a prepared one which I get in Mildura, comes frozen. in separate pouches, "Dr B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W." generally get the mixed box, beef, lamb and rabbit. Poor dogs think their throats are cut, they used to get a few treats during the day but haven't had any for ages. Nearly out of Barf so I'll get two boxes and try the two feeds a day. Maybe get smaller dishes for them so it will look more :laugh: Nekhbet - Old duck has another lease on life, getting around like a youngster, bumps into things sometimes but going strong again Not sure how you feel about driving but if you can get down to Berri (about and hour and a half from Mildura) Rosedale meats have roo for $3 per kilo. With small dogs it wouldn't be so hard to buy in bulk every couple of months. Personally I'd swap the chicken and BARF for roo and VAN. Much leaner and you can bulk it up with veg if they're still acting starved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
temperamentfirst Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks for your replies. I've always fed the Barf, chicken mince, necks and Supercoat and just adjusted the amounts according to their weight. This year I'm down to feeding almost nothing and just can't move the weight off them. They only had the first tin substitute last night so that wasn't causing it. Slight problem up here is obtaining some of the other things. There used to be a great dog shop selling 'roo meat etc. but that closed down. The Barf is a prepared one which I get in Mildura, comes frozen. in separate pouches, "Dr B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W." generally get the mixed box, beef, lamb and rabbit. Poor dogs think their throats are cut, they used to get a few treats during the day but haven't had any for ages. Nearly out of Barf so I'll get two boxes and try the two feeds a day. Maybe get smaller dishes for them so it will look more :laugh: Nekhbet - Old duck has another lease on life, getting around like a youngster, bumps into things sometimes but going strong again I swear by using lean protein plus cooked pumpkin and roast cabbage - dogs feel full, and they lose weight. Sometimes feeding almost nothing will put their metabolism into famine mode, and they don't lose much weight, so it is important to give them reasonable amounts of food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 There's no-one else here feeding them on the sly, I've made sure of that lol. SecretKei - I'm 150ks from Mildura sort of down south, very tempted to do the drive to Berri. Is Rosedale meats the name of the butcher? I'd prefer if I could ring them first, just my luck to drive there and they haven't any 'until tomorrow' that seems to happen to me a lot lol. Think I will add some pumpkin as I'm feeling guilty giving them such small amounts. Two desertspoons of Barf each in the am and a chicken neck for tea. Switched to early am walking as it is cool then so we can get the mile done each day. Sheesh, I know who is getting thinner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 A lot of people feel the way you do because we're so used to over feeding ... look at the size of your dogs and visualise the size of their stomachs ... imagine how much say a scant cupped handful of food would fill up. And dogs are HUGE over eaters! My rottie ate 5kg of dry food one day (he snuck into the tub the sod) and jet despite being roughly the size of blimp, he was begging for food desperately. Don't let your heart rule your head ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 (edited) Both with kennel clients and with my own dogs, I've found that the most effective diet is small portions of a very high quality dry food, with treats a few times a week. The best treats for weight loss are things like chunks of carrot and apple . . . the same sorts of things Weight Watchers would recommend. Protein rich/low fat things, like an occasional egg or a tablespoon of yoghurt are also ok. It's soooo easy, when you do barf plus this and that to be generous here and there. My dogs do better with smaller portions of a quality regular food than larger portions of the low calorie version. They generally cut calories by cutting fats, and I find that if I get the fat down below 8% range, the dogs coats go to hell. I think the reason this works is that it's so easy to measure dry food and to avoid feeling sorry for the little beggers and giving them a pinch more. Edited February 4, 2012 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 If your dogs aren't so keen on veggies (mine aren't) i've found boiling in chicken stock or with some old chicken bones makes them just as appetising as meat :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajtek Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 (edited) We do pumpkin and sweet potato treatment when there is too much of a good life happening. I get 1 butternut + 4 large sweet potatoes (you will probably need less). Here is our recipe: 1. Peel and dice butternut & sweet potatoes 2. Heat a bit of oil in a pot 3. Add diced vegs and and let it stew for a few minutes. 4. Add 3+ cups of broth - veg, chicken or beef and simmer until very, very well cooked. 5. Mash the lot and freeze portions. The doglets get a serving of this with their barf. PS Humans in this household tend to steal this food so it never lasts as long as it should :laugh: Edited February 4, 2012 by HonBun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 Woops, Nekhbet, you're right, gotta toughen up Will try cooking some vege in a broth, and if the dogs don't like it I can feed the humans, great idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 My lab has a tiny porion of food, only 300g of meat a day with 2 tablespoons of the Vets All Natural complete mix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Thanks for your replies. I've always fed the Barf, chicken mince, necks and Supercoat and just adjusted the amounts according to their weight. This year I'm down to feeding almost nothing and just can't move the weight off them. They only had the first tin substitute last night so that wasn't causing it. Slight problem up here is obtaining some of the other things. There used to be a great dog shop selling 'roo meat etc. but that closed down. The Barf is a prepared one which I get in Mildura, comes frozen. in separate pouches, "Dr B's Genuine Aussie R.A.W." generally get the mixed box, beef, lamb and rabbit. Poor dogs think their throats are cut, they used to get a few treats during the day but haven't had any for ages. Nearly out of Barf so I'll get two boxes and try the two feeds a day. Maybe get smaller dishes for them so it will look more :laugh: Nekhbet - Old duck has another lease on life, getting around like a youngster, bumps into things sometimes but going strong again Substitute finely grated carrot or pumpkin - or bran, but you will get more weight loss with the vege, and they will feel full. Minced chicken can have a high proportion of fat, depending ........... Give them a bit of veg to begin with and gradually up it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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