Weight Loss Advice

[JessicaM]

Hello, I would like some advice and help on a diet plan for my two papillons! I have a large boy who weighs about 5.5kgs, he is chunky, I can feel his ribs but he has abit of fat on him. He is a bigger pap and I have had him since he was 4 months old, he has never been light and dainty! And my other girl is smaller but last time I had her weighed she was 3.5kgs. She is chunky once again and has put a little more weight on in the last year and has stayed the same size. I would like her to be abit lighter and I know they can both lose abit of weight. My show girl is very dainty and weighs about 2.3kgs. I know my two pets don't have the same structure as the show pony but I need some advice.

All dogs are currently eating 1/4 cup of super coat small breed kibble each night. I walk the two girls maybe 3-4 times a week and they have a beach run for 30 mins. Each day they are running around my backyard chasing the ball for a good 1-2 hrs a day. They get a large marrow bone once a week and sometimes some raw meaty lamb bones.

Would love some advice on meal plans! I don't want to spend too much as I am young and don't gave much of a career yet. Budget meals would be great lol :)

[OSoSwift]

Marrow bones are full of fat - marrow is very high in fat as is lamb. I would cut out the marrom bones and lamb. Give them say beef ribs- well trimmed instead of marrow bones. And maybe chicken wings instead of lamb bones?

A bone can be a meal - depending on size/amountof meat etc on it - so on the day they have a decent sized bone they don't get any dry food.

[persephone]

:)

the good thing is that 'diet' feeding is cheaper - cos you feed less .

Walking them all each day or second day ... and reducing their food by 1/4 will do the trick . NO treats , except maybe slices of apple or carrot , no feeding scraps of left overs .. and definitely bones, but perhaps beef /lamb ribs with all the meat off ..... ..or whole marrow bones , so they can't eat the marrow itself (or wash in hot water first if the bone is cut - this melts and removes marrow :) )

Chicken wings are very fatty if they have skin on ..whilst an excellent meal - probably not good for weight reduction.

[Nekhbet]

You need to feed your dogs in the morning not the evening. I dont know where this habit started.

Give them 3/4 of what you are feeding now in the morning, and something raw like a chicken neck or 2 at night before bed. Supercoat is as good as pig food, so it wont keep them trim and well muscled in the long term. Feeding evening only puts the dog in starvation mode all day while exercising, then they sleep on their meal during the night.

Swap to raw feeding if you really want premium body condition, it wont cost the earth with two small dogs. BARF patties or the Vets All Natural mix which is very easy to use.

[sas]

Kangaroo Barf is nice a lean and good for dogs who are dieting, however can be a bit rich for some dog, you just have to test it out.

Feeding the dog mashed veg every second day is also another way.

Upping their exercise to what they can handle and what is appropriate for their current size is something to consider as well.

We recently went from feeding my Lab x 300 grams per meal (twice a day) down to 50 grams per meal, we slowly have been reducing it and a 15 minute walk to 2 x 40 minute wals per day (duration increased gradually). Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

Edited December 9, 2012 by sas

[Guest Panzer Attack!]

I feed my two (Pap and Cav) raw - mostly stuff like frames, wings, necks, the occasional barf pattie or some VAN. R/D kibble for treats only. I was MENTAL about Scooter's diet for the first year of his life and he was either fat or deathly thin as I constantly messed around with his food. Now I just throw meat at them, I don't even measure it.

Scooter was at the vet on Saturday and she said his weight was perfect :) I've also managed to get a kilo off Ru without even trying. Both dogs are healthy and happy! And it is really cheap - like a dollar a day for 2 dogs.

Edited December 9, 2012 by Panzer Attack!

[poochmad]

My female was a real fatty when we came back from overseas with too many treats and not enough walking. I reduced her kibble and gave her more veggies, with a bit of sardines for taste and to maintain nice coat. She is walked daily and treats have been cut down. She has dropped 3 kilos and is now the right weight.

Instead of walking slowly up the stairs as she was doing when we returned home, she now takes them at the gallop which is a good indication she is feeling better, too. :)

[JessicaM]

Ok thanks for everyone's advice. I'm thinking I will begin feeding them in the mornings! As what Neckhbet has mentioned makes a lot of sense, bones are not very often and the marrow bones are usually not very meaty but something that can get them munching to clean their teeth.

Ok if I begin morning with a tiny amount of kibble and a chicken neck in the evening? I think that would be sufficient for them. I will try to exercise them all more but I will be working a lot more in the summer months. If I were to take them to the school oval next door and run them after a ball for 30 mins would this be okay? I might be able to do two sessions a day if I'm not too tired.

Raw sounds the way to go but everyone has their own opinion on chicken being more fatty!

And I think I will give them some sardines aswel, my 4.5 girl could use some omega in her diet, I think one of her knees is beginning to play up :-(

[Nekhbet]

dogs digest fat and meat differently from us. I can tell you the 4 drama queen Malinois here at my place get fatty, chunky beef in big lots, even the pug does and no ones is fat ... in fact they beg to differ they say I starve them all Chicken only I dont like as it's too 'white' for me, and since the slaughter age of chicken is so young (only a few months old) they have baby bodies that are not that nutritious.

I even feed half pig heads (to large dogs) a dog that has been slowly introduced to it will cope with real products. Diets that are very lean are seen on the outside of the dog ... usually dry coat, flakey skin etc.

Whatever you add or change to do it slowly and you will be fine. The tinned fish like tuna and sardines in springwater can be another protein source for the meal, I used ricotta cheese as well for my Mal when she had some muscle problems.

[becks]

What exercise does your male get? You only mentioned walking the girls.

Simple diet is 'less food & more exercise' and remembering this isn't a diet to loose weight, but a diet to maintain the correct weight for that dog - so it is a lifestyle change for long term health benefits.

[Loving my Oldies]

Great advice here. I hope you can get your dogs to ideal weights.

I did wonder though if you can feel ribs how a dog could be overweight?

One of my dogs is a real fatty and frankly, I don't know how I could feed him any less. He gets a couple of scoops of mashed vegetables and about a desertspoon of meat. I warm it up with hot water and to make it like a stew. He is walked every day, mostly twice a day, very rarely gets any treats and every so often a dried kangaroo bone (like lamb noisettes) which he will happily chew on for days.

[jans]

As an alternative to mashed up vegies, try this doggie rissotto recipe. Mine love it.

In a slow cooker put 2 carrots chopped, 3 sticks of celery, chopped, half a bunch of parsley, roughly chopped, 800 grams chicked thighs, halved, one and a half cups of rice and about a litre and a quater of water. The water should be above the rice/vegies by about a centimetre. Cook on high for just short of 4 hours. Cool and serve. This does my boys for a few days and keeps well in the fridge. I warm it in the microwave before serving and they gobble it down.

[OSoSwift]

Great advice here. I hope you can get your dogs to ideal weights.

I did wonder though if you can feel ribs how a dog could be overweight?

One of my dogs is a real fatty and frankly, I don't know how I could feed him any less. He gets a couple of scoops of mashed vegetables and about a desertspoon of meat. I warm it up with hot water and to make it like a stew. He is walked every day, mostly twice a day, very rarely gets any treats and every so often a dried kangaroo bone (like lamb noisettes) which he will happily chew on for days.

Has his thyroid been checked?

[JessicaM]

Yes all great advice thankyou. Theboy doesn't get walked on leash as often because he is very naughty and has issues. I male him run around the yard more and I have been taking them for a run next door at the oval with a tennis ball. they are very exhausted afterwards, I get worried that the boy will run off. chicken necks seem to be doing fine, they enjoy them and I'm not going to go and buy beef and things like that for the dogs when I cant even buy myself a nice piece of steak these days.

Bit less food and more exercise sounds good,