Fat dog

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

Took the dogs to their 6 year checkup yesterday. Lilo who has been on a constant diet for over a year to lose 4 lbs has gained another 2 instead... she now weighs 72lbs. Rocky weighs 67lbs but he's built leaner and his weight has been stable for the past 3 years. The vet thought Lilo might have hyperthyroidism, but the bloodwork just came back negative. He told me Lilo needs more exercise and less food.

BUT: the dogs already get 2 hours of offleash exercise in the morning (hiking/walking/playing ball) + they run around in the yard for hours EVERY single day, rain or shine. Plus, my husband or son walk them in the afternoon for 1/2-1 hour. They eat Natural Balance fish & potatoes or bison & potatoes; Rocky gets 2.5 cups per day + toppings (cooked chicken liver, chicken, broth, tuna, beans, or other low-fat stuff), Lilo gets 1.5 cups + toppings. She does get a few treats too when I track and train with her 3-4 times/week; I use the tiniest salmon treat I can get, so she eats maybe 1/2 bag total per week of those.

So, I am at a loss for what to do and how to get Lilo to lose some belly fat. Any ideas????

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I think Suzann is right.  The toppings are really unnecessary and do add hidden things that can be bad as well as adding calories.  We feed our 73.3 lb Standard GD who will be 4 in May twice a day and she gets a total of 2 cups of the Acana Grain Free.  We also add 1/2 to 2/4 cup of frozen cut green beans to each meal.  We heat them in the microwave because she is not into frozen!!  Do not use canned because of the additives.  We have been lucky because Gracie Doodle is not a food motivated dog but the green beans which we started three months ago have made her now look forward to her meals and she eats every last bit...picking out and eating the beans first!!  Acana how has four flavors so it is nice to offer variety to your Doodle.  We used to give Gracie the freeze dried chicken jerky treats that you get at Costco but realized they were not helping the consistency of her poops.  We no longer use them or even have them in the house.  Only treats are the lamb lung pieces and Dr. Woofers grain-free dog bone treats.  She gets only a few, at the most, treats a day.  Sometimes none!  Gracie had crept up to 78 lbs in January (too many rainy days) and since adding the green beans and decreasing her kibble (was getting 3 cups a day), knocking out the chicken jerky she has lost 5 lbs in 3 months.  Her normal weight for the last 2+ years has been 73 lbs and we are back to that!

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

I like mixing kibble with green beans too. Lilo in particular likes beans whereas Rocky isn't too keen on them (just like the other boys in my house...). I have to feed the dogs seperately, or Rocky wouldn't get much.., so the toppings make both dogs more motivated to eat everything at once instead of nibbling. Perhaps the canned food is the culprit and I should stick to chicken, tuna, liver, and other low-cal stuff. Thanks much for you advice, I appreciate it.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

yes definately cross post in the food group!

 

I would suggest upping the protein in her diet. natural balance is pretty low. Low protein means high carbs, which can cause a dog to be overweight.  To find the % of carbs, subtract protein, fat, fibre and moisture from 100. I would say that your dogs need a high protein due to the amount of exercise they get. Are they on Natural balance due to alergies/sensitivities? Acana Lamb and apple is an allergy formula with higher protein - it does contain oatmeal.... dont know if you are looking for a grain free food....

 

i think dogs are like people.... some are just programmed to be heavier than others

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

thank you - I will research a higher protein/lower carb food. Both dogs love fish, so perhaps I can find a high protein fish-based food? They were eating Innova before but Rocky didn't tolerate it well so we switched. I am not partial to any brand.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Clancy has this little weight gain problem also. He doesn't get lots of exercise, but he never has!  Still his weight keeps creeping up and up and we keep feeding lower calorie food and smaller servings.... Pretty soon, I predict that at each meal I will be counting out exactly 12 pieces of kibble every third day....

[F, Calla & Luca]

I have a similar problem with Calla. I think it has to do with basic metabolism and activity level as long as there are no medical problems. Calla, who is bigger than Luca by far, now only gets a 1/4 of a cup of food more than he does daily. I hope she loses an ounce or two : )

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Metabolism definitely!  Clancy gets a bit less  food than our 51 pound Springer.