How to help Toby lose weight?

[Sandy]

So....the vet says Toby is a little chunky. He eats Nutram dog food - high quality stuff, and he only gets 2 1/2 cups a day. I throw in a little cooked white rice (like a tablespoon) because it helps his "poo" consistency. He doesn't get a lot of treats - maybe a couple of Charlie Bears (3 calories each) or a little pinch of cooked chicken...that's about it. Currently he weighs 70 pounds. I haven't measured him in a while, but last time I did he was about 22 inches at the shoulder. Anyway - any thoughts on how he can lose a little? He gets two long walks a day, and plenty of playing ball and running in the yard.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sandy, Nutram is not high quality dog food. Here are the ingredients:
Chicken meal, ground rice, select whole grain corn, chicken fat (preserved with Vitamin E), dried beet pulp, flaxseed, chicken, chicken digest, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, salt, lecithin, dried whole egg, choline chloride, Vitamin C, chicory root extract (a source of FOS), dried cheese, yucca schidigera, glucosamine, chondroitin, marigold extract (a source of Lutein), Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Vitamin K (menadione), Vitamin B12, riboflavin, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, biotin, ferrous sulphate, iron proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese proteinate, zinc sulphate, zinc proteinate, copper sulphate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, beta carotene, cobalt proteinate, sodium selenite.
This food contains menadione, a synthetic form of vitamin K known to cause liver and kidney disease in dogs, among many other serious health problems; we have discussed it extensively here in TFG. In addition, you have corn as the third most abundant ingredient in the food; corn should not be in dog food. You have chicken fat as the fourth ingredient; studies at Cornell have shown that chicken fat in the first 5 ingredients of dog food contributes to bloat. Chicken "digest" is a by-product that also shouldn't appear in your dog's food. In addition to all this, the food also contains beet pulp, a controversial ingredient believed to contribute to yeast infections. The food is quite low in protein (only 24%) and fairly high in fat. I don't know who told you this was a high quality food, but it's not. You can do much better.
Since this food contains a huge amount of ground rice (2nd most abundant ingredient), in addition to corn as the 3rd ingredient, I doubt that Toby needs more rice added; this may be part of the problem, too much starch in his diet. The high fat levels in the food may be contributing, too.
I suggest you switch Toby to a better quality food with higher protein and less starch. I couldn't find a calorie count for the Nutram, but Fromm Four Star Chicken a la Veg, for example, is 370 kcal/cup, which is fairly low. Once you get him switched, we can look at his diet again and see what else we can do.

[Sandy]

I found the calorie count - 422 per cup. Compared to the one you mentioned, that is high. I purchase this dog food at a health food dog food store. Maybe they aren't quite as healthy as I think? Now I feel badly. When we got Toby from the breeder he was on Iams, and had the runs terribly, and also didn't like the food. We switched him over to Nutram, on the advise of the pet food store, where the employees are quite knowledgable, and he hasn't had trouble since. I worry about switching him in case I upset his system, since other than being potentially chunky, he is very healthy.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sandy, retail clerks are not nutritionists, or pet experts, and rarely have any training beyond the policies of the particular store where they work. They are just retail clerks; their training is in customer service and selling. At their last job, they may have been selling tires or children's clothing. Nutram is not one of the more common or widely available brands (in fact, I had never heard of it, and researching dog food is a second job for me, lol), and they may work on a commission basis; their website has a section for people who want to be distributors. The store and/or the employess may get commission for selling it.
All of us here have switched our dogs' foods multiple times. Many of us rotate different foods on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, which is the best way to feed a dog in the opinion of many canine nutritionists. You will not upset Toby's system. Menadione alone is a serious risk over time. I strongly encourage you to switch his food.

[Stella]

Hey Sandy, we feed Acana - it is Canadian made and one of the brands often recommended by people in the Food Group. They do a 'Light and Fit' variety that is 325 calories/cup to help dogs lose a bit of weight. We used to feed Royal Canin and has been told by many people it was a good food, but when I started researching it contained Beet Pulp which is a somewhat controversial ingredient! Acana is a little harder to find than some brands, we get it from Lindy and Barkleys (she is a very knowledgable resource when it comes to different foods), you can also find it at Ryans Global, or at Rens Pets Depot in Aberfoyle.

Are you a cyclist? I just got this attachement for my bike that hooks up below the seat and you can cycle with the dog attached to your bike. I have tested it around the neighborhood and no road rash yet, and I am in no way a proficient cyclist!! It helps me to get them going at a good pace without me actually having to run!! (I posted a review in the review section of DK).

[Sandy]

I think I'll pop into Lindy and Barkley's tomorrow and see what she has to say.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, I didn't realize you were in Canada. Lucky you, that's where Champion Foods are made...Acana and Orijen! I just looked at the L & B website, they have an excellent line of premium foods!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

As far as treats, I give pears, carrots and dried cranberries right now. Peri only gets a liver treat when we are training. If you are trying to get Toby to lighten up, I would ditch the chicken for now. Get him on one of those good Canadian foods and measure it out. You could even top with a veggie, like carrots. He will be fine! I just switched my chihuahua from his fave food Fromm to a boring Senior food. I put a few cuts of carrot on top and he goes to town!

[Sandy]

So....I trekked out to Lindy and Barkley's this morning with the bag from my current dog food in hand so she could see the ingredient list. She was very kind and said it was a good food, certainly much better than Iams, or products like that, but that I could do better. She carries nothing in her store with corn in it, and my food had corn second or third down the list. :( Anyway, I purchased some Acana, came home, and mixed it 3/4 old, 1/4 new for Toby to try. He went to his dish, ate only the Acana, and is now staring at the bag, willing more to come out into his dish! I assume switching suddenly would cause digestive upset, so I won't do that, but he certainly prefers it to his Nutram.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Toby has good taste! I'm so glad he liked the Acana! You can increase the amount of Acana & decrease the amount of Nutram each day over a 7-10 day period, that will help minimize digestive upsets. Once he is on the Acana exclusively, you can try rotating flavors each bag; that should not cause any digestive problems and will be beneficial in terms of preventing food allergies & giving Toby some variety in his diet.
Then we can tackle the weight issue. Some people substitiute green beans for a small portion of the kibble to reduce the calories; say a quarter cup green beans in place of a quarter cup of the kibble; but i would wait to do that until Toby has completely adjusted to the new food. Please keep us posted on his progress.

[Sandy]

Will do! The lady also told me that the 2 1/2 cups of food he is currently getting, which to me isn't filling him up, would be going through him quicker because it had less protein and more corn. The Acana should hold him longer. For his weight, the bag says 2-3 1/2 cups. I'll start at 2 1/2 again and see how it goes.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Just hope Toby likes green beans! Check out the blog with the dood picking out his grean beans! LOL!

[Sandy]

I saw it. Too funny! I can totally see Toby doing that.