Weight loss ideas

[Itims]

Hi all,

We inadvertently caused Biba to gain some weight by overfeeding her over the last month. She eats Acana Chicken and Potatoes. The weird thing is that her actual weight hasn't jumped (1 pound increase a week). Its 45 pounds now (mom=55 and dad=65, 16 week weight=25 pounds). But I can't feel her ribs easily anymore. Spine and abdominal tuck are fine and visible/'feelable'. Poop, energy, thirst and appetite are great. 

She gets 2 walks that are 30-45 mins and goes to the dog park for 30 mins about 2-3 times a week. I'm going to start taking her to the dog park more often and also look for a day care as my work hours have become less flexible. Hopefully all that will help with the weight. 

I've cut her food back to the recommended 2.5 cups a day. Almost no treats (maybe 1 zukes mini a day). She gets about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter 1x a day (when we leave her house).

Any ideas regarding food will be helpful. She doesn't like green beans or carrots (she just shreds the carrot and leaves a mess). I already give her about 2 tablespoon of pumpkin but concerned about using it as a tummy filler to avoid poop issues. Can I give Biba brown rice and scrambled egg whites? They helped me lose weight:) 

Thanks!!

Smiti

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We have lots of discussions and ideas on this in The Food Group. Best bet is the Green Bean Diet, which has worked well for many FG members. I know you said she doesn't like green beans, but have you tried heating low-sodium canned beans and mixing them into her food? that works best for most dogs, they usually like them much better than fresh, frozen or cold beans.

Forget about brown rice, Adding starchy carbs is not going to help at all. Weight loss only occurs when the caloric intake is less than what the body requires to maintain its current weight. There is no food you can add that in itself will bring about weight loss. You must either increase the number of calories burned (more exercise) or decrease the number of calories consumed. And it's a slow process. The idea of the Green Bean Diet is to replace a small portion of the high calorie kibble with a big portion of extremely low calorie fiber so that she is getting fewer calories per day but doesn't feel hungry.  There's no reason to be concerned about giving pumpkin, but it isn't going to help her lose weight. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I also don't think that it sounds like Biba has a weight problem at this point. She's still growing. The feeding guidelines for the Acana Chicken/Burbank Potato formula are 2.25 cups per day for an active 44 lb dog. You might try cutting back a quarter cup per day, but I wouldn't cut back more than that. 

If you are not sure about her body condition, ask your vet. There shouldn't be a charge for that, and most vets are very, very good at assessing proper body weight in puppies and dogs. 

[Itims]

Thanks, Karen. I'll have our new vet check her out. If he says shes in good shape then thats fine.

Yes. Sorry I meant say that we are now feeding her the recommended 2.25 cups (I mistyped '2.5' up there). For a month, we were feeding her 3 or 3.5 cups (depending on who was feeding and which measuring cup was being used - dumb of us!)

I did too rapid a decrease from 3 / 3.5 to 2.25, which is why she was acting hungry today. I'll work down slowly to 2.25 over 4-5 days.

I was asking about the brown rice and scrambled egg white as a add on to her current food so she doesn't feel hungry with the lower quantity. But I get your point, calorie input is input. I'll try heating up green beans and see if that works better. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The egg whites wouldn't hurt, but it would take a LOT of them to make any difference in her hunger level. Bowls full, lol. The white of one egg contains about 17 calories, and has no bulk or fiber to help create a feeling of fullness. 

Contrast that with only 30 calories in a whole cup of cooked green beans, and most of that is insoluble plant fiber, which does add bulk and helps dogs feel 'full". 

There are 217 calories in a cup of cooked brown rice, and being a grain, it doesn't contribute much to a dog's nutrititonal needs. 

[Itims]

Thanks for the calorie info, Karen. 

I figured egg-whites helped me, might help Beebs too:) I'll supplement with beans and see if that works for us.

[Itims]

I gave Biba a baby carrot yesterday and was rather surprised when she crunched it up. Went on to eat 4 or 5! Seems that she likes baby carrots but not the big ones. Go figure!!

I haven't given her a frozen kong in a while. I had forgotten about how thats a good activity for them. Thanks for reminding me!!