Help! Fat dog. **PICTURE # 32** - Page 2

[Arduinna]

I know you said you can't do raw right now, but that is what worked for our pug. He was pretty pudgy until we put him on raw. Our other dog always ran on on the thin side and she has bulked up and they both look incredible.

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie

Just that I cannot imagine adding to my schedule shopping and food prep for Sam. Not to mention the research and learning it will take to figure out what/how much etc to feed him.

I will check out Taste of the Wild as well, thanks for the tip!

We just buy the dogs meat at the same time we are doing our shopping and there really isn't much prep especially for a dog the size of yours. Our other dog is around 50 pounds and prep consists of putting the meat in her bowl. The pug gets larger pieces of meat and bone cut a little smaller because he doesn't eat as much.

[buttercup784ever]

My mom's dog was really fat like that. He's a toy poodle and was supposed to weigh about 8lbs. At one point he was 18lbs! Tried diet foods, no snacks, etc. He just became ravenous and food aggressive. After two years we found out he has Cushing's disease which is a tumor on his pituitary gland that causes an over-production of cortisol. He was 5 yrs old when the symptoms started.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by Mama Soltera

you cannot feed them the amount is says on the package. That is almost always way too much.

I cannot agree enough. This turned out to be our Springer Spaniel's problem. I fed him a combo of canned and kibble, per the directions on the can and bag. Bad idea, it's way too much food.

I watched how much he ate and if there was anything left in the bowl I got rid of it, and gave him only as much as he'd eaten, at his next meal.

ChristyMarie, do you leave the bowl out for him to graze on all day? Only give him as much as he'll eat then put the left overs away. And focus on portion control.

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie

Right now he gets 2 cups a day of eukaneuba large breed puppy. I bought eukaneuba large breed weight control on the way home from the vet since the vet said that was a good choice.

I'm not ready to do a raw diet for the dog. I just don't think I can swing that right now.

However, talking to someone who also had this problem with a lab, they suggested Canidae grain free. There's a pet store right by me that sells it so I thought I would get that to try when this bag was almost gone.

Cutting out all treats, adding more exercise, weighing him once a month. If there's no change in 3 months we'll talk to the vet about testing for other issues.

Sounds like a plan! Is the 2 cups of kibble per the manufacturer's directions? Does he eat it all or does he stop partway through and wander off, then come back later to finish it?

Originally Posted by greenmagick

And honestly, eukanuba is not quality Canidae grain free is a good choice! You may want to look at Taste of the Wild too, they may be a bit lower calorie than the canidae even...but not totally sure. You will feed less with grain free so keep that in mind.

We feed our dog Eukanuba. It might not be as good as other brands but it's still better than Pedigree, which is what we were feeding our dog at first. It was dramatic how much less poo he had after we switched! I'll have to look into the raw diet.

[buttercup784ever]

Originally Posted by journeymom

:
We feed our dog Eukanuba. It might not be as good as other brands but it's still better than Pedigree, which is what we were feeding our dog at first. It was dramatic how much less poo he had after we switched! I'll have to look into the raw diet.

If you don't/can't do the raw diet, Innova makes a kibble called EVO that is marketed as the alternative to raw. It's really high quality and more expensive, but you'll only have to feed about half the amount that you'd feed with an inferior brand.

Check out this website:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by journeymom

Sounds like a plan! Is the 2 cups of kibble per the manufacturer's directions? Does he eat it all or does he stop partway through and wander off, then come back later to finish it?

Oh gosh, according to the bag I think we're supposed to give him 4-5 cups a day. Once he decided the diet food was not, in fact, going to kill him he eats it within about 45 minutes. He's not one to scarf down his food which is good. I've had that dog and have no desire to repeat the puking daily experience.

Of course, now I'm sick so he didn't get a walk yesterday. And today (when my husband can walk him) it is raining.

[ChristyMarie]

I have a happy update!

We went in for our second weigh in since this all started and he's down 14.5 pounds! Go Sam!!! About another 5 pounds to go - he still has a layer of insulation around his ribs.

We've been walking and going to the puppy park a lot. Now that the weather is cooler it is easier to get him to move. He just hated the heat.

Glad to see that he is losing with extra activity so we (hopefully) don't have to worry about any medical issues causing the weight gain.

Thank you all for the great suggestions.

[Mama Soltera]

Thank you for the happy update! Great news for your dog. Good for you! I would love to see another picture of the cute guy too. Please give yourself a pat on the back.

[Ola_]

Good for you! I'm sure he feels much better without the extra weight.

[nd_deadhead]

Hooray for you and your dog! You've done a remarkable job, and your dog will thank you when he is able to romp and play for years to come!

[journeymom]

Awesome update! Thanks for sharing.

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by Mama Soltera

Thank you for the happy update! Great news for your dog. Good for you! I would love to see another picture of the cute guy too. Please give yourself a pat on the back.

Here you go:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...590.1311061671

He has a few pounds left but we can finally feel the hint of ribs!

We're in the middle of transitioning him to Taste of The Wild food. We have a great, locally owned, all natural pet food store by us. They have a scale, you can bring in your pet and they'll weight him and make suggestions. This was her pick if we weren't ready to do raw yet. If this didn't work, that was our next step but he's doing really well.

We're also mixing in a cup of green beans or other fresh veggies to give him a bit more fill and he's loving it. His stamina has also gone through the roof.

Thanks again!

[Mama Soltera]

Oh, it won't let me look unless I have an account. I want to see!

[ChristyMarie]

Ok, try this link:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4959508_n.jpg

[lonegirl]

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie

Right now he gets 2 cups a day of eukaneuba large breed puppy. I bought eukaneuba large breed weight control on the way home from the vet since the vet said that was a good choice.

I'm not ready to do a raw diet for the dog. I just don't think I can swing that right now.

However, talking to someone who also had this problem with a lab, they suggested Canidae grain free. There's a pet store right by me that sells it so I thought I would get that to try when this bag was almost gone.

Cutting out all treats, adding more exercise, weighing him once a month. If there's no change in 3 months we'll talk to the vet about testing for other issues.

I would definetly switch from puppy food at this point. Great he was on large breed, but the puppy food will be too calorific.
A high fibre food will be good for filling him up throughout the day without the added calories.

BTW he looks like 75% of the labs we see on a daily basis at the hospital...you aren't alone.

ETA great work btw I just finished reading the rest of the posts

[Mama Soltera]

Thanks for sharing! What a great job you've done!