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Getting very overweight dog back on track?

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  • May 19th, 2015 12:45 pm
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Jr. Member
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Apr 17, 2009
118 posts
2 upvotes
Toronto

Getting very overweight dog back on track?

I've got a dog who is supposed to be ~15lbs but is actually closer to almost 30. He does have a bunch of health issues, is on steroids, etc. that contribute to him being heavier but he was also overfed by my mom.

I'd love to get him back into shape - which really I wish I took control of earlier (better late than never...) but the problem is he already has difficulty going on long-ish walks. Any suggestions on what I could do to help get him back on track that is actually doable at his current weight? One of the things I've considered is a doggy life jacket and bringing him to pool/lake/etc. but I'm not sure if that would actually work. Plus he's never been in one outside of having baths.

Appreciate any suggestions. I'd really like him to lose a lot of his weight.
5 replies
Deal Addict
Apr 23, 2014
1192 posts
475 upvotes
GTA, ON
Effem wrote: I've got a dog who is supposed to be ~15lbs but is actually closer to almost 30. He does have a bunch of health issues, is on steroids, etc. that contribute to him being heavier but he was also overfed by my mom.

I'd love to get him back into shape - which really I wish I took control of earlier (better late than never...) but the problem is he already has difficulty going on long-ish walks. Any suggestions on what I could do to help get him back on track that is actually doable at his current weight? One of the things I've considered is a doggy life jacket and bringing him to pool/lake/etc. but I'm not sure if that would actually work. Plus he's never been in one outside of having baths.

Appreciate any suggestions. I'd really like him to lose a lot of his weight.
Please consult with your vet for a diet/exercise regimen. You mention that he is on steriods- so his health condition must be taken when his diet and exercise regimen is being changed. The good thing is that with summer starting, the weather is extremely conducive for long walks/running.

Please consult a vet asap and get the guy's weight in check at thea earliest. good luck!
Banned
May 12, 2015
80 posts
8 upvotes
ON
It's clear by the sound of things, that the dog does NOT fit into the lifestyle of the owner. Same applies to kids, if you can't tend to every needs i.e. health, education, fitness, etc, don't have them because everybody else is having them.
Newbie
Dec 20, 2011
95 posts
209 upvotes
Speaking from somewhat limited experience (dog owner for just over a year) we have found that while exercise is important, their diet is likely to be determining factor when it comes to losing weight. We have a lab that are known to be very food driven and being first time dog owner's we always gave him lots of food/treats because we felt bad that he was always "hungry". We also exercise him a lot (average of 1 hour per day walks/trip to the dog park) and he has a back yard to run around in so we figured it was fine giving him a little extra food as long as we made up for it with ample exercise. For the first few trips to the vet for his puppy shots he was at a healthy weight and were never told of any issues. However at about 7 months he had grown considerably and when we took him in to the vet to have him checked out we were told he was "considerably" overweight and that it was extremely unhealthy for him to be overweight at such a young age. We were surprised and upset to learn that we weren't looking after him properly and giving him the best opportunity to live a long healthy life. Needless to say, we completely changed the way we approached his diet since then. He only gets the recommended portion of food for meals and we limit the amount of treats he gets throughout the week. We had never fed him any human food (with the exception of carrots and the odd fruit) and always make sure that guests or people looking after him don't feed him anything he's not supposed to have. It only took a few months to get him back to a healthy weight and now we feel as though we have a good balance of being strict on his diet while still letting him enjoy his food and try new types of treats.

It sounds like a similar approach might go a long way in your situation. Given that your 15/30lb dog would be much more sensitive to how much he gets fed (vs our very active 90lb lab) it is even more important to make sure you are not over feeding him or feeding him anything that isn't good for his health. Excersice is obviously important and I would reccomend you do as much with him as possible/pratical/healthy but like with humans, you can't possibly do enough excercise to make up for a very bad diet.
Deal Addict
Jan 28, 2014
3926 posts
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Toronto
Whenever our dogs have had to go on diets, we did it by reducing the amount of kibble they had for breakfast and dinner. All of our dogs have been too smart for their own (our?) good and could/can count. So reducing the number of cookies did not help - although I became very good at breaking one low calorie cookie into 4 pieces - with 4 being the magic number.

We also supplemented their diets with low calorie items such as lettuce. Our dogs have always tended to be of the Hoover type - Beagles, Dachshunds etc. - and with Dachshunds keeping their weight under control is extremely important.

Our current dog will eat anything and is frankly worse than our Dachshunds which came as a shock.

Some people will buy the high fibre dog kibble from the vet but all that did was make our dog "go" more. He eats Fromm Four Star which is a rich food so we obviously feed him a much lower amount than that recommended by Fromm. He weighs 25 lbs. Many of the people on his breed specific forum do as we do - 1/3 of a cup in the a.m. and the same in the p.m. - with low calorie treats during the day. When on a diet we reduce his breakfast and dinner to less than the 1/3 cup.

In speaking with other people at the groomer's or the vet clinic all seem to do the same thing - cut down on the kibble. Well then there is my husband, once I had to cut bread out of his diet for a time since he was giving our dog big pieces. Dogs don't care how big of a piece of something they get - it is the principle of the whole thing. Actually our vet had a word with him.

The ideal weight for our dog is 21 lbs. But since he is 11 we have (this means the vet) agreed that 25 lbs. is okay. With all of his fur you do not see the weight - the vet has to feel his ribs (double-coated dog). But one thing for sure is that if he gained too much weight we would be yelled at by one of our vets.

I know how hard it is to say "no" to a dog who wants food - the eyes etc. Actually our guy is pretty darned handy with his paws (has paws like a raccoon) so we have to watch him. He even thinks meds are food - no need to hide them.

Best of luck with your pup - this too shall pass. Although it will seem like forever.
Deal Fanatic
Mar 12, 2010
6112 posts
660 upvotes
SW Ontario
Blanche123 wrote: Whenever our dogs have had to go on diets, we did it by reducing the amount of kibble they had for breakfast and dinner. All of our dogs have been too smart for their own (our?) good and could/can count. So reducing the number of cookies did not help - although I became very good at breaking one low calorie cookie into 4 pieces - with 4 being the magic number.

We also supplemented their diets with low calorie items such as lettuce. Our dogs have always tended to be of the Hoover type - Beagles, Dachshunds etc. - and with Dachshunds keeping their weight under control is extremely important.

Our current dog will eat anything and is frankly worse than our Dachshunds which came as a shock.

Some people will buy the high fibre dog kibble from the vet but all that did was make our dog "go" more. He eats Fromm Four Star which is a rich food so we obviously feed him a much lower amount than that recommended by Fromm. He weighs 25 lbs. Many of the people on his breed specific forum do as we do - 1/3 of a cup in the a.m. and the same in the p.m. - with low calorie treats during the day. When on a diet we reduce his breakfast and dinner to less than the 1/3 cup.

In speaking with other people at the groomer's or the vet clinic all seem to do the same thing - cut down on the kibble. Well then there is my husband, once I had to cut bread out of his diet for a time since he was giving our dog big pieces. Dogs don't care how big of a piece of something they get - it is the principle of the whole thing. Actually our vet had a word with him.

The ideal weight for our dog is 21 lbs. But since he is 11 we have (this means the vet) agreed that 25 lbs. is okay. With all of his fur you do not see the weight - the vet has to feel his ribs (double-coated dog). But one thing for sure is that if he gained too much weight we would be yelled at by one of our vets.

I know how hard it is to say "no" to a dog who wants food - the eyes etc. Actually our guy is pretty darned handy with his paws (has paws like a raccoon) so we have to watch him. He even thinks meds are food - no need to hide them.

Best of luck with your pup - this too shall pass. Although it will seem like forever.
This is pretty good advice.

Measure both meals every day, every time. Never give extra.

Get low cal treats, or better yet, cut out treats. Dogs respond and enjoy love and physical rewards just as much as food rewards. Giving treats makes people feel good, it's not for the dogs half the time lol.

NO TABLE SCRAPS. The only human food our dogs ever get is if we are cutting up carrots or something they looooooove that.. so they get a little piece.

For our dogs good quality measured out kibble has been the best tool to maintain their weight.

Now if only someone would do that for my food we'd all be in shape!

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