Help with overweight lab dog

Discussion dedicated to promoting the well-being of your dog through diet, exercise and general health tips.

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christineclarke
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:41 am
Location: Somerset

Help with overweight lab dog

Post by christineclarke »

I have a 10 month old lab - Billy - who has a slight joint problem with his right elbow but has not had it x-rayed as the vet would prefer he loses some weight first. At his last weigh in he was five and a half stone. He is a bit of a porker and does raid any available food - even known to eat concrete. I feed him twice a day but only a small amount and keep treats to the minimum. The only time he is known to run is when he sees someone the other end of the park! He has a 2 year old sister alsatian who keeps him active around the house playing but the weight isn't moving. He has been "done" - one of the requirements from the rescue centre we got him from at 4 months - already overweight. He is lovely but I do desperately want to get the weight off - any suggestions?
emmabeth
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Post by emmabeth »

What do you feed him?

I find most of the diet foods available are expensive and not very good.

Id feed a quality food (well no, id feed a raw diet like i do all mine, but you may not want to do that), and id bulk it up with raw blended vegetables, such as spinach, broccolli, apple etc, so it LOOKS like he has quite a big dinner and he will feel full, but most of it isnt going to put on fat or sugar.

What exercise does he get - wtih a joint problem you want to avoid high impact stuff so id suggest short lead walks at a brisk walk, no faster, and no bouncing around.

For him the best exercise would be swimming, low impact, its just what he is built for and will increase muscle strength without damaging joints. There are canine hydrotherapy pools around, google for those near you or ask your vets.

Finally, the best advice is, be honest with yourself, is he REALLY getting purely what he needs to lose weight on, or is he getting little extras, are you weighing out his food portions or doing it by eye.

Some dogs really do vary wildly in what they NEED - my 15kg staffie x eats ONE chicken wing and a third of a tin of fish, and a spoon of veg a day, this keeps him maintaining his weight which is correct for him.

My friends 13kg collie spaniel x eats twice this to maintain weight.

Hth

Em
Bea
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Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:45 am
Location: IRL-Midlands
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Post by Bea »

Labbies can have a trend towards putting on weight ... other than Whippets ... :-)

The neutering has not necessarily to do with it; I keep elkhound-labbie-Xes, who will be 10 y.o. this coming December and who all have been spayed/neutered at age 18 months ... and maintained their weight so far. Older dogs tend to get "rounder" as age progresses.

I think there are multiple ways of controlling food - buying diet food not being on my list.

I have an overweight Otterhound with bad hips (rescue dog) and he used to raid the bins, open the oven door and move the fridgefreezer in order to find food ... this was a seriously hungry dog. A combination of the following have helped him shedd the weight (he lost a good stone) and be a happy punter.

We do a "diet day" - meaning all healthy adult dogs do not get fed on the Saturday. This gives their systems a break, too. The following day they get something really yummy they need to work on, e.g. a turkey leg so they have to rip and tear and peel off the skin and filet the meat off the bones.

Measure exactly how much food you feed, don't do it by the eye.

Take 1/3 off the regular food portion and replace with stuff like cottage cheese, grated apple and carrott and a splash of honey or a banana, a tin of sardines in bine.
Raw sauerkraut in moderatin will help him clear out the digestive system.

Make him work for his food and work ON it.
Why not lay a trail for him (for one meal) so he has to burn off energy in order to get his meal together? Or let him work it out of a buster cube.
Use part of his regular food portion as "treats" while teaching him stuff.

Bea
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
- Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar/Mark Twain
Boxacrazy
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:06 am
Location: South Oxon/Berks borders

Post by Boxacrazy »

Although he's a bit on the young side another possible cause of weight gain can be hypothyroidism.
This can be tested for via blood test at your vet.

It is important to note that just because the dog doesn't display the classic
symptoms of hypo-t it can still have the disease.
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