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The Diet Saga of the Worst Dieter Ever

Discussion in 'General Health' started by Mom2Melli, Feb 23, 2014.

  1. Mom2Melli

    Mom2Melli Forums Enthusiast

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    Oct 2, 2013
    Central California
    I got Melody Rose as a 4 year old on August 3, 2013. She is 15-3/4" tall via the pencil/wall method. She weighd 39.8 pounds when I got her. Blood work was fine when I had her vet checked. Just a fatty.

    Immediately, we limited food and the weight peeled off as expected. My 52-pound shepherd Shay ate 2/3 cup Taste of the Wild Bison 3 times a day. Melli, ergo, should eat half that and since we were obedience training she got extra low cal training treats anyway. She popped down to 35 pounds + change and I was quite pleased.

    Then we stopped training for winter and 1/3 cup 3x a day was just NOT enough. First she would try to go across the room and finish Shay's food for him -- while he was still eating it. I leashed her and practiced simple sits and downs while he finished by giving her a couple training treats. Then even that was out of control. She would bark and growl at him anyway, and when let off lead would full on attack him. I started feeding in the bathroom. She would come out and attack him. I put him in a stay up on the couch and she would nail him when he got down. She would attack hi throughout the da fo no reading.

    Finally, we just gave her more food and she was nice again . . . and 38 pounds. I tried a variety of vegetables and cutting down the kibble and that worked for a week and the beast was back. Gave her more food and she was nice again . . . and 38 pounds.

    THIS is ridiculous. I researched diet foods and found most of them had the same calories as Taste of the Wild (370 kcal/cup). What I needed was low calories per cup so I can feed a lot of bites for less calories. There are two brands. One I have never heard of and can't find locally or on Amazon. The other is Avoderm. Not my favorite choice but 298 kcal/cup. I went with 2/3 c 3x a day and she was happy and 37.8 pounds.

    Why 3x a day? Well, bloat in the shepherd. He's a really touchy tummy and I fear bloat more than life itself. I cautiously bit the bullet and tried him on 1 cup 2x and day and he is fine. Melody now gets 2/3 c and a few TOTW kibbe (like 6 pieces) to keep that in her system 2x a day. She eats a full meal when she eats and she doesn't even miss mid-day. We are training again, but she only gets a couple pieces of low cal training treats. I am working on doing several rally stations before a treat these days. Once a week she gets a free meal at class. She's hanging in there and not trying to kill us.

    And today, she weighed 36.6!

    My point for those reading the thread . . . keeping dogs trim is very important for their long-term health and longevity. Most dogs take cutting down the amount of food if they are too chubby just fine. But in an extreme case like this one, keeping at it until something works is worth it. BTW -- always check with your vet and make sure there are no underlying health conditions. My vet encourged me to reduce her weight, I just have not found a way to do it without her turning into a beast. Hoping this continues :fl
     
  2. jomuir

    jomuir Forums Enthusiast

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    May 10, 2011
    There are people who turn into beasts when dieting too :lol: Speaking strictly for myself here.
     

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