Fat Shelties

[SunChaser]

When I wanted Bentley to lose weight the only time I saw results was by drastically cutting his food (as Barb suggested) and supplementing with green beans. When he was on his diet, he was eating 1/4 C twice a day supplemented each time with 1/4 C of green beans.

He lost 5 pounds easily that way.

I agree! If you feed a quality dog food that has at least 26% protein cutting their food in half and adding green beans (no salt or fresh frozen please) is the best way to go.

I have reduced so many dogs that come into rescue fat in the last year I know from personal experience that this will works.

Right now I have one named Jade that weighs 39 lbs. She shouldn't be more than 25 lbs so we have a long way to go, but 1/4c of kibble and 1/4 c green beans satisfies her and she is losing about 1/2 pound a week.

 

[Toffee's Mom]

well
I was JUST told today if I really want to do performance with Toffee, I nheed him to really loose weight... I was OMG my Vet didn't tell me, nobody else did... she was scary and straight forward.. (takes one to know one, lol) AND she was a stranger at the doggy expo...
However, she's right, you know? If I want Toffee to jump and be healthy and competing for a long time in agility with me I have to get him to loose a good 5 pounds
So now I am in Chris' boat.. just asking how are u doing with that? lol

Out comes the Pumpkin, I think

 

[Justicemom]

well
I was JUST told today if I really want to do performance with Toffee, I nheed him to really loose weight... I was OMG my Vet didn't tell me, nobody else did... she was scary and straight forward.. (takes one to know one, lol) AND she was a stranger at the doggy expo...
However, she's right, you know? If I want Toffee to jump and be healthy and competing for a long time in agility with me I have to get him to loose a good 5 pounds
So now I am in Chris' boat.. just asking how are u doing with that? lol

Out comes the Pumpkin, I think

You know vets are really careful about telling there clients that thier animals are overweight. Especially if they are close. You won't believe that number of people that get down right P***ed. Alot of vets like a lot of owners are used to seeing plump dog and cats so slightly overweight is normal. 90% of the people I have worked with would call Diva and Justice too skinny and Ember just right. Even though Ember needs to loose about 1-2 lbs still.

OTOH if I called a dog thin, they all knew it must be thin.

 

[mbfrench]

18 lbs! That's a light weight. I've got 2 - 30 lb beasts! I'm with Chris with the coffee tables!

They actually don't look that fat, but I know that both could easily lose 5 lbs.

So, while I figure out if I'm going to switch them away from Now! to something else, I will incorporate more veggies into their diet at the same time.

I think that is a great idea,I know it worked well for us when Earnie was cut back on his food.He really loves carrots,broccoli.I even got some california blend veggies,and added those to his food,or gave as snacks.

It is really something how foods affect differant dogs.I know Jasper suffered a weight loss,which he did not need.The weight he lost while on the food,was drastically noticed.All of them are back on TOTW,an that is where they will stay.

Trapp maintained his weight while on 4Health. Earnhardt lost a few more pounds as well.And he definately did not need to loose more weight.He was right at what the vet wanted him to be at,a slim 75lbs. He lost his 18lbs in less than a year,by just cutting back kibble 20%,and offering veggies,more excersise.

Jasper is like the energizer bunny,go,go,go all ay long,he was burning off more than his intake,the energy has to come from somewheres,so he suffered a weight loss.

 

[Chris]

Fat Sheltie Update

It's been nearly a week, and so far so good. Energy levels are up and the puffiness is going away. The dogs are doing well, too. Best of all, we're all getting out of the snacking habit -- and the humans have stopped sneaking the Shelties people food.

Seriously, all us fluffy folk are making progress. Yesterday we took a really long hike, and Annie and Bits had no trouble -- in fact, Bits trotted and romped the whole time! Here's some progress pics of Annie (L) and Bitsy Boodle (R):

 

[corbinam]

You know vets are really careful about telling there clients that thier animals are overweight. Especially if they are close. You won't believe that number of people that get down right P***ed.

This is SO true. I remember when we started agility 2 years ago our instructors called us out and told us that Bentley needed to lose weight. I was so upset! My husband and I complained the whole way home saying "what do they know?!"

Once we really started to think about it, we realized that he had a good 5 pounds to lose. He is so much healthier now, and I feel better since we are asking a lot of him to do so much agility.

 

[Fergusmom]

well
I was JUST told today if I really want to do performance with Toffee, I nheed him to really loose weight... I was OMG my Vet didn't tell me, nobody else did... she was scary and straight forward.. (takes one to know one, lol) AND she was a stranger at the doggy expo...
However, she's right, you know? If I want Toffee to jump and be healthy and competing for a long time in agility with me I have to get him to loose a good 5 pounds
So now I am in Chris' boat.. just asking how are u doing with that? lol

Out comes the Pumpkin, I think

Aww poor Tofee.From someone that's been there I wish you good luck. The veggies help a lot and if he's doing agility he can get a lot of exercise and that can only be a huge plus.

I'm lucky that my vet is a blunt, tell it like it is gal and I have no doubt that she would straight out tell me if my dogs are overweight.

P.S. Baxter sends Toffee his deepest sympathies.

 

[Toffee's Mom]

This is SO true. I remember when we started agility 2 years ago our instructors called us out and told us that Bentley needed to lose weight. I was so upset! My husband and I complained the whole way home saying "what do they know?!"

Once we really started to think about it, we realized that he had a good 5 pounds to lose. He is so much healthier now, and I feel better since we are asking a lot of him to do so much agility.

haha
that makes sense
It's the winter weight AND the German Shepherd got so much food, being so food crazy that little Toffee always got a treat snuck to him as well...
I am with ya.. I think Toffee should easily loose 5 pounds, if I look at him objectively... so with feeding raw it willbe fine, it is the substitute kibble he loves so much and gets as training treats that are the devill.. well and his vice Milkbones, LOL (now cut out of the diet)

 

[BarbV]

It's been nearly a week, and so far so good. Energy levels are up and the puffiness is going away. The dogs are doing well, too. Best of all, we're all getting out of the snacking habit -- and the humans have stopped sneaking the Shelties people food.

Seriously, all us fluffy folk are making progress. Yesterday we took a really long hike, and Annie and Bits had no trouble -- in fact, Bits trotted and romped the whole time! Here's some progress pics of Annie (L) and Bitsy Boodle (R):

So what diet did you end up on? I've been obsessing over being bitten by Bacca and got off track on the real issue that I have to deal with...which is weight loss for both of them.

 

[SheepOfBlue]

I agree! If you feed a quality dog food that has at least 26% protein cutting their food in half and adding green beans (no salt or fresh frozen please) is the best way to go.

I have reduced so many dogs that come into rescue fat in the last year I know from personal experience that this will works.

Right now I have one named Jade that weighs 39 lbs. She shouldn't be more than 25 lbs so we have a long way to go, but 1/4c of kibble and 1/4 c green beans satisfies her and she is losing about 1/2 pound a week.

So do they still act starved? Sca needs to loose about 2 lbs but even on the amount of food that maintains his current 32lbs he had Mom convinced I was starving him when he went to the party house last weekend. He's got her number though as the supplier of food and sucks up pretty hard. She even complained it was to hard for the cookies to come out of his cookie ball, I told her that is the idea.