Need help with trying to get weight off

L

Lynnel

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hi everyone nice to be back. Max has pa pancreatitis and has to have food four times a day. He also has bad allergies so my options are small. I feed him at noon and 8 pm 1/3 cup green beans quick cooked in garlic and coconut oil. For two meals he gets chop meat and green beans 1/3 cup. He is at least ten pound over weight and I'm scared he will have hip problems like our other sheltie. I give him dried salmon for treat. Always natural food and treats. Have cut trays down. I also add a large teaspoon of coconut oil to his food for his skin. Any thoughts☺️
 
Low fat lactose free cottage cheese is usually well accepted, is a good source of protein and not many calories. Raw carrots are good filler crunchies and can be dipped in a tiny bit of PB if needed...mine love the carrots just plain.

Trini
 
Coconut oil is a lot of calories for a dog that's significantly overweight ( 10 pounds is a lot on a sheltie). Whatever you are feeding now, cut back by about 25%, if he had less to lose I'd start more gradually but that much excess weight is really bad on a small doggie. There is no reliable way to do this without measuring ( when you eyeball portions, there is a tendency to be over generous). Weigh or measure all the food, including treats, for a couple of weeks and see if any weight has been lost. If not, cut back a little more, also consider testing for thyroid, as that can stall weight loss. Stick with the reduced portion until the desired weight loss is achieved.

By comparison my sheltie gets fed twice a day (1/3 cup kibble) for about 275 calories daily. She also gets 1 treat per day - typically a greenie or some chicken jerky. Right now she is about 1 pound overweight, as we're much less active during the winter. If she hasn't lost it in the next month then I'll be going back to no treats other than 2 greenies a week.
 
Green beans no oil at all. That will add allot of calories.

What kind of exercise does he do? Will not matter how much you cut his food if he is not burning those calories. When Ember has her leg surgery, she could not walk with out a cast for 6 weeks she gained 6 lbs. I could not stop the weight gain with diet alone. Once she could walk again, I finally had success. She went from almost 20 lbs to almost 13lbs. We started slow and built up. It was slow going at first but once she got stronger the weight flew off.
 
Is this right - you are giving 4 meals, 2 meals of meat and beans, 2 meals of beans and coconut oil? First off, that's a very unbalanced diet so you'd only want to do that very short term. When you replace food with vegetables you replace a portion while making sure what remains is still nutritionally balanced. So the dog pumpkin diet for example you replace 1/3 of their kibble with pumpkin. If you are just doing cooked meals add in a calcium source and a variety of vegetables.

Also, with feeding 4 times a day make sure you aren't giving meal sized portions each feeding. The reason for feeding more often is to feed small sizes, which are easier for the pancreas to manage. If you just bulk up the serving size, even if it's with vegetables, you are still making the pancreas work too hard.

And a big, big warning. You must cut out the coconut oil. I'm surprised the vet hasn't told you this. Fat is like poison to the pancreas. Not only will it cause pain in trying to digest the oil, but fat makes pancreatitis worse. He must be fed minimal fat. If you want something for his coat look at a supplement that isn't fat based.
 
"And a big, big warning. You must cut out the coconut oil. I'm surprised the vet hasn't told you this. Fat is like poison to the pancreas. Not only will it cause pain in trying to digest the oil, but fat makes pancreatitis worse. He must be fed minimal fat. If you want something for his coat look at a supplement that isn't fat based."

I thought this was the case, but wasn't sure - so glad you brought it up Caro.
 
Caro said:
...And a big, big warning. You must cut out the coconut oil. I'm surprised the vet hasn't told you this. Fat is like poison to the pancreas. Not only will it cause pain in trying to digest the oil, but fat makes pancreatitis worse. He must be fed minimal fat. If you want something for his coat look at a supplement that isn't fat based.
Click to expand...

I have never used coconut oil (for a canine OR for myself) so I have no knowledge of it's pros/cons beyond what I have come across in articles I have read. Nearly EVERY article I encounter suggests the POTENTIAL for both weight gain and POSSIBLE pancreatic complications. If my memory is correct, all of the articles I read addressed INGESTED coconut oil (which makes obvious sense to me), but, that leads me to this question: Since coconut oil CAN also be applied TOPICALLY (for skin or coat issues), has anyone experienced (or even heard of) these same issues arising from the absorption of coconut oil through the skin? My gut feeling is that there would not be a problem (and at least not to the degree of ingested oil), but, my little pea brain is just wondering if anyone has had issues with topical use of coconut oil.
 
Yes cut the coconut oil sand salmon treats. Both have high fat contents. I do belice, though they are beneficial but not for overweight dogs

My Indy's coat and skin was looking dry and flakey si I had him salmon oil. He porked up the pounds

I've spent the last 12 months gradually reducing his weight. He has lost about 7 lbs now.

I reduced his kibble by 1/3 cup and substituted with wet food....Weruva. High water content but tasty so he does not seem to miss his food.
 
JLSOhio51 said:
I have never used coconut oil (for a canine OR for myself) so I have no knowledge of it's pros/cons beyond what I have come across in articles I have read. Nearly EVERY article I encounter suggests the POTENTIAL for both weight gain and POSSIBLE pancreatic complications. If my memory is correct, all of the articles I read addressed INGESTED coconut oil (which makes obvious sense to me), but, that leads me to this question: Since coconut oil CAN also be applied TOPICALLY (for skin or coat issues), has anyone experienced (or even heard of) these same issues arising from the absorption of coconut oil through the skin? My gut feeling is that there would not be a problem (and at least not to the degree of ingested oil), but, my little pea brain is just wondering if anyone has had issues with topical use of coconut oil.
Click to expand...

coconut oil is very beneficial for boosting thyroid function. I was told to add it to my diet from a nutritionist...but for me it caused gastric DISTRESS, so instead I use it topically...I get the benefits w/o the stomach woes...and my skin loves the stuff...
 
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