Overweight

Gosh, do you mean 1/4 cup twice daily or just once? That's a huge cut from 1/2. I would go from 1/2 to 1/3, definitely check the fat content, and continue his exercising. I've had to do weight reduction on 4 Shelties who came to me as adults, and slow and steady weight loss is best.... just like for people. Too bad he doesn't care for the veggies though!

 

I agree with Ann and Sharon that 1/4 cup a day isn’t enough food if it’s kibble. If your feeding him raw then you want to be feeding him approximately 2-3% of his ideal weight. Raw I measure so I feed a certain # of ounces/day, not cups. I also find it’s difficult to get them to lose weight because of the amount of carbs in kibble. I personally believe that dogs don’t need carbs…they can certainly live on them (the dog food manufacturers make certain of that) but they don’t NEED them. I rarely feed my guys carbs, maybe occasionally when I make dog cookies with oatmeal but none in their food ever. You also want to avoid the veggies and fruit that have sugar in them (carrots, sweet potatoes, apples etc)…they may seem like they don’t have much but it all adds up. A good veggie to add is celery…very low sugar but lots of fibre and vitamins. Purée the vegetables, also eggs just barely soft boiled are good for dogs and occasionally added may make him like the veggies better.
A really good book is The Forever Dog by Rodney Habib and Dr Karen Becker…lots of information about how to help your dog live a long and healthy life.

 

Thank you Ann! I will keep you posted!

 

1/4 cup twice daily - he seems to be doing good with it so far and continues to turn his nose up at green beans but it’s only been a few days so far. Thank you for your support!