Excessively Overweight

[Patti6750]

Help Please! I have a 5 year old Aussie male. He is excessively overweight. He was on soloxine for 6 months and hasn't lost an ounce. I now have him on Wellness Weight Management at 2 cups per day. I am at my wits end, I want him around for a long time. He is adopted and I want him healthy. Also, because of his size (almost 105 pounds) I can't walk him on a leash because he will chase after bunnies, squirrels and pull me to the ground. He is a wonderful dog with a great disposition. Where do I begin?

[barnjess]

Have you taken him to the vet to make sure its not a health reason behind his weight?

[AussiesCollies]

Have you tried exercising him in your backyard? Throwing a ball or frisbee in a fenced in area should help. But like Barnjess said, it could be health related.

[barnjess]

also a lot of dry foods that say lite do not have a much lower kcal content than a normal food, I would try him on a meat only diet that is what worked for Barney, also if its not a health prob you need to look at his exercise and what treats he gets

[Dax]

Dax lost 25 lbs (approx 25% of her body weight) on Science Diet R/D in less than 6 months. She has a thryoid issue and we had to increase her meds slightly during the weight loss plan. This is something monitored by our vet. Perhaps you should talk to your vet again.

You should still be able to exercise your dog. Start slowly - 10 mintues and build from there. Swimming is great exercise too.

[barnjess]

also you need to be able to walk, him so if you cant handle him then do some training with him, even when he has lost the weight he wont change his behavior

[Luvmyjob]

I assume since he has been on Soloxine he has a Thyroid issue? When was his last blood screen? It may take several modifications before you find the right dosage. But even at that you need to address the behavior so that he can be excercised. Meds won't do it alone. Ask your Vet. about the best kind of weight reducing food to give. Even small games of fetch in your home would be a good start. Do you have stairs? If so, grab a favorite toy and entise him to follow you up and down sveral times a day. Good luck!

[Moo]

Excercise has a lot to do with weight. Lack of excercise leads to overweightiness, and visa versa, so you're trapping yourself in a huge circle.

Is there anywhere to swim nearby, and do you have a fenced yard?

[Aria]

I would due a couple of things, I would buy a product made by purina ( if you feed your dog actuale dog food), its called OM and is avaliable by your vet. Its for overweight managment of animals, and comes in both dry and canned food. It hasa guid on the back to help you to know how much to feed, and you will actually feed more of that product than of your normal food, but the good thing, is that no excersize isrequired with this food ( it won't hurt mind you), but isn't a requirment. Also, your dog will losse weight a healthy way, and won't feel starved in the prosses... but you can ask your vet about it if you want o, they should be able to give you a pamphlit to help with any questions.

[minnie50]

I have Crystal ( 11 yr old yorkie) on the Kidney Cleansing Diet. It is for older dogs
that tend to put on alot of weight. It's chicken and white rice. I always use the
water that I cooked the chicken in to boil my rice. Sometime I shred alittle brocolli
over the top.....she absolutely loves it and holds her to the next meal real well. She's
been on it a week so I'll let you know by the end of January if it has helped. It's so
good for her, I may just keep her on it.