chubby dog

[PaintedRain]

when we first adopted my dog from a rescue place he was almost 1yr, he had just gotten all his shots and really, just been rescued. he was very painfully thin, only about 15lbs. so we tried fattening him up, and this being our first dog fattened him up too much, so we consulted our vet/dog food bag and cut back to what the bag said we should be feeding at 20 something lb dog. but he kept on gaining weight. we realize now we were feeding him way too many treats and human tid bits, and we have since cut back on those, and more of his food. He seems to have stopped gaining, and last i checked a month or so ago, he had lost a lb or so. i admit that i don't walk him nearly enough as i should, and since he lies around the house most of the day he doesn't get enough exercise. I know being as chubby as he is, almost 10lbs more than the desired weight, will decrease his life span, and now at 2yrs and some change we need to start taking some serious action. we are currently feeding him 2/3 of a cup of "Natural Choice Small Bites Lite" in the morning, and he gets some rice in the evening if we have it for dinner (which is just about every night) and the edges of my mom's porkchop (if we have porkchop). The bag says we should feed him "For a 15/25lb dog= Maintenance: 1 2/3 - 2 1/3 cups; Weight Reduction: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 cups" these are "suggested amounts to feed per day".
So here is my question: Is there anything we need to do to help lose weight in his diet? I already realize he needs more exercise, and since i have found he enjoys jumping, i'm pushing to enter him in agility classes (no such luck so far). Here are some pictures:

http://www.prodoggroomingsupplies.co...do=view&g=1806

Also see this thread for more: http://www.prodoggroomingsupplies.co...42&postcount=1

The ones before his hair cut were anytime before june 21, 2007. the ones after his hair cut are anytime after the above date.

any suggestions? please and thank you! ij you have furthur questions, please ask. i realize i am not very organized with my information.

[agilitydog]

First off if he is still 10 lbsover weight I would be careful not to jump him a whole lot. Even a small dog can get problems carrying and lifting excess weight. Exercise(walking, jogging, climbing hills) will definitely help.

As far as food, if you want your dog to be 15 lbs, then feed close to what the bag recommends for 15 lbs. if you feed for a 20 lb dog, he will end up weighing 20 lbs. And don't feed to what he weighs now, feed to what you want him to weigh. Of course the bag is only a guideline and you will need to adjust accordingly. You can also add green beans to his food which will act more as a healthy additive without the weight gain.

[AtomicSkies]

first off hes a cutie

second...i have an overweight beagle and per our vet she gets fed around 1/2-3/4 of a cup of food and maybe 10-15 frozen carrots twice a day...the frozen carrots make her feel fuller but she wont gain weight off of them...it seems to be working but she is also on steroids so its slow going with her

[PaintedRain]

yah, i give him some carrots mondays, i cut them up for the horses. and ever since i dropped on and he pounced on it, he can somehow know when i'm getting them out, because he sits near his food bowel, and i give him some pieces.

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

Yes, as you said more excercise is key for weight loss and longer lifespan.

Also, you may want to consider switching to a grain/filler free food. All my dogs lost weight when I took these two things out of their diets. Innova Evo Reduced Fat is a good one.

Also, I'd cut out any table scraps. Edges of pork chops are usually very fatty. You can still give treat but make them very small. Innova Evo haelth bars are very good. Again, no grains or fillers. I have small dogs and I just break them up and give very small pieces and only 1, maybe 2 times daily.

[Suz]

I second the no jumping- not yet, he needs to lose the weight in more gentle ways first, so lots of small walks and build it up gradually - just think of it like an overweight person, we wouldnt expect them to put in 2 hours at the gym straight away - they would build up to it.

Secondly I never go by the guides on bags of food- they nearly always suggest feeding more than most dogs need and rarely cater for if a dog is neutered, and as with people some dogs are far more prone to weight gain than others.

Thirdly - II would cut out the extras, it might not seem much but it all adds up - split his morning feed into two smaller meals and add some veggies if you think he is hungry.

[Moo]

Originally Posted by Suz

I second the no jumping- not yet, he needs to lose the weight in more gentle ways first, so lots of small walks and build it up gradually - just think of it like an overweight person, we wouldnt expect them to put in 2 hours at the gym straight away - they would build up to it.

Secondly I never go by the guides on bags of food- they nearly always suggest feeding more than most dogs need and rarely cater for if a dog is neutered, and as with people some dogs are far more prone to weight gain than others.

Thirdly - II would cut out the extras, it might not seem much but it all adds up - split his morning feed into two smaller meals and add some veggies if you think he is hungry.

Agree, agree, agree!

My dog is regularly 16 lb, and is extremely active, and eats less than 1/4 cup of Innova, twice a day. So in a day, he eats just over 1/3 cup each DAY. He gets some treats, but not a lot. He eats no store bough treats. Mostly fruits, veggies, or home prepared meats. I also make dog biscuits with no salt, sugar or meat. As a chew, he gets frozen broccoli stumps. He has never been overweight, and plan to keep it that way.

10 lbs is a lot of wait for a small dog. It's like a Labrador Retreiver being 35 or 40 lbs overweight. A lot of mild excercise would be more benificial than a little physically exerting excercise. Go for a long walk.

[fairlight]

IAMS has a biscuit with less fat and carbs then regular biscuits. You may want to invest in more rawhimes to keep his mouth going. He is still getting the flavor of the rawhide but no fat or calories. As for food I use Canidae Platinum for older and or over weight dogs.

[EmmaGirl]

I agree with the others. I give mine a few frozen carrots to help with the 'hungries'. An increase in exercise is a must but easy excercize to begin with. Strenuous excercize will put put undue stress on the joints...so start to build up gradually. Cut out all table scaps. I give mine the occasional butcher round bone (with marrow) that will last them a week or so.

[JavaNoire]

What an adorable dog! Truly a Thief of Hearts!

Dog food manufacturers are very generous with the portions they recommend. I think partly b/c selling dog food is what they do after all, but also b/c people often prefer that many breeds be chubby.

I've been successfully tackling weight probs with MyTribe but the American Bulldog is always hungry & incredibly 'food focussed' which I don't like. I think I'll try frozen carrots...& mebbe the green bean addition.

What is a round butchers bone? If it lasts a week I should probably avoid it. There are serios dominance aggression issues still being resolved b/w the AB & my male muttchkin (1/2 terrier & all attitude)