 Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#196984 - 05/31/2008 09:48 PM |
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Also, this
http://www.leerburg.com/honestkitchen.htm
used as a little "gravy" over kibble is (IMO) a terrific enhancement without a lot of extra cost. It's not baked/extruded, but dehydrated at low temperatures.
And an occasional can of something like Wellness Core (no grain) or another good canned food (and there are more very good canned foods than there are very good kibbles, probably because the canning process doesn't present any need for starchy grains) is a good plus, too. Even mixing some in at the rate of 1/4 of a can in a meal is good, I think.
All in all, there are lots of ways to greatly improve a kibble diet. The biggest of all (after salmon oil and E), though, is to vary it.
You could either alternate between protein sources in one brand or completely change brands (including different protein sources) regularly.
For example, I know people who buy mostly (3/4) a poultry kibble but alternate it (1/4) with an ocean recipe. This provides different protein profiles, which is a good thing.
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Amy Morris ]
#196986 - 05/31/2008 09:55 PM |
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With an extremely overweight dog how careful should she be with the dog's exercise?
I'm thinking no jogging just yet, maybe long walks for a few weeks. I'm concerned with heart and joint stress. I'm thinking food should be cut to maybe half of a normal ration for now as long as nutrition is adequate? What do you think?
As far as helping a dog loose weight, how difficult is it?
How old and how much overweight?
I would feed the amount for the dog's ideal weight (just as I would do to increase weight).
Half of a normal ration almost certainly isn't adequate nutrition.
And good for you that you are not considering the so-called "diet" foods. They are an abomination. Without exception, as far as I have seen.
I have adopted fat dogs in the past, and regulated weight pretty readily with fresh raw food, but with kibble it might be a little slower. I do think that excellent quality is paramount; low protein and high carbs might look good on the calorie count, but that is no favor at all to the dog, and it's a sure way to make a hungry dog feel even hungrier as s/he tries to extract and process enough protein from grains without the enzymes that humans have to do that.
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#196987 - 05/31/2008 09:56 PM |
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Oh, I see: 18 months old.
How much overweight?
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#196988 - 05/31/2008 09:58 PM |
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Oh, and swimming is excellent to protect joints from a heavy load.
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#197008 - 05/31/2008 11:42 PM |
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Hey Connie
Well the dog looks to be about 20lbs overweight. She's a small Lab so I'm guessing she should be 55 lbs or so and looks about 70-75lbs. She waddles when she walks, can't sit normally due to weight and seems distressed with much exertion.
So I'm guessing the lower end of normal rations for what her ideal weight should be? I figure my sister will add a bit of yogurt to the dogs diet as well.
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Amy Morris ]
#197027 - 06/01/2008 10:20 AM |
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Figure in the extra (fresh) foods, though, when setting her meal sizes.
Swimming in safe water, walking on soft ground, and, like humans, pretty much anything but lying on the couch will help.
If you divide the food into two meals, her metabolism will stay higher for more of the day (burning calories).
Training treats should be real food that can be counted as part of her diet - not extras. A good option is white chicken dried out in the microwave in tiny bites or any other real-food treat (tiny). Sugary, salty, grain-based treats are totally out for this girl. 
Getting her weight controlled is going to change her life.
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#197062 - 06/01/2008 05:17 PM |
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Thank you Connie. I've always had skinny, malnourished rescues. I think it's almost as bad to let a dog get so fat that she's visibly distressed.
Poor thing would like to chase a ball and jump but can hardly get off her feet. Oh and my sister says she's about 80lbs actually. So I think she may be 30lbs overweight.
Thanks I'll give my sister the info. I love this website, it always has sound advice even if I don't post much I usually can find the answers I need.
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Amy Morris ]
#197064 - 06/01/2008 05:35 PM |
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I've always had skinny, malnourished rescues. I think it's almost as bad to let a dog get so fat that she's visibly distressed.
Me too. You will be a good cheerleader for your sister. It will be hard to look at the begging face and ignore it, but it has to be done, as you know. (Oh, BTW, have you heard of the green-bean thing? There are canned green beans with no sodium added, really really cheap, and cooked to death in the canning process so there's really no cell wall left to challenge the dog's enzyme production. If your sister gets some of those, they can be both an almost-no-calorie treat -- only 50 or 60 calories in the entire can -- and also kind of a filler to make the reduced bowl of food a little less disappointing to the dog.)
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#197065 - 06/01/2008 05:41 PM |
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It's sad about being unable to chase a ball or jump. I betcha that a few smooth-motion games in the house or on grass will be nice for her. Maybe bowl a ball and she could kind of waddle after it? I'm not making fun; I really do think it will be good to get her moving, even in a gentle and smooth way. It's still burning calories!
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Re: Pool-bleaching dog coat
[Re: Amy Morris ]
#197084 - 06/01/2008 08:19 PM |
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A lot of chocolate labs seem to get bleached out in the summer. I am sure the chlorinated water is not helping anything.
Michelle
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