Comments on: How to Determine Your Dog’s Ideal Weight

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:19:55 +0000

I got turned on to Darwins dog food..Maya was not happy with other food, from Costco, or any dry food, mighty dog, in cans, but Darwins is real meat and comes frozen. I give it to her cold or heat it up and she licks her bowl clean.. not enough time to determine if she is loosing weight yet. She was 87lbs last time i weighed here. going to weigh her to day. its been almost two weeks

By: Jan

Jan — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:30:43 +0000

I have an 11 year old Sheltie/Collie cross breed (big for Sheltie/small for collie). She has had skin problems for several years now and 2 former vets only put her on Prednisone. She gained a lot of weight and it did nothing for her skin problem. My new traditional/holistic vet put Star on a temporary antibiotic and a holistic med to cool her down (summer only). Her skin has healed and her fur is coming back and she has lost weight on the starvation diet and now weighs about 60 lbs. with the goal being 55. Her arthritis is almost gone. Before I found the new vet I placed Star on Pinnacle Wild Duck holistic dry and canned because so many of your readers advised it was good. The vet has had me continue this food. That is all I give her, no treats.
So, for all of you with dogs with skin problems, find a good vet. I can’t tell you if it is the Pinnacle or the vet, maybe both, but Star is better than she has been in about 3 years and many dollars later.

By: Mike Sagman

Mike Sagman — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:33:04 +0000

Hi Theresa... When it comes to weight loss, dogs are like us humans. It's mostly a simple matter of calorie reduction. Smaller portions. And sometimes, using foods containing fewer calories per serving. Low fat can help, too. For more information, please see our FAQ page. Look for the topic, "Weight Loss for Dogs". And be sure to follow the links there, too. Hope this helps.

By: Theresa Rafferty

Theresa Rafferty — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:53:31 +0000

I have a 5 year old Miniature Poddle who has been neutered recently and he has put on a lot of weight.

Should I try low fat food?

By: Richard Darlington

Richard Darlington — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:40:39 +0000

Melissa

I completely agree with your assessment of the situation and your process.

Steve -

I would only add that a good rule of thumb to know when your dog has achieved it’s ideal weight is to look at the ribs – or rather feel them. They should be covered so you do not see obvious indentations but when you feel the ribs you should be able to distinguish them beneath the layer of skin and muscle/fat. If you’re feeling rolls of fat/skin instead of smooth tissue with slight bumps of ribs underneath then just keep up with Melissa recommendations.

I also think you will also begin to see a marked improvement in activity levels.

It”s funny, but people as so used to overweight dogs these days that after putting their dogs of a good grain / potato free food they often come into our store to show us how the dog is ‘too’ skinny. 99 out of a 100 times the dog looks GREAT but they’ve gotten used to seeing fat versions of their dog all over the place.

Look at wolves. They are always lean and ready to chase down a meal. Look at people who live the longest – doesn’t it seem like they are always on the thin side? Extra weight is not great on your dog – they’re much happier when sleek I think – so you’re doing the best thing.