[Barbara C]

I have a 9 year old mixed breed, small dog that is overweight. We take him for a walk twice a day. He is getting slower and I am afraid that he will not be able to exercise when summer gets here because of his weight. I started making his food from ground meat, carrots and cottage cheese. I don’t know if this has helped since he looks bigger than ever. Also, I am not sure if he is getting enough vitamins with homemade food. I give him l/4 cup in a.m. and 3/4 cup at night. A total of 1 cup per day.
I don’t know if I should keep feeding him the homemade diet or switch to a low fat dry food. I used Halo’s diet food and he seemed to like it, but again didn’t loose any weight.
HELP! What should I do?

[anonymous]

Any way you can get him to a pool three times a week for 10 minutes at a time? One minute of swimming is equal to 4 minutes of running.
Has he had a senior workup done by the vet, lab work? I would rule out medical causes for the lethargy/weight gain before trying to find the perfect food. Don’t assume his symptoms are age related.
See what the vet recommends.

Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea worked well for my senior, see chewy dot com for reviews.
What does your dog weigh? What does the vet recommend he weigh? Weigh him once a week by standing on the scale while holding him. Weigh yourself first, then deduct your weight.

If you have pet insurance and the vet prescribes aqua therapy (swimming in a heated pool) for medical reasons/rehab, weight loss….it may be covered.
PS: Add water to the food and take him out to void (urinate) often.

[Susan]

Hi Barbara, stick with the homemade raw diet, change from the carrots to frozen beans you get in supermarket they will thaw, also one day or 2 days a week feed 1 raw meaty bone for breakfast instead of the 1/4 of a cup meal, it can be a chicken leg NO skin, chicken wing, NO skin, chicken bones are soft easy to digest & will clean his teeth & he’s getting a different protein in his diet, also start adding tin sardines in spring water to his diet add about 2 small sardines to 1 of the meals so he’s getting his omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins & minerals for his skin, joints, brain & heart, sardines are very healthy…. watch his coat start to shine after eating sardines or feed tin pink salmon or tuna in spring water drain the water…Replace 3 or all of his breakfasts with the tin salmon instead of the grinded meat, the weight will start to fall off with fish, is his grinded meat very lean, not much fat?? Tuna or Salmon would be more leaner & higher in protein, change the proteins in his diet around a bit, in 1 week he should get at least 3 different proteins in his diet, the bones in the tin salmon are good leave them, just crush them with a spoon if your worried..
It takes time to lose weight, it’s quicker to gain weight but losing weight is hard, do not go back to a kibble, kibbles are very high in carbs unless you see vet & feed the Hills Metabolic + Mobility vegetable tuna stew wet tin food, this vet diet is suppose to be very good & dogs do lose weight..
With his 2 walks a day start walking him at a faster pace, get his heart pumping, at first you start off slow then each week you increase the walk & speed also throw a ball out in the yard or up & down the hallway & have play time once a day, you will get there… if after changing to the tuna sardines & salmon for breakfast instead of the meat & if in 2 months he hasn’t lost any weight see a vet & try the Hills Metabolic + Mobility wet tin food, Hills guarantee your dog will lose weight within 21days from 13% to 60% weight loss… Good Luck oh for a treat or snack, give a few small peeled apple pieces, size of a kibble, you can even add grated apple no seeds or peel in his meals.

[anonymous]

Addendum:
What food did your veterinarian recommend? It doesn’t sound like you are overfeeding him.
You can presoak the kibble in water or plain homemade (nothing added, boiled chicken water)broth. I would say no snacks, except maybe a raw carrot here and there.
How about: https://www.chewy.com/natural-balance-fat-dogs-chicken/dp/46804 Only 250 calories per cup!

I hope these articles help: https://www.mspca.org/pet_resources/the-skinny-on-pet-diets/
and https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/

I would increase the walks, even if they are slow and leisurely.
PS: Brush his teeth once a day, they love chicken flavored toothpaste.

[aimee]

Hi Barbara,

The current diet sounds unbalanced and depending on the type of ground beef may also be very high in fat. In any case it isn’t working for your dog.

Feeding a food specifically formulated for weight loss is recommended. Ask your vet for advice.

[Marie P]

Hi Barbara, HOW about you buy a quality kibble and then add the Doggie Weight loss stew to your program. SEE here for recipe http://bulldogvitamins.blogspot.com/2016/08/skinny-diet-this-is-to-be-used-few.html

[Peter K]

You can take him to the pool, then let him swim.

[Barbara C]

Took him to the vet & he is now on Hills Metabolic + Mobility wet tin food & Hills Metabolic + Mobility dry food. I give him half wet & half dry. He has lost a pound, but Hills must have a lot of grains in the food. He is now scratching & itching constantly. Called the vet but he has not returned my call yet. Has anyone had the same problem with this dog food? Don’t know what other dog food would grain free & help in loosing weight. Any suggestions?

[anonymous]

The pruritus may be unrelated to the food. It may be caused by environmental allergies, the pollen count is high where I am.
Wipe off his paws with plain water and towel dry when he comes in from outside, especially after walking in grass wet with morning dew.
Bathe once a week in a gentle shampoo such as Sergeant’s fur so fresh puppy.
If it continues, I would go by what your vet suggests.

[Susan]

H Barbara, sounds like he has a food intolerance to an ingredient in the Hills Metabolic + Mobility dry vet formula your feeding, my boy is the same the vet diet fixes one health problem his IBD but then my boy gets his red paws & smelly itchy yeasty skin from a few ingredients in the vet formula…. with my boy it’s the chicken, barley, corn gluten meal, corn starch, carrots & whole corn that causes his yeasty smelly skin & ears, some dogs are fine & don’t have food sensitivities to these ingredients…
Just feed the Metabolic + Mobility Vegetable Tuna Stew, it doesn’t have the chicken meal, wheat, or whole corn, but it has the corn starch….The wet tin food vet diets always have better ingredients then the matching dry formula, there’s also a vegetable & beef stew, if you take back the bag of Hills kibble they will give your money back & just feed the Beef & Tuna wet tin foods….see how he goes, now you need a shampoo for his itchy yeasty skin, I use the “Malaseb” medicated shampoo, it can be used daily & relieves the itch & kills any yeast & bacteria on the skin….
A few people say the “Wellness” Core Reduced Fat is pretty good for losing weight, it has the matching wet food as well, Wellness make a few different formulas here’s their link..
There’s even weight management formula’s in their Simple & Complete Health range

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