Hi Sedlypets –
There can be medical conditions responsible for weight gain. I know you got her tested for thyroid issues and that came back negative,but what about Cushing’s? Or is she on any medication that could be causing this?
If you can rule out all heath issues, this means she’s eating too many calories – plain and simple. You say you’re walking her a few miles every other day, this is great but I’d strongly urge you to try and get her exercising daily. I’d switch to a high protein, moderate fat, low carbohydrate (preferably grain-free food). Find out how many calories per cup are in the food she’s eating now, multiply that by how many cups she’s eating per day and what you get will be how many calories she’s eating per day – with whichever food you try feed less calories than this amount. Homemade could be a good option but you’ll need to do a little research – check out dogaware.com and get a book such as Dr. Karen Becker’s “Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats.” Also make sure to cut out ALL treats! If she’s burning more calories than she’s eating she will lose weight (granted she has no health issues).
