[Tom L]

We recently acquired an overweight (78#) 12 year old Labrador with severe joint disease who can have limited walks and exercise due to bones rubbing on bones. This is a loving female who loves to eat and likes snacks and treats. Our vet recommended feeding her Science Diet Senior Food 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup at night along with supplements.
She hasn’t lost any weight and is always looking for snacks. We are concerned that this is the correct food for our overweight dog. Ideally, we would like to give her 3 small servings a day. Tom L.

[InkedMarie]

Hi Tom,
First, thanks for adopting this senior gal! I would not feed that food. No offense to your vet but they get very little nutrition education.
Years back, we adopted a senior dog who was obese. She should have weighed about 25lbs but was 43.7. We used Wellness Core reduced fat & she lost the weight. For snacks, you can use some of her kibble from her daily ration, fresh green beans, we use The Honest kitchen quickies but they’re costly.ni think Buddy biscuit itty Bitties and Charlee Bear treats are low calorie.
What supplements are you using? I’ve used Joint Mobility Plus (from SwansonVitamins.com), green lipped mussel, salmon oil, Liquid Gold K9 and salmon oil for ours with bad joints.

[aimee]

Hi Tom,

Labs do love to eat don’t they? Ask your vet if Science Diet Perfect Weight or Slim and Healthy would be appropriate for your dog (It has a higher protein level and lower caloric density than their mature line and is formulated for weight loss) or ask if you should change to a vet therapeutic food.

It seems like your Lab, like mine, has fairly low energy requirements. A food with a high nutrient/calorie ratio may be needed to ensure that your dog’s nutrient needs are met when taking in fewer calories.

For my Lab Ive used Wellness core reduced fat,and Pro Plan weight management for weight maintenance. When I needed her to lose a few pounds I used Royal Canin high protein calorie control.

You can find good information on weight loss here https://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/Weight_Management_Guidelines.pdf Good Luck!

[Author]

Posts