primitives discuss dieting pets

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11612768

Oh my.

The clam-killing old dude's wife:

Sparkly (21,535 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

Anybody tried a weight-control dog food that your dog actually liked?

Seems the "diet" dog food doesn't appeal to our chubby one. She'll eat it if absolutely desperate, but I wish I could find something she actually liked.

Curmudgeoness (6,341 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

1. I don't have experience with dogs, but my cats had to go on one of the weight control foods. I suppose that I was lucky in that, at the time, I was feeding Purina One, and they had a Purina One for weight control.....so the change was not so great, since it was not a different brand.

Is there a lower calorie formula in the food you had been feeding her?

Also, if you give me a choice, I will hold out for the fattening stuff too. So you have two choices....you feed less of the food your dog likes and see how that works, or you only feed the weight control food and that is all she has to eat. Remember to do the change in food slowly----start with just a little diet food and mostly the regular food, then go a little at a time to less regular and more diet food until you get to all diet food. This will make the transition easier and also make it less likely that there will be tummy and intestinal problems with the new food.

Good luck. Although this will seem like it sucks, a slimmer dog will be a healthier dog. Keep your eyes on the prize.

Sparkly (21,535 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

5. Good points, thanks!

I didn't make a slow transition, so that's part of the problem. Now when I mix them, she picks out the regular kind and leaves the low-cal stuff.

I've been giving her smaller portions and trying to supplement with green beans and other v*****s. She just wants to eat way too much, I think! So now I'm trying to distract her by tossing a ball with her. Gives her a little more exercise, at least.

Joe Shlabotnik (642 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

2. I've had a bit experience with diet dog food.

I've put my GSD on it a few times, when her medication gave her a ravenous appetite, and she started getting chubby after her meds were done. She was fussy about it, so I made sure that she got no treats or table scraps, and the food sat in her bowl until she was starving enough to eat it. I don't know about her 'liking it', I just assume that she wouldn't much like the alternative.

Sparkly (21,535 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

6. Yeah, she'll eat it if absolutely necessary.

But the other dogs get regular food and she sits outside the area where the food bags are and cries! I'm too much of a "mommy" and can't stand it!

TheCruces (86 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

3. My dog likes the Authority Lamb & Rice weight control

You can get it at PetSmart. It doesn't have corn either, which I like about it.

avebury (546 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

4. My dogs get a combination of Pro Plan for Weight Management (because of the probiotics) and Authority Senior for the glucosomine and chondrotin for their joints and they have done quite well on them.

Sparkly (21,535 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

8. What about canned food?

I've been researching online a bit, and it seems many people use canned food, even small amounts mixed with the dry stuff. Is there any benefit to that?

My little (fat) one is still a youngster, but I know there are small breed type foods -- I think the only difference is the size of the pieces, but I could be wrong.

phylny (2,475 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

10. Our vet suggested giving our overweight dog some pumpkin along with a bit less of his regular dog food, because the pumpkin will fill his t***y. Also, we have increased his walks, which is an important component.

TorchTheWitch (6,117 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

14. I'm pretty sure this is what my next door neighbors have been doing with their fatso Bull Mastiff. Bubba has noticably lost weight in the last few months since they've been dieting and exercising him, and I've seen a huge improvement in his energy and general interest in things. Before he was so fat he had trouble just heaving himself up and down the few stairs that lead into the yard and he never went upstairs in the house at all. He seems soooo much more healthy and happy just with this initial weight loss and is back to going up and down the stairs in the house whenever he wants, and he's practically bounding up and down the outside steps now. He doesn't seem nearly so arthritic now either, so I'm wondering if his weight had more to do with his painful joints than the actual arthritis. They've been able to cut his arthritis meds to less than half!

I told her about the greenbean thing too, so I think she's alternating pumpkin with greenbeans and carrots now to give him more variety (and I think because he just likes greenbeans and carrots better than the pumpkin). The hardest part for her though is spying on her husband and the youngest kid to make sure they aren't secretly slipping him treats or letting him steal them. She's pretty good at cracking the whip with them though. LOL!

If you like, I can ask her more specifics about how they're dealing with Bubba's dieting since it might help you. She likes to talk about it, and I'm pretty sure it's because she's proud and happy with the success, so I know she won't mind.

Stinky The Clown (45,228 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore

15. The "treat sneaker" in our house is not the husband