Slowing down, and gaining weight fast

[Shamas mom]

Shamas has really slowed down this last year. A LOT. Last year, I got a great photo of him leaping a log at the dog park....this year, he plods along, and he doesn't do fetch anymore....well, maybe one fetch, if it's not too far

Problem is, he's putting on weight fast. He's now up to 87lbs. I need to take action.

As soon as the puppy's moved out, I'm going to start him on a metabolic food.....but they swap bowls, so I can't feed him anything that's not also OK for puppy. And they both refuse to eat if I separate them for meals.

So it comes down to excercise.

with the weather warming, we're trying to get him out more...but there's a building going up nearby and he won't walk during workman's hours because of the noise.

So I'm thinking perhaps some aglity type course in the yard.....

This weigh REALLY concerns me, because it's causing him breathing issues, and mobility issues. If it keeps going up, he won't be ABLE to exercise his way back to a healthy weight. His healthy weight is 68lbs

I don't Free-feed..i feed twice a day. I could feed 3x/day, so less is being fed in a sitting, and perhaps it'll be eaten faster that way, so he's not eating more than his share?

 

[Jacqui-S]

I wonder why they won't eat separately? That seems strange. Not even one on each side of a baby gate?
I recall our ortho vet telling us to cut Lilly's food by 1/3 when she was diagnosed with her hips back many moons ago, and to avoid using special weight loss foods, they were not needed just a bit gimmicky.
Just less of a normal high quality food with omega 3s in it.
I suppose much like ourselves if we are trying to lose weight. Healthy diet, just eat a bit less, more likely to sustain it.

Does Shamas have a diagnosed joint problem, I can't recall?

 

[Boogie]

Exercise doesn’t shift weight. It tones muscles but it’s fewer calories that shift weight. I know from my human perspectime having had to restrict my own exercise!

I put Tatze on senior food about two years ago when she slowed down - and cut down the amount of food. All her treats are dried fish, no biscuits or fatty treats. She’s now a healthy 30Kg.

 

[MellowYellow]

It is a tricky one, but I agree with Jac, just cut his food down by 1/3. And giving him extra exercise in the yard is definitely a good idea - it wont really mean he loses weight, but it will help keep him mobile, and mentally stimulate him too. Any games you can play with him will help.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Exercise doesn’t shift weight.

100% this. As the expression goes, "You can't outrun your fork". Of course more movement will be good for Shamas and more exercise helps a little, but unless we're talking hours of activity (I'm thinking of the kind @snowbunny 's dogs get!) the weight is mainly about the food.

Personally I think special weight loss dog food is a marketing ploy and the food itself just contains more cheap low cal fillers. Cut his current food and to make it easier mix in fresh veggies like broccoli that bulk without calories. Or maybe try something that helps with Carbon, which is I use a slow feed/puzzle bowl and put interesting smears of high value things in the little nooks and crannies. That could be no sugar peanut/other nut butter, liver paste or something similar or fish oil that takes a long time to lick out of the bowl. As it's a small smear it doesn't add many calories but it keeps him happy so he doesn't really notice that he's only gotten 20 pieces of kibble per meal.

I really can't see two dogs holding out for long if separated to eat, especially not if Shamas is a Labrador about food. It may be a bigger worry for the puppy as she's only known eating with Shamas, but it's really worth a try again and holding out longer. If they need to be the same room, maybe try a crate/x-pen/babygate to make two separate areas? Shamas is clearly getting a good deal of the puppy's food if he's put on that much weight. And realistically, when the puppy leaves they WILL have to learn to eat separately, so why not now?

Also maybe ask yourself how much Shamas really needs. I'm absolutely shocked at the tiny amount that Carbon actually needs to maintain a proper weight. To the point where if I'm honest he's a bit chunky now because I can't bring myself to give him less than 40 pieces of kibble a day! So I feel your pain and need to take my own 'advice'. Maybe we could do a puppy diet together for Carbon and Shamas?

 

[Atemas]

I'm absolutely shocked at the tiny amount that Carbon actually needs to maintain a proper weight.

Yes I too feel this about Red. She has put on a kilo in a year - the vet didn’t mention it at her annual check up recently but I took notice. She is 28kg and has a waist so she isn’t overweight but she’s not as lean as I’d like her to be. I have cut her food down even more. She has 120g of kibble a day plus a tray of wet food, some fish treats on walks but low calorie. I religiously weigh her food every day. She gets no titbits. She gets masses of exercise. I think food control is the only way to shift any weight

 

[SwampDonkey]

I just cut their food. I never give senior or weight reduction food. I keep Rory who has colitis on a lower fat food because his body struggles with fats. It's a good food and he enjoys it.

 

[Shamas mom]

Does Shamas have a diagnosed joint problem, I can't recall?

No, he Xrayed clear. He's limping badly with the weight gain, but his joints are good. Get that extra weight off, and I can see him running and jumping again...right now, he scrabbles into the car.

I was thinking last night, I'd get a smaller food scoop. Shamas feeding guide says 3 1/4 cup-4 cups daily. I could feed 3x daily and use a 1cup scoop. This would decrease the amount he's eating in a sitting, and also overall. I can do his supper with the dental food, and something more puppy friendly during the day.

The issue with separating them, I believe, has a little to do with confinement and a lot to do with each dog being convinced that the other is getting a better bowl than them. So they swap 3-4 times during the meal.

I don't pull up bowls 1/2 hour later, because I usually leave 1/2hour-45min after I wake up. So it's pee time, feed, shower, second pee to be sure, pills, and uniform. Keys? check. Badge? check. Bye, be good!

 

[Shamas mom]

@Emily_Babbelhund regarding what you said on giving separating them another go---I'm actually practicing separating Angel from the household right now, so I can feed Angel in the room whee we're doing that practice.

we're just doing 2-5min intervals with her in the back room, with her favorite stuffy, since she got used to sleeping out in the house. I've been leaving the bedroom door open, and letting both dogs have the bedroom and diningroom access since Angel's owners went nights...her room is too cluttered with pre-moving stuff to safely leave a puppy overnight

 

[MellowYellow]

Shamas feeding guide says 3 1/4 cup-4 cups daily. I could feed 3x daily and use a 1cup scoop. This would decrease the amount he's eating in a sitting, and also overall. I can do his supper with the dental food, and something more puppy friendly during the day.

3 to 4 cups of food per day??? That sounds a MASSIVE amount to me, only suitable for a young, very active dog. Just give him 1/3 less, he won't notice and it will reduce his weight quite quickly.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

3 to 4 cups of food per day??? That sounds a MASSIVE amount to me, only suitable for a young, very active dog. Just give him 1/3 less, he won't notice and it will reduce his weight quite quickly.

I agree. The guidelines on the package have never been remotely close to what I feed when I feed dry food. I don't know what kind of dogs they are for, but not the ones I've had. When I said Carbon gets 20 pieces of kibble twice a day, I wasn't kidding. If he has a big walk or swim day, it's more, but mostly that's it. It's sad, but that's why I do the veggies and smears of tasty things in his puzzle bowl. And even then he's still a little bit of a Buddha-belly boy at the moment.

It also depends so much on the individual dog. To stay the correct weight, my first Rottie Duncan could eat approximately 1/2 of what Brogan could eat. Yet Duncan weighed 125-130 lbs and Brogan weighed about 75 lbs. It's crazy.

 

[Boogie]

Tatze is on two cups of senior food a day - one per meal. I use some of this for Kongs.
Even then I have to keep an eye on her weight.

Its a sad sad fact that we, dogs and humans, need fewer calories as we get older.

Humph!

Thank goodness for dried fish cubes, which Tatze adores!

 

[Anne123]

We feed Finn 2 small cups a day, much less then the brand says he should have. If I give him the amount he should have according to the description he will gain too much weight. I also look what he has done/does on the day, so if he has been active and we walk far he will get a little extra. Not extra in kibble but he get vegetables, fruit, winter carrot, beans, broccoli etc etc. He weighs 30kg, not bad for a showline lab I guess….
When we had 2 labs, we let them eat apart. Closed the glass door in between them, so they could see each other. If we didn’t Euan would eat Finn’s kibble as it was much nicer and richer as it was puppy kibble.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I just fed Carbon and actually counted out his kibble tonight instead of guessing. I actually feed him about 60 pieces a meal. So I am a lying liar saying it was 20...and more importantly, the poor Señor gets more food than I thought.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Lilly and Oreo eat in the same space. They will wait to eat if they ask them. Lilly always finishes first, waits for Oreo, then they swap bowls to lick the non existing remains.
Its polite. They know the boundaries.

Lilly is around 25kg. Varies a kg either way.
She is on Fish 4 Dogs a grain free food and gets around 4/5 of the standard dog food measuring cup twice a day. I may be wrong but I think this is around 100-110g.been a while since I weighed it.

I would advise to weigh Shamas food rather than doing it by eye which is notoriously inaccurate.
Weigh what he get now, reduce by a 1/3 for starters and reweigh in a month.

To be blunt, if he isn't able to walk purely due to his weight, then that is a real concern. Putting a dog on a diet is easy.
Less so ourselves.
You just need to do it. Shamas needs you to do it for him.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Putting a dog on a diet is easy.
Less so ourselves.

Thumbs up times 1000. I always say I wish I was someone's dog so they could put ME on a diet. It would be so much easier.

 

[edzbird]

Lilly and Oreo eat in the same space. They will wait to eat if they ask them. Lilly always finishes first, waits for Oreo, then they swap bowls to lick the non existing remains.
Its polite. They know the boundaries.

Ours are the same.

Both on Skinners Field & Trial - which is probably inappropriate as it's for working dogs, but we have it balanced well quantity wise. Coco has 200g, Meg 111g or 112g (don't ask!). Coco also has a tin of dog food & Meg has a tray of wet food. Coco is around 32kg, Meg 21kg.

 

[kateincornwall]

I fear I have been overfeeding Reuben Back when I was more able , he had masses of exercise every day, miles and miles of walks and he looked quite skinny at times . I am feeding him the same amount as back then and he now does not get the same level of exercise which showed when he was weighed at the Vets when he had his poorly tail , he had gained about 4/5 kilos ( now 39 kilos ) which horrified me . I still see a defined waist , still feel his ribs and he is a very tall lad with much muscle but I am cutting his feeds back by about a quarter xx

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I fear I have been overfeeding Reuben

Reuben looks great, Kate. Before he looked like a perfectly healthy but skinny and wirey puppy, now he's filed out with muscle and looks like an adult. Tough as nails with all that running he does - kinda makes my Señor look like a squishy marshmallow.

 

[Selina27]

Cassie has maintained a weight of 28.5 to 29.5 kilos for about 3 years now. My vets are very zealous about Labs weight, and are always happy with hers, to date anyway.
I do think though that in the last 12 months she has thickened out, but she weighs the same. Her physical exercise varies from day to day, but she is pretty fit and athletic. I am not sure but I think that muscle weighs heavier than fat? I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.
Her backbone and ribs are easily felt and she does have a visible waist.
She often has more than her recommended amount of food, lucky her .I think that with her type of sleek coat it is easy for me to see if she is starting to put on weight and adjust accordingly.