The Great Weigh In

Hi

Just an update on mainly Poppys never ending diet .
Food changed from Arden Grange light to RC Obesity management ,fed 2 x daily total amount 50 grammes plus veg
Poppy
15/8 12.90 k
19/9 12.90 k
25/9 12.90 k
12/10 12.80 k

Daisy
Food changed from Arden Grange to R C Light ,amount daily 40 grammes and veg
15/8 8.40 k
19/9 8.30 k
25/9 8.40 k
12/10 7.90 k
Rosie Same food and amount as Daisy
15/8 9.70 k
19/9 9.90 k
25/9 9.80 k
12/10 9.20 k
Lilys her breeder when we got her was feeding her Bakers 4 oz per day so we soon changed that to RC Cav food and some Burns as well and down to 80 gramme a day and a tiny amount of veg
15/8 6.60 k
19/9 6.70 k
25/9 6.90 k
12/10 6.60 k
So what am I doing wrong with Pops the other 3 have lost weight and Poppy hasnt and they all exercise together ,and I thought the obesity would be better that the light so I will decrease Pops down again to 40 grammes daily and do another weigh in in 10 days ,oh and my weight is fairly constant at 70 kilo ,any other ideas for the girls.

Brian:

Chelsea is big boned lets say and she eats like she never gets fed. You put it down and its gone in 2 mins if that. I used to feed all 4 dogs 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 at night.

About 3 months ago I decided that 3 of them need to drop some weight--Winston, Chelsea and Abbey and cut it back to 1/3 cup in the a.m. and 1/3 cup in the night. I did not change their food to light etc. Due to Winston and Abbey having allergies treats are minimal anyways. The dogs get one treat at bed time and thats it.

Last time we took Chelsea to the vet she had dropped over a pound and they said whatever you are doing keep on doing it.

I don't think we think in regards to their size. They are a size of a baby in regards to weight. Think how many calories a baby takes in. Same is true with a dog. These guys are small and don't need much.

We have gone in the last year or little more from having food down on the floor all the time with cookies and treats quite a bit to the above and it shows and it sure is better for them.

They are probably like humans and it takes alot of walking to really burn off calories.

Also, since she's not losing weight I'd cut her food back even more. Thats what I would do for mine. Try to think in calories vs amount. Its hard because our minds are really geared to humans and how much food it takes. These guys are little and don't need many calories. I know when I discussed 1/2 cup twice a day my vet said thats so and so calories. Also, just like humans you could put 2 dogs side by side that are exactly the same weight and size and their calorie requirements would be different. Just like people different metabolisms and genes etc.

Brian - over here a lot of people substitute some of the dog food with green beans a/k/a haricot verts when their dog needs to lose weight. It fills the dog up but has less to no calories. Also, cooked pumpkin will do (not pumpkin pie filling) but our Sophie won't have any of it.

Had this problem with my Boxer. Solved it by cutting his usual dry food down by half, but adding in mashed cooked carrots and green beans. He thought he would surely starve to death for the first couple of weeks or so, so was forced to live off his reserves. It took about 3 months, and he's now in great shape.

Brian- Why are you feeding Poppy 50 g and the others only 20? I'm terrible with conversions, but shouldn't they all be eating close to the same amount?

If you have cut her food back (which I think you've done over the course of several month) it may be time to have her thyroid checked.

--Trisha

Hi Chloe

Sorry that was an error on my part Daisy and Rosie get 40 grammes of Royal Canin Light and Pops 50 grammes of Royal Canin Obesity management plus broccoli ,green beans and carrots .So I cant understand why Pops isnt loosing any weght especially as hers is the Obesity management variety so as you say I might get her thyroids checked out .I did phone up The L/Pool Uni Animal facility at Leahurst and they do a doggie weight watchers course and its F.O.Charge I would just need a letter from my vets so I might find out a bit more on that front.

We had terrible problems with Mollys weight. It was even more miserable for her constantly cutting down diet commercial foods (she loves her food). Eventually we fed her on ground fruit and veg and chopped chicken and fish. She has 3 nice meals a day which makes her happy and she has lost 1.5kgm. While we were on holiday we fed her the same as dougall the royal Canin and her weight ballooned again in just a few days. Once home and put her back on her regular diet she is a nice health 10kgms again. We also give her supplements to ensure she gets everything she needs. Dougall is slim just on the Royak Canin, i guess they are like people, different things work for different dogs!

I like the idea of the doggie weight watchers course in Liverpool Brian.
Poppy could still do well on the obesity management Royal canin as long as you're not an overly kind Daddy and start adding
Kronch salmon oil,yougrt or a taste of wet food:yuk:
Sins

All I did with Prince was cut him down to one meal of dry food a day. I dont measure the portions but it would have been about 2 of my handfulls and then his second meal would have been the boiled veggies. I was lucky as well because he likes apples as a treat. That and plenty of walks. The weight loss has been slow going all the same. He was approx 29lbs in Jan this year and is now down to 22lbs as of about 3 weeks ago so thats 7lbs lost in 10 months.
I know Prince has a very thinck wooly coat though and that makes him look huge.
The other thing is I feed him separately to Belle because he would have her food scoffed in seconds because he eats so fast and she is a painfully slow eater.

When I read this back it seems like loads of effort! I also have to watch him like a hawk or he starts licking dishes as I am putting them into the dishwasher and he follows my 2 year old around as well to see does he drop anything good. Phew! A lot of effort to keep Prince on his diet!! :grin:

Good luck with Poppy, if she is half as clever as my fella you will have your work cut out!