i thought about just getting him some soupbones and other raw meat from the local locker. he needs something that will seem like hes full but in reality hes not. (something to trick the brain). i dont like the commercial dog foods. what are some options?
2007-05-29 12:04:06 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
Raw diet and exercise will definately get your boy into shape. Be sure to research what your dog will need to eat with a raw diet, but the weight will certainly start coming off. Follow up with fresh veggies instead of high fat, high calorie treats. The veggies aren't needed, but it gives them the sense that they are getting food. You can also try baked beef heart for treats.
2007-05-30 09:45:22 · answer #1 · answered by SDHATL 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can be quite serious for a dog to be overweight. I'm sure the vet wouldn't have said that if he/she wasn't concerned. He may just be a bit overweight, barely noticable, but it can soon escalate. One of my dogs was slightly overweight. I thought the vet was making a mountain out of a molehill, so I carried on feeding and exercising her the same. She ended up putting on more weight, noticably so. It was a lot harder to put her on a diet then, and I had to feed her seperately to my other dog. Also, I know someone who had a golden labrador that was quite overweight. He died of a heart attack, because he was obese, unfortunately. It sounds like you really care for your dog, so I can understand that hearing the vet say that may have hurt you. The best type of diet for a slightly overweight dog would be to continue giving him the same meals, but smaller portions. Also, more off the lead exercise, even 5 or 10 minutes a day chasing ball would make all the difference. I hope this helps!
2016-03-13 01:36:55 · answer #2 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are already feeding a raw diet just cut back on the portions and add some veggies. The veggies will need to be cooked or pureed for your dog to get any benefit from them. Dogs don't really need grains so you can cut all grains. As for tricking the brain into thinking he's full think about adding water to his food. Give healthy veggies as snacks - no calories.
Don't forget the exercise
If you do want to check out some healthy dog food try Nature's Variety.
2007-05-29 12:17:10 · answer #3 · answered by healthypets 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Holy cow! 40 pounds is alot of weght to take off of a Golden.
Start to walk him for short distances first then build him up to longer walk each week. No more treats or snacks either. Comercial dog food may be your best route to do.
Look at Canidae silver dog food, Its for over weight and older dogs too. It is very high quality dog food all natural too.
What your doing now isnt going to work since hes so over weight. Feeding him just bones and meat isnt going to work either. Try the Canidae see if it helps.
NOTE: Did your vet check for thyroid problems in your Golden?? This will also put weight on a Golden.
2007-05-29 12:12:22 · answer #4 · answered by ♥Golden gal♥ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Start feeding your dog reduced fat food *if you dont like commercial dog food try mixing chicken and rice together. It is more expensive but your pup needs it! Also, cut back treats and replace with Carrots are a good treat that is healthy. My dog LOVES them.
Bones are a great idea!!!
dont forget to Increase exercise. Take your dog for a walk (you are getting healthy too)
Also, make sure that you dog doesn't have any other medical problems that are causing the dog to retain weight.
2007-05-29 12:09:57 · answer #5 · answered by systematicalf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
40 lbs is not going to go away over night. What would do if your doctor said you had to drop 40 lbs? You would probably start eating less. You would start getting more exercise. You would probably not do any of that. But we are talking about your dog, so that has to be done.
You don't want him to be starving all the time so you can't stop feeding him. You have to figure that 40 lbs are going to take a while to get rid of, First cut what you are feeding to 3/4 what you feed him now. If you give him treats, change it to baby carrots, no more milk bones. It is going to take a while. It took my chubby Beagle a year to lose 7 lbs. It is going to take you a while.
Also ask your vet what he suggests.
2007-05-29 21:14:08 · answer #6 · answered by Tin Can Sailor 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try to get over your attitude about commercial dog foods; they can be as good as you want to pay for. Natural balance is better than anything I can produce on a day in day out basis and even less expensive foods are OK if they have meat and bone meal as one of the first two ingredients. Every commercial feed has a table of contents and a list of ingredients on the package. This will help you find a diet recipe for your dog and if it is 40 pounds overweight you definitely need to change something.
2007-05-29 12:15:42 · answer #7 · answered by John F 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I also have a golden retriever, and for a little while he started to become a little chunker. The best thing I can suggest is take him for walks...LOTS of walks. If you give him a lot of cookies, try and cut down. Also try looking into a different dog food. Science Diet is what my vet recommended
2007-05-29 12:26:41 · answer #8 · answered by cherrylipsx3 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Feed a commerical dry diet food of high quality. I feed California Natural and they have a good diet food. Be sure to get him plenty of walks and exercise.
If you haven't done so already, take him to the vet and have a T4 blood test done to test his thyroid. My golden got about 30 lbs. overweight and that was the problem. We got him on meds (not expensive) and he has had no problems maintaining a healthy weight ever since. Hypothyroidism is VERY common in goldens.
2007-05-29 12:17:46 · answer #9 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You can go to a pet store and they have dog foods that are there for helping them lose weight. You shouldn't let him be a free feeder either. Cut back on his amount of food. Make sure he get plenty of exercise and you only have to throw a ball.
2007-05-29 12:09:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋