rottweiler overweight...suggestion please?

Question

i have a 2 year old rotti, shes 125 lbs and we now live in a 1 story house and no fenced in yard. she gained weight from not being as active and my father cut back her food for awhile now to a half of a can of wet food and a half of a cup of dry food for breakfast and dinner...i notice sometimes she has pain in her back hip (i know its common for these dogs to have hip problems from being over weight) but before it gets worse is there anything you can suggest doing, a different food, anything? are there joint/hip meds she can take?

to the 1 who is saying "dont give me that i dont have time to walk the dog", exactly, i don't. i cannot walk...therefore, i can't walk the dog. there are no dog parks where i live to let her run around on her own, though i wish they were. i am going to take the suggestions as to do away with the wet food and go for a weight control/less calorie dry dog food. my dog is due for a vet visit in the next month so i will have them check her hips. she still runs around the house when she wants to play so she's not in pain just once in awhile it seems like she is

Answer 1

ask your vet about a green bean diet... My vet has suggested it to our friends Scotty, he lost 6 lbs.
Just a suggestion.

Addition:
just be sure and gradually change the food, they have a tendency to get the runs if you change to fast.
3/4 old to 1/4 new 1st day
1/2 and 1/2 second and 3rd day
1/4 old and 3/4 new 4th and 5th day
all new from there..

this what my vet recommended when I changed food, eliminating the chicken from my Dobes diet.

( if your dog won't eat without the wet food, try adding the green beans... they really like them)
Good Luck!

Answer 2

purchase a reduced fat or weight control formula of dog food currently in the same brand you are currently using. Cut the wet food to 1/4 of what you are feeding now, only use for taste, I give our lab 1/2 a cup of dry food and only a spoonful of wet food to just mix in and add flavor to the dry in the morning and night. That's all he needs with respects to wet food. It's not just his joints that will improve but excess weight on a dog puts a strain on their heart and organs.

Try to get him out for more exercise, join a dog park so he can run around and exercise.

Answer 3

there is one easy surefire way for her to lose weight - and given the description of your living conditions now, it is a must.

WALK. two times a day, for 20 minutes at a time. Then slowly increase that up to 2 times a day 45 minutes at a time.

Walks are sooooo important especially in a house with no yard. Continue on the cut back food, but increase the exercise. The dog will lose weight - within 1 month you will see a difference.

Answer 4

She isn't as active because you don't take her for walks. Dogs need exercise, especially young dogs like that! A rott needs probably at least 1 hour of exercise a day! I know that seems like a lot, but you need to be responsible.

I had a dog in Europe in an apartment and had to take her for a walk 4 times a day! It got me in shape and made her healthy too!

Take the time to take your dog for at least 2 short walks a day (10 to 15 minutes). You can also buy treats with glucosamine in them which is good for their joints.
Check the protein amount in the food - protein causes weight gain. And talk to your vet.

Answer 5

Take your dog to the vet to check her hips, if she is in pain she won't be active, gain more weight and attribute more to the problem. There are a number of different things a vet can suggest to help her if she indeed has a hip problem.

Edited: just be aware that the sooner you catch a hip problem the better, there is more that can be done to correct the problem, Also dogs are MUCH better then people at hiding pain.

Answer 6

Definitely try the weight loss formula food. Also, make sure nobody in the family is giving secret treats. Sometimes somebody in the family feels sorry for the dog and gives it extra food that can sabotage the diet.

If you cannot walk, for whatever reason, see if someone else in your family cannot walk the dog. Exercise is key to help a dog lose weight.

I feed my lab glycoflex and missing link. They're supplements in her food that help support her hips. Glycoflex or any glucosamine supplement can REALLY help your dog. It can prevent, but also even repair damage. It's great stuff.

Answer 7

A low calorie and fat diet. 2 walks a day at least on the leash.

My ex had a rottie who was over weight (by 10 lbs) and we did just what I suggested above and she dropped it quickly. She was 7 years old.

We used eukanuba low cal dry food. Mix the wet and dry well before giving it to your dog. It worked wonders!

Answer 8

I like Candidae food also, but it is pricier than some other foods. If you want to go a little cheaper, get Nutro. My dog had weight problems and I fed her Canidae for all stages. On their website they have feeding guidelines for weightloss. My vet told me to give up the canned (temporarily, at least) and add some kind of fiber to your dogs diet. She reccommended canned pumpkin, which my dog turned out to love. Have you taken your dog to vet for her hip problems? It could be serious, you don't want her to be in pain. There are glucosomine and chondroiton supluments you can give your dog for hip/joint problems. Go to a vitamin or health food store to get some. Also, there are special dog foods that have already added these supplements.

Answer 9

I would suggest that you cut her food back to 3 cups a day- you can break that up into however you want. You can get a light diet by iams or Science Diet which are two very good diets. You could slaso call your vet and see what prescription diet they reccomend. Royal Canin Calorie Control is a great diet!
You should inquire about giving her a glucosamine suppliment- see what your vet would reccomend.

Now- this may be far fetched- but knowing Rotts- they are at extreme risk for bone cancer. My sister in laws parents have lost 3 to bone cancer. I would not hesitate to have hip rads taken just to rule that out. I dont want to scare you- but I wold be a bit concerned. I think a physical exam should be done in the near future by your vet.

Answer 10

My rottie is 8 years old and has been fighting overweight issues all of his life. Well, finally, we have gotten it under control. Yes, exercise plays a huge part, but believe me, I understand. One thing you can do, is talk to your vet about doing a thyroid test on your dog. My baby had this done, was put on medication (which he will be on for the rest of his life), we changed his foot to Pedigree Weight Loss, decreased the amount we were giving him to 2 cups in a.m. and 2 cups in p.m., and wow what a tremendous difference. He is now on Pedigree Weight Maintenance to maintain his weight. He dropped weight really quickly in the beginning and then plateaued. He looks so good now. It took 2 years to get him to where we want him to be and the vet is very pleased. Good luck!

Answer 11

Yeah.. Get as much exercise as possible.. Start slow cause she is a fatty and it will be hard to get back into vigorous exercise..

Dump the wet food.. Forget about it.. It's added calories and she does not need that.. Before you feed her kibble, you give her some carrot slices, and 1/2 cup of green beans, and then you give her kibble.. You want to put some good into her belly so that when she sits down for kibble, she is eating less.. More exercise start losing the weight and if you think she is hungrier from the exercise, increase the kibble a bit.. You don't want to starve her.. But you want to feed her what she needs..

Some dogs, will eat out of boredom.. If we aren't going to play, and we aren't going to walk, and you aren't spending time with me.. then I think I'll have something to eat.. They aren't hungry it's just what they have decided is a good thing to do to fill the time.. People do it too.. Dogs that do it, and aren't getting properly exercise.. get chubby.. People do to!