# Need the pup to drop a few lbs - now he is constantly hungry. Any ideas?



## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Mako is putting on a bit of pudge. He isn't too bad. He is at the point where his last two ribs can't be seen, but they can be easily felt. He has a nice tuck up, but looking down from above his waist isn't as waisty as I would like. Know what I mean? 

I think it is because he isn't getting as much exercise as he did a few months ago. It's hot. In the 80s. And he hasn't even begun to blow his under coat yet. Even at night he is getting heated. I try to hose him down and that helps a bit but meh. He is getting 1/2 what he did during the winter running wise.

I cut him back from 1 1/2 lbs a day to 1 1/4 and you'd think I was starving him. Constantly looking for food. Constant begging. Breaking sit stays when I put the dish down. Wolfing down his food. Eating with hackles raised. *sigh*

I've tried getting him to drink more to keep his belly full. Upped his veggies a bit. Feeding frozen chunks to slow his eating down. 

Yesterday and today I went back to his previous quantity. Behavioral issues went bye bye. 

He eats mostly red meat. Thinking about maybe switching to mostly poultry for the summer? Any ideas?


----------



## Roman'sGirl1975 (Mar 11, 2016)

good luck with that. Wish I could get my16 month old male to even touch food of any kind. I'm so frustrated that I have done nothing but cry because he wont eat. I'm at my wits end with him.


----------



## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Roman'sGirl1975 said:


> good luck with that. Wish I could get my16 month old male to even touch food of any kind. I'm so frustrated that I have done nothing but cry because he wont eat. I'm at my wits end with him.


Aww. Poor boy. What have you been offering him? 

Has he been vet checked? Is his stool normal?


----------



## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

Options:

1:.Up his exercise somehow. Keep food portion the same.

2. Reduce his food intake but do it slower. Drop just an ounce for a few days. Then drop another ounce for a few days. Rinse and repeat until you get the desired portion.

3. Offer more recreational bones. Chewing on bones may help satiate him.


----------



## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

" Even at night he is getting heated."

Just a thought here.

Although Beef (red meat) is a "Neutral" food, you may want to feed cooling foods suggested by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) instead. 
Chicken, Turkey, Phesant and a few fish items are "Warm" foods so you may not want to feed that during the hotter months.

Lamb, venison and trout are HOT foods.

Cooling Foods By Herbsmith
_Yin is qualities of inward, quiet, nighttime, maternal, cool and fluids. Yin tonics are foods which tonify the coolness and fluids of the body. Signs of Yang excess include seeking cool places, panting, thirst, red eyes, panting at night, dry skin, dry cough and restlessness. _
*
Rabbit* *Clams* Tomatoes Apple Barley * Eggs (duck)* *Duck Cod * Yellow Soy Bean Banana Buckwheat Flax Seed Oil * Crab* Seaweed Cranberry Job's Tears Marjoram *Scallop* Bamboo Kiwi Millet Peppermint * Whitefish* Broccoli Lemon Mung Bean Salt Celery Mango Wheat Sesame Oil Cucumber Orange Wild Rice Tofu Eggplant Pear Yogurt Kelp Strawberry * Chicken Egg Whites* Lettuce Tangerine  Mushroom Watermelon 
Moms


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Momto2GSDs said:


> " Even at night he is getting heated."
> 
> Just a thought here.
> 
> ...



So a silly question because someone told me about lamb being a hot food--what does that mean? Why is it a hot food? One of mine can only have chicken, turkey and venison. Should I not feed venison in the summer? I have noticed him panting at night more and drinking slightly more--is this why? That has been bothering me, but it's not super consistent. Now that I think about it it's when he has venison. He has thrown up and refused the food a couple times too. When I think I'm going to take him to the vet he goes back to normal. 

Sorry for high jacking this thread, but I've wanting to ask this about lamb for a while now. I did not know this about venison.


----------



## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

llombardo said:


> So a silly question because someone told me about lamb being a hot food--what does that mean? Why is it a hot food? One of mine can only have chicken, turkey and venison. Should I not feed venison in the summer? I have noticed him panting at night more and drinking slightly more--is this why? That has been bothering me, but it's not super consistent. Now that I think about it it's when he has venison. He has thrown up and refused the food a couple times too. When I think I'm going to take him to the vet he goes back to normal.
> 
> Sorry for high jacking this thread, but I've wanting to ask this about lamb for a while now. I did not know this about venison.


This article explains it:

*Traditional Chinese Medicine and food energy theory*
TCM is a very complicated subject. However, there are a few core principles that are easy to learn, and which can be applied to our animal companions. The primary concept of TCM is balance. Food energy theory divides foods into cooling (Yin), warming (Yang) and Neutral.
*The Yin Diet*
A dog that is hot will typically seek cool places to rest and can tend to have itchy inflamed skin. A hot dog will often be hot to the touch. He/She may pant excessively and will tend to itch more and act restless at bedtime. A dog that is hot may also have red eyes or red skin. These dogs are prone to allergies and feeding a cooling diet can be very beneficial. 
Feeding a hot dog hot foods (like lamb or venison, which are considered the hottest proteins) is like throwing kerosene on the fire. Hot dogs should be fed cooling foods to dampen the negative effects of heat on their bodies. Proteins like duck, rabbit, or fish are considered cooling by Chinese theory. Some examples of other cooling foods are apples, bananas, oranges, pears, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce and mushrooms.
*The Yang Diet*
In contrast, a dog that has cool tendencies should be fed warming foods. Signs that point to your dog needed a warming diet can include general weakness, fatigue, and exercise intolerance, lack of appetite and shortness of breath. These dogs are your classic couch potatoes and they will tend to seek out warm places. Cool dogs may suffer from joint stiffness and pain, especially in the winter months.
All of these symptoms of coldness can be aided by feeding warming foods like turkey, chicken, squash, sweet potatoes and oats. Similarly, a dog that is affected by arthritis tends to be cold in nature (this is why arthritis gets even worse during the winter months). For this reason, a dog that needs added joint support would benefit most from a warm diet.


Hope this helps!

Moms


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Momto2GSDs said:


> This article explains it:
> 
> *Traditional Chinese Medicine and food energy theory*
> TCM is a very complicated subject. However, there are a few core principles that are easy to learn, and which can be applied to our animal companions. The primary concept of TCM is balance. Food energy theory divides foods into cooling (Yin), warming (Yang) and Neutral.
> ...


So what do you do if you feed raw to a dog with allergies and they can have only 3 proteins and one of those is a hot food, which is now pretty obvious he shouldn't have? Mine technically would never have red meat due to allergies--is that healthy? How do you get around that?


----------



## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

Can you take him swimming? Good exercise without overheating.


----------



## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

llombardo said:


> So what do you do if you feed raw to a dog with allergies and they can have only 3 proteins and one of those is a hot food, which is now pretty obvious he shouldn't have? Mine technically would never have red meat due to allergies--is that healthy? How do you get around that?


I think I'd hold off on the offending protein until the weather gets cool and then try it again.

3 proteins are better than one, but if you KNOW the dog is reacting to it, it's worth a try and maybe add an organic vitamin source, during that time period, if you feel they'd be deficient. Some dogs can only eat one protein..... so for several months out of the year, I think 2 would be fine.

I believe I remember you said your dog/dogs couldn't take the Feed Sential products???? If that is the case try Dr. Dobis' products: Dr. Dobias Original Products 

Moms


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Dunkirk said:


> Can you take him swimming? Good exercise without overheating.


Is this for me?
If so...
He does swim quite often in the summer, but I have to be careful because he gets irritated under his neck if he don't dry completely. Fur plus moisture doesn't equal good things for him.


----------



## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

Voodoolamb, do you have stores that are a/c that you can work him in. Like home depot etc. 

I know that hunger can't think straight issue. Sonny has it especially right after a meal.

I have found that after his 1hr rest after eating, bringing him somewhere away from the house to get his mind off food helps. Even if it more mental stimulating rather than physical.

Getting the weight off Sonny has been a slow process and like yours, he is in slow motion in the hot months.


----------



## Roman'sGirl1975 (Mar 11, 2016)

We are waiting on the records from his former vet. His stools are normal. We have tried a duck and potato kibble, lamb and rice kibble, large breed adult kibble all of which are grain free, last night we even tried a grain based kibble that our other dogs eat and he wouldnt eat. Tonight I finally broke down and gave him a bowl of the large breed adult with some chicken gravy mixed in with it. He finally ate. We bought some canned dog food to mix in with his kibble hoping that this works.


----------



## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Hey, thank you everyone for responding!!! I appreciate it. 

As far as exercise options in the heat - He hasn't figured out swimming yet. He LOVES wading in the water and laying in it, but hasn't gotten the hang of not having his paws on solid ground. I'll either wait a few more weeks till the water warms up enough for me to wade out there with him and show him the ropes or take him to 'swim lessons' that one of the training facilities here offers. Oh and on my next pay check I am going to bite the bullet and get him a tread mill. I can set it up right next to the AC vent for him. I live in the south east. It's just going to get hotter. Probably a good investment. 

I'm upping his recreational bones, and am going to try to reduce the amount more gradually. 

I've been looking into the TCM heating and cooling foods. Unfortunately I have a full freezer full of lamb heart! Ack. Might be worth a shot though. I do want the boy comfortable...


----------

