# Gah. Feeling pretty guilty.



## DrDoom (Nov 7, 2007)

So, I started Bear out on raw last April. He was at 84lbs, down from 89 that January, and the vet wanted him at 80. I thought we were well on our way. 
Well, I knew for the last few months he seemd heavier, and I just ignored it. I just kept telling myself he wasn't, until this past Saturday. I took him to get weighed, because I knew, KNEW, his hips were bothering him more, and frankly, he hasn't been getting the excercise he used to. There are all kinds of excuses, but the bottom line is he is now a whooping 94lbs!!! I'm so mad at myself. It sucks. So, I'm going to make some changes, which I'll detail in a minute, and hopefully he can get back down. Coming off raw is NOT an option, because we are NOT going back to the constant diarrhea, but some stuff definitely has to change.

First off, he's not getting the excercise he used to. This is because I allowed my self to get lazy, because he was content with a shorter walk, or no walk at all for the day, something I NEVER allow3ed in the past. My wife's work schedule changed (Because she was layed off, and switched jobs, which is about to happen again.), and I became solely responsible for getting the kids where they have to be every afternoon. Well, that was no excuse. I LET it be an excuse, so he didn't get walked nearly as far, and on the days I didn't have to be responsible for the kids, I was out of the habit, and let laziness get to me. So, between myself and my wife, he will be getting BACK to walking what he was. I will MAKE myself do this. It's funny, because I'm an overweight guy, but the fact my dog has gotten overweight has me REALLY angry.
The next thing is his feeding schedule. I have always fed him at night, about two hours after his walk. I realize that just like people, eating at night is bad. So, as of Saturday, he's getting fed the same amount (For now because I have about ten premade meals left), but once in the morning at about 4 am (when I get up for work. Then my wife will be walking him at some point between 7-12, depending on her schedule. How far will most likely be no more than a mile, but she will let me know exactly so I can adjust accordingly. Then, he will get fed the second part of his meal at some point in the afternoon, between 2-4, then his second walk of the day will take place that evening, sometime after six, and it will be AT LEAST a mile and a half. Previously he was getting at least a mile nad a half each day, so this should get him back on track. Additionally, I am going to slowly try to introduce a bike ride at a good trot to help with some excercise. I can get a decent bike ride in MUCH faster than a walk, so eventually the bike ride may replace the walk if he appears to like it.
And finally, I have to admit to NOT sticking to the percentage of body weight I should have. I had decided on two percent of 80lbs, but I upped the muscle meat because his poop was so dry. I also added an egg, EVERY DAY, and he would still sometimes get a piece of cheese, leftover hotdogs, etc. So, once the premade meals are gone in a few days, we will go back to being extra vigiliant that his percentages are back to what they should be. I will also only be feeding him an egg every other, or every third day, and I will adjust the muscle meat accordingly. He's also getting the recommended dosage of the following supplements Joint Health and Fresh Factors although once they run out it will be Longevity and Bug Off Garlic on top of that. I know I over fed him. I know I did. It's so easy to do. He doesn't even bother me while I'm getting his food ready, but it's so easy to go, "Oh, that looks like the right amount." or "Oh, well, a little extra won't hurt. He's a good boy, he deserves it." 
So, I guess what I'm looking for here is someone to tell me that getting this weight off of him won't be as hard as it is getting weight off of me, and that the steps I'm taking are the right ways to go about it. Should I reduce his percentage BELOW target weight until he gets a little leaner? Somebody help please. I feel so stupid.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Can you get him somewhere to swim? That would be better than just walking all the time. If his hips are bothering him, I would not be running him along side a bike. A sandy beach would be easier than a hard road surface.
A game of fetch would move him around more too.

I think just moving his meal to 2x's a day will help. If you are feeding pre-made vs home-made it may have additives that are contributing to his weight.


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

We all make mistakes.The big thing is you realized it and are ready to fix it.Good Luck.


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## DrDoom (Nov 7, 2007)

Well, with regards to swimming, he won't do it. I mean, he CAN, but he won't. He loves the water, but won't go in above walking height except under extreme circumstance. I am hoping if I can get his weight back down, the trotting and walking won't be as big a deal. He's JUST gone on those supplements, and people I know have had some huge success with them, so really hoping they will help in addition to the weight.
He gets home made raw, and we use pretty high quality meats from our local butcher. The fat content on everything we feed him is decent, but not always great. Still, I KNOW this is the result of over-feeding and lack of excercise combined. Same reason I'm overweight, but to a much lower extreme, hopefully, lol.
Anyway, thank you for the encouragement. I can't tell you how angry I was at myself when my suspicions were confirmed. And I am determined to help him lose it and get to that ideal 80 we wanted. Unfortunately it won't happen before his annual checkup, so I'll get to listen to my vet tell me how bad RAW is for him, and how I need to switch him to Iams or some such. Ugh. And he had gotten dow to 84lbs, dang it! Argh! Anger rising...


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

I wonder if you can go below 2% for a period of time ... like maybe feeding Bear only 20 oz of food per day instead of 25-26 for a couple of month. That and cut out all treats and of course up his walking.

Maybe some raw experts can chime in here.


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## MelissaHoyer (Sep 8, 2006)

Don't feel guilty! You have a great plan in action









I recently had to get my girl to lose 5 lbs...it was a first because she has been traditionally too skinny! However, her extra weight was causing some vaginal fold issues (don't tell her I told you, how embarassing lol!)

She is also fed raw - although she gets ground RMBs only due to her having EPI (a digestive disorder where the pancreas doesn't make enough digestive enzymes, if you are not familiar...)

Some thoughts I had while reading your post:

Do you have a good digital scale? One would definitely come in handy!

What percentage of RMB do you feed compared to muscle meat? Dry poop means to much bone to me...instead of upping your mm, try decreasing the amount of bone.

How old is Bear?

Some things that worked for us was a slight decrease in her food. She eats just under two percent. That is a great thing about raw feeding, it is very easy to manage what you are using. We also used more lean cuts of meat for our MM. I added more veggies/fruit that I usually do. 

But what worked the fastest was exercise...at 7 years old, she is still super active and with good walks and a daily 10 minute long run in a field, we saw the weight just fall off.

I truly believe that the best way to get a dog to drop weight is consistent exercise...even my 12 year old kibble-fed Cairn Terrier went down from 28 lbs to 22 lbs nicely when she started being walked more...with no changes in diet (she is a piggy extraordinaire!)

So without a doubt you are on the right track!!


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## DrDoom (Nov 7, 2007)

Thank you. Yeah, we have a good scale, I just didn't use it consistenly. I'd say to myself "Oh, that's close enough." even though I KNEW it was a little over.
Bear is 7, and I really don't think the dry poops are too much of an issue. FAR better than the diarrhea he got on kibble.
So, I'm just hoping its not as hard to lose it for him as it is for me. I'm committed though.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

First of all, good for you for coming up with a plan!









Second, the eating at night makes you gain weight thing is a myth so don't worry about that. 

Third, working up to longer walks, preferably with some hills, are excellent exercise. My guy has HD (as did my first gsd) and we walk 4-6miles every day. We take 3 walks. Two are 3/4 to a mile long and the third is 2.5 to 4 miles long at a very brisk pace (we do a 15 minute mile). 

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!


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## Alto (Nov 18, 2008)

First thing to remember is that he gained this weight over several months so don't try to take it off him in a month - it's just not fair to him: chances are he's going to miss that additional food at least a little & with his extra weight & hip issues (joint soreness, we tend to focus on the obvious hips but chances are he feels some stiffness/soreness in other joints as well), you want to slowly increase his exercise, eg if he's been getting 1 x 1mile walk a day, start with 2 x 3/4mile walks etc; then after a few days of this, add in an extra play session in the middle; after a couple of weeks, extend those 3/4 mile walks to 1 mile each etc.

Really monitor his stiffness/soreness - if there is a chiro or massage therapist nearby for dogs, try getting him for an assessment & ask for some stretching exercises/massages you can do at home.

He may not want to swim in the water but just playing fetch in/out of the water should burn some extra calories & won't be as hard on his joints as land fetch.

Figure out some house games you can both do - a few minutes here & there will add up quickly.

For his food, start by subbing in some raw veg for the extra meats, also pay attention to using leaner (less calorie dense) meats, no treats at all (or at least, measure them out for each day so everyone knows where he's at), save a little of his daily food for a snack at his usual feeding time for at least the first week or so.

You might also consider having thyroid panel done (details in the link) as this may also contribute to the weight gain & he's at an age to start checking ...

I wouldn't even consider any extended trotting until his weight is down to target & his fitness is much greater (I'm just not a fan of biking with dogs, and especially when there is already a pre-existing condition).

Don't waste energy feeling guilty or stupid - those are just the wrong kind of endorphins







you're _fixing_ both of you now & that's the focus.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

He's 94 pounds right now and his activity level is on the slow-medium side. I would feed him based on a 10% weight loss. So, feed for an 85 pound dog.
So, he should get the following:

2% * 85 pounds = 1.7 pounds

That comes out to:

13.6 ounces of RMBs
12.3 ounces of MM
1.3 ounces of OM

Keep him at that until he's down to the 85 pounds (take him in to be weighed WEEKLY) and then WAIT ONE WEEK and reweigh him. If he's still losing weight maintain those amounts. If he stays at 85 then you can lower the amounts a bit to get him down to his goal of 80.


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