# How to get him to lose weight?



## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

I'm at a loss on how to get my dog to lose weight. He's an 8 1/2 year old mixed breed neutered male. He was listed as a German Shepherd/lab/Collie mix when we got him from the pound when he was 6-8 weeks old. 

I took him in today to be weighed thinking he's lost several pounds since we are pretty active (I walk him, since he can't run with me anymore. We go hiking and play outside in our 8.5 acre yard) and I've switched his food from Iams to Blue. He gets a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening. He whines horribly around 10pm for food so I give him about 1/4 of a cup and some carrots. He doesn't get treats, but occasionally I'll give him a bully stick.

So today he's gained 5.5 pounds since last December (12.5 pounds total since 9/20/11). He's had his thyroid checked and it's normal. He has a little bit of arthritis in his hips (his weight has a lot to do with this I assume) and he has a fatty tumor on his right side. I need to get him down to a healthy weight (about 70 pounds) but I've already been doing what I thought I should.
I'm hoping that once our puppy comes home (not sure when yet) it'll get him more active and help with a little weight loss. 


Any suggestions?


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

What about swimming? Would he like that?


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

He's never been swimming. My MIL has a pond that I could take him to, but it's getting cold out now.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Some places have indoor pools for dogs to practice dock diving, etc. You could check around to see if there's one nearby

Just thinking of a low impact exercise that won't be hard on his hips.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Swimming is an excellent idea, it will help him lose weight and help his arthritis.

All I can think to do is cut out treats, feed a little less and keep him moving.


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

I'll check into it. Not sure if we have one around here though.


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

Without starving him how much should I cut his food back to? He gets about 2 1/2 cups a day. 

Would it be okay to do like a 1/2 cup in the morning with 1/2 c. veggies to fill him up then a cup in the late afternoon?


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Depending on your dog food, that can be quite a few calories (in 2 1/2 cups a day). I feed BB LBP and it has around 450 calories a cup. I would decrease his feed by 1/4 cup a meal and increase some veggies like carrots or green beans to add bulk. Try weighing him monthly to see if he's maintaining, gaining or losing (slow but steadily) and go from there. Just my suggestion 

(Right now my 6 month old is eating around 5 1/4- 5 1/2 cups a day...insane).


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Which Blue are you feeding? Is he on the senior?


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

Thanks! I plan on taking him in monthly now to weigh (since I learned you don't have to make an appointment and we can just stop in). 

I feed him Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice adult. I'll reduce the amount of food and add in carrots. He doesn't like green beans. 





Galathiel said:


> Depending on your dog food, that can be quite a few calories (in 2 1/2 cups a day). I feed BB LBP and it has around 450 calories a cup. I would decrease his feed by 1/4 cup a meal and increase some veggies like carrots or green beans to add bulk. Try weighing him monthly to see if he's maintaining, gaining or losing (slow but steadily) and go from there. Just my suggestion
> 
> (Right now my 6 month old is eating around 5 1/4- 5 1/2 cups a day...insane).


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice adult. Tried the weight control one but he won't eat it. 




Shade said:


> Which Blue are you feeding? Is he on the senior?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

What size cup are you using?

1 cup of dog food should be 8oz

If you are using a solo cup or party cup they are usually 16oz so you are feeding double.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Does Blue have a " less active" formula. Just like with people, fewer calories, more excersise. Try 4-5 15-20 minute solid walks daily. No stopping, good cardio. 

How much does he weigh? What is his ideal weight?

Did the Thyroid go to Michigan? Or was it just a T4? 

There are prescription diet foods you can try. But not as high quality a protein. 


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Cut his food in half and supplement that it with green beans


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

According to my records it was T4

Blue has a weight control food, but he won't eat it. I continue to offer it to him because I hate to waste it but it just sits in his bowl. (I even thought it would help cut back his calories by him not eating, but he just whines and then when you get up he runs to his food dish)

I will increase his walks, the only thing that concerns me is his arthritis with doing 4-5 walks a day. He has medicine but it's only as needed right now. 

He weighs 96.5 pounds. I'm not sure what his ideal weight is, but the vet said they'd like to see him lose 10 pounds as a start. I think he should be about 70 pounds. 




gsdsar said:


> Does Blue have a " less active" formula. Just like with people, fewer calories, more excersise. Try 4-5 15-20 minute solid walks daily. No stopping, good cardio.
> 
> How much does he weigh? What is his ideal weight?
> 
> ...


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Give him the green beans frozen---When he gets hungry enough he will eat them...I give Sib carrots too but have been warned of the sugar and possible weight gain from too much..Good luck..i got 20lbs off Sib --and she has maintained that weight...Wish someone would feed me only what I need!!!!


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

I can cut his food in half, but he won't eat green beans. He loves carrots though



hunterisgreat said:


> Cut his food in half and supplement that it with green beans


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

stmcfred said:


> I can cut his food in half, but he won't eat green beans. He loves carrots though


He'll eat green beans when he gets hungry enough from half rations. Trust me. My male, who turns up his nose at chicken (he's a red meat kinda guy), will eat straight, cold, out of the can green beans by themselves when he's on a diet.

Put the green beans in there and mix it up... if he picks the kibble out of the beans, so be it... eventually he won't.


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

I haven't tried them frozen. I didn't know about the carrots.. thanks! 

I'm determined to get him to a healthy weight. How long did it take you to get 20 pounds off Sib? 




jang said:


> Give him the green beans frozen---When he gets hungry enough he will eat them...I give Sib carrots too but have been warned of the sugar and possible weight gain from too much..Good luck..i got 20lbs off Sib --and she has maintained that weight...Wish someone would feed me only what I need!!!!


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

If they only did a t4 then I would ask for bloodwork to be sent to Michigan. A full diagnostic profile. If his TSH or T3 is off then it could still be hypothyroidism. 

You may need to up his meds for the duration of weightloss. Just so he is comfortable doing the needed walks. He needs some good cardio a few times a day. So he needs to be happy and not in pain. 

At that weight, I would be uncomfortable feeding him less than 2 cups a day. If he won't eat green beans.... 

As for the weightloss food, you may need to let him go hungry for a day or two. A healthy dog WILL NOT starve himself. It may be a case if tough love in your part. Put it down for 20 minutes, if he does not eat it, put it up until his next meal. Rinse repeat. Or try mixing it with his regular food for a few days. 


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

Thanks. I'll make him an appointment and get it checked and sent to Michigan, I'm assuming that if I tell them to send it to michigan they'll know what i'm talking about? 

We'll try green beans again. I haven't for a while since he just ate around them. 


Thank you for all your help! 



gsdsar said:


> If they only did a t4 then I would ask for bloodwork to be sent to Michigan. A full diagnostic profile. If his TSH or T3 is off then it could still be hypothyroidism.
> 
> You may need to up his meds for the duration of weightloss. Just so he is comfortable doing the needed walks. He needs some good cardio a few times a day. So he needs to be happy and not in pain.
> 
> ...


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Sorry to repeat myself, but what size cup do you use to feed?

Some people feed with a 16oz solo cup not konwing that they should be using an 8oz cup.

When my GSD was eating Blue Buffalo he ate 4 cups a day, if I would have only fed him 2.5 cups he would have been extremely underweight.


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

It's an 8 oz cup. 



LaRen616 said:


> Sorry to repeat myself, but what size cup do you use to feed?
> 
> Some people feed with a 16oz solo cup not konwing that they should be using an 8oz cup.
> 
> When my GSD was eating Blue Buffalo he ate 4 cups a day, if I would have only fed him 2.5 cups he would have been extremely underweight.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

stmcfred said:


> I haven't tried them frozen. I didn't know about the carrots.. thanks!
> 
> I'm determined to get him to a healthy weight. How long did it take you to get 20 pounds off Sib?


I don't know how long...it seems it came off pretty fast but I was way over feeding her---I cut her food in half and used a measuring cup to not go over her goals--1 1/2 cups 2x a day..She is still a big dog ..way over standard (byb) but she looks nice and healthy now..she now weighs 82 lbs was 104 lbs..kind of like a shetland pony!!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Another trick is multiple tiny meals a day, so the dog always has something in his stomach but it's light


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

stmcfred said:


> Thanks. I'll make him an appointment and get it checked and sent to Michigan, I'm assuming that if I tell them to send it to michigan they'll know what i'm talking about?
> 
> We'll try green beans again. I haven't for a while since he just ate around them.
> 
> ...


Yes. Any vet worth there salt will know what you mean by "send it to Michigan". They run a full profile and ask for interpretation as well. It may cost like $140, but worth it. No use cutting calories and stressing if you need thyroid meds. 


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

Thanks for suggesting frozen green beans! Today his food was 

1 c Blue Buffalo 6:30am

1/4c BB with 1/2 cup green beans @ 1pm

1/2 c BB with 1/2 cup green beans at 6pm 

Did I cut back enough? too much?


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

Several years ago our Chow mixes got over weight. Our vet suggested cutting back on regular food portion and adding cheap puffed rice/wheat cereal and plain pumpkin puree. The puffed cereal adds low calorie volume and the pumpkin good low calorie fiber. Helps the dog stay feeling full and satisfied with far fewer calories than all kibble. Since your boy is eating food with rice already the puffed rice shouldn't be an allergy issue. Since your boy doesn't like green beans this might be an alternative to the other great suggestions you have had. If you don't want to add the puffed cereal you can try reducing the kibble and adding just pumpkin. Same idea as green beans or carrots. Low calorie but filling. I know cheap fillers isn't the greatest but sometimes it's what works. 
Best of luck!


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

If he really is part Lab, losing weight may be extremely difficult. I know somebody who adopted a severely over weight Lab and put her on a strict diet for the rest of her life and she never lost a pound. She only ate 2 cups a day and 1 milk bone. No scraps. She walked daily and played with my dog.

My lab mix also has some weight issues. He isn't super active and he is older. We finally have had success with him losing weight BUT we have done nothing different for years. There is no medical reason for his weight loss. 

I would say that 2 cups of food daily is the lowest you could really go. Carrots are nice, but it will never really fill him up. Will he eat the senior version of food? Mine is on senior and I think its pretty similar to a low fat diet.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

vicky2200 said:


> *If he really is part Lab, losing weight may be extremely difficult.* I know somebody who adopted a severely over weight Lab and put her on a strict diet for the rest of her life and she never lost a pound. She only ate 2 cups a day and 1 milk bone. No scraps. She walked daily and played with my dog.
> 
> My lab mix also has some weight issues. He isn't super active and he is older. We finally have had success with him losing weight BUT we have done nothing different for years. There is no medical reason for his weight loss.
> 
> I would say that 2 cups of food daily is the lowest you could really go. Carrots are nice, but it will never really fill him up. Will he eat the senior version of food? Mine is on senior and I think its pretty similar to a low fat diet.


Darn it! I must be part lab too.


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

He seems to like the frozen green beans. The time before I had given him canned so I think he was just being picky. 


What about doing one meal with green beans and another with pumpkin puree? 





Springbrz said:


> Several years ago our Chow mixes got over weight. Our vet suggested cutting back on regular food portion and adding cheap puffed rice/wheat cereal and plain pumpkin puree. The puffed cereal adds low calorie volume and the pumpkin good low calorie fiber. Helps the dog stay feeling full and satisfied with far fewer calories than all kibble. Since your boy is eating food with rice already the puffed rice shouldn't be an allergy issue. Since your boy doesn't like green beans this might be an alternative to the other great suggestions you have had. If you don't want to add the puffed cereal you can try reducing the kibble and adding just pumpkin. Same idea as green beans or carrots. Low calorie but filling. I know cheap fillers isn't the greatest but sometimes it's what works.
> Best of luck!


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

I see a lot of overweight labs. Someone I knew had a chocolate lab that was absolutely huge and they could never seem to get him to lose weight (though I don't think they actually tried) 

I think he has some lab in him, but who knows! 

When you say 2 cups of food. Do you mean two cups total? Including green beans or pumpkin puree? or just the kibble part?



vicky2200 said:


> If he really is part Lab, losing weight may be extremely difficult. I know somebody who adopted a severely over weight Lab and put her on a strict diet for the rest of her life and she never lost a pound. She only ate 2 cups a day and 1 milk bone. No scraps. She walked daily and played with my dog.
> 
> My lab mix also has some weight issues. He isn't super active and he is older. We finally have had success with him losing weight BUT we have done nothing different for years. There is no medical reason for his weight loss.
> 
> I would say that 2 cups of food daily is the lowest you could really go. Carrots are nice, but it will never really fill him up. Will he eat the senior version of food? Mine is on senior and I think its pretty similar to a low fat diet.


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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

just wanted to give a quick update on Connor. Since we've brought the puppy home he has lost 7 pounds! He's now down to 89 pounds. Still overweight, but it's a start.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

Sorry I never responded... Looking back I have no idea what I meant about 2 cups of food. My Lab mix gets about 4 cups a day of senior dog food, divided into 2 feedings. What finally ended up working?

Do you have a picture of your dog? Is he particularly short? 89 doesn't sound like it would be that bad. My big guy is around 120 (last weigh in earlier this year) which is low for him. He was up to 154!


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