# Pup needs to lose weight, help!



## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Jerzey went to the vet today and weighed in at 95 lbs. I know she has put on a little bit of weight lately but the number was still shocking!

I asked the vet what he thought an ideal weight would be for her and he said 85 lbs, but I can't imagine that Jerz is carrying around 10 extra lbs. She has been on a feed-her-what-we-have-because-we're-poor-students approach while living with my bf but all the extra carbs, etc. are obviously catching up so I want to get her back onto a correct raw diet.

What is the best approach? I was thinking 1.5% of her (assumed) ideal weight of 85 lbs. Is this the proper approach? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

Below is a picture from two days ago:


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I can't tell but I'd guess closer to 75lb., and yes she could be packing around 20 extra. She looks very chubby, sorry!


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## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

If you go to this site:
[the FAT DOG site] Scoring

I would say your dog is between a 3 and 4...I would say 10-15 lbs would be a great weight loss.

Heavier dogs are more likely to die early and have more health problems. Good for you for realizing your dog was overweight! Most people can't admit it.


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## KatsMuse (Jun 5, 2012)

Is she the 4 yr old?
Has she been spayed?
( Sometimes it's harder to get the weight off after that.)
She does look like she could use a little weight off...maybe more exercise too?

If you're feeding raw diet, I can't help. Sorry


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## Bear L (Feb 9, 2012)

Just decrease her food portion over time and if that didn't do the trick then decrease more till you get to the ideal weight. I feed based on what I see rather than the #s. You should see weight decrease within 5 days and if not then you're still feeding too much.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

She also looks very heavy to me. I'd start by decreasing the amount that she's being fed.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

KatsMuse said:


> Is she the 4 yr old?
> Has she been spayed?
> ( Sometimes it's harder to get the weight off after that.)
> She does look like she could use a little weight off...maybe more exercise too?
> ...


She is the 4 year old and was spayed at about 11 months. More exercise is definitely something we're doing as well. She has been living with my bf and he isn't as informed about what is ideal for her as far as exercise and what her weight should be. I think being at the vet today helped him see what I was saying!


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

x0emiroxy0x said:


> Heavier dogs are more likely to die early and have more health problems. Good for you for realizing your dog was overweight! Most people can't admit it.


Thanks. I feel awful that it even got to this point, it was a little hard to see at first but I want to do the best I can to get the weight off. We started her on glucosamine to make sure that there are no long-term issues with her hips, etc. because of this brief weight gain.


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## Woof_Terrorist (Aug 3, 2012)

If a human puts on weight, dieting alone does not help, exercise too is needed. You mentioned carbs, not a good idea for dogs, is it? I am getting a mental image of McDonalds.. correct me if I am wrong.

If you are on a budget, Costco sells pretty good quality dog foods, and they come in "healthy weight" variety too.


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## x0emiroxy0x (Nov 29, 2010)

I think you are a wonderful owner and props to you for starting in the right direction...Rocky started getting a little chunky (and me too!) and I started walking him for 45 minutes every morning....after a month I lost about 8 pounds and started waking up automatically at 7am pumped and ready for our walk!


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Woof_Terrorist said:


> If a human puts on weight, dieting alone does not help, exercise too is needed. You mentioned carbs, not a good idea for dogs, is it? I am getting a mental image of McDonalds.. correct me if I am wrong.
> 
> If you are on a budget, Costco sells pretty good quality dog foods, and they come in "healthy weight" variety too.


Exercise is definitely on the list. 

When I mention carbs, I mean slices of bread and starchy things like rice and potatoes as filler. Sometimes it can be hard to convince other people that putting $$ into the dog's diet is worth it (i.e., buying all meat and not using any cheaper foods as filler.) I think hearing that she is pretty badly overweight has helped my bf come around to my side (I am a law student, she has mostly been living with him and he doesn't follow the raw diet as strictly as I do or would want him to -- lots of extra non-meat items and people slipping her snacks.)

As far as Costco, I have tried to buy her good quality kibble to supplement (rather than rice, whatever) and it makes her smell absolutely disgusting. Kibble will not be added back to her diet.



x0emiroxy0x said:


> I think you are a wonderful owner and props to you for starting in the right direction...Rocky started getting a little chunky (and me too!) and I started walking him for 45 minutes every morning....after a month I lost about 8 pounds and started waking up automatically at 7am pumped and ready for our walk!


Same here! But I live in NYC and the dog is down with my bf in VA (impossible to find a place for her in NYC last year) so while I have been exercising up North, she hasn't been able to benefit :/ While I am visiting my bf, Jerz and I have been back on our 3 mile walk routine and doing a bit of hiking. She does not spend most of the year with me, so it has been a battle of every time I come to visit of convincing my bf that the dog needs more than a little frolic in the yard. I am just glad that he was with me at the vet and able to actually HEAR that she is overweight and it isn't just me. 

I am back to measuring out her food. I used to be able to eye-ball it after measuring for years but it has been too long and I don't trust myself anymore. The boys in the house have been told NO SNACKS PERIOD for Jerz without checking in with me first.


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