Please help me put my dogs on a diet!

[Smiley124]

I have two pugs and they are both overweight. I'm going to switch them to a "lite" dog food, but I'd like to know what I can add to it that will be healthy and not add a lot of calories. They refuse to eat their kibble totally dry. I have heard of people adding veggies, pumpkin, yogurt, etc, but I guess I'm not sure how much or if that stuff is really even good for them. Do you cook the veggies? What other healthy things can we add? Is chicken ok? We were mixing some canned food with the dry but I want to get away from that.

Also, what about healthy/low cal treats? I tried carrot sticks but they don't seem that interested. Any other suggestions?

Also, any ideas on getting them more active? I try to run around with them outside but they get bored so quickly and just sit there. Chasing a ball or toy doesn't seem to interest them. Chasing me only works for a short time, lol....

TIA!!!!

[jesvet]

I would start at the vet- first to check their thyroid levels, a common cause of obesity. I would definitely ask about using a prescription weight loss diet to help them reach their goals- they are very high fiber so more satisfying; the light diets are a great way to help these guys MAINTAIN optimal weight once it is acheived but people seem to have a hard time getting the weight off using them.

Green beans are good, baby carrots/apple bits in moderation are OK but a little higher in calories. You can even use part of their regular dog food as treats, they're just as happy. But the number one important thing is to buy a measuring cup and use it! Youll be amazed at how little food they actually require.

[ejs]

I agree that a vet check-up is the first thing to do before you put them on a diet.

We feed our dogs a prescription dog food and canned, no-salt-added green beans. So each meal consists of half the amount of prescribed kibble and half a can of green beans.

They love the beans!

[Ki Ki Marcus]

My dog started gaining weight a few years ago. I put him on the lite food and only fed him the prescribed amount once a day -- for him two cups. (Before that I just kept a bowl down with food in it all the time.)

Then I started taking him on walks everyday. When we moved from an apartment to a house, over time, I had really cut back on taking him for walks, without ever noticing it. Now he gets a 1 mile walk in the AM and a 2 mile walk in the evening.

His weight is back down to normal and he has so much more energy. He practically like a puppy again!

[villanelle75]

Not currently a dog owner but in the past with our family dogs, we always just cut back the amount of food they were getting (from two heaping scoops to two slightly less than full scoops). This always worked better than anything else. The dogs never noticed because ti wasn't a big enough difference to make them not feel satiated, but it probably cut their meal-time calories by about 1/5 or 1/6. Rather than worryign about a new food and/or new additives, try usign the same food and additives, but using less, particularly of whatever you are adding. HTH!

[Smiley124]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have talked to the vet -- she is actually the one who suggested they go on a diet. She offered to put them on prescription food but we opted not to right now because of $$. But now that I think about it, I wonder how much it could actually be? Our vet bill that day was already $259 so I just wanted to get out of there with a few pennies left in my pocket, lol! I'll have to check on the price now that I am not in "sticker shock" mode.

[Hokulea]

We took our cocker spaniel from 33 lbs (yikes!) to 27.5. This is within the ideal range for a cocker, especially since he is a bigger cocker spaniel. It took about 1 year, but I'm pleased with what we did because it is easy to maintain. Basically, we just made sure he ate the proper amount of food (we use a measuring cup to measure his food out) and he doesn't get any fatty people food. For treats, he gets Stonyfield Farms Organic Whole Milk yogurt on his food (added bonus of being very good for his skin and ears), pumpkin on his food and in his kong, a tiny bit of PB in his kong with some kibble, sardines, low-fat, no-sodium chicken broth, carrots (these pass through their body, so they don't absorb all the sugar in carrots), apples, any fruit or veggie, really. We also feed the Charlie Bear Cheese & Egg training treats (3 cals each) to reward on walks and on the go. He doesn't get anything fatty or processed. When he's been very good, for an extra special treat we give him those Merrick meals in a can. Also, he is only fed a very high quality food and we switch between three and are sure to adjust the amount accordingly. This ensures that he receives a diet that is complete nutritionally.

The main things, for us, were to cut out unhealthy people food (fruits and veggies are okay, do NOT feed raisins), measure his food, and choose a high quality food. In a year, he lost a healthy amount of weight and is maintaining without us having to use pricey prescription food which may not even be that great for him.

[la_bride_2004]

I'd just like to caution people who feed veggies to look at the sodium content if they use canned! I did and was shocked- I switched to frozen and heat up what I need.

[ejs]

I'd just like to caution people who feed veggies to look at the sodium content if they use canned! I did and was shocked- I switched to frozen and heat up what I need.

I pointed it out in my post, but there are no salt or sodium added canned vegetables. That's what we feed our dogs.