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Post by sue3010 on May 30, 2013 3:42:44 GMT -5
Please help! I need some advise on what is the best food to feed my podgy dog. We limit his treats to chicken and he has two good walks a day. Nothing we seem to do and no matter how careful we are seems to result in any weight loss. Doesn't help that he is the most laid back and laziest dog on the planet. Between walks he remains horizontal and only gets up to move to another chair/sofa/bed for a change of scenery! He is healthy and has no underlying health problems. Any ideas?
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alfiemoon
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Post by alfiemoon on May 30, 2013 7:13:49 GMT -5
Hi Sue. What's his name? He sounds like a typical hound  Lazy  Plenty of peeps on here I'm sure who can offer advice but it would help to know more about your dog...breed (don't want to assume GH, might be lurcher) , age, height to shoulder, current weight, what food and how much are you currently feeding? My lurcher is 24'' TTS and a good weight for him is 25 kg. He's quite chunky looking compared to a lot of lurchers but has a very broad back/rib cage due to some bully in his genetics. We go by how he feels/looks (i.e. can feel his ribs but not see them) rather than popping him on scales unless we are visiting the vets.We tweak the amount of food/treats down a little for a while if he starts to get a layer of fat on him.   P.S.We like pics  |
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Post by sherbert on May 30, 2013 12:46:07 GMT -5
Hi and welcome I'm sure you've already done it, but get him weighed by your vet to see how much he weighs now and ask them how much he should weigh We had a weight problem with our medium sized terrier cross. He only needed to lose about a kilo but we really struggled with just cutting out his treats and reducing his food, we found that he may los 1/2 a kilo over a few weeks but that would be it. I spoke to our vet nurse and she advised us to change his food to Burns High Oats, which is especially designed for weight loss (she also gave us names of 2 other foods one was a prescription diet and very expensive)With the Burns you use the weight he needs to be (not the weight he is now) and there's a chart on the side of the food to say how much to feed him We tried him on the Burns, but still gave him a few treats, and he lost the weight really easily and hasn't put it back on burnspet.co.uk/products/burns-for-dogs/burns-weight-control-dog-food.htmlAs for the exercise, if he likes swimming a lot of the hydrotherapy centres have pools and offer fun swims Good luck and as has been previously mentioned, we really do like photo's |
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Post by sue3010 on May 30, 2013 13:42:12 GMT -5
Hi thanks for your replies and here is a bit of info on him.
He is a saluki x greyhound x collie called Ralph and approx 3 yrs old. He stands at 24 inches TTS and weighs about 27 kgs (vet said he should be about 24 kgs).
We have had him since last August after adopting him from the RSPCA. We started feeding him on the Hill Science Plan - light, but he did not like it and the only food he seemed to enjoy was Chappie so that is what I am feeding at the moment. We feed him the recommended amount for the size that he should be but his weight does not seem to be coming off. I have not been wanting to change his food untill I got some feedback on here as to what people recommended. But, my hubby has just admitted to sharing the occasional chicken kebab with him (which I did not know about) so that may be part of the problem!!! Think I will be having a little 'chat' with him tonight to see what other delights he has been sharing with Ralph!
I will definately look into the Burns feed though and give it a try. As for the photo''s - I will try my best to get some on here as I have not got a clue how to do it!!!
Thanks again for your help - Sue
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Post by andywillow on May 30, 2013 13:54:53 GMT -5
Does he look anything like our Trevor? He is saluki/greyhound/collie and is just gorgeous! He is a gap sponsor dog who we have had a year and he is 13 and as fit as a flea!  |
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Post by gilli176 on May 30, 2013 14:15:06 GMT -5
I think you should get him a friend to play with sue Ralph is gorgeous (I did a homecheck recently and met him and the family) I would say no treats full stop sorry I am a bit cruel and my lot rarely get treats, really only when training but I am also very lucky in that my 2 plus Erin are not greedy and don't seem to put on weight. And sue(andywillow) sue that is Ralph is similar build to Trevor but a bit stockier |
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alfiemoon
Ironing Piling Up
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Post by alfiemoon on May 30, 2013 14:23:00 GMT -5
Well, I had a  moment there Sue, didn't I...from your avatar pic, Ralph's clearly a saluki type, not a greyhound!! Yes, I can see the hubby may be contributing here. Where there's a sneaky kebab, there's sure to be other sneaking going on Can't wait to hear what else he 'fesses up to.  |
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Post by sue3010 on May 30, 2013 14:40:02 GMT -5
He does look very similar yes! just has feathering on his ears, tail and back legs that Trevor does not look to have. Trying to upload photos but not having much luck!
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Post by sue3010 on May 30, 2013 14:56:22 GMT -5
Hi Gillian, Thanks for your homecheck and bringing the beautiful Erin, we really appreciated you and Richard taking the time out to come to our home. We have been in touch with Lisa over the last week discussing which dogs may be suitable. She has mentioned Suzy the Floozy! But is going to get back to us sometime soon. Hoping getting another dog for Ralph to run around with will help to burn some calories off!
And Sue, I am looking forward to hearing what hubby has to say too!!
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Post by sue3010 on May 30, 2013 15:05:33 GMT -5
Hi Gillian, Thanks for your homecheck and bringing the beautiful Erin, we really appreciated you and Richard taking the time out to come to our home. We have been in touch with Lisa over the last week discussing which dogs may be suitable. She has mentioned Suzy the Floozy! But is going to get back to us sometime soon. Hoping getting another dog for Ralph to run around with will help to burn some calories off!
And Sue, I am looking forward to hearing what hubby has to say too!!
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ritab
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Post by ritab on May 31, 2013 4:15:45 GMT -5
I found that most manufacturers recommend far too much food for weight, Burns being an exception as I have to feed more than they recommend to keep weight on my greyhounds.
My previous dog was a spaniel x lurcher and I used to feed her Royal Canin, but about 2/3 the recommended amount. Her snacks were limited to fruit and a Bonio at bedtime. (But fruit not good for teeth). She was a perfect weight.
I do find getting just the right amount of food is difficult as even a fine adjustment makes a difference.
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Post by vickyb on May 31, 2013 11:35:24 GMT -5
I can never believe how much manufacturers recommend to feed them! I think mine would explode if I followed the feeding guidelines. My friend switched her 2 lab/staffi x's to Chappie on the vets recommendation due to tummy trouble and now they look awful  . They've piled weight on and look like seals but she thinks it suits them so keeps feeding it  . |
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james
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Post by james on May 31, 2013 12:04:37 GMT -5
Most manufacturers seem to vastly exaggerate feeding amounts. I just had a look at a Pedigree Chum tin and it says I should feed my girl 3 tins a day. She is 23''tts and about 20kgs. If I fed her 3 tins a day she would be explosive in more ways than one. What she does get is 1/2 a tin of chum mixed with 250grams of Red Mills Tracker(20% protein designed for resting racing greyhounds)a day and is fit and well with plenty of energy. Unless you really want to you don't really need to get too hung up on expensive dry foods. If you can, visit a local feed supplier (most horse feed suppliers also do a variety of dog foods at sensible prices)and see what they have. I find that any more than 20% protein is rocket fuel.Read the labels and see what you think. Some dogs are better doers than other so it takes a bit of tweaking to find out what suits yours. If he looks too fat cut back and if he looks too thin then up the feed. He will not come to any harm while you work it out. The old adage that you should be able to feel your dogs ribs but not see them does not really apply to lurchers (except maybe some chunky bully crosses).You could play a tune on the ribs of some fit Saluki types. If the dog is fit,well and skinny but has plenty of energy then that is just how he should be.
James
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Post by julies on May 31, 2013 15:58:12 GMT -5
Hi Sue Feeding is a minefield isnt it ... a vet told me that Chappie has lots of sugar in it so that won't help either. My grey/deerhound/collie lurcher was a bit porky tho he has loads of manic exercise and got the 'right' amount of (raw) food and a few treats but I swopped his rice for Quinoa after doing a day on nutrition and the weight came off him and he looks great now so I guess he had a slight intolerance to cooked rice He's a bit of a chunky boy and I blame the collie gene so maybe Ralph suffers too Julie x |
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Post by Nettie on Jun 2, 2013 3:26:50 GMT -5
Sue when you decide on which food to feed and if Ralph is still hungry you can also bulk his meals up with tinned green beans, they have very few calories and will make him feel a little more full.
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