My Black Lab needs to shed some weight!

Olliekinz · Post by **Olliekinz** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:52 pm

I have a female black lab. I know labs are prone to being fat! "Katie" is 4yo and gets fed 2cups of food in the morning and one at night. She stays in the garage all day and gets out when we come home from work at about 3:30 P.M. central. In the summer she runs all the time and swims in the pond. Last summer I got her some diet dog food and it helped w/ excersize as well

I need some way to get her trimmed down. My brother has a black and yellow lab. He leaves a HUGE bowl of food out for them 24/7 and he can barely keep weight on them. I need some advice

ckranz · Post by **ckranz** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:38 pm

You have mentioned her kibble intake, but what extras does she get in treats?

Treats add lots of additional calories into a dog's diet that need to be figured in for feeding purposes.

If you give 1/2 cup worth of treats, then you should be cutting 1/2 cup from the amount of kibble they get.

In addition, daily exercise for 30 minutes to an hour of good running, swimming etc... will also help shed pounds.

spottsdogcare · Post by **spottsdogcare** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 12:13 pm

I suggest you do cut back some on the amount you are feeding. Treats that are full of sugar, salt and grains are not good to give either Instead, If your dogâ€™s weight is a growing concern, consider the nutritious Weight-Loss Formula. Formulated for effective use as part of a weight loss or weight control program, is a nutritionally balanced food that delivers the support dogs need to lose fat and maintain healthy weights. This food contains no artificial flavors or colors, and no corn, corn gluten, wheat or wheat gluten. Check out my signature line on healthy foods.

Maxy24 · Post by **Maxy24** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:13 pm

I'm not a huge fan of diet foods, they are usually full of junk, like grains. I would use a high quality, food with no grains or if you can't afford grain free at least one without corn or wheat. A grain free food is higher in nutrients so you can feed less. This may give the dog more energy as well.

You may also want to cut back on kibble and replace it with wet food, wet food has MUCH less carb content than dry food which needs carbs to stay solid and crunchy. Again make sure it has few or no grains.

and of course, the more excercise the better!! if you are not big on going out yourself you can train her to walk on a treadmill, just remember that you must ALWAYS watch your dog and be right there next to the dog while she's on it. And don't make her go fast, just a good walking pace with breaks for water. you could probably train her to request the treadmill if you wanted but that could get annoying

Olliekinz · Post by **Olliekinz** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:50 pm

I don't feed her treats or table scraps. Maybe she has a thyroid problem?????? I don't know what it could be......

andie · Post by **andie** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:45 am

Olliekinz wrote:I have a female black lab. I know labs are prone to being fat! "Katie" is 4yo and gets fed 2cups of food in the morning and one at night. She stays in the garage all day and gets out when we come home from work at about 3:30 P.M. central. In the summer she runs all the time and swims in the pond. Last summer I got her some diet dog food and it helped w/ excersize as well I need some way to get her trimmed down. My brother has a black and yellow lab. He leaves a HUGE bowl of food out for them 24/7 and he can barely keep weight on them. I need some advice

I adopted/rescued a 5 year old Shih Tzu last year who had lots of tummy problems. After over babying him he is according to my vet; overweight. He is now eating Purina vet diet OM Overweight Management and he does get treats (low calorie) but food reduction alone will usually not cause weight loss; just as in humans exercise is important. You didnâ€™t say how much exercise the dog is getting in the off season. He needs a good run at least an hour a day. Can you afford a pet walker to come in and walk her? I donâ€™t know how many hours she is in the garage but if itâ€™s more than 4 or 5 she needs to be let out for a break.

Olliekinz · Post by **Olliekinz** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:07 pm

It would be nice to get a pet walker but I live WAY out in the country. I leave her in there for about 5hrs. a day. She gets about and hour outside running around. It is her choice wether she wants to come out or not. Sometimes she is SO willing. Other she wants to stay in the garage. It is also VERY cold out -2 for a high on 1/15! The garage is heated so I think that affects her decision. Thanks for the advice:)

andie · Post by **andie** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 9:13 am

Olliekinz wrote:It would be nice to get a pet walker but I live WAY out in the country. I leave her in there for about 5hrs. a day. She gets about and hour outside running around. It is her choice wether she wants to come out or not. Sometimes she is SO willing. Other she wants to stay in the garage. It is also VERY cold out -2 for a high on 1/15! The garage is heated so I think that affects her decision. Thanks for the advice:)

Have you asked the vet to run a thyroid panel? it may be that she needs more exercise than she is getting and/or that you are not feeding her the right food.
Have you tried the Purina OM?

http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/Ca ... x?prod=227

It takes time to reduce weight but it's a good idea to have the vet check her out too.

Olliekinz · Post by **Olliekinz** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 1:37 pm

I think the food has traces of corn in it though

Mattie · Post by **Mattie** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:56 pm

What food are you feeding her and what are the ingredients?

Can you weight a cupful of food as well please, cups can vary in their size.

andie · Post by **andie** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:10 pm

Olliekinz wrote:I think the food has traces of corn in it though

you might want to look at this web site although I'm not sure any of the brands have diet food. I am wondering what your vet is recommending as far as diet, amount to feed and exercising?

http://www.4pawsu.com/dogfood.htm

jmbau · Post by **jmbau** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:36 am

Olliekinz wrote:I don't feed her treats or table scraps. Maybe she has a thyroid problem?????? I don't know what it could be......

The most common cause of overweight in any creature (dogs, people, cats!) is too much ingoing energy vs not enough outgoing. ie, too much food, not enough exercise. Yeah, a thyroid problem can occur... but not very often at all! And nowhere near as often as people hope or wish it would.

One of these needs to change: food/exercise. Ideally both (food down, exercise up). Almost certainly you're over-feeding. And most labs will keep eating as long as it's there...

MaiasMom · Post by **MaiasMom** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:24 pm

2 things, she's a girl and spayed? I think 2 cups of food in the morning and 1 at night plus treats is a lot if the dog is laying around that much. Just like us they have to burn more than they eat to get the weight off. I would cut the morning meal down, offer non processed treats if she will take them, mine like baby carrots your might like something else. My dogs are pretty active and they don't get that much kibble. You have to really look at what is in the food you buy. Corn is a big no no for my 3, not in any form. Chicken and Rice as a base is what I use AND before I feed anything, I check out how the host animal was killed. Injection seems more humane but that drug circulates in the blood which goes into the meat as the animal dies. for give the spelling, pheonobarbital accumulates in any system. I only feed a product if the host animal was killed without drugs so the heart stops pumping blood to the meat. Sounds cruel I know. I don't feed anything that has red meat. Not even me. Steroids and other chemicals stay in the meat. I feed range grown chicken, it costs a bit more but not drugs.

Nettle · Post by **Nettle** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:20 am

Should anyone have a conscience problem, killing without drugs can be perfectly humane and often faster than killing with them.

mj702002 · Post by **mj702002** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:57 am

Unfortunately I have to agree with you Nettle

Growing up my dad hunted - when he shot a rabbit or a deer it was instant. When I was in college a horse that had to be put down was donated to the college. It seemed like it took forever, and I hope I never have to witness something like that again, I handled the autopsy after just fine.

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My Black Lab needs to shed some weight!

My Black Lab needs to shed some weight!

Re: My Black Lab needs to shed some weight!