Diet

roxiesmammy

Suzie has to go on a magor diet, she is 13.02 weight and vet said with her build and size he would be happier with her at around 8-9 kg, so she has a good bit to lose. I have put her on to RC medium jr as this is what my others are on. Im giving her what it says to give a average cav a day. I dont think her prob was she was getting fed to well i think she was been fed s**t and confined to a small space with no exercise which piled on the piles.
I have started her on 3 small walks aday to get her used to walking and i will increase this as we go on.
Any tips on losing the weight. Vet things her heart and everything will be alot better when she loses as she is a big pudding

Shazanne

Delighted to see this thread! Millie (my terrier!) also needs to get her figure in shape! I have switched her from Royal Canin Adult 27 to Royal Canin Adult Light - supposed to be for dogs prone to putting on weight. I am also trying to stop myself hand feeding her small scraps from the table - but her pleading brown eyes dont make that easy! And she knows everything I am eating and exactly when to turn on the charm to get some! She goes walking 3 - 4 times a week generally (a good fairly fast paced walk) and she generally does not "savage" her food and very often leaves some, even though I have reduced her amount. I'll be watching this thread closely to see what advice comes in;)

Blueprint

The best thing to do, I found, is to stick to a good quality food and just feed less. This is what I did with my dog after he gained weight in his first year with me. And be really strict with the extra snacks - if she get anything at all, make sure you deduct it from her regular meals.

My guy is on Orijen and I do feel awfully mean just giving him enough to barely cover the base of his bowl, but it's for his own good!

If you could get her swimming, that would be a great way to start building up fitness, as it doesn't put much strain on the joints etc.

roxiesmammy

Shazanne wrote: »

Delighted to see this thread! Millie (my terrier!) also needs to get her figure in shape! I have switched her from Royal Canin Adult 27 to Royal Canin Adult Light - supposed to be for dogs prone to putting on weight. I am also trying to stop myself hand feeding her small scraps from the table - but her pleading brown eyes dont make that easy! And she knows everything I am eating and exactly when to turn on the charm to get some! She goes walking 3 - 4 times a week generally (a good fairly fast paced walk) and she generally does not "savage" her food and very often leaves some, even though I have reduced her amount. I'll be watching this thread closely to see what advice comes in;)

i was going to swap to this food as well but was told by a few people not to bother, its just full of fillers to fill dog up and costs more.

morganafay

I say she will probably lose weight easily now that she's on good food and exercising. 2 of my Cavs had to lose weight last summer, so I just cut their food down and took them running instead of walking, and the weight just fell off. They were being fed too much, so I just gave them exactly the amount they were meant to have, and that worked. My other Cav had to gain some weight back because of all the exercise.

If she doesn't lose weight after a month or so, then I'd just cut her food back more and see if that helps.

lorebringer

We have one who is very prone to putting on weight - she ballooned after she was spayed even though we reduced her calorie intake. She is now, for the first time since the dramatic weight gain, the correct weight for her size (wohoo!). From personal experience Arden Grange or James Wellbwloved Light foods are the best I found on the market. Hills or RC Light have quite a lot of fillers in them and the poo like there is no tomorrow on them (great for the glands, not so great for the garden). Tid bits were out for my lady, she didn't get anything other than food and water! Hills do a Light treat if you want to give her a little something nice

Because she is not used to have a healthy lifestyle up until now she will respond well initially to her new food and walking routine. The key to weight loss in dogs is do it slowly, if she looses weight too fast she will be more likely to put it all back on. With about a third of her body weight to loose, it may take a bit longer than you expect but it's all worth it in the end

Shazanne

God - I'm really taken aback to read what's been said about Royal Canin! And I really throught I was feeding Millie the best dog food on the market Should I just change her over to a different one? Would it be best to do this gradually? Have no idea what to change her onto now tho!

doggiewalker00

You could try JWB
cavs are very prone to putting on weight
due to the fact they sleep all day
how much food weight wise are you giving her? in grms......

doggiewalker00

dogs really should get atleast one daily walk (3-4 times really isnt enough)

lorebringer

doggiewalker00 wrote: »

dogs really should get atleast one daily walk (3-4 times really isnt enough)

3-4 times per day isn't enough?!

Shazanne wrote: »

God - I'm really taken aback to read what's been said about Royal Canin! And I really throught I was feeding Millie the best dog food on the market Should I just change her over to a different one? Would it be best to do this gradually? Have no idea what to change her onto now tho!

Royal Canin is a good food but (IMO!) they just don't do a very good "light" food. Do your research and find a food that you are happy to feed your dog. If you are happy with what you are feeding her then there is no need to change. JWB and Arden Grange are two "light" foods I have tried with my own dog and I found them very good, but it really is a matter of opinion.

If you do decide to change food, do it over a period of about 5 days - gradually reducing her current food and gradually increasing the new food. This is to avoid a dodgy belly. Many people simply feed less of normal food but as "Blueprint" pointed out this can add up to a very small amount of food, the "light" foods tend to fill them up for longer without the added calories so that they don't get hungry.

roxiesmammy

doggiewalker00 wrote: »

dogs really should get atleast one daily walk (3-4 times really isnt enough)

sorry i dont understand what u mean by this?????? Suzie at the moment is getting 3-4 small walks aday until i build up her fitness level, she also has a grade 3 heart murmer, also until monday she had never been on a lead and collar before.not my fault i rescued her from a bad situation. So i think im actually doing what is right for her at this moment.

lrushe

So long as you are feeding a good quality food the only real recommendation I could give would be to cut down but do it slowly rather that all at once, be strict and use the 20 minute rule. Use the likes of carrots or apples as treats instead of biscuits and things, dogs enjoy them just as much but they don't have anywhere near the same calories. Also make sure everyone in your house is on the same page, no use you being strict and somebody else sneaking her food when you're not looking

star-pants

I'd say doggiewalker meant 3-4 walks a week isn't enough, and that a daily walk is better.

Sounds like you're doing right Roxie with building her up etc.

+1 on being strict and making sure everyone in the house is on the same page. My two are a little bit overweight at the moment so I've cut down their food, removed all treats and they only get chicken or a bit of meat apart from their dry food. But I have to watch everyone and make sure the girls aren't slipped a bit of cake or icecream.

Shazanne

doggiewalker00 wrote: »

You could try JWB
cavs are very prone to putting on weight
due to the fact they sleep all day
how much food weight wise are you giving her? in grms......

My dog isn't a cav - she's a rescue terrier. She was in pretty poor condition when I got her but is in top form now and I love her to bits and want to do the right thing for her. I was giving her the recommended 75gms twice a day of RC Adult Mini 27. But I reduced that to 50gms twice a day and then, just two weeks ago, I switched her to RC Adult Light. She doesn't have a robust apppetite and can often leave some behind, which I have begun taking away after about half an hour. The reason I cut her amount down to be honest is because she is a fussy eater and, in oder to keep her feeding, I have to mix a very tiny amount of wet dog food into her RC (I know I'll be slated for this!). I buy a good one - all natural ingredients - but I realise it's not the thing to do. I know I'm probably spoiling her but if she wont eat it dry then what can I do?

Orla K

I just have to say poor Sam is over 11kg, it's nearly twice the weight she should be. Since she's not mine there's not alot I can do about it and 3 out of the 4 owners either don't care enough or don't see anything wrong.

Shes going on two and I'm starting to wonder how long is she going to live.

roxiesmammy

Orla K wrote: »

I just have to say poor Sam is over 11kg, it's nearly twice the weight she should be. Since she's not mine there's not alot I can do about it and 3 out of the 4 owners either don't care enough or don't see anything wrong.

Shes going on two and I'm starting to wonder how long is she going to live.

whos sam, what bred is she.

Orla K

roxiesmammy wrote: »

whos sam, what bred is she.

Sam is someone elses dog, when I can I take her for walks and mind her when the owners are away.

Shes a jack russel but she might be a cross.

She was big when she was 9kg but now shes 11!

roxiesmammy

Orla K wrote: »

Sam is someone elses dog, when I can I take her for walks and mind her when the owners are away.

Shes a jack russel but she might be a cross.

She was big when she was 9kg but now shes 11!

ah right poor thing, god she must be a porkie, at least she has u for exercise. imagine what she would be like if she didnt

doggiewalker00

I was responding to shzanne who said she walks her yorkie 3-4 times a week.
I generally wouldnt go on what they recomend you on the side of the bag of food,its usually alot more than the dog needs.
mine gets about 40+40grms plus a few treats troughout the day,she doenst need much as she sleeps all day.............(lucky thing)

Orla K

roxiesmammy wrote: »

ah right poor thing, god she must be a porkie, at least she has u for exercise. imagine what she would be like if she didnt

It feels completely hopeless, I can't always get into the house to bring her for a walk and this bugs me the most, I bring her for a really long walk kill myself doing it and as soon as she's in the door she gets a biscuit (not a dog biscuit either)

She is now on diet food (but it's pedigree) and not allowed treats but she still gets them and she might even get the other dogs food.

At this point I have given up on the owners, any little tips I give get's a 'thats a great idea' and it doesn't happen (only lately was she put on diet food, something I have been saying for maybe a year now) or if I say something about the health problems I get a 'Im on loads of tablets, if she gets sick she gets sick' or worse still if I say anything about her weight they turn it around and have a conversation about how I need to lose weight.

Now I don't say anything except if she gets any fatter I'm taking her off them(I'll give her back but only when she gets the weight off her) at the moment I don't really want to do it, the place where I'm living I can't keep dogs and last time the dogs were here the cat attacked them. If it comes to it I'll have to keep one locked in the bathroom while the other gets to roam the apartment.

Shazanne

doggiewalker00 wrote: »

I was responding to shzanne who said she walks her yorkie 3-4 times a week.
I generally wouldnt go on what they recomend you on the side of the bag of food,its usually alot more than the dog needs.
mine gets about 40+40grms plus a few treats troughout the day,she doenst need much as she sleeps all day.............(lucky thing)

Hi Doggiewalker (great name!). My dog is not a Yorkie - she a terrier cross, but a small enough one. Your advice sound right to me - I think I'll reduce her again - this time to 40grms a feed. I will have to give her a couple of treats during the day or she'll think her world has ended (she's very spoiled!) but, on reflection, 40gms per feed may well be enough for her. Thanks:)