Soooo disgusted

[Sandysbabies]

Sure some of you know we had to put Kayla and Lexi on a diet. Kayla has possible CT (x-rays being done Sat.) and the vet put them on OM. After all the scare with Xylitol, I decided to look up the ingredents in OM. I know the food did not contain Xylitol but was just curious what was in it. I know prescription diets are not very good and they are on Welliness now which is a 5 star food. I almost fainted at the junk in the OM. Would I be wrong to go ahead and feed them their Welliness and cut back some and add more vegetables maybe to it. I don't want my babies eating peanut hulls etc. We have got to get their weight down but I don't see feeding them this crap to do it. What do you think? Lexi has alot of weight to lose and Kayla needs to lose at least 4 to 5lbs. Worried about them and don't want to do anything wrong.

[kjc]

I agree... portion control, low calorie, low fat fiber snacks, and increase their exercise.

[ArmaniMan]

I do believe prescription diets have their place- I have one cat on a prescription diet now. However, I really hate when vets prescribe a prescription diet solely for weight control, or tartar control- things that can very easily be controlled in other ways. I don't know the specifics of wellness, but I would just make sure my dogs were on a low fat/ low calorie food, give less food and more veggies, and increase their exercise if they needed to lose weight.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by kjc

I agree... portion control, low calorie, low fat fiber snacks, and increase their exercise.

I agree -- even adding one 20 minute walk a day can do quite a lot! That is how I managed Ben's weight gain. He had gotten neutered and was trying to gobble up Annie's puppy food -- which resulted in an extra pound! So, I switched them all to Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit (an all life stage food with less calories per cup than the puppy food) and added the walk each day to Ben's routine. I also increased the green bean & carrot I use to replace treats. He is looking much better now. He could still stand to lose a little to get back to his previous "lean" description, but I think he is fine for now.

Also -- look for premium low calorie foods. Since you have been using Wellness, why not switch to Wellness Super5 Mix Healthy Weight formula: Wellness Complete Health® Super5Mix® Healthy Weight No peanut hulls in it!

[bettyeanne]

I agree, also. Our breeder told us exactly what portions Toto should have, according to her weight and her "ideal" weight for her tiny bone structure. She said to be strict even though Toto wouldn't be happy ... believe me, she was not! "Tough love" has to rule. She began loving veggies so much that at one point she pushed her little tad of chicken aside and ate only the veggies and fruit. Portion control works ... good luck and be strong. The hardest thing for us was not giving in ... we knew she was getting plenty of food, just not as much as she wanted.

[AlicetheYorkie]

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

I do believe prescription diets have their place- I have one cat on a prescription diet now. However, I really hate when vets prescribe a prescription diet solely for weight control, or tartar control- things that can very easily be controlled in other ways. I don't know the specifics of wellness, but I would just make sure my dogs were on a low fat/ low calorie food, give less food and more veggies, and increase their exercise if they needed to lose weight.

There's no need to use that garbage OM, just cut back and add veggies like you said. - Here's a good "trick" to get the right amount of calories - with their regular food, look at the feeding guidlines, find the weight your dogs SHOULD be (not the weight they are) and feed the lowest recommended for that weight, even less if you will be adding veggies.
So, if your Wellness bag says something like - 5 to 10 lbs feed 1/4 to 3/4 cup daily, and your pup 'should' weigh 5 lbs. - feed just under 1/4 cup plus a few veggies. Most of the "weight management" diets tell you this on the bag, but I know not everyone notices. This is a little more tricky with tiny dogs like Yorkies since being overweight can sometimes be only a difference of a pound or 2, but it's a start to get an idea of the right amount of food. If they seem really hungry and are driving you nuts see if they like raw baby carrots to munch on - they have very few calories.

P.S. - Tell your vet the dogs refuse to eat the OM, Purina should refund your money

[yorkietalkjilly]

I agree - go with less and more nutritious.

[BlondeLocks]

What are some of the veggies you give your Yorkies? I would like to include some type Veggie in Kody's diet as well - he is a about 7.5lbs at 5 months. I feed Wellness Super 5 Mix - less than the recommended amount - I believe the recommended amount is too much.

[Ellie May]

Around here when weight loss is needed, the recommendation is a reduction of food and an increase in exercise. If the dog is extremely overweight and/or the weight needs to be lost quickly, then an rx diet is recommended. Usually option A is adequate.

Four to five pounds to lose for a yorkie is really quite a lot. Now with Kayla having possible CT and her issue at the vet's office, my guess is that there is no time to try cutting back a little bit. Her vet probably believes she is in danger, especially at this weight and that it needs to come off immediately. In this situation, I would feed what the vet was telling me to feed. After they lose the weight, then I would talk to the vet about switching back to a better food at a reduced portion.

Her lungs, trachea, heart, and joints need some relief. If you really hate the idea of an rx food for this, then I would get a second opinion from a vet. It's too serious to not do exactly what they say needs to be done (IMO).

[AlicetheYorkie]

Oh, they need to loose 5 lbs? Ok, here's more details because that's pretty serious:

The other thing you can do is compare k/cal of the two foods.
I did some research for you:

Purina OM dry has 276 k/cal (calories) per cup
Wellness Super 5 mix healthy weight has 325 k/cal per cup

That's a HUGE difference when you're talking about a Yorkie.

Vet's recommend rx diets like OM in cases that need major weight loss as fast as possible and/or when an owner is having a hard time regulating the proper feeding amount (it came with it's own little measuring cup I'm assuming?) Your vet also should have given you an 'OM chart' which will show you how much food/calories your dogs should be having a day and how much they should weigh. If he didn't, talk to him about how many k/cals your dogs are supposed to have per day, then you can do the math yourself or ask your vet to help you.

The #1 reason dogs fail to loose extra weight is owner compliance, so something like OM was created to not only provide a food really low in calories and fat, but also to help owners because we tend to think an adequate amout of food for our dogs is not nearly enough, especially with the high quality foods - they're really dense in calories so it can be deceiving. The other thing about OM is that it's designed to "expand" in the stomach to help the dog feel full longer.

The vet I worked for was a major stickler on weight and nutrition, and in cases where simply cutting back food amounts wasn't helping, he'd put them on OM temporarily to help the owners out. That being said, he suggested I use it for my Beagle a few years ago when she needed to loose about 5 lbs. She freaked out! She started ripping through the garbage which she had NEVER done before. I stuck with it for a week then talked to him and we came up with a plan to use low calorie Innova and some veggies (cooked carrots and green beans mainly) instead. It was less food amount-wise than the OM, but she seemed more content and still lost the weight.

Soooo, if you REALLY don't want to use the OM, you have to do some math and be really specific in measuring their food. No treats (trust me, they'll survive).

Hope this helps, we did alot of weight loss programs for dogs where I worked as a tech so I've learned ALOT.

Good luck and just stick to your guns, don't feel guilty, it's for their heath and you know what's best for them more than they do

[Sandysbabies]

For the ones that don't know, I should have explained better. Sorry! Kayla is one of our yorkies. Lexi is one of our schnauzers. We have 2 yorkies, 2 schnauzers. Lexi has gained ever since she was spayed. I have never had this problem before. She has gottne huge. Kayla, to me, doesn't look over weight. But, if she does have CT we need to have her lose down to 4 or 5lbs. That means she will have to lose 4 or 5lbs. They eat Welliness (canned) split 4 ways in the morning and nite. That is not alot of food to me. I leave (or did, no more) out kibble for them and they get carrots for snacks. Sometime apple. They don't get alot of execise because due to health problems I can't walk them and my husband gets home too late at nite to walk them. I let them out during the day but Lexi lays down and suns. lol!!! Just what she needs. But, I really appreciate everyone's thoughts. I am going to try to stick to my guns. Its so hard when they look at you and you feel like they are starving. I think I will order them some low fat snack to chew on and maybe the chewing on something will help them be occupied enough to feel like I'm not abusing them. ugh!!! They are soooo spoiled.

[Ellie May]

When looking at Kayla from the top, does her stomach area curve in (body would be an hourglass shape)? That seems odd. If she doesn't look overweight, losing 1/2 her body weight is way too much. Or is it just that you are used to seeing her heavier?

She can't really exercise and it doesn't sound like she is getting a ton of food. I don't think just cutting back and waiting too long for results is the answer.

Post spay, a lot of females need a large reduction of calories.

[Sandysbabies]

Well Lexi started gaining when we brought her home. She had been spayed before that. We bought her at age 5mo. She is the schnauzer. She is 2. It was not an overnite thing but just gained and I thought that might be the problem. My other shnauzers I have had in the past slept alot during the day but never gained that much. Now, Kayla is just straight, no hour glass figure. lol!! She is just alittle pudgy but I would have not considered her that seriously over weight. But, if it is CT we are dealing with we need to get it off now. Same with Lexi, because female schnauzers are prone to diabetes. Been through that with a male and its not easy. Please pray for my babies that we can do the right thing and I know it would be a miracle because the vet has already said, sounds like CT in Kayla. I just would be so happy if it was a breathing problem due to her weight and not CT. I know I am probably just dreaming but she is just 3. It just seemed to me that giving them meat and cutting back alot on it and veggetables would be healther for them. They also take NuVet supplements.

[xoxStephie]

I'm not an expert on food but I do agree with the person who said to start walking them 20 minutes a day. It really will go a long way. When Lucas is outside in the spring and summer it is clearly visible that he slims down. He has never been overweight but in the winter he tends to gain a bit but with in a week or two of nice weather and being outside for most of the day he loses it.

[Sandysbabies]

Like I said in my other post, if I could walk them I would. I know thats real important. I have had back surgery, and double knee replacement at the same time. There is no way I can walk them. I have a tread mill I have thought about useing for them. Don't know if it would freak them out or not. It might be worth a try. That would be about as close to walking them as I could get. I would have never thought I would have the health problems I am now having. Wish I could walk them. I have had complications with the knee surgeries in that with diabetes I contacted a infection from the surgery. Just have gone through alot lately health wise. But, we are going to try our best for our babies. We try to always see they get what they need. Its just I have never had a weight problem with any of my dogs down through the years. But, I just need to understand too, it takes very little to keep a yorkie going and I am always afraid they need something. I have quit the free feeding, which may also help.