|
Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member! Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us. |
|
| LinkBack | Thread Tools |
04-15-2012, 10:23 AM | #1 |
YT Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 342
| Overweight dog - food options It haven't really posted here since my mom passed away in February, followed by my grandpa at the beginning of April - but hopefully I am back! Anyway, the dog in question isn't a yorkie - he is a pomeranian x pekingese, but I don't know where else to ask about this. When my mom was in the hospital (January 1st - Feb. 20th) there was a major miscommunication between my dad, brother and my brother's girlfriend. My brother didn't know my dad fed the dogs half the amount in the morning and the other half at night, and my brother's girlfriend didn't realize my brother was coming home from work at dinner time to feed the dogs, so she was coming when she finished work. Basically, Jackson usually eats 1cup of food a day but for almost 2 months Jackson was eating 2.5 cups a day. Jackson went to the vet for his needles and they became very concerned with his weight. He put on 7lbs since December and now weighs 22lbs and his maximum weight should be 15lbs - which he was at until the miscommunication. We noticed he has been gaining weight, but unfortunately all of us just assumed a lot of it was fur and to be honest, no one was really around the house that often during that time. Our vet uses a scale for obesity/heart attack risk and he rated at 4.6 out of 5 - so he is on a food from the vet, and because he is so overweight he is on restricted activity as well. He isn't allowed to get overly excited, we are just supposed to take him on a short/calm walk 2 times a day for now and when he loses a little weight he can go to the dog park. Anyway, my dad is unhappy with that vet (they basically said they didn't care that my mom has passed away and they could report my dad for animal cruelty and will if he doesn't get him to the proper weight) so has been trying to decide if the food from the vet is worth it or if we should try a higher quality diet and change vets - which we are doing regardless. Right now, Jackson is eating Medi-Cal Calorie Control Calorie Control Dry / Veterinary Therapeutic Formulas / Canine Nutrition / Veterinary Exclusive Nutrition / Home - RoyalCanin But we have been looking at Acana Light and Fit Champion Petfoods | ACANA | Our Products And someone recommended Authority Weight Management:Authority Dog Food - Adult Real Chicken | PetSmart (I don't think I would want to use this food though) Which one is probably the best for him? I personally want to use Acana because I don't like that the one from the vet has corn in it and I like how the Acana one is limited simple sugars and carbohydrates. If anyone has another food to suggest, we are open to anything, as long as we can get it in Ontario, Canada. I don't know though, so I am hoping for some input - we have a sample of the Acana and he definitely likes it and he has a strong stomach so switching his food isn't going to bother him. He has about a week left of the Medi-Cal, so we are trying to figure it out before we need a new bag of food. I know some people may agree with the vet's opinion about animal cruelty, but I just want food advice as this wasn't intended and our minds were focused on my mom at the time. Lowering his weight is a family task we are all involved in now, and we are doing what we can for him to lose the weight. |
Welcome Guest! | |
04-15-2012, 10:35 AM | #2 |
I ♥ Joey & Ralphie! Donating Member | Joey gained a pound after a trick training class, and thank goodness we caught it right away. The vet told us that we should cut his regular food by 1/3 and give him about 5 green beans to make him feel full. With that he was able to lose 1 ounce a week and it didn't seem to bother him much. I do not think you can go by the dog food containers on how much food your dog needs. Also, if you give any type of food beyond the dog food those calories really add up too. I'm familiar with the Royal Canin and I know they do extensive testing to make sure that their food does what it says it will do. Many companies say a lot, but have no proof to back it up. No matter what food you choose, I hope you get a scale so that you can weigh him once a week so that you will know if you are feeding him the right amount. Did your vet tell you how many ounces he thought your dog should lose each week? Of course, I also recommend daily walk, no snaking on people's food, and a hard chewing stick like a bully stick can help with hunger pains. Don't use a soft stick, it will just add more calories. Look for one with a low moisture content and make sure it takes him at least a week to eat it, it's for gnawing and chewing, not a food supplement. Good luck!
__________________ NancyJoey Proud members of the CrAzYcLuB and YAP! ** Just Say No to Puppymills – Join YAP! Yorkshire Terrier Club of America – Breeder Referrals |
04-15-2012, 10:43 AM | #3 |
YT Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 342
| Thanks. He has a bully stick that he gets for about an hour a day (my dad also has a lab that will steal it if we leave it out for him). Our vet didn't tell us how much he needed to lose a week, she just said if he hadn't lost any by the time we came back at the end of the month for more food she was going to consider calling animal control. |
04-15-2012, 11:15 AM | #4 | |
I ♥ Joey & Ralphie! Donating Member | Quote:
__________________ NancyJoey Proud members of the CrAzYcLuB and YAP! ** Just Say No to Puppymills – Join YAP! Yorkshire Terrier Club of America – Breeder Referrals | |
04-15-2012, 11:29 AM | #5 |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Idaho
Posts: 551
| If he was being fed 2.5 cups per day by accident , just by going back to feeding the 1 cup per day he will lose weight for sure. That is cutting his food by more than half. Also even tho the vet is trying to get you motivated, i dont think that is a good way to do it by saying they are going to turn you in. We have alot of overweight dogs who come to our clinic and we try alot of other things to motivate, but never do we threaten to turn some one in for their dog being obese. |
04-15-2012, 11:57 AM | #6 | |
Rosehill Yorkies Donating YT Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Houston Texas
Posts: 9,462
| Quote:
| |
04-16-2012, 08:57 AM | #7 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Van Alstyne, TX
Posts: 842
| If the vet threatened to turn me in to animal control, I would NEVER go back to them. Unless of course they know you and were just joking with you, but it doesn't sound like it was meant that way. Sorry, but being overweight is not something that should cause you to be turned in. Sounds like you need a good quality food and just feed smaller portions. I'm sure Acana would be a great choice. Good luck with whatever you decide.
__________________ Maggie (RIP), Ginger (RIP), Lilly, Bella, Saleen, Bailey, Bridget |
04-16-2012, 11:01 AM | #8 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Maui, Hawaii
Posts: 7,740
| First, I am sorry for the loss of your mother and grandfather, and send condolences to you and your family. The loss of loved ones can also contribute to your dog overeating. Your dogs weight gain is a shocking amount in a short time, and it appears you are taking it seriously and will work to correct it. Make sure he isn't eating the other dogs food too. I think your vet's threat to report you is an inappropriate reaction at this point, and I think you should tell her that. If she has warned you for years to get the dog's weight down, and it was ignored, maybe it would be justified, but not if the circumstances are as you described. Good luck, hope you get results.
__________________ SANDY, MOM TO TIKI , KAYLA , KARLEE , R.I.P. MEIKA |
04-29-2012, 03:43 PM | #9 |
YT Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 342
| I just wanted to update. We went back to the same practice, but requested a different vet - just for now. We figure that they know his history better and we want him to lose the weight safely. We decided to keep him on the food he is on because it appears to be working. He went in for his first monthly weigh in and he has dropped 2lbs this month - and the vet we are dealing with now was happy with it. She has kept him on the amount he is being fed as he is losing weight and isn't hungry for more food. If anything, he has has more energy and isn't as grumpy as he usually was. |
04-29-2012, 03:47 PM | #10 | |
I ♥ Joey & Ralphie! Donating Member | Quote:
__________________ NancyJoey Proud members of the CrAzYcLuB and YAP! ** Just Say No to Puppymills – Join YAP! Yorkshire Terrier Club of America – Breeder Referrals | |
04-29-2012, 08:13 PM | #11 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Maui, Hawaii
Posts: 7,740
| Great to hear you are already having success. I'm sure your dog is feeling better already.
__________________ SANDY, MOM TO TIKI , KAYLA , KARLEE , R.I.P. MEIKA |
Bookmarks |
|
|
| |
|
|
SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart