Rosie is 6 years old and, came to me around 1 and a half years old with loads of joint issues. She has arthritis and has had both back legs operated on in 2014 / 2015 - 2 X TPLO’s followed by meniscus surgery in one back leg. She went back to vet in March who insisted her front legs needed loose chips of bone removing - fast forward to now and she is finally on road to recovery but has gained weight and needs it off again without being able to run! I’ve just started hydrotherapy and we are walking 4 times a day but need a good recommendation for weight loss food please? She needs to lose 1-1.5 kg - ideal weight 16kg (she is really small build) and she is currently at 17.9kg. Vet didn’t have any recommendation just to look around. Rosie currently gets home cooked chicken, beef mince or turkey with aatu or wainwrights biscuits and one denture stick (small on a morning) and 2 Markies as a treat on a night?
Any help appreciated thank you.
Hello and welcome to the forum. It’s good that your dog is now making progress following the surgery. There are a number of threads on the forum about weight loss and some of them can be found in the General Discussion section. Links to two threads here and here. Some people believe that weight loss is best achieved by low carbohydrate, others advise low fat. The former can be achieved by giving a raw diet. There are complete meals available and you might find a product that is low in fat so recommended for weight loss - I think that Nutriment had one or two but if you are minded to go down this route, perhaps give the company/companies a call. Natures Menu Country Hunter nuggets are lower in fat and carbohydrate so might be worth having a look at.
If raw is not your thing, then I think it might be easier if you stopped the extras and just stick with one or two types of food because then you will be able to assess progress more accurately. A few things here for you to consider:
- Stop all treats (biscuits etc). Sea jerky could be used as a substitute as it is low calorie and crunchy.
- The recommended daily allowance on the packets are often over generous so start at a lower amount and decrease by 10% if weight is not coming off.
- Always weigh the food accurately using a digital scale in 1g divisions. Do not use a beaker, mug etc.
- Choose a weight control product with a fat level of 12% or lower. Top this up with lean protein food such as chicken, fish or egg.
- Consider reducing the amount of kibble and substituting with a home cooked meal of lean protein, vegetables, small amount of sweet potato or well cooked brown rice plus fruit. Make sure that what you are giving is OK for dogs.
- It takes a while for weight to come off so be patient and remember to take your dog to the vets at least fortnightly to monitor progress.
If you require help to choose a suitable product using the Dog Food Directory, please ask.
Hello and welcome to the forum, I can’t add much to Dottie’s excellent advice. I would just emphasis how important it is to weigh food out accurately. I find that if I don’t, I always feed more than I should.
If you think she should be losing weight and she doesn’t, it may be worth keeping a food diary. If it is written down, you can see what might be going wrong
My dog will sometimes be happy with a carrot stick instead of a biscuit, if you find it difficult to stop the treats. Good luck.