# My dog is too fat!!!



## paul.huber (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi everyone,

No matter which type of dog food I buy, my dog always gains weight. It seems like every time we walk together, he tries to find some leftovers on the floor. Like the food he gets isn't enough for him! I don't know what to do anymore…
any suggestions?


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## Pit bull (Jan 18, 2011)

Put him on treadmill everyday for at least one hour on high speed.


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## Clamothe (Jan 20, 2011)

paul.huber said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> No matter which type of dog food I buy, my dog always gains weight. It seems like every time we walk together, he tries to find some leftovers on the floor. Like the food he gets isn't enough for him! I don't know what to do anymore…
> any suggestions?


What are you feeding and how much are you feeding?


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## paul.huber (Dec 27, 2010)

In fact, I don't feed him that much, something like one cup (like Measuring cup) everyday. But every time I grab something to eat, he usually gets a little bit too 

Pit bull, i actually tried it!!!i put him on the treadmill and held a sausage in front of him...it was funny but he realy run!


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

What is he currently eating and how many cups?



Pit bull said:


> Put him on treadmill everyday for at least one hour on high speed.


that is a terrible suggestion for a dog whom you don't know the health of, one hour on high speed would kill allmost any dog and human. most treadmills I know have a high speed of 15-20 MPH. while that speed is fine for a well conditioned dog for a minute or two, an hour is torture.


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## Chikyuu (May 1, 2010)

Keechak said:


> that is a terrible suggestion for a dog whom you don't know the health of, one hour on high speed would kill allmost any dog and human. most treadmills I know have a high speed of 15-20 MPH. while that speed is fine for a well conditioned dog for a minute or two, an hour is torture.


 Right. It also depends on how much stamina the dog has, and if he's really overweight, he might not have much. I like playing long-distance fetch (both with tennis balls and basket balls) with River for exercise. Although not many people have a fenced half-acre property like I do.

A good 15-60 minute (with frequent breaks with water of course) power walk with your dog around the neighbourhood is also good.

We also need to know what brand of food you're feeding. He might actually drop some weight if he's switched from a low-quality to a high-quality food. And of course other factors like age, health problems, neutered/un-neutered...


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Max got really fat on cooked food because it didn't look like enough and I overfed him. It took about a year on raw food for him to lose weight and gain muscle. I watched the amount fed and gave him regular but not excessive exercise. I must use a scale as his ration doesn't look like enough food!

Your dog needs lower fat and more protein and just staying on his feet more. If you feed kibble you can put it into a puzzle ball so it takes longer to eat and he has fun or toss bits down the hall to capture and eat or just scatter all of it on the floor. 

My friend tried to exercise her dogs more to get them to lose weight and they got hurt. Just more walking and less sleeping is a good start. He will let you know when he wants more. If you want to try something like the treadmill or biking read up on it and start really slow. Lowest speed and 5 minutes for the first week at least I would think.

If you are already feeding the amount listed on the bag for the weight you want your dog to weigh, feed half of that amount. If not then start by feeding the dog the amount of food listed for the weight you want the dog to have. I couldn't feed Max EVO as he would have needed about 1/2 a cup a day. 1/2 cup for a 33 pound dog? I couldn't do it. If that kills you you can mix in canned green beans or plain canned pumpkin to make you feel better about it.

Hypothyroid is very common in dogs and can cause the metabolism to slow down so the dog gets fat and lethargic. The medication is inexpensive but there does need to be periodic testing down to be sure the correct amount is being dosed. 

If you like sharing with the dog try sharing plain veggies or bits of lean meat - not fat, not grains.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

what are you feeding? how much?

have you had his throid checked by a vet?

How much daily excersise does he get? what kind?


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## paul.huber (Dec 27, 2010)

First of all, thanks everyone.
For those who were worried about the treadmill-don't. I only tried in like 4 times and every time he run in a slow level. That it's why I also discontinue with it because I didn't see the point and I think Mitch (my dog) didn't like it so much so…

I think my dog weight is something between 55-60 pounds and he is a Ridge back (I hope I wrote it right). 
I feed my dog once a day in the evening with one cup of dog's food from the brand PRO PLAN. I must point that I often give him some bites from everything I eat…Maybe I should give him less of one cup and mix it with canned green beans like Kathyy suggested. I think it is a really good idea so I will try it..


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## Chikyuu (May 1, 2010)

I don't wanna burst your bubble or anything buuuut.... 

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/purina-pro-plan-dog-food-dry/

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1394&cat=all

Anything by Purina isn't something I'd personally recommend. 

You could go online onto the website of a better quality food like Taste of the Wild, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's soul, Fromm, Canidae, Orijen, Acana, Wellness, EVO, Blue Buffalo, among others to find out where it's sold in your area. You can use the DogFoodAnalysis and DogFoodAdvisor sites to find out whether or not a brand is good quality. If it's sold in a grocery store (Pedigree, Beneful, Kibbles n Bits, Purina, Alpo, etc) There's a good... 90% chance the food isn't quality. I always check a brand first with the review sites first. As far as price, it depends on the store. And remember, it may be more expensive, but eating fresh nutritious food for humans is more expensive than eating cocoa puffs and poptarts everyday too, which is my comparison of feeding your dog "Grocery store brands." The dog will most likely eat less good quality food than a bad quality food, it'll satisfy them more, and it's much healthier so you may dodge a few bullets of going to the vet while you're at it. Heck, the dog may not do well on the first premium brand, you just gotta try a few different ones. You can go to most retailers selling a certain food and ask for samples.

Good luck.


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## Elida (May 6, 2010)

Hi,

One of my dogs put on a lot of weight during the summer (terribly hot where I live, almost no exercise at all, me being a first time dog owner and him having those eyes, I couldn't reduce the amount of food:redface. 
I am not saying this is the right way, or a good way but we lost the weight with yogurt.
I reduced his food like 15% gradually and added yogurt in his food. This way he was not starving and not losing very fast, it worked like a charm!
Now he is in good shape, but he still gets his yogurt. I prefer low fat/skimmed yogurt. 
Before summer, I have to get a threadmill and not let this happen again!


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

i would NOT reduce your dogs food at all. i would get him to a vet. ridgebacks are very high energy dogs, and a good size too. he should NOT be fat eating only one cup of food a day. there has got to be something wrong. thyroid would be my first guess.

while i agree that changing to a higher quality food could cause him to lose weight, i would caution that before seeing a vet. when you feed a low quality food then switch to a higher quality, you typically need to feed less of the high quality. what you are feeding right now is far far too low for the amount of food a dog that size should be eating, even if he is substantially inactive. for him to be overweight is a red flag to me.


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## Chikyuu (May 1, 2010)

GreatDaneMom said:


> i would NOT reduce your dogs food at all. i would get him to a vet. ridgebacks are very high energy dogs, and a good size too. he should NOT be fat eating only one cup of food a day. there has got to be something wrong. thyroid would be my first guess.
> 
> while i agree that changing to a higher quality food could cause him to lose weight, i would caution that before seeing a vet. when you feed a low quality food then switch to a higher quality, you typically need to feed less of the high quality. what you are feeding right now is far far too low for the amount of food a dog that size should be eating, even if he is substantially inactive. for him to be overweight is a red flag to me.


I agree. According to the website, Pro Plan weight management fed to a dog over 50 lbs should be 3.5 cups at least. There's no point in essentially starving the dog, and if that's what you've been doing so far with no results, it's probably a medical issue.


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## WashingtonCowgirl (Mar 8, 2010)

GreatDaneMom said:


> i would NOT reduce your dogs food at all. i would get him to a vet. ridgebacks are very high energy dogs, and a good size too. he should NOT be fat eating only one cup of food a day. there has got to be something wrong. thyroid would be my first guess.
> 
> while i agree that changing to a higher quality food could cause him to lose weight, i would caution that before seeing a vet. when you feed a low quality food then switch to a higher quality, you typically need to feed less of the high quality. what you are feeding right now is far far too low for the amount of food a dog that size should be eating, even if he is substantially inactive. for him to be overweight is a red flag to me.


If he is a ridgeback, he would be much larger then 50 pounds


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

If the dog is very overweight, the diet needs to come before the exercise. Once he loses the excess fat, then you can increase the exercise to build some muscle. If you exercise him too much while he's carrying a lot of extra weight, you're causing damage to the joints.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

WashingtonCowgirl said:


> If he is a ridgeback, he would be much larger then 50 pounds


Maybe a mix? Or maybe smaller than the breed standard? I once met a Ridgeback (maybe mix) at the Humane Society, and he appeared to be about 55-60 pounds. I didn't weigh him, of course, so maybe he carried more weight than he appeared to, but that's what size he was anyway.

My dog Penny is 50 pounds and is currently eating 2 cups of food a day. She's 8 years old and fairly inactive right now (too cold out there for me!). So for a young active dog who weighs the same to only eat 1 cup a day and still be overweight is concerning. How much "people food" does he get every day? I'd control the people food strictly (only a little bit, and only good unprocessed meat or veggies---no junk food!), and use a real measuring cup to measure his dog food (some people say "one cup a day" but they're using a "cup" that holds 3 measuring cups full). I'd also split the dog food into 2 feedings a day. It seems to keep their metabolism going better than a once-a-day schedule.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Would it be possible for you to put up a picture of your dog so we can see how overweight he is and maybe give you some better advice? I'm just a little confused between his weight (smallish for a ridgeback) and the small feeding schedule. I feed my 20 pound mixed breed one cup a day! It could be a medical problem you need to see the vet about, but a picture could give us a little more clarity.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

WashingtonCowgirl said:


> If he is a ridgeback, he would be much larger then 50 pounds


i have a great dane who barely reaches 100lbs. there is a boxer i work with who is the height of an english bulldog- kinda looks like an overgrown puggle. not all dogs are created equally. 



GottaLuvMutts said:


> If the dog is very overweight, the diet needs to come before the exercise. Once he loses the excess fat, then you can increase the exercise to build some muscle. If you exercise him too much while he's carrying a lot of extra weight, you're causing damage to the joints.


 NO! there should be NO DIET at all. this dog needs to see a vet. pay attention to the AMOUNT this dog is being fed. its FAR too LOW to be OVERWEIGHT. you reduce this food anymore and youre going to be starving the dog. 

i agree with the other posters that photos would help. then we could see how overweight he is.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

GreatDaneMom said:


> NO! there should be NO DIET at all. this dog needs to see a vet. pay attention to the AMOUNT this dog is being fed. its FAR too LOW to be OVERWEIGHT. you reduce this food anymore and youre going to be starving the dog.
> 
> i agree with the other posters that photos would help. then we could see how overweight he is.


Well, to be fair... the OP does say that he gives his dog bites from everything he eats, so that could really add up. The dog may be getting 1 cup of kibble.. but god knows how much OTHER types of food?


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## WashingtonCowgirl (Mar 8, 2010)

Willowy said:


> Maybe a mix? Or maybe smaller than the breed standard?


 Yea, probably a mix


kafkabeetle said:


> Would it be possible for you to put up a picture of your dog so we can see how overweight he is and maybe give you some better advice? I'm just a little confused between his weight (smallish for a ridgeback) and the small feeding schedule. I feed my 20 pound mixed breed one cup a day! It could be a medical problem you need to see the vet about, but a picture could give us a little more clarity.


 Yes pictures would help 


GreatDaneMom said:


> i have a great dane who barely reaches 100lbs. there is a boxer i work with who is the height of an english bulldog- kinda looks like an overgrown puggle. not all dogs are created equally.


 And not everyone is very knowledgeable in dog breeds as others. I HIGHLY doubt he is a purebred Ridgeback.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

WashingtonCowgirl said:


> And not everyone is very knowledgeable in dog breeds as others. I HIGHLY doubt he is a purebred Ridgeback.


wow... that was really insulting. and funny that im at work right now and there is a PB ridgeback downstairs who is about 60lbs. if i had a camera i would take a pic and post it. like i said, not all breeds are created equally.

lucidity- i see your point. telling us how much he is eating of people food would help. but he said bites so i was thinking, literally like a couple bites out of something. he would pretty much have to eat a whole meal every time they ate to be overweight with the amount of food he gets (kibble food)


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## mitzi (Aug 3, 2010)

We know a PB Ridgeback well, he is a beautiful full grown male and 80 Lbs. He is a 'leaner' and almost knocks me over  I would be hard pressed to imagine a full grown overweight PB Ridgeback of 55-60 Lbs. Is this a puppy (sorry can't remember if I saw his age)?

ETA: How old is he Paul, I see that wasn't mentioned? The breed standard is 
Height: Dogs 25-27 inches (63-69cm) Bitches 24-26 inches (61-66cm)
Weight: Dogs 80-90 pounds (36-41kg) Bitches 65-75 pounds (29-34kg)


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## WashingtonCowgirl (Mar 8, 2010)

GreatDaneMom said:


> wow... that was really insulting.


And directed at the OP, not you.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

First thing I'd do is stop feeding him excess food. Keep track of exactly how much he's eating and when and then talk to the vet. I think it's likely he's getting more than you think he is through scraps and treats.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

WashingtonCowgirl said:


> And directed at the OP, not you.


still... very insulting no matter who it was directed at.

mitzi- breed standard is one thing, but not every dog conforms to that. like i said, i also know a boxer who is about the height of an american bulldog and looks like an overgrown puggle. and shes PB. they dont always come out the way the book says they have to look.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

GreatDaneMom said:


> still... very insulting no matter who it was directed at.
> 
> mitzi- breed standard is one thing, but not every dog conforms to that. like i said, i also know a boxer who is about the height of an american bulldog and looks like an overgrown puggle. and shes PB. they dont always come out the way the book says they have to look.


I don't think her statement was insulting at all. It's reasonable for someone to expect a dog to be the size of the breed standard. Sure, sometimes a dog will deviate from that, but that's really beside the point IMO. Honestly that fact that you're all hung up on one small statement that a dog might not be purebred makes it seem like you're looking down on mixed breeds. I'm sure that's not what you were trying to say so I'll just assume you misunderstood the intent of WashingtonCowgirl's statement.


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## Mizuno (Jun 9, 2010)

GreatDaneMom said:


> still... very insulting no matter who it was directed at.
> 
> mitzi- breed standard is one thing, but not every dog conforms to that. like i said, i also know a boxer who is about the height of an american bulldog and looks like an overgrown puggle. and shes PB. they dont always come out the way the book says they have to look.





kafkabeetle said:


> I don't think her statement was insulting at all. It's reasonable for someone to expect a dog to be the size of the breed standard. Sure, sometimes a dog will deviate from that, but that's really beside the point IMO. Honestly that fact that you're all hung up on one small statement that a dog might not be purebred makes it seem like you're looking down on mixed breeds. I'm sure that's not what you were trying to say so I'll just assume you misunderstood the intent of WashingtonCowgirl's statement.


And even so, some pure bred dogs are badly bred... AND, people lie. So I don't think it is insulting that there are doubts if the dog is a pure bred dog or not. 

My fiance's trashy aunt and uncle had a litter of shar-pei puppies and lied about who the actual sire was so they could register them with the AKC and sell them for more. The father is a shar-pei, too, but no papers. Yes... I DID mention that they are trashy.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

i thought it was insulting because its basically saying "i know more than you do, so therefore i know your dog is a mixed breed even though i have never seen it". im not "hung up" on anything. i just hate that people say that if its a purebred it HAS to look like a,b,c... but its not always the case. i HAVE one of those, constantly people tell me shes a mix, so its irritating. 

i think its funny you would think i look down on mixed breeds based on the fact that i said that a PB doesnt always conform to breed standard. what i DO look down on is breeding mutts for profit or just because it would look cute. but this is all beside the fact.

the OP has not come back yet... so i guess nothing more can really be done about his dog being fat until we had some answers.


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## Challands (Jan 6, 2011)

I get quite a number of overweight dogs into the kennels, sometimes they are a bit like their owners, as we are all getting bigger! lol Just like we go on a diet then so should your dog....a proper diet that is. If I have a dog in for a while they sometimes lose a little weight not because they are underfed or suffering from kennel stress but because they have a standard doggy diet with just a treat or chew a day. Dogs do not come across chocolate and treats out walking and their digestive system is not made for rich foods so try to steer clear of them.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

GreatDaneMom said:


> i thought it was insulting because its basically saying "i know more than you do, so therefore i know your dog is a mixed breed even though i have never seen it". im not "hung up" on anything. i just hate that people say that if its a purebred it HAS to look like a,b,c... but its not always the case. i HAVE one of those, constantly people tell me shes a mix, so its irritating.


And if she DID in all honesty know more about dog breeds than someone and had no malice in trying to inform someone about their dog, would it still be insulting? I just think it's silly, she didn't even say it DEFINITELY wasn't purebred, just that she doubted it, and she didn't seem to be making any value judgment about it whatsoever. Some dog owners DON"T know that much about breeds, me included. And there's nothing wrong with someone trying to inform, even if it means suggesting that the person you are informing is wrong or ignorant (which you could say is what's going on ANY time someone gives a piece of info about ANYTHING).


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

i just think its wrong to ASSUME you know more. thats all im saying.


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## WashingtonCowgirl (Mar 8, 2010)

GreatDaneMom said:


> i just think its wrong to ASSUME you know more. thats all im saying.


I didn't think I sounded assuming in my posts. I think your posts sounded much more assuming towards me then mine did towards anyone


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

GreatDaneMom said:


> i just think its wrong to ASSUME you know more. thats all im saying.


Her assumption was entirely valid based upon the information provided by the OP!


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## mitzi (Aug 3, 2010)

GreatDaneMom said:


> still... very insulting no matter who it was directed at.
> 
> mitzi- breed standard is one thing, but not every dog conforms to that. like i said, i also know a boxer who is about the height of an american bulldog and looks like an overgrown puggle. and shes PB. they dont always come out the way the book says they have to look.


I posted the breed standard as an FYI for those who might not know. I never said or implied that every PB MUST conform to bred standard.

ASAMOF I had an oversize sheltie about 40 years ago. He sired a one puppy litter of an enormous sheltie the size of a collie, whereas normal litter would probably be 3-4 puppies. This isn't the norm and I'll wager over and under size PB as pretty doggone rare.

Also, we don't even know the AGE of this dog, the OP never said.


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