Oh gosh where do I begin....

A friend of mine has an overweight female (she weighs around 155lbs+ ). She has finally agreed that the dog needs to lose some weight and is in the process of switching to a diet dog food. She is currently feeding Kibble & Bits :cry2:

Anyways, I asked her what she planned to switch to and she mentioned Iams and mixing it with the Kibble & Bits (she claims this crap is the only food her dog will eat so unless she sticks some in the dish the dog will most likely not go near it). The dog has also been eating table scraps for years and she says that will be coming to an end.

Does anyone have any recommendations for better alternatives besides Iams?

Please help.

The Iams would be a step up from the kibbles n bits so if she's comfortable with that, I'd incourage her. Tell her to feed the appropriate amount for the weight she should be at and add some green beans. Don't offer anything more than this (treats, table scraps, ect). Just put the food down for 15 min and if she doesn't eat, put it up until the next meal time. At 155lbs???, it won't hurt her if she refuses a few meals. She'll eat what's offered when she's hungry enough. Good luck!

Wow...that is so heavy for a Lab....155lbs! Poor girl...I would suggest a lite dog food...many premiun brands make a lite food with less calories but still all good ingredients.....Kibble and Bits...(YUCK) That has to be the worst....I know Natural Balance makes a good lite food and so does Wellness...adding unsalted canned green beans is also a great idea...very low in calories and a good filler, no treats and no table scraps! Our Lab is 3 years old and he only eats one cup and half in am and about 1 cup in pm, to maintain his weight of 75 lbs. You can also mention to your friend that you always feed less when feeding premium foods...I hope she gets her off the K and Bits.....the dog also needs EXERCISE...at least 2 walks a day...thanks and I hope her dog sheds some of those pounds...it can't be healthy for her....

Of course it's addicted to K&B - it's all sugar!
If she sticks it out for a few days with no K&B, the dog will eat (trust me. with an appetite like that... :rolleyes: ) A spoonful of real gravy will help.
(OT: why do people think putting real gravy on dog food is "spoling" them?!?)

She could try switching to the lite food and instead of having to keep adding k&b try adding a small maount of warm chicken broth. i recently chnged my dad's golden retriever over from having a tablespoon of canned in her kibble to a tablespoon of warm broth. it's just to give it a little bit of flavor and nice smell.

Good suggestions - just wanted to add that a thyroid test might also be a good idea.

I don't like any of the "lite" foods I've seen. They are all filler in the form of carbohydrates. I think part of the problem with obesity in dogs is due to feeding them foods their bodies are not designed to digest optimally - specifically carbohydrates in the form of grains. These are the foods most difficult for dogs to utilize and so they turn to fat. That degree of obesity is a health condition and she should be looking at it as such. This is going to be hard for her but her dog's life is in danger at that weight :(

I would switch to a very simple premium meat & rice food (like a California Natural or Wellness Simple Solutions) which doesn't contain fillers or additives and will allow her to get all of the junk and toxins out of her system.

She'll be eating less, but she'll be getting more nutrition from the food (which would not be the case if she fed a lower quality lite food). For instance, here is the Iams Weight Loss food for Large Breeds. Its mostly carbs! The California Natural by comparison is healthier, more biologically appropriate (contains more meat), and more accessible nutritionally. Its lower carb.

Iams Weight Control Large Breed Ingredients
Corn Meal, Chicken, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Potassium Chloride, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Flax Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), L-Tryptophan, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, L-Carnitine, Rosemary Extract

Caloric Distribution
Protein 21%...Fat 26%...Carbohydrate 53%

And here's regular California Natural:
Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground White Rice, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Taurine, Flaxseed, Vitamins/Minerals

Protein 21.00 %
Carbohydrates 45.9%
Fat 11.00 %
Fiber 4.00 %
Moisture 10.00 %

Thanks so much everyone. I will pass your recommendations on to her. The green beans is a great idea as well.