Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11
  1. #1
    Puppy
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    virginia
    Posts
    11
    Thanked: 1

    How to curb my big boys appetite???

    HI all! I am looking for some helpful suggestions on "extras" that I can feed to my big guy, Cooper. He's 7 years old and last week at his vet check up was 105#. He is a pretty lazy lab for most of the day as we are at work. We go on at least a 1 mile walk daily with both of our boys for exercise. He is currently being fed Taste of the Wild high country, (3.5-4 cups/day) We just recently switched to this food. Previously he was on Pro Plan weight management and his weight was as low as 94#. The reason we switched is because we were told by a previous vet that the weight management food was not a good food to stay on for long periods of time. Our current vet told us that is not correct and we can go back to the weight management if we so desire however he suggested we wait at least 3 or 4 months before trying to switch again because Cooper has a rather sensitive stomach. So because he wants us to wait a few months and we really like this new food for multiple reasons we were going to try and stay on it if possible. We were hoping to add some fillers to his food to help curb his appetite. I know carrots, apples, green beans. Any other thoughts or suggestions?

    Thanks for the help!!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails -coop-jpg  
    Hidden Content
    two of the cutest butts in town

  2. #2
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    10,985
    Thanked: 6722
    Cooper is a gorgeous boy!

    We home seniors and Cooper is right on the cusp of seniorhood. I've learned from here that "senior" formulas are really not that great. I feed Fromm, a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening. To fill the tummy I use frozen or canned green beans (no salt). Fruit is also good for a snack but they do have sugars in them. Raw carrots are great along with a lot of other veggies. Broccoli may cause gas. NO mushrooms, onions, grapes or raisins, they are bad for dogs.

    If you could up the exercise that would help too. Can you get a dog walked to come in mid day for extra exercise or take longer walks. After dark we play games in the house, fetch, find it, basic obedience.

    Archie just dropped about 8 pounds but it did take a while, six months or more. Steady slow weight loss is better.

    And don't let him guilt you out. Labs are very good at that.
    Hidden Content
    Kissing Bandit

  3. #3
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Carolina in my mind..
    Posts
    6,391
    Thanked: 4178
    Same as Poptop here. My older boy is 10 1/2 years old. I feed a regular formula of Annamaet or Fromm, both grain-free. Both are about 425 calories per cup. He gets about 2 1/4 cups per day total, half in the morning, half in the evening, along with some treats which can be those tiny Zukes or Milk Bones broken into pieces. He's always run 85-90 pounds, ever since he was maybe 10 months old. I use some unsalted canned green beans at dinner time, he and his sister split a can, but sometimes he doesn't get any. Could he eat more food? I'm sure he could. I'd try cutting your guy's amount of food back some, by maybe 1/4 cup per meal, and see how it goes. You may have to learn to resist his sad looks which make you think he's hungry. My 4 year old eats about 2 cups per day of the same food as the 10 year old. They never get to eat as much as the bags recommend, which would turn them into porch busters.

  4. #4
    Best Friend Retriever annkie's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    565
    Thanked: 274
    You don't need to switch to a diet food for him to lose weight. Just reduce what you give him of the regular food by 25%. Also increase exercise.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  5. #5
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,947
    Thanked: 2421
    My one boy, now 6, got up to 110 lbs. He is now 75-80 lbs and 24'. He gets Fromm Pork and Pea, one cup twice a day. This allows some treats without affecting his weight negatively. I sometimes add coconut oil, a raw egg, a spoonful of homemade dog food or fruits and veggies to his meal. He is not super active, a bit of a weekend warrior and during the week walks and the occasional romp with his brother.

    My younger boy, now 3, was 96 lbs and is now under 75 lbs. He is my performance dog and is busy anyway, so he gets a lot more exercise but he also gets more treats. He also gets one cup of Fromm Pork and Pea twice a day, plus the little extras, fruits and veggies, on top of the treats.

    When my older boy was losing weight I limited the extras, just adding green beans usually. In the summer when I have a garden, I'll add chopped raw zucchini. Until I got his weight under control, I didn't add all the goodies. The younger dog was in his "conformation" weight, a little baby fat as well. Taking weight off of him was quick and easy, but no extras besides veggies and his training treats.

  6. #6
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1,226
    Thanked: 1739
    I started my older girl, (almost 8) on the Purina Pro plan Bright Minds 7+ food a few months ago. Not only has she brightened up and gotten more spry and playful with the puppies, she also has lost weight. She didn't have much to lose, because she was at a healthy weight for her, but it is nice going into her senior years a little lighter. I actually had to increase her food to keep weight on her, and now she is at a maintenance weight, plus she loves the food!

  7. #7
    Senior Dog voodoo's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    NM
    Posts
    1,162
    Thanked: 689
    my vet gives me a lecture if chili gets over 90#....2 cups/day, but lots of treats cause Im home 24/7 it seems...stopped taking him to dog parks cause ever since i neutered him he dont play with other dogs anymore at park, just stays by my side reason I neutered him was to legally take to park so he could play...105 is a lot isnt it?
    Amateur pet owner
    Hidden Content
    Chili born 7/21/2013

  8. #8
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    2,598
    Thanked: 2588
    My first reaction is that you are feeding the dog ALOT of food. Doesn't really matter the brand of food in our house, NO ONE gets more than 1 cup per meal. I have normal active dogs ranging from almost 2 y/o to 9 y/o. I am excluding our 12 y/o senior since her eating habits are a problem right now, but when she was doing well, the same....2 cups a day.

    Labs will eat until they pop. I would ignore the "hungry" nonsense and just slowly drop the quantity of food to something more realistic. If you think you need to bolster the bowl, a handful of frozen green beans gives the impression they are getting more than they are.

  9. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to JenC For This Useful Post:

    Annette47 (03-29-2017), barry581 (03-29-2017)

  10. #9
    Senior Dog CraftHer's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    1,191
    Thanked: 628
    When Mocha topped 100#, we replaced 1/2 cup food at breakfast and dinner with 1/2 cup green beans or carrots. He's getting the same amount of food but not the same calories. He also dropped several pounds when we got puppy Latte

  11. #10
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    2,603
    Thanked: 2277
    Quote Originally Posted by JenC View Post
    My first reaction is that you are feeding the dog ALOT of food. Doesn't really matter the brand of food in our house, NO ONE gets more than 1 cup per meal. I have normal active dogs ranging from almost 2 y/o to 9 y/o. I am excluding our 12 y/o senior since her eating habits are a problem right now, but when she was doing well, the same....2 cups a day.

    Labs will eat until they pop. I would ignore the "hungry" nonsense and just slowly drop the quantity of food to something more realistic. If you think you need to bolster the bowl, a handful of frozen green beans gives the impression they are getting more than they are.
    I agree with this entirely, but also wanted to suggest that if you like the TOTW, the Sierra Mountain formula (lamb based) has fewer calories.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

    Hidden Content

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •