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  1. #1
    Real Retriever fidgetyknees's Avatar
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    She's going on diet!!!

    I moved Cedar's senior panel up from Feb 2015 to last Friday because I was concerned about the steady weight gain. She is only getting 1 1/2 cups of Acana a day. But the big thing is training the hubby and his nephew not to give her too many treats (she is a master begger) ... that has to be where the weight gain is coming from. Vet also has me temporalily downing her food to 1 cup a day but this is only very temporary. So low calorie fillers I can give her with dinner will be beans and pumpkin, anything else?

    Poor girl, her sister is on the opposite end of the spectrum and gets 3 cups of food a day and definitely a lot more treats from me and is in beautiful shape, and they are similar sized dogs.

    Of course now I have to exercise them more .... and I was super grumbling and muttering under my breath running 4 miles on snow covered trails yesterday, and then walking 4+ miles on even snowier trails the day before.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Very familiar with keeping weight down. With Mardi it's so important with her bad hip and knee. She gets 3/4 cup twice a day with frozen green beans mixed with frozen peaches or blueberries. Some days she gets a spoonful of yogurt or pumpkin. She too is a master begger so I keep carrots, green peppers, celery, etc, on hand for treats. She is allowed a doggy treat in the evening so she has something in her tummy before bedtime. DH is the worse about slipping her extra treats. I definitely give him the stink eye when I catch him but he's a softie for her "I'm starving" look. Controlling treats can really make a difference.

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    fidgetyknees (12-29-2014)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Georgia's Avatar
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    Sam is on a diet although I think he's finally at a good weight. He was 99 pounds in April and is now around 86-87 pounds. We cut his kibble back to one cup each meal, plus a scoop of canned and a half of a can of no salt added green beans. We also cut way back on treats. We try to buy biscuits for small dogs or if we get medium sized ones we break them in half. We did try baby carrots for a while but I kept finding half chewed up carrots around the house so we stopped giving them. We also upped his exercise. A few extra Chuck-it sessions a week has worked wonders! Good luck! It takes a while but can be done without diet foods or prescription foods.
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    fidgetyknees (12-29-2014)

  6. #4
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    Not sure I'd be running with a 10yr old dog in snow/ice; if she should slip it wouldn't be good for either one of you.

    Let me get this right though - cause I'm confused, you're running 4 miles daily with the dogs and she's still a bit overweight?

    I'm sure her thyroid has been checked; are you *sure* the food is working for her? It maybe working stool wise, but is she actually digesting ALL of it?

    What I mean, is some dogs with certain foods can actually gain weight rather then utilizing all of the ingredients.

    Try adding a digestive enzyme, and see if that helps. When I hear of a big dog having to go down to *1* cup of food PER DAY, while being fairly active, I don't believe the dog is using all of the food for what you're paying out.

    I know Acana's not cheap

  7. #5
    Real Retriever fidgetyknees's Avatar
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    We have built up to 4 miles gradually over 10 weeks, no we are not running daily yet and that will only come when the weather warms up in a few months, though there are shorter 2 mile walks on most of the other days ... but during winter there will be a few days with no walk - like today, way too cold for me and them.

    I decided not to go down to 1 cup, I bought a bag of baby carrots and most treats are going to be replaced with carrots and hubby and nephew are on board with the new rules. And the lunch time feeder ... nephew, now has an official 1/2 cup scoop to measure with. Yip 3 times a day feeding as my 3 year old is very active and a year ago we started feeding 3 times a day for weight gain - so it is a constant battle to keep bother dogs looking perfect.

    I am also a weight fanatic (my dogs not me) for the purpose of longevity. Vet did say, as long as she is coping well with the runs she can continue running for many more years, she even said her dog ran until she about 15 ... smaller breed but still.

  8. #6
    Real Retriever
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    I was just envisioning our very icy, cold -16F degree weather, as of late. I know any member on this board would never be out with their dog at these temps, but you'd be surprised at the fact that I DO see people and dogs outside....of which I think is insane

  9. #7
    Senior Dog WhoopsaDaisy's Avatar
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    I take Daisy out in any weather- for long walks even- I wear snow pants and all of the gear. Last winter was a tough one and Daisy was just a year old then so she needed it! I am going to try and get daisy to start running with me slowly but she really doesn't see the fun it yet...
    I'm glad you aren't reducing it to only 1 cup a day...that just doesn't seem right with all of the running and walking.
    It must be the treats...even I am shocked at how much they add up to for myself!!! I have to lay off the chocolate and start counting calories again!!
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  10. #8
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    I've found this article this morning:

    9 Ways to Protect Your Dog During Minnesota Winters | Dog License Minneapolis | Sidewalk Dog BlogSidewalk Dog Blog

    Seems that running with your dog in extreme cold weather is not the best thing to do.

    We also walk in every kind of weather (even with windchill). I'm freezing, but Cookie doesn't mind at all.
    Cookie Black Snowflake
    July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.

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  12. #9
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    Right now it's -20F below, do you guys actually walk your dogs in these temperatures?? Per our news, in this kind of cold, one can get frostbite in less then 20min.

    Last night, when it hit -16F, even with the dogs having lightweight jackets on, when they came back into the house, not even 5-7min after they went out to go potty, the edges of their noses were crusty from the brittle cold. And their toes, even with hairy feet & us using Musher's secret, were obviously painful as they both dove into their blankets on their beds & started licking their toes aggressively.

    Rivers is a pretty hairy dog too; I can't imagine how their noses would be if I took them for a 1-3 mile long walk at these temps.

    EDITED TO ADD: can't a dogs lung burn, just like ours, from breathing too cold of a temperature? I remember reading research documents couple years back that actually revealed in depth health information regarding sled dogs and how so many of them had scaring in their lungs or evidence of edema, just from being exposed to the frigid air temps.
    Last edited by Woofie; 12-31-2014 at 07:25 AM.

  13. #10
    Real Retriever fidgetyknees's Avatar
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    Nope. Definitely don't walk in anything much below 0F. And our walks are very short between 0 and 10. And if the temps are above 10 and the wind is not bad we do get out.

    Wow it is colder by you than me!!!!

    Zola still likes to play ball in the cold, but we get about 8 long throws in several times an evening and then she realizes it is cold and wants to go back in.

 



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