My dog is over weight, I’m amused

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@jedi__knight This is a great idea and also explains why my pupper (also on a weight loss journey) has become more compliant...

 

[jedi__knight]

@imagebeastmarkbeast My dog lost about 30% of his body weight when I reduced his kibble. He’s still in a gray area of possibly chubby, but has become super food motivated. Kibble is our go to training treat. Anything else is high value to him. He happily snacks on veggie scraps (cabbage ribs and broccoli stems are some favorites).

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@jedi__knight Oh, neat, I'll have to try the cabbage ribs! Cedar, our dog, loves carrots and apples and will eat broccoli. I recently called the vet for a calorie recommendation and then checked that against what the bag was telling us for a dog of her size. We were over feeding her by quite a bit, and then add snacks on top of it.. now she needs to lose some pounds. But good to hear that reducing kibble alone works too!

 

[discoveringtheway]

@jedi__knight Whoooo your dog farts must be legendary!

 

[jedi__knight]

@discoveringtheway Ya know, I’ve never experienced his farts. He is a small dog, so maybe he has tiny toots? He is afraid of my farts though.

 

[myraolive]

@desiney My dog also managedto out on weight while on a diet. But it was their thyroid that just fizzled out. Something to keep in mind if this still trends upward at next weigh in.

Thankfully the bloodwork and thyroid meds are pretty affordable.

 

[desiney]

@myraolive Hmm interesting. Just seems so early for thyroid problems but if this next UTI test still shows we will have to look elsewhere

 

[myraolive]

@desiney May be due to breed vs age. I guess its not common in larger breeds vs smaller, (larger breeds genetically have a lower chance anyway but my 60lb dog managed it).

But it's very common that when their thyroid goes for dogs it just goes entirely. Not like where people may still have some function and it trends down over time.

Our main visible symptom was really fast weight gain, while on a diet and oddly enough a cold nose/ poor fur (no shine). Thankfully the meds helped with a very quick rebound and the pill just goes in with the kibble at breakfast and dinner. Zero problems. The weight has come right off and the zoomies are even more enthusiastic now.

 

[desiney]

@myraolive Ahh awesome! Thank you.

I don’t see a lot with my particular breed but if he’s gained I’ll ask the vet.

That’d be weird as I have a thyroid condition lol.

 

[myraolive]

@desiney Its the exact same medication! Just triple the dose usually because of their faster metabolisms. So you can probably get it filled at your pharmacy if its cheaper!

 

[desiney]

@myraolive Ooh how interesting! Well hopefully it’s just the mass treats he’s hidden and over indulging now lol

 

[loveavenue]

@desiney Smart pup! He knew this was bound to happen and prepared in advance

 

[miller541]

@desiney my springer was 5lbs over weight. i cut her kibbles back by half a cup a day and started supplementing with green beans ( no salt ), blue berries, bell peppers and as of today, she likes bananas. took about 2 months to loose the weight. now that i have her back down to where she needs to be, ill continue the fruits/veggies since she seems to really enjoy them

 

[desiney]

@miller541 The vet said not to do any other foods besides kibble and what we have to give him to take his UTI antibiotics.

Hopefully with the more sunny days we’ve had lately plus the cut back on everything we can see some progress. We had a month between visits

 

[desiney]

I should add, he doesn’t look particularly chubby to me. He still has an okay waist definition, I can feel his ribs but it is a little more pudgy than summer.

 

[barbosabluesman]

@desiney Was curious to see if you had any pictures of your dog here, and from what it looks like in those pics of your dog, it does look a little chubby. I find it always hard to tell when its your own pet though. I had an overweight cat, but to me he did not look that chubby, but to everyone else he did! I also didnt notice that my dog gained 3 kgs until I saw him on the weight at the vet. I just cut back his food and he returned to normal weight quickly though.

 

[desiney]

@barbosabluesman I agree which I why we brought it up, not crazy.

Im not sure if it’s him filling out plus chub

current side view. He’s hard to get a photo of and his hair makes it harder but here’s a few.

Here’s last year last year

 

[barbosabluesman]

@desiney Yeah I get it, had a bichon frisé growing up and it was difficult to tell if he was a healthy weight due to the fur (hair, rather!).

I'm not an expert and of course all dog breeds are built different, but yeah I can tell that he can probably afford to loose a bit more! Looks like a very active and healthy dog overall though!

 

[desiney]

@barbosabluesman Yeah, I agree. I’m just not sure if ideal size because the breed varies, so we were going by the embark guess.

His fur is cut much shorter in summer so he keeps cooler! Now it’s long.

He definitely isn’t as chubby as some lagottos I’ve seen lol! They do like treats.

Thanks! We are working on it, I do have a feeling once summer hits or we get out of the rainy season he will shed a few more pounds a bit easier, even with his hidden treats lol

 

[isabellatd2003]

@desiney I, too, have a chubby Lagotto. I got his weight down with a weight management kibble. I also add in veggies to make it more filling for him. He’d disown me if I cut out treats, so I just feed slightly less than the recommended amount of kibble to account for the treat calories.