It's time for a diet...

[MyLittleBoo]

I have decided that Miss Emmy needs to lose a few pounds...  What is the best diet food to put her on..  I can't see or feel her ribs anymore..  And, she now has a dimple where her tail starts..  lol   She is getting a bit chunky lately...  Any good diet ideas?? 

[janetleej]

Whenever mine need to lose a few pounds I simply cut back on their food, rather than changing food. The following is from an article that has made the rounds through the agility club I participate in with my big dogs. Hope it is useful to you.  Janet

INFO FROM:  PEAK PERFORMANCE â€" COACHING THE CANINE ATHLETE , by Chris Zink, PhD, DVM
Theoretically, it is a simple matter to cause a dog to loose weight â€" just feed less and/or exercise more.  But when dogs are fed less, they sometimes act as if they are hungry all of the time.  Perhaps try the pumpkin diet.  Reduce your dog’s regular food by 25-33%, and replace it with twice as much canned pumpkin (you want just the plain, pureed pumpkin, not the kind with sugar/spice for ready made pies).  Most dogs love pumpkin â€" it has the texture of canned dog food, it provides vitamins & roughage, it makes them feel full, and they lose weight.  Measure your dog’s food in a measuring cup.  When your dog as achieved a normal weight, the amount of food can be gradually increased & the pumpkin decreased until he maintains his weight, neither losing nor gaining.  The final amount you feed should be less than the dog was fed when he was overweight.

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Gunner had to loose a few pounds and I did put him on a weight management food--which you don't need to,,,,,  He had back surgery-7 weeks ago,  and needed to loose fast..... All I did  is cut from 1/4 of a cup to 1/3 and add pumpkin or green beans both a fillers and good for them. So if your feeding a 1/2 cup,  2X a day go to 1/4 of a cup 2X a day and add some pumpkin or green beans.
Once I'm out of the bag of food (blue buffalo) I have now,  I will get the Wellness Core low fat and give him that....
I got the Blue Buffalo weight management a friend who got a rescue had awesome luck with it and so did I... and he lost 3 pounds in 6 weeks. My female had also lost about 2 lbs. The neuro said a mini should  weigh no more than 12 and much lower that for health reasons. I'm gonna try to get mine down to 11 lbs.

[MyLittleBoo]

Thank you both so much..  Will try this out on her.. She weighed in today at 17 lbs.           

[Madderoos Mom]

Roh!  Roh!  Roh!  DON'T say dat nasty word D-I-E-T!  Dats a BAAAAAAAD word.  Mommy says I'm a butterball, whatebber DAT is.  I have been on diet waashuns for a long long time, but I'm STILL wound.  It's just my shape.  I cain't help it.  It doesn't even help to give mommy da wook because she still starves me.  I need to start a weebellion for more fud!  All you puppers who are STARVING and want to sign your paw to my petishun, sign in below.  It's INHUMANE dat us puppers are being depwived us all da fud.   

WEVOLT!

Maddewoo

[papbouv]

Patches is eating Taste of the Wild I give her 1/8 th of a cup with about a teaspoon of canned and a tiny bit of water I use a Brake bowl to slow her down. I feed this amount twice a day am & pm seems like since I have been using the Brake bowl she has to slow down to eat so she does not act as starved. She still has managed to gain weight over the winter months but I hoping to get back to walking the dogs at least 3 times a week along with playing fetch in the back yard.Patches was looking really good towards last fall the vet was happy with her weight he wanted me to give her the diet pills they have out for dogs. Too expensive for me so we did it the old fashion way Exercise and less food, the exercise really helps the most. Good Luck  to everyone.