Need some advice on slimming Birdie down

[Hoyden]

I need to get some weight off of Birdie. I screwed up and allowed her to eat way way too much during the last part of last year and earlier this year when Petey was sick. When he refused to eat, we let her have his dinner after an hour or so and then hand fed him something else.

So now Miss Pork Chop weighs 69 - 70 pounds and has some serious chub on her. I'd like to get her back down around the 60 - 61 lb. range, which is her ideal working weight.

DIET:
Right now she is eating one cup of Taste of the Wild dog food with about a half a can of wet dog food or meat table scraps mixed in at dinner time. For breakfast, I usually give her a few medium sized dog bones. She was getting a lot of snacks, but I put a stop to that recently.

I've also stopped everyone from feeding the dog what ever they were eating. For awhile there, everyone in my house as well as our friends were making sure Birdie got a bite of whatever they were eating.

How much should she be fed in the morning and at night? Can anyone tell me how many calories a dog needs per day?


EXERCISE:
Birdie will run 3 - 4 miles on the tread mill twice a week when I am at physical therapy. She just trots along happy as can be, then goes to collect her cup of ice and dog bone when she's done.

She also goes with me everywhere, so she's running errands with me, going to the doctor's, doing therapy visits at the hospital, nursing home and at the Elementary school.

I've started walking with her at the track, which Birdie is NOT thrilled about. I'm allowed to walk 3 to 3.5 miles two times per week.

We walked 2.5 miles on Tuesday when it was about 80 degrees out and I just about had to drag her the last 1/2 mile. She was at the end of the lead BEHIND me giving me filthy looks. I did stop & give her water several times. I think she doesn't like walking on the stone dust, so I'm going to have her walk in the grass on the outside edge of the track. I didn't think it was that hot outside. I'm hoping she'll be more into it tomorrow.



I'm hoping you guys can help me set a diet & exercise plan for Birdie too.

[BullyLady]

I would cut out everything that goes into her mouth except the kibbles. Good on you for trying to slim her down!!

[Malli]

what exactly is the name of all the food?

Taste of the Wild, is it 1 cup once or twice a day?

And the wet? 1/2 can, once or twice?

Dog bones, as in actual bones or like Biscuits? And if so, what brand?


Does the bag of dog food give a Calorie per cup measurement?

I also found this, as a general guide : http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm (I know she's not a cocker spaniel but it looks fairly decent)

I'm not sure what your limits are, but, what about swimming? Its really low impact for them but also a work out.... Does she retrieve? I'm now doing(well not actually doing it myself ) lots of swimming with Oscar, as he's older, and swimming is substantial exercise, but its safer for him and easier on him, he really seems to like it.

I'll try to find a Calorie chart at work...

[Hoyden]

Mailli -

I feed one cup of Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream formula kibble in the evening mixed with 1/2 a large can (12 - 14 oz per can) of wet dog food. If we have meat left overs from dinner, I'll give her those instead of the canned food.

The brand of canned food varies because I usually let her pick the ones she wants at the dog food store. No, I'm not crazy, it's a training exercise for us because she helps me shop on low shelves. Right now we have the following cans on soft dog food from our last shopping trip. She seems to favor fish and tripe dog foods. The ones in blue are her favorites;

MERRICK: Working Dog Stew, Cowboy Cookout, Grammies, Pot Pie, Wilderness Blend & Campfire Trout Feast.

EVANGERS: Hunk of Beef, Cooked Chicken with Chunks

CA NATURAL: Salmon & Sweet Potatoes, Chicken with Brown Rice

SOLID GOLD: Turkey, Ocean Fish, Carrots & Sweet Potatoes - she picked this on the latest trip, she's never tried it before.

WELLNESS: Core - Salmon, Whitefish & Herring - this one is a new one we just tried & it is her absolute favorite right now.


She gets dog biscuits in the morning, not dog food. (Either one large biscuit & one small biscuit, two medium sized biscuits or four small biscuits) I don't know the name of the ones she really likes because I just threw the box out. They're shaped like hearts, elephants, bears and other african animals and have a woman on the front of the box. She picked them out in Stop & Shop. I also have some Milkbone gravy biscuits in the medium dog size mixed in there.

I've cut back drastically on training treats with her too. Lately I've been cutting up baby carrots into 1/2" rounds and using those. She loves baby carrots so much that she always goes over to sit under them in the produce isle when we shop. I will also use low fat mozzarella cheese sticks cut into half inch rounds too (Especially when I have to hold treats in my mouth during training)

Swimming is out for me because I am terrified of water over my hips at this point. I jumped into the pool several years ago and discovered that I couldn't swim anymore & damn near drowned. I'll have to see if I can find a place where I can let her swim & retrieve.

One of us usually plays fetch with her at least three times a week.



(BTW - Birdie isn't begging when she sits under the carrots, she's "reminding" me to buy them because she's learned what things we typically buy weekly when we shop. It was pretty funny when they moved all the isles around and she'd sit under the condoms because that's where Mark's energy bars used to be.)

[Hoyden]

Malli - those charts are fantastic. Thank you!

I just went to calculate what Birdie should be eating via that super nifty chart you just posted.

The first chart said that a 60 lb. moderately active dog (I used her ideal weight, not her Fatty weight) should get 1575 k/cal per day. The second chart, WALTHAM DAILY ENERGY REQUIRMENTS
FOR PETS & WORKING DOGS (Click on link under chart title of the first chart) says a 60 lb. typical dog should get 1313 k/cal per day.

I think I need to keep track of what goes into her mouth on a daily basis because it almost seems like I am UNDER feeding her right now. I know she was overfed before because EVERYONE was constantly feed her, it was ridiculous.

[SisMorphine]

Noel, you can replace some of her evening kibble/canned with veggies which will take up space in her stomach making her feel full, but it won't put any sort of weight on her at all. Usually canned green beans are the most palatable, but I actually knew a dog who would eat lettuce

Something that I do is if the dogs are getting lots of treats during the day (like if we're doing a meet and greet somewhere, or if we do a lot of training that day) I will be sure to feed them less when it comes to the evening meal to make up for all of the other stuff they got during the day. So it doesn't mean that you have to stop giving her treats, but just keep a mental tally of her treats so you can subtract it from her meal.

And you know what I'm going to say about the kind of treats

[TheRedQueen]

I agree with everyone so far...and all I'd add is to watch out for the cheap dog biscuits that are nothing but carbs and filler.

A good quality biscuit is better for her, just the same as the dog food.

[Malli]

I found this on Merrick :
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/det ... 15&s=21681

and on the Taste of the Wild :
http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/pr ... e_formula/

I couldn't find anything on the Evangers

I found this on the Wellness :
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_well ... almon.html

heres the Milkbone Gravy info :
http://www.milkbone.com/biscuits.aspx#

Can you weigh her at the vet every week? I've noticed that a dog can lose weight quite quickly and this will help you track it and see what works and what doesn't. It seems like from the calories I've added up in my head as I was looking for these links that she's just prone to gaining weight and actually gets less Calories then the average dog would need.

You don't have any concerns with her health, do you? Have you had problems previously with her being overweight?

[Hoyden]

Her current diet is what I posted above, she's well with in the lower number of the two charts.

She isn't prone to being heavy, normally she's within two pounds of where she should be. What she was eating before I put her on a diet was more than twice, if not three times what I am currently feeding her now.

I also realized that she gets a lot of treats on certain days. When we go into certain stores & businesses, employees or owners follow us outside so they can give her a treat. (No eating inside of business for her.)

The vet doesn't mind if I run through to weigh her, I can also weigh her on the wii fit because she will stand still on the balance board long enough for it to calculate her weight.

I'm logging what I feed her daily so I can watch it.

Now I think I need to add some exercise into the mix.

[Malli]

well then most likely with the new portions she'll drop her excess no problem

[Hoyden]

well then most likely with the new portions she'll drop her excess no problem

I hope so. I'm afraid I'm going to hurt her by putting too much stress on her body when I use her to get up and down from the floor.

Thank you so much for the info and the links. I started a diet chart for her so I can keep track.

I'm going to reverse the order of her meals as well, so she gets the larger portions in the morning so she can burn it off during the day.

[madremissy]

I don't know if this will help you but I have been blowing bubbles for my two. Since we have been running into so many off leash dogs on our walks I have had to come up with a new plan of entertainment and exercise.
We got them for Mckinlee for Easter and I knew Kinzyl loved them from before but Gotty has now become obsessed with them.
I take each one into the back yard and just start walking and blowing. They run, jump, and chase them for as long as I keep blowing. The wind will take them up and down at different levels and they jump as high as they can to get them and run across the yard chasing them.
Gotty's springpole is broken and Josh is not here to fix it for him. Plus I want it moved because I am planning a flower bed in that area.
It really has been giving them both a great exercise. I do this at least two or three times a day with each.
Now Sammy, that is a different story. He likes to lay in the shade and watch.

[Hoyden]

I'll have to give bubbles a shot.

I know she likes her spring pole, but after the last two injuries that landed me in the ER, I'm not allowed to use it anymore or Mark will break it on me.

Do you use regular old soap bubbles or some special kind of bubbles?

[TheRedQueen]

Score loves bubbles too...he'll use the regular kind, but I got some kid's scented bubbles for Easter, and he likes it the best.

The other dogs all look at me like I'm crazy when I blow bubbles...all six others.

[Malli]

I hope so. I'm afraid I'm going to hurt her by putting too much stress on her body when I use her to get up and down from the floor.

Thank you so much for the info and the links. I started a diet chart for her so I can keep track.

I'm going to reverse the order of her meals as well, so she gets the larger portions in the morning so she can burn it off during the day.

If I were in your place, I'd be worried about stress on her body, too. I'd be inclined to exercise her with as low impact as possible, so she can keep helping you for as long as possible, too

you are more then welcome for the help I'm glad I was able. Keep us updated on her progress!

[juniper8204]

I know you said that you weren't able to do swimming with Birdie, but what about finding a lake or pond nearby and just throw sticks or a floating ball for her to swim out and retrieve? That way, you don't have to worry about swimming, and she still gets her exercise.

And I can tell you that swimming will wear them out WAY faster than walking or running, and it gives them a TOTAL workout all over...and it's low impact! I know I'm probably repeating everything already said...sorry!

But my Mindy has recently taken a liking to the water. A friend of mine has a man made pond at the back of his property. A few days ago, I was out there playing fetch with Mindy and accidentally threw the stick in the pond. Without hesitation, she jumped right in and retrieved it. Now, I work with her nearly everyday in the water. I like it better because she gets worn out and I don't have to worry about the zoomies so much and also because it is low impact; Mindy does cart/weight pulling off and on and also agility off and on, all of which are high impact, so the low impact was just that more appealing to me.

Hope that helps!

[GloriasMom]

I have a beagle mix with a serious heart condition. She needed to get the weight off yesterday. I switched to Blue Buffalo lite and cut the amount. She proceeded to tear the yard up in hopes of finding a mole to eat. I added carrots to her dinner -- low on calories and high crunch. She loved them more than they loved her. Back to the drawing board.

What worked for her and two of my other dogs, is cutting the kibble way down and adding chicken backs stripped of skin and fat. She got a half a one for breakfast with her small amount of kibble and a whole one for supper. She stopped digging for moles (thank God!) and she lost weight rapidly. Some raw feeders don't believe you can mix it with kibble, but mine who are all different breeds loved it and have no tummy upset. I also add a daily vitamin.

I figured that the raw adds crunch like a salad would for us and would probably be more satisfying. It's certainly better than less and less food and a hungry miserable dog. Now that she's a good weight at supper time she gets a drumstick. Lots of crunch, not that many calories. Cassie has done well and loves her raw. The others are now demanding it and I have a poor eater who starting eating much better when I toss a chicken thigh on top of her kibble.

I freeze the chicken for two weeks before feeding, but that's the only thing I do. It works for us, maybe it will work for you.

Peace,
Jane and the Gang

[Hoyden]

Jane - where do you get the chicken backs?

I asked the butcher at several of the stores we shop at and they couldn't or wouldn't order them for us.

[Hoyden]

So, I am back to getting weight off of Birdie again. She is up to 75 lb. She looks like a bit fat harbor seal.

I had her down to 61 lbs. last fall through diet and lots of exercise for both of us. Then I had the winter from hell, constantly sick, then emergency gall bladder surgery in March followed by radiation treatment in May and June, then recovery from radiation & it's nasty drugs.

I didn't exercise her enough due being sick and I stopped being vigilant about everything that went into her mouth. It didn't help that on the days that I was getting radiation, she was enjoying a heaping huge bowl of vanilla soft serve ice cream after doing therapy visits at the hospital.

I just bought new child safety latches for the lower pantry cabinet since -someone- broke the other one & I discovered that Birdie had helped herself to TWO sleeves of Oreos from one of the big BJ's size boxes of cookies.

I started out by putting her back on her diet and walking her daily. We started with 1/2 mile 2x a day a week and half ago because neither of us could handle any more, we are up to 1 mile 2x a day now. I added some flirt pole play with a new flirt pole too.

I had the vet do blood work and take X-rays because she was moving badly & wasn't herself, but she's fine, just fat.

Any other activity suggestions would be great.

[HappyPuppy]

Feed her one cup of food in the morning and a half a cup at night for a couple of weeks... (?)

I remember this originally being posted but just now read the title as 'putting' Birdie down!!!!!!! Talk about heart attack! I'm glad it's just her waitline being talked about!