[nmhmadison]

Marley is a 9 year old Champion line "unique" Lab. She never liked to fetch or play with other dogs but loves people. On the small side and always overweight. She is not overfed! She has mild allergies.

Her diet has always been a concern. She seems to start off well with everything then she develops issues. By issues I mean soft poops, foul odor poops and she appears to be uncomfortable.

She started on Solid Gold then our Vet suggested a less "Gourmet" food for better digestion. We put her on Nutro for 5 years and all was fine. However, I felt she needed a better diet as she aged I was advised to try Evolve. She was on it for a year. All was well and then the same issues and I was advised to try Wysong. She

So here is the beef! Can a food be to rich and the source of the problems?
Any thought on supplements?

 

[kiddsmom]

Some of the more premium foods are rich and people tend to feed too much. A lot of times, feeding less solves some issues.

 

[labby]

Even though I'm not a Nutro fan, if she did well on that, go back to it. Bottom line....FEED WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOUR DOG and don't get swayed by other people's opinions.

 

[amazongold]

What labby said. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I don't understand why your vet would suggest a different food if she was doing well on Solid Gold.

FWIW, if she is "always overweight," then she is over-fed and under-exercised.

 

[kiddsmom]

FWIW, if she is "always overweight," then she is over-fed and under-exercised.

Not necessarily. Has her thyroid been checked?

 

[nmhmadison]

Thyroid should be checked as this was mentioned by vet but trying more exercise first. This is a challenge as Marley doesn't like to walk fast, play with other dogs, or fetch. She has arthritis. When she sees a rabbit she sprints then limps for a few hours until she has a good rest.

 

[Snowco Labradors]

Since you mention she has always been over weight, there is the possibility that your dog may not metabolize fat properly (this can be determined thru blood work but can't remember what to look for on the lab work).

Years ago a holistic vet diagnosed my girl with this. She was put on 1200 mg of soy lecithin daily and within 6 months blood work showed improvement. At 1 year she was 100% (she had no issues with soy, but some dogs do)

I kept her on the Lecithin for life. Humans also take Lecithin to drop weight.

I agree with checking thyroid.

And since she has arthritis don't go with a low protein diet food. She will need at least 26% protein to maintain muscle to support joints, bones, tendons and ligaments which will help with her arthritis pain. Mild to moderate exercise is also beneficial for arthritis.

 

[maus]

Hello and thank you for all of your replies, it was late at night when I posted and then I had work today.

The vet wants to see her around 65 lbs, she is currently 85 lbs, when I started this diet she was 90 lbs. I am feeding her 3/4 cup of Canidae ALS, twice a day, she does well on this as her coat is soft (for a lab), shiny and no dandruff, all issues that I had with her before switching food a few years ago. I've tried using green beans as a filler however she just eats around them and a large portion ends up on the floor and the rest in her bowl. She gets one medium sized dog biscuit each day and 1 small bite of whatever I'm having for dinner, tonight is chicken and pasta and she'll get about a 1/4 of an ounce of chicken. I live alone so no one else is feeding her.

In addition she and my other dog get a 1.5 mile walk every day and they tend to play for a half hour in the evenings after their walks. I can increase the walks without a problem, they enjoy them except when it get over 80 degrees outside, they are also not fond of anything below 20 degrees combined with snow.

I think that I'm just freaked out over hearing that she has bad hips as this is going to affect the quality of her life in the long run. The rimadyl that she is current one is making a huge difference in her desire to play and she seems much happier, I think I didn't realize how much she hurt, I'm taking steps to cure that and just wanted to know if I was going in the right direction.

Thanks again for your replies.

 

[kiddsmom]

A friend of mine's dog lost about 20 pounds on Wellness CORE Reduced Fat formula. It took a few months, but he's doing well on it.

 

[YellowJakesMom]

I think that I'm just freaked out over hearing that she has bad hips as this is going to affect the quality of her life in the long run. The rimadyl that she is current one is making a huge difference in her desire to play and she seems much happier, I think I didn't realize how much she hurt, I'm taking steps to cure that and just wanted to know if I was going in the right direction.

Thanks again for your replies.

One of the best things you can do for her hips is to get that extra 20 lbs off her A lean dog with bad hips will have a much happier life than if they were carrying around a toddler's worth of excess weight. Have you ever had her thyroid checked? I saw the suggestions above, and that's definitely a good idea.

If she's within normal limits on a thyroid panel, get to working on losing that weight with her. Will she swim? That's a great way to burn calories that's also easy on the joints. There may be "dog pools" near you as well - we have one with a group swim and individual swim hours. You can also try putting her food in a treat toy that she has to chase around - automatic exercise ( Kibble Nibble or Twist N Treat or Tug A Jug are my favorites).

I would also cut out all treats and table scraps and feed less (too much food = runny poops, quite commonly). Pre-measure out her food each day, and when you want to treat her (when she gets a bone, or after dinner) give her a share of her kibble instead. Or offer her baby carrots or green beans as treats. You can also dehydrate them if she prefers the "crunch" of treats (mine like small pieces of dehydrated sweet potato).

Good luck!