[maus]

I have a 6 y.o. lab and have recently found out that she has very bad hips. She is also overweight and needs to lose about 20 lbs, I've been trying with little success to get the weight off of her, I've lowered her food intake, upped her exercise and restricted treats. So far she's lost about 5 lbs in 3 months and she will gain/lose around 2 lbs per month.

The vet wants her to start on a weight loss aid called slentrol, has anybody heard of this? Good/bad? I really want to lose the fat but not at the risk of her long term health, but she does need to lose so her hips won't be under so much strain.

Thanks for your help.

 

[kiddsmom]

Have they run a thyroid panel on her? There is a woman in our apartment complex who has one of her dogs on a weight loss medication, don't know the name of it, but the dog has lost weight. It is a miniature pinscher (sp).

 

[maus]

Yes, she's had a thyroid panel done along with a complete blood work up about a month ago. Everything was in normal ranges, except for being overweight and bad hips she's very healthy I just worried that she will be in pain and she'll have an uncomfortable life. I want help her as much as possible, I'd like to say that I'd get her surgery for the hips but right now that is not something I can afford to do. Since I'm having trouble getting her to lose weight I'm looking at alternatives to help her out.

 

[kiddsmom]

What and how much are you feeding her?

 

[cinderbay]

what are you feeding and how much

 

[Bob Pr.]

When Puff gained several pounds, I began using some Sam's Club frozen string beans (about $1/lbs) that I cooked without salt to supplement the kcals/food she was NOT getting.

That's worked fairly well, she's now back to her ideal weight, 62 lbs.

Don't know if that would help but it's worth considering.

 

[Yelloweyz]

My dogs are on a restrictive diet (although my old yellow doesnt need to lose weight, so he gets more treats)...They get half cup of senior kibble, plus greenbeans (natural fiber that helps to fill them) and either baby carrots or apple pieces, twice a day...Jo has lost 6 pounds in the last couple of months (his exercise tolerance level is low due to heartworm he had previous to us adopting him and he can only walk about 1.2 miles)...Emmers gets 2 coffee scoops of kibble, green beans, apple or baby carrots twice daily.... with daily walks....

What kind of food and how much is he getting?

 

[HersheyK's Dad]

The dog dropped 5 lbs in 3 months. That would mean 20 lbs in the year. How much does the dog weigh. If 100 lbs that would be dropping 20% of its body weight in a year. Seems like a good rate of loss to me.

Do you know what anyone else that may live with you might be giving the dog, treats or tablescraps? That could defeat what you are trying to accomplish if others are treating the dog.

 

[windycanyon]

Years ago, I got back one of my pups at 7 yrs old, and he was obese... needed to lose at least 20#. My vet said WSU routinely would get dogs in that needed surgery on joints like that, and that they did just fine on "crash diets". So that's what we did. I took him down to just 3/4 cup of (Canidae ALS) food 2x a day. I believe his weight came off in a matter of 3 mos with new owner also walking him daily too.

Just cut her back, exercise, and don't give into those pleading eyes, unless you respond w/ a walk or swim or something. Remember that the weight is not just bad for her joints but also her heart and longevity in general. Get it off. Anne

 

[Snowco Labradors]

Many dogs loose weight on grain free kibble. I believe Orijen has the lowest fat content of most grain free foods.

The other thing is 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.

 

[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.

 

[cinderbay]

Has she had thyroid checked?
You may want to try changing to a food that is compairable but has less calorie. One that comes to mind is Wellness Large Breed Adult.
25% prot, 11% fat but only 336 cal/cup.
Canidae is 468 calories.

 

[windycanyon]

If you haven't tried MSM for her hips, also try that. It does wonders for some dogs. I'd give 1000mg 2-3x a day initially. You may be able to drop to 1x a day but w/ bad hips, I'd tend to keep it doubled.

A friend just tried it w/ her dog, and it's made a world a difference. Did so w/ one of mine years ago too.

I'd try to double the exercise too. Anne

PS, I agree w/ the lower cal food if you can find one that agrees w/ her. My boy was a bit bigger, so did well on the 3/4 C ALS but your girl is probably not going to take it off that fast at that rate. MOst of my adult girls (58-60#) only eat 2C a day and are very active.

 

[Belles mom]

I would switch from Canidae. I had a dog at my house for "fat camp" last winter and through the spring. He went from 135 pounds (was 150 at his fattest) to 90 pounds by the time he left my house. He was on Candae and I switched him to Eagle Pack Holistics, 3/4 cup a day.

This is Bud when he first came to me

and this is about 1 month before he left

This was Bud when he was two years old, naturally a thin dog.

 

[cinderbay]

Yeah I tried a couple of my dogs on canidae late last year and noticed my boy getting chubby and that was with only 2 cups a day. Cinder put on 10 pounds!!!!!!!!

 

[Baloo317]

If you haven't tried MSM for her hips, also try that. It does wonders for some dogs. I'd give 1000mg 2-3x a day initially. You may be able to drop to 1x a day but w/ bad hips, I'd tend to keep it doubled.

A friend just tried it w/ her dog, and it's made a world a difference. Did so w/ one of mine years ago too.

I'd try to double the exercise too. Anne

PS, I agree w/ the lower cal food if you can find one that agrees w/ her. My boy was a bit bigger, so did well on the 3/4 C ALS but your girl is probably not going to take it off that fast at that rate. MOst of my adult girls (58-60#) only eat 2C a day and are very active.

MSM is awesome - just be aware that it can lead to some loose stools if introduced too quickly. Start small (literally just a pinch) and work up to full dose from there. It's done wonders for my mom's old dog that tore her ACL.

Also agree with more exercise, but I would be careful of the joint impact with already bad hips. Is there anywhere you can take her swimming?

 

[jzgrlduff]

WOW Karen, great job on Bud!!!

I agree with the others, take him off the Canidae. I don't have any experience with that food, but from what the others say here, that could be your problem.

 

[maus]

When I adopted Molly she was almost 100 lbs, I managed to get her down to 82 lbs at one point and then she developed allergies, that lead to the food switch, the dry itchy skin, dull coat and tearing eyes disappeared once I switched to Canidae. Then at the beginning of the year she put on 10 lbs after a year of being on the new food. I had her thyroid checked and a complete blood panel done, all measurements were in normal ranges. She did put on the weight during the winter and we had some heavier snow than normal so that meant less exercise. Right now we are walking a mile and a half every evening and by that point she's hot and tired, I'm trying to increase this amount gradually, I hope to have her up to an additonal mile by the end of the year.

Currently she is taking 150 mgs of rimadyl and I have her on a glucosamine and condroitin <sp> supplement when I go and buy more food for her this weekend I can buy her something that specifically mentions MSM and get a lower calorie food.

As to swimming, she doesn't swim. I've tried her in streams, lakes, rivers and pools, swimming just doesn't happen. I probably should mention that she has a phobia against slick floors and anything that makes her paws lose contact with a solid textured surface. I can train her out of it but if we don't do it on a weekly basis it comes back, this has been an ongoing process for the 4.5 years I've had her.

I'm going to keep trying until I find the right combination of diet, exercise and medication to keep her comfortable and improving so she can be with me for a long time.

 

[Snowco Labradors]

Look into Lubrysin for her hips too. People get great results. Talk to the company about dbl dosing initially.

It can sometimes take a combination of things to work.

 

[maus]

Update on Molly.

I've switched her food over to Wellness Super5Mix Just for Seniors, it has most of the ingredients that I like in a dog food and is a much lower calorie food that the Canidae. She likes it and seems to be doing well on it. I also started giving her a liquid with the Glucosamine and Condroiton it also contains MSM. After one week her energy level seems to be increasing and a slightly goofy personality I've always associated with Labs is coming out, I like the results.

While I haven't notice any weight loss I am going to the vet tomorrow and have her weighed on the same scale so I can get a good grasp if she's had some loss.

Thank you all very much for the suggestions and I do hope that she will continue to improve over the next several months.