Having Trouble Keeping Weight Appropriate

[Guest AngelPup]

Hi all.

 

Suggestions needed. We adopted Cindy Lou just before Thanksgiving. At the time, she was 58 pounds. She is now 66 pounds. I've been trying to get her closer to 60 pounds since I think that would be an ideal weight for her (slight rib showing and nice tummy tuck) but right now I can't see any of her ribs and have no clue where her hips are. She has also developed a limp on her rear, right leg, so I'm sure the extra weight isn't helping with that (been working with her vet's office on this).

 

We've been feeding Cindy Lou Iams green bag since it was the only food our other grey could tolerate. Started with 1 1/2 cups 2x a day. Because she quickly gained weight, I lowered her food intake to 1 cup 2x a day. She also gets a few dog treats (small, healthy all natural, etc.) a day and one large biscuit after I brush her teeth at night. My daughter gives her a stuffed Kong w/peanut butter when she and my husband leaves for work.

 

I know I need to reduce the amount she's eating--especially the treats/Kong and increase her exersize. Unfortunately, until we figure out what exactly is causing the pain in her back leg, which is worse the more she walks, stands and runs, that's out of the question. The other issue is that we just started obedience training (ok'd by vet), so she'll be getting more 'treats' than usual.

 

I'm wonderig whether I should switch her food to a light kibble--high end would be possible since she obviously doesn't need to consume very much. She doesn't have any digestive issues, so I don't think I'd run into any pudding poop problems. I was also thinking I'd go to the deli and have them cut me some small turkey or chicken cubes for training instead of using dog treats. I'm not sure carrots would motivate her.

 

Any suggestions?

[Guest DeniseL]

Mine LOVE apple cubes for training or tiny nibbles of bread. I try to treat with mostly veggies and fruits, strawberries, blueberries, carrots, etc.

Is the entire kong stuffed with PB? Cause that's a lot of calories and fat right there. Maybe try frozen applesauce or lowfat Greek yogurt instead. Sometimes I will just top off the end of the kong with peanut butter, since they do love the taste. And I don't always fill an entire kong, just enough to keep me busy for a while...

Mine all eat about 1 1/2 cups of kibble twice a day and all have maintained weight nicely....but I do always try to find healthy, low calori treats....

Btw...love the name Cindy Lou

[Guest AimeeBee]

I agree with DeniseL, stuffing the whole Kong with pb is a huge calorie/fat/salt intake (if that's what you're currently doing with it, if not, disregard ). What I do is I take a snack size cup of non-fat yogurt, melt/soften 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter in the microwave then mix them together (it's just easier for me to blend it all if the pb is softened) and then I put about 2 tablespoons of that mixture in and freeze. Easy, and I can usually get enough mix to fill a Kong a couple of times on one snack cup mix. I think you're on the right track with changing training treats too. I usually shred up a plain chicken breast for training treats and my dog loves it. We jokingly call his wild-eyed enthusiasm for it the "chicken crazies". And don't discount carrots! My most recent foster would happily chomp away at carrots and bread and supposedly loved squash, blueberries, apples, etc.

 

No specific advice on light kibble other than to try a small bag and see how she does. Hope her leg feels better soon!

Edited March 27, 2014 by AimeeBee

[macoduck]

My DH over-treats Mazy. I've got him to cut back a bit, especially with the PB stuffed Kongs. I reduced her kibble (greem bag Iams) from 1 1/2 cups twice a day down to 1 cup twice a day plus 1 cup green beans each meal. I am starting to notice a change after 1 month.

[Guest DogNewbie]

Great topic AngelPup!

I am having some trouble with Wiley's weight too. He has gained a lot of weight. He weighed 69 lbs when we got him, then we went up to 78 pounds but now he his down to 76 although he is starting to look a little pudgy again. It is hard to see his last two ribs, although I think his brindle stripes make it a bit hard. He gets 1 cup of Actr1m large breed and 1/2 cup of Acana Wild Prairie 2x each day. Although I think I might give him more Acana and less Actr1m. It is tough! People think that because they are lean, they are easy to keep thin, but it is harder then it looks! Wiley has a vet appointment on Friday for his ear infection and I don't want the vet to comment on his weight...He gets to many treats and table scraps! I can't help it. He gives me that look and my heart just melts...

 

Good luck with Cindy Lou! I hope her legs feel better soon

[Guest AngelPup]

Wow, I STILL can't quote or copy/past. Hmmm, anyone else have that problem or is it just me?

 

Anyway, thanks DeniseL! Great tips. I typically fill her Kong with a hand full of kibble and just plug up the hole w/peanut butter. But I'll have to check with my daughter to see how much kibble she fills it with. I like the idea of filling it with less fattening stuff, so I'll definitely try that! It doesn't seem as though we're feeding her all that much, but must be too much for HER, so we need to adjust the amount and what we're feeding for sure!

 

Hopefully we can figure out what's going on with her leg and fix it so we can get more active with her. FINALLY the nicer weather is getting here and I'd like to go hiking with her. I'm sure that would help!

 

Her racing name was I Shall Not Sin and the adoption group named her Cindy, so we just added the Lou part because we LOVE the Grinch and we adopted her before the holidays. ~ ; )

[Guest AngelPup]

Aimee and macoduck--great tips! I think I might pick up another med size Kong and get them prepared in advance and freeze them. That way I will always know how much she's getting. I have a feeling my daughter is STUFFING full the Kong. I also like the idea of mixing the peanut butter with non-fat yogurt.

 

AND I think I'll try mixing vegis into her food and maybe reduce the kibble a bit more. I'm not sure whether she likes string beans, but I know she likes pumpkin.

DogNewbie, I know that look VERY well. SO hard to deny! SO very hard.... ~ ; )

 

Thanks again everyone--lots of great tips!

 

Edited to add, thanks also for the well wishes for her leg! She has been referred to an orthopedic surgeon. Hopefully he can figure out what's going on with her!

Edited March 27, 2014 by AngelPup

[Sambuca]

You've already gotten good advice.

 

For training treats, I'll use meatloaf, brisket, canned fish, leftover pizza, bagels and cream cheese, cheese, McDs burgers, freeze dried meats, all kinds of treats that I can break. We all like Zukes here. At times I put liquidy type food into baby food jars and let them lick it out. I use baby food, peanut butter, canned fish, and wet dog food this way. If she's really food motivated, you may even be able to use her kibble as treats.

Just like people, dogs have different preferences. Bu prefers my moms cooking, like brisket and meat loaf. Sailor prefers a bagel and cream cheese. While they'll both happily eat anything I've mentioned, they did much better in class when I brought what they preferred.

On class days in particular , but any time I worked with the dogs, they got smaller meals to make up for the cookies.

[macoduck]

Oddly enough, since Mazy and Pudge have been getting green beans with their kibble, they don't eat grass as often.

[Guest AngelPup]

You've already gotten good advice.

 

For training treats, I'll use meatloaf, brisket, canned fish, leftover pizza, bagels and cream cheese, cheese, McDs burgers, freeze dried meats, all kinds of treats that I can break. We all like Zukes here. At times I put liquidy type food into baby food jars and let them lick it out. I use baby food, peanut butter, canned fish, and wet dog food this way. If she's really food motivated, you may even be able to use her kibble as treats.

Just like people, dogs have different preferences. Bu prefers my moms cooking, like brisket and meat loaf. Sailor prefers a bagel and cream cheese. While they'll both happily eat anything I've mentioned, they did much better in class when I brought what they preferred.

On class days in particular , but any time I worked with the dogs, they got smaller meals to make up for the cookies.

 

Thanks Sambuca, Great tips. At home, she'll respond happily to whatever I want to give her. At training class, she's much more reserved--hoping she becomes more comfortable soon, so I think I need to use treats that will REALLY motivate her. We've ben giving her cheerios for treats and she loves them! I can't imagine her gaining much weight on them! lol

[Guest AngelPup]

I think I found out WHY she's gaining weight even though I've been cutting back on food and treats... I spoke with my daughter and she said she stuffs the LARGE Kong full with kibble, plugs the hole with a glob of peanut butter and smears MORE peanut butter all over it! WOW! Anyway, she's NOT going to be doing that anymore.

[Sambuca]

 

Thanks Sambuca, Great tips. At home, she'll respond happily to whatever I want to give her. At training class, she's much more reserved--hoping she becomes more comfortable soon, so I think I need to use treats that will REALLY motivate her. We've ben giving her cheerios for treats and she loves them! I can't imagine her gaining much weight on them! lol

Sailor was extremely reserved in class. It took him 3 weeks before he did anything but stand there and look around. (He was doing everything at home, but was too freaked to do anything in class) What I found worked for him was getting into the classroom a little early, even 5 minutes, and toss treats around and have him chase them around the room. The room became a fun place because of it. I also made sure we were always in a corner of the room. He doesn't do well if there's stuff happening behind him, so being in a corner took care of the problem. He never got rid of all his anxiety, but he seriously improved.

[KF_in_Georgia]

My girl gets a cup of kibble at mealtime, twice daily. She gets a quarter-cup more kibble at bedtime. For Kongs, I put in about half a cup of kibble, put a tablespoon or so of yogurt in at the top and freeze that. (The dogs only get Kongs a few times a week.) Once she's licked the frozen yogurt out, it doesn't take her long to finish off the kibble. For training treats, she gets cut up turkey franks--cut into tiny pieces. She gets half a frozen turkey neck once or twice a week.

 

She does the R.E.A.D. program, and when I need to lure her into a down, I use string cheese. (It's neater than a biscuit that would crumble.) But she gets very small pieces, and I'd be surprised if she got more than an inch from a stick of cheese in a one-hour session. For other treat occasions (and there aren't many), she gets one of these: 6 calories each.

 

I work from home, so there aren't treats given daily as I leave. When I do leave the house, I scatter a quarter-cup of kibble into a blanket, roll up the blanket, and leave her hunting out the pieces. She hardly notices I'm leaving. On weeks when I have to be away from home a lot, I'll give her less breakfast to make up for the extra good-bye treats.

 

For kibble, she's getting Iams in the green bag, but she gets the smaller-sized pieces: the mini-chunks (or whatever), not the large-dog version. (I get the bag with the border collie on it.) The Iams large-breed pieces are so huge. My girl is convinced that a quarter-cup of tiny pieces is way more food than a half-cup of large pieces.

 

When I've needed to work on getting weight down on a dog, I started measuring out a day's worth of kibble in the morning and putting it in a lidded plastic container. The dog got what was in the container. If I needed to stretch a meal, I gave frozen green beans. If you've got multiple people feeding your girl, measuring out a day's worth of food might be a good idea if you can get everyone else to feed out of that container rather than the refrigerator.

 

 

[Guest AngelPup]

Sambuca, great tip! I had planned on getting there early tonight anyway, so I'll bring extra treats and throw them around the area. There is another obedience class just before ours, so I can't exactly get INTO the space until they are done, but I'm sure just being in the vicinity and giving her treats will help. Thanks!

Great Tips KF! Thanks!

It looks as though cutting down on the Kong is helping a TON. My daughter has been sick this week so Cindy Lou hasn't really gotten one most days this week. I'm beginning to see her ribs again. Thankfully, it seems that Greyhounds do respond just as quickly to underfeeding as they do to overfeeding. Now the trick is to keep her stead at a good weight!

[Sambuca]

You can even throw the treats when others are in the room once you can get in there. Sailor was always on leash and I was careful where I threw them. Good luck!

[Guest AngelPup]

Thanks, Sambuca! She surprised me by not being fazed by the other breeds in the class--although there are only two and they are both around her size. BUT, they are both PUPPIES (adolescents) and playful, happy breeds (one is a Lab and the other is an Old English Sheepdog/Standard Poodle mix). Kind of wish there were smaller breeds in the class so I can see how she'd be with them, but maybe next class...

 

It's strangers and unfamiliar places she feels uneasy with, so need to work on that and expose her to more places and people. ~ ; )

[Sambuca]

That's the same as Sailor. He's totally fine with other dogs. In fact, there was a dog aggressive boxer in one of his classes that he became buddies with. If any other dog went near the boxer, it would flip, but she loved Sailor. People are Sailors issue. He just doesn't like them. He's not aggressive, but they make him nervous. New places are tolerable if it's just me and I stick with him, but once strangers are added in he's a mess. He goes everywhere with me, so he's gotten better, but still very nervous. He gets lots of treats to get him through.

[sobesmom]

I think I found out WHY she's gaining weight even though I've been cutting back on food and treats... I spoke with my daughter and she said she stuffs the LARGE Kong full with kibble, plugs the hole with a glob of peanut butter and smears MORE peanut butter all over it! WOW! Anyway, she's NOT going to be doing that anymore.

Ahhh! That's a huge calorie-bomb! Get a Medium kong - and tone down the calorie-content of the stuffings. Go for non-fat yogurt - mix in a tsp of PB if your dog loves it - and try fruits and veggies, and a bit of kibble. And freeze it - it lasts longer.

 

Kongs are a wonderful thing - but you've got to watch the calories if your dog is gaining weight really rapidly. It's like you and I watching out weight - eating sensible meals - then having a half a cake every day!

[Guest AngelPup]

Ahhh! That's a huge calorie-bomb! Get a Medium kong - and tone down the calorie-content of the stuffings. Go for non-fat yogurt - mix in a tsp of PB if your dog loves it - and try fruits and veggies, and a bit of kibble. And freeze it - it lasts longer.

 

Kongs are a wonderful thing - but you've got to watch the calories if your dog is gaining weight really rapidly. It's like you and I watching out weight - eating sensible meals - then having a half a cake every day!

 

LOL! SO true Sobesmom! I've already noticed a difference in the way she looks and I weighted her yesterday at Petsmart before the training session. She lost almost two pounds already.

[sobesmom]

 

LOL! SO true Sobesmom! I've already noticed a difference in the way she looks and I weighted her yesterday at Petsmart before the training session. She lost almost two pounds already.

Good for you! You noticed an issue - asked for advice - looked at your own house with a critical eye - found the issue - and NAILED IT!!!

 

Sometimes - it just takes expressing the issue in words - to make ourselves think about them more critically. You had it figured out shortly after posting - because posting put your mind in "figure it out" mode.

 

I don't know HOW many times I've posted an issue - then had a "eureka" moment - or an "oh DUH!" moment after getting just a little GT feedback - and putting my brain in the "figure it out" mode.

Edited April 4, 2014 by sobesmom

[Guest AngelPup]

Good for you! You noticed an issue - asked for advice - looked at your own house with a critical eye - found the issue - and NAILED IT!!!

 

Sometimes - it just takes expressing the issue in words - to make ourselves think about them more critically. You had it figured out shortly after posting - because posting put your mind in "figure it out" mode.

 

I don't know HOW many times I've posted an issue - then had a "eureka" moment - or an "oh DUH!" moment after getting just a little GT feedback - and putting my brain in the "figure it out" mode.

 

EXACTLY!

[Guest DogNewbie]

Ahhh! That's a huge calorie-bomb! Get a Medium kong - and tone down the calorie-content of the stuffings. Go for non-fat yogurt - mix in a tsp of PB if your dog loves it - and try fruits and veggies, and a bit of kibble. And freeze it - it lasts longer.

 

Kongs are a wonderful thing - but you've got to watch the calories if your dog is gaining weight really rapidly. It's like you and I watching out weight - eating sensible meals - then having a half a cake every day!

 

Wait...we aren't supposed to have half a cake every day!?!?!?!?

[Guest AngelPup]

 

Wait...we aren't supposed to have half a cake every day!?!?!?!?

 

LOL! Oh, the HORROR of it all! ~ ; )

[sobesmom]

 

Wait...we aren't supposed to have half a cake every day!?!?!?!?

Of COURSE half a cake every day is FINE!!!!! Somebody's got to support the bakeries of America! Sign me up!

 

LOL! Oh, the HORROR of it all! ~ ; )

Don't panic - it's only the dog's weight we're worried about right! LET US EAT CAKE!