How Low Can Ya Go?

• 08-08-2008 9:42 AM

  4HAND Joined on 05-28-2008 Posts 125 Points 15

  How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact In effort to slim my senior lab Jewel I have tried Nutro Naturals [lost weight but developed runny eyes and nasty gas requiring digestive enzymes] then moved to Evo reduced fat [eyes got better,lympomas shrunk, gas is gone, but she is gaining weight again].She usually recieves one cup twice per day but I have reduced that to 3/4 cup since noticing the gain.She is hovering around 85 lbs..The only snacks are 4 small biscuits [5 calories each]and a piece of carrot.The bag of Evo is almost gone so I am considering looking for something with lower Kcals[Evo RF has 440 per cup]. Grain free foods help her in so many ways but they are all so calorie dense that she can only have a small portion and she seems to be always hungry.So here's the question.......Do I stick with grain free and reduce the portion further or go back to a low calorie food that will allow her to have a more substantial portion and bring her weight down? Tena Im not fat! Im big boned!....Eric Cartman, South Park

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• 08-08-2008 9:48 AM

  In reply to 4HAND

  Benedict Joined on 05-30-2006 England Posts 5,106 Points 770

  Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact  If she does well on grain free, I would probably feed her one of those, reduce the portion down to what she needs and "bulk up" the meal with some green beans, so she feels full but without lots of extra calories.  If that doesn't work then I'd look into other reduced fat foods, but I'm afraid I don't have access to most of the foods available in the US so I can't offer any particular recommendations. Kate - Dog.community Administrator Jokers to the right.

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• 08-08-2008 9:53 AM

  In reply to 4HAND

  rwbeagles Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW, TX Posts 14,588 Points 2,025	Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact 4HAND: She usually recieves one cup twice per day but I have reduced that to 3/4 cup since noticing   WOW! My beagles get 1 1/2 c per day...Cleo weighs 85lbs and gets 6c per day...but she's a growing pup... Have you gotten her thyroid checked out?? Gina H. dog.community Moderator "But my dreams...they aren't as empty, as my conscience seems to be."-The Who
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• 08-08-2008 9:57 AM

  In reply to rwbeagles

  Benedict Joined on 05-30-2006 England Posts 5,106 Points 770	Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact  Eeep, the numbers didn't register.  Gina's right, if she's not losing weight on that amount of food I'd have a blood/thyroid panel done, too.  My 69 lb lab eats more than that of a calorie dense grain free and it only *just* keeps enough weight on him.  (Which is how I like it.) Kate - Dog.community Administrator Jokers to the right.
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• 08-08-2008 10:06 AM

  In reply to 4HAND

  caveninit Joined on 11-22-2006 LI, NY Posts 279 Points 0

  Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact My Callie has been doing really great on Wellness Core diet formula...which is grain free She had to lose about 10 pounds...she wasn't obese, but she was carrying some extra padding and she  needs to be at a lower weight due to her double knee surgery. She was almost 55 pounds when we started the Wellness Core diet formula. She is down to 47.4 pounds now...it's been about 4 weeks. What I do is mix 3/4 cup of the kibble with a 6 oz can of the Wellness canned food. I stuff about 1/3 of this into a Kong and freeze it for her breakfast. The rest I put in the fridge for her dinner later. The kong keeps her busy for awhile and she doesn't seem like she is starving after eating it, which has been a huge help. For dinner, she gets the rest of her daily portion, and sometimes I add some cooked string beans or cooked carrots to the meal for her. That is ALL she gets. It's been harder on ME not giving her any treats...lol..but I got over it. Good luck with the weight loss.

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• 08-08-2008 10:11 AM

  In reply to caveninit

  mudpuppy Joined on 09-10-2007 Posts 5,379 Points 100	Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact Wellness core reduced fat is grain-free and only has 350 kcal/cup; what kind of exercise does the dog get?
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• 08-08-2008 10:24 AM

  In reply to rwbeagles

  4HAND Joined on 05-28-2008 Posts 125 Points 15

  Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact Never had her thyroid checked but she's been on two cups a day since she was two years old.Supplemented with some table scraps,ok alot of table scraps but those are a thing of the past now.The fact that she was losing weight on the Nutro makes me think it's a calorie thing not a thyroid thing but only having the test done would tell for sure. Im not fat! Im big boned!....Eric Cartman, South Park

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• 08-08-2008 10:30 AM

  In reply to 4HAND

  kpwlee Joined on 06-17-2006 North Carolina Posts 3,715 Points 355

  Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact  without looking it up I believe that EVO reduced fat is still high in kcal per cup - I would think much more kcal dense than Nutro.  I would reduce the EVO rf further and add green beans - I use canned rinsed and crush them with Bugsy when I home feed.  He loves them. Senior dogs need plenty of protein for maintaining muscles but low fat. I think it is always good to remember that unless you are talking about the same food one can't say I feed 4 cups vs 2 cups of another. edit:  Looked it up and it has 440kcal/cup so that is about 1100 kcals of kibble - several iDoggers have dogs on significantly less - Willow the Chow is one example iirc

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• 08-08-2008 10:30 AM

  In reply to 4HAND

  rwbeagles Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW, TX Posts 14,588 Points 2,025	Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact I just don't know...I would get a full panel done, personally. Weight is a lot easier to fine tune when the thyroid is in balance. And to echo mudpuppy...whats her exercise level like to be a good weight on 2c? Gina H. dog.community Moderator "But my dreams...they aren't as empty, as my conscience seems to be."-The Who
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• 08-08-2008 10:31 AM

  In reply to kpwlee

  rwbeagles Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW, TX Posts 14,588 Points 2,025	Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact well on that food mine wouldn't even get but a few kibbles apparently LOL. They'd be hungry all the time, too...LOL. Gina H. dog.community Moderator "But my dreams...they aren't as empty, as my conscience seems to be."-The Who
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• 08-08-2008 10:38 AM

  In reply to rwbeagles

  kpwlee Joined on 06-17-2006 North Carolina Posts 3,715 Points 355	Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact   rwbeagles: well on that food mine wouldn't even get but a few kibbles apparently LOL. I guess you looked it up too then! I recall the days of pouring mounds of food for puppy Bugs    He still eats a ton but it has tapered off, thankfully
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• 08-08-2008 10:42 AM

  In reply to mudpuppy

  4HAND Joined on 05-28-2008 Posts 125 Points 15

  Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact I did know about wellness core but can't find reduced fat formula in my area.Best I could find was TOTW's bison formula was I believe 370.As for exercise she accompanies me around our 40 acres at a walk/trot and plays with my son's Aussie alot.For her age/breed/condition I think this is as much as she can handle.I also think arthritis pain may be slowing her down some.She used to run faster and for longer periods.I was hoping to get her more comfortable by her next vet appointment and avoid using a pain reliever. Tena Im not fat! Im big boned!....Eric Cartman, South Park

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• 08-08-2008 1:03 PM

  In reply to 4HAND

  VanMorrison Joined on 07-02-2007 Probably North of you... Posts 1,164 Points 710

  Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact I've been thinking the same thing lately with my lab Monroe.  He is a very large dog, the vet thinks that he should be at about 88 lbs and this is a vet who agrees that slimmer dogs are much better off than those you might see in a dog show.  I know that some vets think that having a little weight is good but this guy doesn't, that is why I like him. Monroe gets 1c of Canidae morning and evening with green beans and training treats in between.  Yeah, he's hungry but I think that is his natural state.  He has also been swimming for at least 40 minutes/day along with the usual off leash antics. In the last 6 months he has gone from 104 lbs to 92 lbs.

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• 08-08-2008 1:39 PM

  In reply to 4HAND

  mudpuppy Joined on 09-10-2007 Posts 5,379 Points 100	Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact It seems the dog is eating only 680 kcal/day
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• 08-08-2008 1:45 PM

  In reply to 4HAND

  brookcove Joined on 09-10-2007 Semora, North Carolina, USA Posts 4,055 Points 335

  Re: How Low Can Ya Go? Reply Contact  On the Core RF - ask at the place that sells Core - many times they can order it for you, no additional charge.  Core is a terrific food and I suspect may be just what you are looking for. My Maggie eats about 450 kcals a day.  That would be just a little over a cup of Core, depending on how much the kibble in the bag I got, weighed.  She weighs 40 pounds and is very fit and active, and is almost 15 years old.  So, it's not out of the realm of possiblity that an 80ish pound dog would require around 650 kcals to effect weight loss.  I couldn't get weight off Gus (47 pounds working dog) until he was eating ONE cup of Core RF a day - or the equivalent, actually, since we did both kibble and RMBs.  Zhi eats like five kibbles of a normal grain free like Evo. However, it's a good idea to get one thyroid check done on a senior dog, even if just for a baseline for later.  Thyroid function can slow down with age in dogs predisposed to it. Becca Shouse Maggie and Zhi (queen bees), Ben, Gus, Cord, Rocky, Ted (BCs), Lu and Tully (Maremma flock guardians) Irena Farm, Semora, NC

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