Doggy Diet

[vziebell]

I have a beagle/spaniel mix who is about five and a half years old.  At her recent vet visit she weighed in at 52lbs and the vet said she should be more in the ballpark figure of 35-40lbs.  

I've bought some low fat weight management food for her but am looking for any other suggestions anyone has on how I can help my dog lose some weight.

We go on daily walks.  She doesn't play catch.  So I'm not sure of what else I can do.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Misfits4Me]

I suspect that most of your dog's problem is from Improper nutrition.......Pedigree is one of the lowest quality foods on the market...Purina is about as Bad! I consider both to be "Death In a Bag".....Actually, the bags they come in are healthier than the food enclosed!

With a higher quality product that is NOT mainly cheap, un-nutritious fillers, fattening carbohydrates (Grains), chemicals, by-products, and cancer causing agents, your dog will begin to shed some pounds....

Links to address this food problem & look into healthy Pet Foods:
Dogfood Analysis.com
Dogfood Chat.com
Dogfood Advisor.com
Dogfood Scoop.com
Petfood Ratings.net

You can add fresh fruits & cooked veggies to her bowl, daily....These will help fill her up & are highly nutritious & low fat, while you start cutting back on her regular food......

This needs to be done slowly since she is not use to real food......The weight will be coming off before you know it.....Keep up with the walks......Good luck, this CAN be done! Your doing the right thing to get weight off of her now while she's young.........Karla

[vziebell]

Thanks everyone for your responses so far!

I was feeding her about a cup morning and night of Pedigree Vitality.  I have now switched to Purina One Healthy Weight and I give her 3/4 cup morning and night.

I will switch to veggies for treats as she actually likes them anyway.

I'm trying to get her some more exercise, but it's hard to fit that in to my regular days.

[Margot49]

Good morning, well, it's morning here.  :-)
I assume everything checked out at the Vet's office. Did he check thyroid, just in case your dog is hypothyroid?  That being said, she should be on a good brand of weight management, adult food.  Look for the feeding recommendations on the product to see how much to feed, I assume she probably wouldn't need more then a cup or a cup and a half twice a day.
You can try the old dog show people green diet.  You get green beans (low sodium) and feed half the normal food with half green beans until you get to or near the desired weight.
Limit treats or feed carrots, if your dog will eat them.

[Misfits4Me]

Hello & welcome...What food were you feeding this girl and how much?
What are you feeding now & how much?  Thanks, Karla