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Can anyone recommend a good diet dog food? My grandmother has a five year old poodle that is very obese. The dog only eats once a day and has been tried on several diet foods, but every time she goes to the vet he says she hasn't lost any weight. Right now she is eating Beneful Healthy Weight. She gets some exercise but gets tired quickly, so it's really hard to walk her very much at one time. My grandmothers husband passed away about a month ago and this dog keeps her company now that she lives alone. I would appreciate any help.
Pay somebody to walk them. If they get tired, walk em till theyre very tired. Walk more and more each week. Pay a kid $10 a week to walk em, surely she has some neighborhood kids there ?
Agree with Brian, dog needs to walk, run, chase ball, whatever. 10 min. walk is NOT going to help this dog. You can step in and do that whenever possible, if you live nearby. What and how much he eats?
Just about any food would be better than what that dog is currently eating. Look at the ingredients. Doggie junk food. Look for a food that has actual meat as the first ingredient and is not full of fillers like wheat gluten & corn gluten.
I agree that the vet needs to do some bloodwork to verify that there is no medical reason for the obesity. I also agree that the dog needs to get more exercise, the more she gets the more she will be able to handle.
I would be willing to bet the little girl gets more than a few treats as well. Many treats are high in calories.
The vet did check her thyroid, but no problem was found. This dog is pampered, so she goes to the vet often. My grandmother was buying a very expensive dog food from the vet, but it just didn't seem to be working, so that's why she started using the Beneful. She said that the vet food made the dog constipated, but the Beneful has helped in that area. I think everyone argrees on the excercise part. I think my grandmother is afraid of giving her a heart attack or something by pushing her too hard. It doesn't take much to make her start panting.
If feeding a superior quality food; first ingredient is either a meat/meat meal:lamb, chicken, turkey or fish, without by-products, corn high on the list then all that would have to be done is reducing intake.
When you say poodle are you talking a Standard (large dog) or mini/toy? A Standard should be fed maybe two cups a day whereas a mini would bed fed possibly two-thirds and a mini near a quarter cup a day.
The problem with "diet" foods sold by the vet (most vets) is they are chock full of fillers; peanut hulls, sawdust, corn... all of which have no nutritional value and can lead to constipation.
If she's serious, have her buy EVO but Natura. It's somewhat like Atkins for dogs; high protein/lo-carb and has no grains. I've seen several dogs lose weight on this, bear in mind the dog must drink water at decent amounts as the protein is higher than other foods. Water can always be added to the food to be certain of the intake.
If your grandmother gives the poodle treats, they must be factored in to the daily overall food intake.
When you say poodle are you talking a Standard (large dog) or mini/toy? A Standard should be fed maybe two cups a day whereas a mini would bed fed possibly two-thirds and a mini near a quarter cup a day.
If she's serious, have her buy EVO but Natura.
I should have stated that she's a toy poodle, a fat little butterball.
Happy to hear she doent have a thyriod problem!! If you cut back on the food & she acting like shes starving you can add NO SALT green beans in her diet & pumpkin! We in the dog world call the free food good fillers no cals!
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