Help With Overweight Chocolate Labrador!

[Carp4U]

FOR ALL OF YOU WHO SEE THE LENGTH OF THIS TEXT AND TURN AWAY PLEASE DON'T. I REALLY NEED HELP FROM AN EXPERIENCED PET/DOG OWNER OR VET ETC.

I have a gorgeous chocolate labrador, Hooch, who is 8 years old. I also have another called Harley who is also 8 years old.

Hooch is a really happy chap. A big cuddly, cheeky bear. Although for about 1 year and a half i have been worried about his health. Because of his parents he is a very stocky boy and is also very prone to putting on weight. Harley on the other hand is the opposite to both of them factors.


The problem is that my parents divorced which meant Hooch and Harley weren't getting as many walks because of dad not being around all the time like usual. He also used to monitor their food and alter it when necessary. I ever since have become more in charge of them and probably realised more about his health condition as i have grown older. The dogs were happy although even though they were getting fed Harley lost weight and Hooch gained it. My dad still saw the dogs and paid for them occasionally. We thought Hooch was getting overweight. Plus 2 small lumps formed on Hooch's underbelly so we took him to the vets who agreed he was overweight and suggested that we put him on Burns (a special food for dogs). He said the lumps were gristle and common but should be removed before they get too big (in about 6 months). Its been 12 months and he hasn't been operated on. He now got a lump on his leg soon after which is very big now and 2 small lumps have formed on his back (only just appeared recently). I am really worried about him and whether this gristle could harm him or hurt him. We could quite easily get him operated on but 1. My dad got angry and told my mum she couldn't have half of the operation (only £200 for the whole thing!) 2. He stopped paying for Harley and Hooch by buying food because mum was unhappy that he wasn't buying burns. 3. I am scared he will have them removed and then just get even more gristle!

So that brings me onto my next thing. Hooch is overweight. They both have a walk 5 days a week, sometimes more.
I have realised that i might have been starving them. They are being fed once a day in the evening usually after a walk. They get about 3 cups of biscuits of complete dog food. Hooch still puts weight on. They never have the same one again usually because my mum just buys one she can afford or thinks they will like. They used to have just water with their biscuits. Recently they have been having tinned meat and a tin of tuna (one or the other). We usually cut down the biscuits if we do this.
Is this starving them? Is this too much?

I have no idea and i realised that by starving them wont make them lost weight we just a need a low fat food. My mum has now found the money for hoochs operation but theres no point doing it until we know what to feed them and how to exercise them so they both maintain a balanced healthy weight.

I know this will take you a long time to read, but if anyone can correct me, advise me, suggest anything, verify anything i have said i would be most greatful. Please do not hesitate to PM me if you prefer!

Here's a picture of Hoochy to attract your needed help:

 

[Mia S]

I don't have dogs, but I did have to put my cats on a diet once after their weight DOUBLED (two months in a crap kennel). What I did is put them on the best quality biscuits I could afford, they got a small portion for dinner - I just followed the portions recommended on the packet. For breakfast they got a 60% raw meat 40% steamed vegs mixture. You can do the same for your dogs, just mix grated apple/carrot/steamed green vegs & some cooked rice in with raw meat.

Im pretty sure its ok to feed your dogs twice a day, everybody I know that has dogs does it, just smaller portions instead of the one big feed. Its also good to give them bones to chew on, lots of chewing with not much calories, and you can usually get them for free or very cheap from the butcher.

Best thing would be to take your dog in to have those lumps removed before they get bigger & more difficult and expensive to remove, & while at the vet you are entitled to ask for advice on how to make your dog loose weight. They normally do a pre-op blood test as well, for all you know the dog may have a thyroid problem thats making it put on weight, not something you can diagnose or fix yourself.

I would really get your parents involved in this, it's totally unfair to make you take on this responsibility by yourself. My heart goes out to you, I hope this all gets sorted out soon, good job on keeping up the 5 walks a week, its more than most people manage

 

[SharonCC]

Lovely picture...I can almost feel the nose! I agree with the previous poster. The vet may have some helpful suggestions. One of our dogs had a weight problem, and we put her on a low calorie dog food. It worked, but her weight was a constant battle. She often seemed hungry and would push her bowl around trying to get me to feed again. Some dogs are just prone to weight gain, despite proper feeding. Your Lab is getting on in years, and this may be a part of aging.

 

[c@rly]

im a vet nurse of 8 yrs, and although usually we would recommend what we sell i simply recommend CHAPPIE as it very digestible and low cal naturally, thats what mine get, always follow the feeding guides on the sides of the packs, and if you want your dog to lose for example 5 kgs, then feed him the guided daily amount for a dog 5 kg less than his own weight, so basically feed him for the weight you want him tobe.
WATER IS BEST, nothing else.
as treats i give small chunks of carrot, or grilled chicken as these are very low in fat but beware feeding chicken if your dog gets fussy with his food, you dont want him to refuse his normal food,
low cal diets are good as they reduce the calorific level in the food rather than the quantity of food. so your dog would get the same amount of biccies to ensure he is full, just with lower cals and usually less taste.
get the lumps checked regularly by a vet as evn if they are only fatty lumps, iv known dogs to self mutilate when they are in armpits etc etc
hope this helps xx

 

[morgan]

I had a Westie who was overwieght. She refused to eat the expensive diet food yet she was not normally a fussy eater. I changed her diet from canned dog meat and biscuits to dry dog food. She got down to her ideal weight. You will also have to resist giving the dog any human treats, I know that is difficult as you feel really mean! I used to give my dogs a bone but unfortunately this led to my Westie being extremely ill. Because she was a terrier she chewed the bone to tiny bits and it caused an inflamation. She had pancreatitis and could have died. I always gave her fake bones after that. I'm not sure if that could be a problem for Labradors or not. Good luck with the weight loss, Labradors are naturally rather prone to putting on weight. I am not an expert but I kept dogs for a long time and a friend of mine has always had Labradors. I don't know about the gristle I'm afraid.

 

[guppy fan]

You might also want to watch your dogs as they eat. Make sure that one it's pushing the other away from the food and preventing him from eating. We put one of our dogs, Chloe, on a medication that made her very hungry. She would push our other dog, Dexter, out of his bowl and eat his food as well as hers. Nauty girl! we had to watch them as they ate. I'm sorry about your situation. I hope it gets better.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

if you haven't already, try feeding them separately. either shut them up in different rooms, tie them up in different parts of the yard or feed one outside and the other inside. separate feeding will allow you to better control their portions and make certain that each dog gets the amount of food he needs.

as for the gristle, go on ahead and get the operation if you can afford it now. its only going to get worse if you let them go.

 

[Colin_T]

Some good points have been brought up including guppy and pica's advice regarding the feeding. Dogs have a natural pecking order, even in a home environment. Basically one dog is in charge and the other dog is a subordinate. The dominant dog is known as an alpha dog and will usually eat all the food offered. If you feed them in separate bowls and on different sides of the room, or one outside and one inside, you will be able to make sure they both get their share of food and the alpha dog (Hooch) doesn't eat Harley's food.
You can add fruits & vegetables to their dinner and that is a good way to fill them up but not increase their calorie intake. You can use most fruits (apple, peaches, watermelon, banana if they eat it) and vegetables including peas, beans, corn, broccoli, etc.
Do Not use onions, or onions related plants, (leeks, spring onions, etc). Also don't feed them grapes.
The other thing about feeding is the alpha dog will sometimes intimidate the subordinate and prevent them from eating. Feeding the dogs in different rooms will prevent this from happening.

You can feed them bones but only raw bones. Do Not feed them cooked bones because they can become brittle and splinter and get stuck in the dog's throat or lodged in their intestine or stomach.
Some dogs will chew on bones and not have a problem, but other dogs will just chomp them up and swallow large pieces. Dogs that gulp down their food should not be given bones to chew on.
A rawhide (cow skin) bone or chew, pigs ear, etc is a much better choice.

Some dogs become lethargic and lazy when they are fed a low calorie or diet food. This can make the problem of exercise worse. If they are being fed a good quality food, but not too much, then you should be able to control their weight with exercise. If possible try to take them out every day for an hour or more. They can walk, run or swim but need to get out and about for an hour or more each day. Big dogs like Labradors can have back and hip problems and if they are overweight then it can make these problems worse. Swimming and walking are better for these types of dogs rather than running and jumping.
If the dogs go swimming then use an ear cleaning solution to dry their ears out after they have been swimming. Dogs with big floppy ears that hang down can develop ear infections when water gets into the ear. The ear hanging down prevents air getting inside and drying the ear out. An ear cleaner that is alcohol based will help dry out the ear and prevent problems from occurring. A vet or petshop should be able to help you out with ear cleaners and how to use them.

The other way to reduce their weight is to reduce the amount of food they get. A big dog that doesn't do a lot of exercise might only need one or two cups of food per day. Some people will feed the dog once a day and others feed them twice a day. The choice is yours but dogs are normally fine being fed once a day. You could try feeding them in different rooms and giving Hooch less food than Harley.

As for the surgery, try to get it done as soon as possible. The longer you leave it the bigger the lumps will get, and the more costly the surgery will be. Also the more surgery the more chance of something going wrong and the longer the dog will take to recover after the operation.

 

[bordercollie05]

Yup, I think everyone put in some great advice for you. I don't have much to add other than: Make sure your dogs are each eating their own food. And especially for the chubby one, give him 10-15 min to eat and put it up till the next feeding time. Try to get them to eat just twice daily if they don't already (rather than free choice). It's much easier to monitor their eating this way. Also, labs are high energy dogs! At least they should be, sometimes they disagree. While they make great family dogs, they still need lots of exercise. I would recommend finding a safe place for Hooch and Harley both to run offlead and play frisbee or ball for 30 min daily (or as much as you possibly can really). Dogs gain and lose weight for the same reasons as people; diet and exercise, while genetics and disease can definitely play into it, giving better/less food and lots of playtime will help a lot. Good luck and keep us updated.


P.S. I agree; surgery ASAP, especially if the vet says you need it. Some lumps are innocent but if the vet recommends removal, get it outta there


Laura

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Now my daughter is a vet, and I operated the SPCA in Northern Cape for 12 years.....I recall an incident where people brought to the kennels an overweight Labrador.... (they are prone to being overweight... And myself)... The request was that I bring "Savour" back to normal, & they were prepared to leave him there for 3 months......

I cannot really remember what the dog weighed at the time (or what I weighed.... at the time.....)... After 3 months, they collected "Savour", and immediately commented on how much obvious weight I lost before they even saw their dog.... If I remember correctly.... I lost about 10kg,... & the dog about 7..... Hence the saying, .... "If your dog is overweight,.... Then you are not fit"....

My current "Megan"... The one in my avitar photo... is also overweight and can hardly walk due to Arthritis caused by being overweight... My daughter (The vet) prescribed a vetinary food called "hills".... It is extremely expensive, but since I started with it,... Megan is walking a lot better... I dunno if it is universally available,, But if you can get hold of the brand....( obviously plus excersize)... do it and good luck!!!

 

[kenny fish fanatic]

my whippets eat well,and theres not a picking on them,get a good dry food,read the back of the bag,and whatever it says to feed your dog,half the mesure,then get pleny of veg in,boil cabage,carrots, boil the kettle and soak the dry food for 20 mins it will treble in size,ad the veg and the dog will eat the lot.breakfast get some wheatabix in 2 in a bowl big spoon of honey and milk and hot water,,,if you dont like walking them buy a 2nd hand tredmill motorised one,get them used to going on it and off you go,you can sit have a pot of tea while your dogs go 5 mile,,the food diet will make them loose the fat and they will enjoy it,go to a good pet shop for a sack of dryed food,its a lot cheaper than going to p@h,i think bakers a bit dearer but its a good mix,,good luck,,kenny