Over weight Rottie

[Jerrybo66]

Nandi, a rescue, needs help. She weighed in at 115 yesterday at the Vets for a tooth X-ray. She has joint problems so she can't exercise enough, so without exercise she can't lose weight to help her joint pain. I give her 1 cup of Kirkland Healthy Weight dog food, 2 oz. boiled chicken, 2/3 cup rice/green beans with chicken broth for moisture, twice a day. All fat removed. I figure she only gets about 800 cals. a day. I feel guilty giving her so little because she eats like there's no tomorrow. Her thyroid was checked and normal but on the low side. She's started on .4 mgs of Levothyroxine, to boost it a bit. I had her down to 106 with exercise but when the wife went to the hospital for two months I couldn't keep up. She pants a lot and an earlier X-Ray showed fat in the chest cavity, possibility causing the breathing. She's on Novox, Tramadol, Pepcid, and Glucosamine. There's many "Lose weight quick" ads on TV for people but I've never seen any for dogs. If so, the Vet didn't mention any. As for treats, she may get a Gram Cracker once in awhile or ground meatball or pork cube for her pills. I think the poor girl has the problem as being too fat because she can't walk and can't walk because she's too fat. Can anyone give us some help? ..... Nandi & I thank you.
Jerry..

[Jerrybo66]

Pawz4me wrote:
How long has she been on the levothyroxine? I don't know how it is with dogs, but for myself I can tell you it took right about six weeks for levo to kick in and enable me to start losing weight. I felt considerably better (less tired and less mental fog) within about ten days of starting medication, but it took a full six weeks for me to be able to start losing weight. FWIW, I lost weight slowly but rather easily on the same number of calories that I was gaining on before my hypothyroidism diagnosis. It was a reduced calorie diet, but before diagnosis I was unable to lose weight even while dieting.

Thanks for the timeline for Levothyroxine. It's been about a month and the Vet said to wait a while for results. I guess I get to impatient when seeing her struggle with her bones and weight. One I believe is connected to the other.
The Vet cautioned, it's fine to have her on a diet but she has to have a certain amount of calories to stay healthy. I read someplace where her size requires 1500 cals. per day. This is fine for a dog with a normal metabolism but not for all. I've dropped the boiled chicken as suggested and her diet consists of 1 cup Kirkland Diet,253 cals., 2/3 C/rice @ 100 cal. and 2/3 / beans @ 30 cals. twice a day. 766 cals. per day
Ran her to the Vet last week with stomach problem. She was panting and obviously stressed. She barfed up a large clump of weeds, branches, etc. in the office. The Vet said she had to be part goat. After that, she relaxed and went to sleep. I now have included with each meal a Probiotic. So far, so good. The new "fill in" Vet gave her Metronidazole.. These puppies can sure get to be an expensive chore but well worth it... Thanks for all your help.

[Jerrybo66]

Goostoff wrote:
When I read the topic title I thought I was going to see pics of a 200lb fat boy. My Rottie just turned 10 years old in January and at his last checkup he weighed in at 137 lbs. He is healthy and happy. Maybe I have just been lucky but the vet said he was in great shape other than some gray hairs on his chin and told me to just keep doing what I do.

It's funny how the phrase, "compared to what" enters into an equation. Compared to your big guy, Nandi's slim. My Niece brought home a new puppy a couple weeks ago. He weighed 12 OZ...Nandi's nose weighs more than that. 🙂

[xteacher]

Feed less and cut out treats/extras. Supplement only with a couple of tablespoons of no-salt green beans at each meal to add filling fiber. A couple of baby carrots at night for dessert - not too many, as they are high in sugar for a veggie. Nothing else. Go for 3 shorter walks per day, rather than one long one to ease the stress on the dog's joints.

Consider switching to a grain free/low fat kibble. I've seen good results with Annamaet Lean, and also with Fromm Gold Coast Grain-Free Weight Management Dry Dog Food. You can get them on Chewy.com if you can't find them locally (only available at pet food stores - not Petsmart or Petco).

Don't feed what it says on the package - the companies are trying to sell dog food!

[Goostoff]

When I read the topic title I thought I was going to see pics of a 200lb fat boy. My Rottie just turned 10 years old in January and at his last checkup he weighed in at 137 lbs. He is healthy and happy. Maybe I have just been lucky but the vet said he was in great shape other than some gray hairs on his chin and told me to just keep doing what I do.

[Pawz4me]

How long has she been on the levothyroxine? I don't know how it is with dogs, but for myself I can tell you it took right about six weeks for levo to kick in and enable me to start losing weight. I felt considerably better (less tired and less mental fog) within about ten days of starting medication, but it took a full six weeks for me to be able to start losing weight. FWIW, I lost weight slowly but rather easily on the same number of calories that I was gaining on before my hypothyroidism diagnosis. It was a reduced calorie diet, but before diagnosis I was unable to lose weight even while dieting.

[Earl_E]

The plain and simple fact is she's eating more calories than she's burning. Exercise is great but if you can't exercise her enough to burn more calories then you need to feed her less. I know that's tough to hear but it's the truth. No matter what she's eating, she is eating too much.

[Greyghost]

Quite frankly, I believe that you're still over feeding her. I have 3 Bouviers that I keep at 75 and 85 lbs. None of them get as much as you're feeding Nandi except the puppy.

The 75 lb girl gets 1 cup of Kirkland Natural Balance twice a day. Any more than that and she'll put weight on.

One of the 85 lb boys gets 1.5 cups rice a day, any more than that and he puts on weight.

The 3rd one is stI'll a puppy so I want him to eat as much as he wants. He gets 2 cups twice a day and he is not gaining weight.

Cut Nandi down to 1 level cup twice a day and eliminate the rice and beans and chicken. Do the cut down gradually over the course of a week or two.

We all tend to over feed our pets to the detriment of the pet. My three kids get dehydrated sweet potatoes for treats but only as a reward, not as part of their diet.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I agree with swimming! My Ike loved to swim, even as arthritis made most of his travel somewhat limited. And if your dog isn't a stellar swimmer - put a life jacket on him!

[Murphsmom]

"Ask the vet about amputation but he said it's a no go."

Did the vet tell you why? Many giant breed dogs do just fine on three legs. I would recommend that you check out Tripawds.com for tons of information on canine amputation. While a lot of the dogs there have become Tripawds because of a cancer diagnosis, birth defects and accidents are also some of the reasons for amputation. They have a forum section called Size and Age Matters which might be helpful to you.

[Redwoodcamper]

Small steps. How about some swimming in the summer? I've seen big dogs still swim very well.

[Halmfamily]

I'm in the same boat with our Chow/Rot mix. Draco has a deformed hip joint and cannot run, sorta trots and can walk for about a half mile before he's done. He weighs in around 110 lbs and vet said he needs to loose 20 lbs.

We have cut back his food, no table food and very few treats and no weight loss.
I do get him out nightly to walk the property but he is unable to go for too long. He is now four years old so not sure how more years of quality life to expect. Ask the vet about amputation but he said it's a no go.

Draco will get lots of love and attention and enjoy as many camping trips as possible.

Good luck with your fur baby, I hope you find a solutuon.

[dturm]

Have you had her thyroid checked? Hypothyroid aggravates weight control and is pretty common in Rotties of that age.

Doug, DVM

[brewjaz]

You could also add canned pumpkin in her food too--it has fiber which will help her feel full. Also try apple slices for treats too.

[brewjaz]

How about mixing vegetables in with her kibble? Just no onions or mushrooms. Try non-starchy ones like broccoli, carrots, brussels sprouts, and green beans. Also try giving raw carrots in place of treats.