smileyzookie Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Ok, so Riven is 37 pounds. She was 32 this summer and I thought she looked the perfect part, she was even a bit heavier than Kats Dazzle (looking at her I mean). Well the vet insists that she's a good weight but I know she's got a bit of extra fat on her. My question is, is 5 pounds worth worrying about? If no, then when is it right to worry? If yes, how do I go about having her lose a bit of extra weight. Her food atm is 1 cup of Science Diet in the morning and 1 cup at night. If we go to the store and buy extra meat (usually only beef)she'll get a small portion of that as well in treats during the day. ETA: Science Diet bag says 4 cups of food a day for her, so I've already halved what is recommended per our trainer in March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Well, yeah. She gained 15% of her body weight from the summer to now. That is like a human going from 140 lbs to 161 lbs in a few months, not healthy. If she isn't on a prescription diet I would switch her to a higher quality food and increase her exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Originally posted by smileyzookie:Science Diet bag says 4 cups of food a day for her, so I've already halved what is recommended per our trainer in March. I've found that for the vast majority of dogs, the recommended amount of food on a dog food bag is way too many calories. 2 cups may be too much for Riven, depending on her metabolism, activity level and any other food she may eat during a day. Some dogs need very little food to maintain a good weight. Only two of my dogs have needed to eat as much or more as the manufacturer suggested. And one of them had to scale back quite a bit at around age 2 (and boy, was he bummed ) . It remains to be seen with skinny butt Quinn whether he can keep eating as much as he does, but right now I can't get any substantial weight on him. I'd love for him to gain a few pounds, but he has great muscle tone and a gleaming coat, so I'm not fussing. 5 pounds for a dog Riven's size is a good amount, but the real question is how does she look and feel? Can you easily feel her ribs, her spine and her hip bones. Is there an obvious waist? When she was 32 lbs, how did she look and feel to you? It could be that her ideal weight is, 32, 37 or somewhere in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 If she does need to lose weight, you can reduce her dry food and supplement with green beans. Most dogs love them and they have virtually no calories. Rocky, a non-bc, gains weight by looking at food. I supplement his normal ration of dry food with 1/2 cup of green beans a day to fill him up without adding lbs. I have used the same method on both of my bc's to take off an extra couple of lbs when necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted November 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Like canned green beans? Or the fresh ones off the shelf in produce? Riven doesnt have a really defined waist like she used to, when we got her she may, I repeat may have been a bit on the skinny side, so maybe you are right about her weight being better inbetween. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailrider Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Here`s a critique of Science Diet Puppy http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_re...88/cat/1/page/1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted November 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 I'll be the first to say Science Diet isnt the best. However the closest town is 1 hour away, other than that we have vets here, all they sell is SD. We have a brake issue on the car and since we're moving and payin off the huge loan we have (this month will be paid off) we cant switch food, since we have no way to get to Boise till the loan is paid and we can fix the car. So, thats why she gets raw food for treats and SD for kibble. My hubby wont go full raw, especially with that dam vet saying what he said. If you dont know what I mean, here is the post. http://www.bordercollie.org/cgi-bin/ultima...ic;f=1;t=012665 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Well, it certainly won't kill her to stay on SD for a bit longer. I would rather feed Purina or even Pedigree than SD. Lower quality foods that are carb loaded are doggy junk food. Cut back her kibble and increase her exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 I use canned green beans and buy either low-sodium or no salt versions. At the local Walmart, I can buy gallon cans for @ $3 which is a lot cheaper than buying regular size cans. After I open a can, I empty it into a plastic container in the fridge and then use it over the next week. My other dogs also like g b as treats so I use up a full can in a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted November 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 Well, she will NOT eat green beans. She ate all the kibble aroudn them. Any tips on how to get her to eat them? I thought grinding up the beans and putting water on the kibble and letting them kinda mush together? Or no? lol... help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea4th Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 Blackwood Feeds delivers to the door with no delivery charge. http://www.blackwoodpetfood.com/ I would check into that and see if that might work. It's better than SD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted November 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 Wow! That bag of food is only $8 more than what we pay for SD. I will try to talk hubby into this! thanks for that link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 Well, you would know it!!! She's the first dog I've ever heard of that wouldn't eat green beans. I don't do anything to them except put then in the dish or hand a bean to the dog like any other treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitch Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 You can try adding pumpkin. Same deal as green beans - adds bulk without a lot of calories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted November 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by bc friend:Well, you would know it!!! She's the first dog I've ever heard of that wouldn't eat green beans. I don't do anything to them except put then in the dish or hand a bean to the dog like any other treat. LOL I know. We'll try pumpkin tonight. Like about a couple spoonfuls right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted November 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 Well last night I gave her 3 spoonfuls of pure pumpkin and 1/2 c. of kibble and she ate it!! YAY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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