Hello all, this will be my first post to the forum so I'll start by expressing how excited I am to be apart of the discussion. My name is Kira, I am an outdoor enthusiast, my best friends include my husband and my 2 1/2 year old rescue mal named Athena. Athena was rescued to us in June 2016, we've known her for a little under a year and discussed adopting her from the foster home she was placed in by the rescue since the day we met her and boy I'm glad we did! She is overweight, she is carrying it well but I'm concerned for her health. The foster home had her on a grain free diet, some off brand food. She is currently weighing in at 124 pounds! My experience with the breed I've never met a female as young as her that weighed over 95lb. So we weened her off of the food that was given to us and started her on Blue weight control, she is constantly encouraged to be active but I fear her weight is getting in the way. I like the salmon diets, her top coat has never looked better and the rashes she came with are healing up wonderfully. But sadly, the switch has not made a difference. I'm looking for and open to suggestions of a type of food that is grain free, salmon based and low calorie. I'm open to the idea of adding the fish oils, to help keep her comfortable to any type of food. Price is not a concern when it comes to our girl. My vet's tech has made suggestions to travel out of town and ask the pet supply store but I'd rather ask other mal parents. If we do not see a change in weight we will be taking her in for blood work as per my vet. Thank you in advanced.
Welcome to the forum Kira, what a lovely introduction. Athena is a very lucky girl to have found you. I am in the UK, and so am not sure which foods would be available to you, there are some varieties that claim to be, 'Light'. I hope someone local, or experienced in the breed, will be along with some specific feeding advice. I am sure that at only two and a half, you will be able to slim her down by gradually increasing in her exercise, and feeding the quantity suitable for her ideal weight, rather than what she weighs at present.
I don't know how much you are feeding her, but it may be useful to gradually decrease the amount of food you are giving. Also, watch out for treats. It's surprising how often we don't realise the amount of extras we are giving until the pounds pile on
I feed my malamute a raw diet (BARF Diet) would you not consider that? It's much better than using kibble.
Is that a dehydrated raw diet that you soak, or is it a real raw diet? Raw meat, raw bones, raw vegetables.
Raw feeding is not the be all end all of doggy diets. It doesn't suit all dogs or all owners. Really, as long as there is no underlying health condition, less food + more exercise = weight loss. Of course the right food can help, but continue to feed too much of it, or simply her not working it off will get you nowhere. What sort of activities are you doing with her?
True. Very true. Especially when the dogs love it but the owner hates having mess up to her elbows! It also requires what supplements might be needed and oh those days of just measuring out a cup of kibble...
Its a real raw meat diet. I go to a place that specialises in this particular way of eating. Her diet is a combination of muscle meat, bone and offal. Also raw tripe. Her poo is small and hard & much easier to pick up. I will never feed her a commercialised kibble based food again. I highly recommend looking into it. It's much more beneficial for your dog health wise.
@Dark Matter - I changed Pereg [the one in my avatar] from a good quality holistic kibble when I first learned about raw feeding on Dogsey, and once I had weaned little Tikva she went onto raw. I cannot get raw food for dogs here so both Pereg and now Tikki had/have the same meat as I do [except for raw tripe which I cannot get and I do not think it would be for me!] It is mostly poultry [or fish] with the addition of vegetables for her second meal [the first being a bone meal], the only difference is that I cook mine and she has hers raw! As my poulterer in the market in town lives just up the road from me, I telephone an order and Mikhaël delivers it on his way home and I freeze in portion sizes. I could never go back to feeding kibble but each to his/her own.
I agree, what works for one might not work for the other. If you're struggling to get it I go to a place in moreton called the dogs diner. I'm sure they can arrange delivery. I actually only found out about this place myself by accident. My little one is doing great other than the other day when she stole the cats food and a whole bowl of tuna pasta lol left the cucumber though Terrible food thief!! Loool
My beloved Pereg was epileptic and various people on the epi List suggested feeding her raw. And I learned so much from Tarimoor on Dogsey. I was lucky that I knew Tirtza and Mikhaël so I was able to get what I wanted. Mind you, I had to buy another freezer for Pereg's food and still call it Pereg's freezer. I am not sure whether the raw helped her but she loved it as "proper" Food. And tiddler Tikva would not touch kibble although will sometimes accept some tinned food with her evening meal with her vegetables and supplements. I am in Israel and the poultry etc is strictly Kasher, so we share the same food. I cannot compare prices but I would have had to pay the same for myself, so it does not really matter. Beef is diabolically expensive and lamb - gotta mortgage to take out for some? One thing I found that was fairly inexpensive and is very healthy, is ox lung - but it is such a mess to cut and pack and freeze. It is also very light weight for size so good value. Tikva came to me as a three-week-old un-weaned shrimp, weighing - I think - 400-450g. She is now a very skinny but rock-solid 18 month old. No fat but rock-solid bones and muscles [and no, although it looks like it, she is not on steroids!]
