Question:As we all share a love for our animals, my malamute is such a special soul. She was "big" when I found her (she was dumped on a busy street) but now, I think she's getting a little too big. Should I walk her more, cut back on her food (which is difficult because she "woo woo's for her treats), or change her diet all together? I want to spoil her, but also want just the best for her. So many thanks for your suggestions and advice.
Answers:
If that were my dog, I would get (or make) a pack for her to carry some extra weight, to make going for walks more of a workout. Here is a link to an example of what I mean: http://www.wolfpacks.com/ . That, or get a dog cart for her to pull, and give all the kids in the neighborhood rides. I'd probably aim to do a 45 min walk each day, maybe vary it by 15 min either way to keep things fresh. Definitely put an effort into walking a different route, going to different parts of the neighborhood every day, to keep things a mental challenge for the dog as well.
Another thing I would do, is to reduce her food portions at meal times a bit. Not by a lot, and certainly not suddenly. Maybe cut back by a couple tablespoons for a few days, then cut back by a little more a few days later, and so on. It might be a good idea to have a conversation with your vet about what a goal for her portion-sizes would be. Now, I gotta say, I've got cats with urinary tract trouble, so that has made me a real fan of wet food - because water is a nutrient, and it is the one nutrient that dry foods do not supply. But since dogs are much better than cats are about drinking plenty of water, that may be less of a concern for you - so you just follow your instincts on that. One thing about pet food, is that the more expensive, premium brands that you can find only in pet stores rather than grocery stores, is that they are more dense nutritionally, with fewer fillers. So the animal is more satisfied with less food. That, and the fact that the better nutrition, the fewer vet bills, will offset the extra expense in the long run. Cannidae and Inova are two excellent brands, and I know there are others.
With regard to treats, how about at treat-time, asking her to do some tricks first, to earn the treats? I've always at least made dogs sit nicely and shake for a treat. So however many obedience tricks your dog knows, use plenty of those for a few treats. There are also toys that will periodically let a treat fall out as the dog plays with it - so the more the dog plays, the more treats she gets.
exercise and hard food only
you can get a diet food for her and look on the bag to see how much to feed her every day. It is best to feed her in the morning so that she can work it off. Walk her and exercise her more. It will also be good for you.
I had the same situation with my dog being overweight. The vet suggested to cut back on her dog food and mix vegetables with it. I also changed the types of treats that I gave her to carrot sticks and ice cubes. She was quite disappointed for awhile but now she lines up at the fridge waiting for a treat. Her weight is slowly going down.
More exercise, try and cut back on treats or find a healthier treat (my friends golden loooves baby carrots, or try cheerios or something), and switch to a brand of dogfood that has less calories.
There is a presciption diet made by Hill's called R/D. This stands for reduced diet and it very effective in helping a dog loose weight. It is lower in fat than any other food but you also have to decrease the amount that she eats. As far as treats, there are low fat treats on the market for dogs. Our vet clinic sells "Butler's Lean Treats" with are about 1/2 the fat of normal treats. Talk to your vet, they are a wealth of info.
More Questions & Answers...