Serenjane overweight
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Serenjane is 8 years old and is gaining weight. She currently weighs 33 lbs.
I usually feed her twice a day a cup of dry food and 2 tablespoons of wet food (Beneful) morning and night. She also gets a small treat twice a day, half of a Beggin Strip. Once in a great while we give her some type of meat from the table with her dry food instead of the Beneful.
She gets walked twice a day, 1/2 mi. in the A.M. and a mi. in the P.M.
Other than being overweight she has no other health problems.
Can anyone recommend a specific food that may help with her weight gain and how much I should be feeding her? Any other suggestions that may help would be appreciated. -
I would think that you are over feeding her.. and not enough excerise… and have you had blood work done along with a full Thyroid panel? I would have to say that Beneful is not the best food.. and you might want to look into a better quality food. My opinion is that a cup of food twice a day is way to much, more like a 1/4 to 1/2 twice a day.... mixing with wet is not a problem but maybe only a teaspoon instead of 2 tablespoons..
You can use veggies as fillers that do not pack on the weight.. use raw or steamed... and if she doesn't eat it... then she doesn't need it....
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(Ms. Pat was answering at the same time as me…she really knows her stuff!)
Reduce her overall food by a tablespoon each feeding, feed that amount for a few days, then reduce it another tablespoon...she won't miss it that way and you will be able to find the ideal amount to give her so she can maintain her healthy weight. She's getting to be a Senior, so her metabolism will slow a little. You'll have to reduce her intake to match it...or bring her metabolism back up with more exercise.
When was her last Vet visit? If she hasn't been in a while, the weight gain is rather recent and without any other changes to her life, there may be something going on physically to cause it. It's not unheard of for dogs to develop either hypothyroidism or diabetes when they age. Remember, they age much faster than we do and three months for her may be like a year or two for us. Good luck. :)
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What they said! You can substitute some green beans for kibble if she's really hungry and you can't stand "the stare".
(When my poor pups try "the stare" I often just look at them and say "Why yes it is tasty. Thank you for asking")
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Just for comparison, my girl will be 7 this year. She gets about 1 cup of food a day depending on what brand we're feeding her and how caloric it is.
We moved to a new place without a yard and their routine on the days we both work (3 days/week) is that they get about a 45 minute walk in the morning with Liz, and I walk them for an hour in the evening before dinner. It's at least 5 miles total. And then on the weekend I change it up and may do the dog park or a hike.
She is a pretty standard female and her ideal weight is 22-23 lbs. -
I was going to add my 2 cents, but it looks like the subject is covered well! When ours get chunky, we reduce the food somewhat and add green beans to 'bulk' it up.
Terry
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Thanks everyone for all your input. She is due for her annual check up and shots with the vet next month, I may just go ahead and take her earlier. The weight gain has come about since my husband has retired over the past year. In addition to her 2 daily walks she is outside most of the day and runs after walkers and joggers as they pass our house. We have an electronic fence which keeps from roaming off and we've never had a problem with her breaking through.
Besides the veggies, what kind of dog foods do some of you use for your B's? Do any of you cook or make up any of your own dog food? I read some recipes in one of Cesar Milan's books, however that sounds like quite a bit of work. I do want to keep her healthy especially as she gets a bit older. Again many thanks.
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I feed Evo to my basenjis. They all get 1/3c 2x a day. I do make muttloaf http://www.maryshouse.us/Recipes.htm
and put a spoonfull+ on the evening meal. Morning meals are fed in a food-dispensing puzzle.Digital is 17 3/4 (agility dog, so i know how tall he is) inches and 13 years old. He's a fit 28 pounds (i think) and looks good. Not as active as he used to be, but he does go swimming once a week. He is hypothyorid
Jet is 17 1/2 (maybe 1/4, i forget), 12 years old and a bit pudgy but not too bad. He is hypothyroid.
Zest is 3, 16" and 20/22 pounds. She's more active than the other two and absolutely no fat on her.
All dogs do get treats daily, but I don't worry about that too much. I've fed Evo for years, but it does have a high protein content so it is not suggested for dogs with kidney problems. My b's do eat more in the winter than in the summer, so i'll watch carefully in the next month or so as spring comes to colorado.
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should have also added that around 6 years I start my b's on joint suppliments as a proactive measure. right now i'm using knox nutrajoint with gluco/condrot. all my kids are/retired agility dogs so i start them a little earlier than i otherwise might.
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Definitely have her thyroid checked, and have the vet send the blood off for a complete panel ( we send to U of Michigan), not just the T3-4 they do locally.
Might your husband be sharing more snacks, now that he is retired and home with her? I know when I am home all day, mine hit on me for treats and I often cave in!
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Is there a specific person or address at the Univ of Michigan you send the blood to? About what is the cost involved?
I had her tested for Fanconni a few years back at a speciality clinic and it was almost $600. Although I thought that was a bit much I had it done anyway, only to find out from someone else they send theirs off (not certain where) and the cost is only about $50 or $60. She did not have Fanconni but I wasn't taking any chances.Oh yes, I am certain he shares more than a treat or two.
Thanks for your help.:)
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My vet sends to the U of M lab, it is about $80 total, including the results and interpretation, and shipping. Then I send the results to Dr. Dodds, in Calif., for her interpretation (free) and that is what my vet uses to prescribe therapy for my Eddie.
Does sound like you were a bit overcharged for the Fanconi test, but the price may have come down in recent years. What specialty clinic, if I may ask?
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Fanconi testing has only been available since Julu 2007 and was not done by a Vet? Did they draw blood and send to U of Mo? Most it should have cost was 60.00 for the test payable to U of Mo, plus the cost of blood draw/shipping from your Vet? And maybe that might have been around 100.00? And the U of Mo is the only place that does Fanconi testing, so I wonder were you had yours done? After the DNA is done, the results are published at www.offa.org? Also did you register your Basenji with CPP? Again that was a requirement for Fanconi DNA testing (and that part is free)
http://www.caninephenome.org/info.html -
You let us know how her tests work out.
Also, a bit of canned raw pumpkin will fill them up without packing on the lbs. -
Might your husband be sharing more snacks, now that he is retired and home with her? I know when I am home all day, mine hit on me for treats and I often cave in!
I was thinking the same thing. :D
AJ is 17", 26 lb, 7 years old. His weight has fluctuated a bit because I've had to change food a couple times and there's always an adjustment. He was on Pinnacle for a long time and I started having a hard time finding it. So I tried him out on Instinct, but he kept having soft movements. Since I can't store canned pumpkin and would be throwing a lot of it away, I put him on Taste of the Wilderness (?) because it's a decent quality, he'll eat it and I can find it in almost any city. I almost always throw a little something on his food…a bit of chicken soup with carrots, gravy, an occasional raw egg, salmon oil squeezed from the capsule...as you can see in his recent photos, his coat is looking pretty good and he's not to awfully overweight.
It sounds like your girl gets lots of exercise. It might be time to give hubby the old Stink-Eye when he gives her extras. Three or four pounds overweight can have significant effects on her health. That's about 15% overweight for her...if she's the average height for a Girl B. Keep us posted on her testing...
And good luck with Hubby. :D
