What puts weight on?

[suzysu]

..I have been struggling for a while now ..as you know  ..trying to get some weight off Georgie and Daisy and still failing miserably 

They are both on Burns high oats  (which is for overweight dogs) ..I used to give them 100gms (which is the lowest on their scale of 100-200gms for a 10-20kg dog) with a quarter of a small foil tray of Butchers to moisten it.  I decided to reduce the Burns to 60 gms and put in a small handful of boiled rice to see if it would make any difference ..it hasnt 

What is it that puts weight on dogs? I wondered about putting in a bit of chicken or turkey instead of the rice ..but as this is protein is it just as bad?  In humans we can count calories to reduce our intake..anyone have any ideas how I could cut down to try and help?  They are both just over 14kg but at one stage Daisy was 12 and Georgie 13     

..any help is appreciated

[Shelley]

I was told if you want to bulk a dog up to give it beef. I haven't tried it as all mine are the right weight for their size.

Tia has filled out a bit since she had her first season which is nice as she is such a ikkle fing

[sarah25]

Have you tryed giving them Tripe.
Also a Tablespoon of Shredded Suet on their meals helps putting weight on.

Chicken is high in Protein but i dont think it puts weight on

[Jan/Billy]

Have you tryed giving them Tripe.
Also a Tablespoon of Shredded Suet on their meals helps putting weight on.

Chicken is high in Protein but i dont think it puts weight on

I think she wants to know about loosing weight rather than putting it on 

[suzysu]

...sorry    ..think I have worded my post badly ..I am trying to take weight off them not put it on 

[Jan/Billy]

Billy lost weight on the Burns high oats.

Have you tried feeding them on the Burns with nothing else? Perhaps just adding a bit or warm water if you don't want to feed it totally dry? I found sticking to this worked a treat, if he was hungry I'd bulk it up with fresh veg. I also did lots of ball throwing to burn those extra pounds off  

I think if adding things to the burns isn't working then personally i'd just stick to the burns alone. The fact that they are both struggling sounds like it's just excess calories as opposed to anything medical.

How overweight are they?  

ETA If you really don't want to feed the Burns alone then try nature diet "diet", it's a diet version of their nature diet menu. Try that instead of the butchers, perhaps with a splodge of warm water. The tray of butchers probably isn't helping 

[Gilly]

Don't feed raw chicken thighs then...I've been feeding them to Lola and she's 6 months next week and weighs 11 Kgs 

[suzysu]

Jan ..I used to give them the Burns on its own and they put on weight so tried substituting veg but it gave Daisy the runs ..she is a bit like that if I give her too much veg  They only have a quarter of the tray of Butchers which is a small square about 1" in size ..so very little    They are both just over 14kg but Daisy used to be 12kg and Georgie just under 13kg .. Georgie's definately started to go up when she was speyed and Daisy doesnt do so much exercise, so think they do need less food but cant seem to get it right  ..and they are always looking for food too 

Wont be feeding them chicken thighs then Gilly  ...bet she's gorgeous though 

[Joelf]

I think Jan's idea of NatureDiet 'diet' is a good point; perhaps a food containing less calories would be better so you could feed a slightly larger amount & it wouldn't feel as if the dogs weren't getting much food.

Domino did put on a little weight when I first started giving the dogs raw food & bones; I've dramatically cut the quantities down & he looks better now.

Rooney, our house-guest, looks far too porky to me; I've cut the quantity of his food down & up'ed his exercise; when my friend returns from her holiday I'm hoping he'll be half the dog he was!!

[suzysu]

Naturediet might be worth a try ..thanks    Just had a look at the website ...do you know if I can buy it online or just through stockists?

[suzysu]

..just found an online supplier £12.49 for 18 packs..they would need about 1 1/2 each per day ..gosh that would work out very expensive 

[Jan/Billy]

I meant use the nature diet diet with the burns in place of the butchers. Otherwise yes, it is expensive to feed on its own  

When you say they are overweight, do you mean just on the scales? or do they fail the rib & waist test?  

Billy would fail the scale test as he's around the 19kg mark, but he has a defined waist & you can feel his ribs.

Really don't understand how they are putting weight on with just the burns? Is there a possibility someone is feeding them when you are not looking perhaps?

Have you tried to ring burns for advice? they are very very helpful  

[spanielcrazy]

You can fill in a reduced amount of food with green beans. Most dogs like them, they digest them pretty well, they have very few calories and will help the dogs feel satisfied. 

[Joelf]

Naturediet might be worth a try ..thanks    Just had a look at the website ...do you know if I can buy it online or just through stockists?

I've never seen it in the supermarkets but you can get it from P@H or smaller pet shops (our local hardware shop sells it for £9.99 for 18 packs!! )

1 1/2 packs each per day does actually seem quite a lot for 2 cockers; when I used it I fed 1 pack per day between Spike (lab) & Domino (cocker) with Spike having the slightly larger share; in their evening feed I put a little dry food with it (JWB)......1 cupful for Spike & 1/2 cupful for Domino.

[suzysu]

I meant use the nature diet diet with the burns in place of the butchers. Otherwise yes, it is expensive to feed on its own  

When you say they are overweight, do you mean just on the scales? or do they fail the rib & waist test?  

Billy would fail the scale test as he's around the 19kg mark, but he has a defined waist & you can feel his ribs.

..was just wondering about doing a bit of both    They do have a waist but only just  ..they do look overweight to me.

You can fill in a reduced amount of food with green beans. Most dogs like them, they digest them pretty well, they have very few calories and will help the dogs feel satisfied. 

..will try that ...they have raw beans as treats with other raw veg ..thanks 

Joelf ... according to the website for a 12 kg dog they should have 1.4 packs each per day ..seems a lot 

Think I might try cutting down the Burns and feeding some naturelite with it and see if it helps...thanks everyone for your help, I appreciate it