Raw food and weight loss

[Toofast]

Hi, I am joining in on this post quiet a long way down and have not read all of the posts  !!

We have the working type cocker, their sizes do vary qiiet a lot, having said that ours are not the big ones!
Our dogs have 1/2 lb of raw meat/bone of various types each per day, this maintains a good body weight during the summer period, obviously in the working/beating season when they are VERY active this may need to be increased.

[julie1]

I checked the ingredient list on oatibix last night and they do contain sugar.  2 biscuits = 190 so 1/3 of 1 is a huge 32 calories which is around 5% of a dogs daily intake!

I've also just educated myself on gravy bones (35 cals each) milky bones (40 cals each) and Dentalstix which are 70 calories each 

Off to purchase carrots 

I had a little chuckle about the carrots ,  I've just bought a larger bag than usual this morning.
re the Oatibix, we will have to eat them    & Kez can have raw oats on her meat instead, which she does have sometimes now.

[CrunchyMand]

I want to try to avoid feeding Oscar any veg as I don't think he needs it and it will just bring up his carb content which won't help with his yeast infection. Raw seems to be the way to go!

[its.sme]

CrunchyMand have you had a chance to look at the FB sites elain.e mentioned ?

Nutrition is so important especially as our dogs cannot tell us they are unwell or not feeling right, I only mention it as my girl has a issue with her Calcium levels and we nearly lost her last week, it was not down to her diet but she may have been coping with it for a while, the signs where very subtle and that's if you know what you are looking for , which we didn't!

Sharon.

[Pearly]

I want to try to avoid feeding Oscar any veg as I don't think he needs it and it will just bring up his carb content which won't help with his yeast infection. Raw seems to be the way to go!

If raw veg is given whole then they can't absorb very much from it hence using it as a filler - dogs digestive systems are very rudimentary unlike ours  . Green beans, broccoli stalks, cabbage and veg lower in sugars would be better so limited carrot and sugar snap peas (top veg in this house and used for training  ) obviously there are some not to feed at all such as avocado, asparagus and sweetcorn 

[CrunchyMand]

I know Oscar is obese and it makes me very sad when I look at him- it has been a cumulative effect of others looking after him whilst I was in hospital, and lots of other reasons I don't want to go into.

The vet is very cross I have stopped the Hills prescription diet, but his health was not good and I looked at the ingredients and its full of cr@p.

I've considered Burns high oats but its mainly oats and i can't see how this can be good for him.

I honestly don't know what's the best food to feed him.

I was hoping the natural raw food will help him lose weight. I'm feeding him 1.5% of his target weight, which I think should be 15kg.

I can't ask the vet for advice as she wants him on Hills.
 
I've upped his walks from 1 to 2 hours a day. Done in 3 bits.

We are back at the vets in 2 weeks where he will be weighed and I really want him to have lost some weight, if he hasn't I might have to concede and put him on a prescription diet.

[Pearly]

I really feel for both you and Oscar.  From the various posts I've read, you are obviously taking his required weightloss seriously and trying to do the very best for him 

I've not caught up with your other thread yet but do think 1.5% of his final target weight is a bit severe - normally the recommendation is to cut back slowly by reducing by a few gramms each day or the usual 3% of target body weight and reduce his target as he reaches it......

Don't give up hope - you've been doing all the right things for Oscar and will get lots of support from all of us here 

How is Oscar? Is he coping ok with his strict diet and new exercise regime?

Jayne
X

[CrunchyMand]

Maybe I should up his food to 2% of his target weight? 1% did not look like a lot in his bowl this morning. He is very slow on our walks but he enjoys going out for them once I have dragged him off the sofa, we walk at 7am, 10am then 4.30pm every day, hoping this will make a difference.

I think I worked out he should be getting 500 calories a day so I will input his chicken in a calorie counter to check it's the right amount.

The more I read the more I think that a species appropriate diet is the way to go

[elaine.e]

Maybe I should up his food to 2% of his target weight? 1% did not look like a lot in his bowl this morning. He is very slow on our walks but he enjoys going out for them once I have dragged him off the sofa, we walk at 7am, 10am then 4.30pm every day, hoping this will make a difference.

I think I worked out he should be getting 500 calories a day so I will input his chicken in a calorie counter to check it's the right amount.

The more I read the more I think that a species appropriate diet is the way to go

I think I'd go for 2% of his target weight and a steady weight loss rather than a sudden one. I'm sure he'll be more excited about getting off the sofa once he starts to lose weight and feel fitter, bless him. I know how he feels!

[julie1]

I feel sooo sorry for you      Its not easy especially if your vet isn't supportive.

If it were me.......regardless of the vet,  I would decide what I want to feed[/i ]be it kibble or raw, then stick to it, do it over a period, crash diets are no good for us humans, just a small loss is to be proud of.     good luck Julie

[CrunchyMand]

I'm sticking with raw, Oscar loves it and doesn't seem hungry on it. I'm giving him 2%. The dentastix are gone and today after our hour long walk he got a carrot to much on (he loves carrots) I also let him off lead for the half hour we were on the meadows, he kept close but seemed to enjoy the freedom. He's getting weighed in 2 weeks at the vets (so hoping to see some shift) and the dog groomer (who feeds BARF) has offered to weigh him every month for me, so I can check we are going in the right direction.

[Gertie]

crunchymand, sounds as if you are doing fabulously. I'm a new girl at this doggy stuff as my wcs is just a year old. However, for what it's worth, my vet said he couldn't recommend raw but my dog Maisy does look blinking good on it  :DThose were his very words  :005:When Maisy came off kibble as a puppy she became less hungry, less hyperactive and stopped poo eating. Keep up the good work 😄 :

[CrunchyMand]

I've spoken to the vet nurse and told her I'm feeding Oscar raw, she said it will make it difficult for her to advise me on the amounts to feed him (cos she has no idea) She was very supportive though and didn't lecture, she just said she is sure I have done my reading. She said they will know if the amount is right according to the weight he is losing.

Here's the thing:
Honey's dog food (who are giving away a free weight loss dog book based on raw feeding, so one is in the post to me.) gave me some  advice. They quoted me food for Oscar based on 1% of his current weight meaning he gets 300g a day.

i've been feeding him 2% of his target weight(15kg) which is the same amount as Honey's recommend 300g, BUT the vet nurse thinks this amount will be too little for Oscar and he will be starving, and will lose weight too quickly.

I don't know whether to set his target weight to 20kg and feed him 2% of that (then when he reaches 20kg, reduce the target to 15kg)

Or should I set his target weight higher?

Starting next week Oscar will be weighed fortnightly, so I can see that his weight is going down.

He had tea of chicken, with ground bone in, apple and carrot and seemed v happy.

I've noticed just how little he drinks now, he used to drink so very much when he was on nasty Hill's, he must have been very dehydrated. He also weed a lot, often in the house during the night. No such problems now.

I've found a hydrotherapy pool and will be taking him monthly for a 30 minute swim.

Most days we walk 2 hours, today we did 2 1/2. He walks very slowly but enjoys himself.

Anyway, how much do you think I should feed him?

[ejp]

There are others better placed to help you with quantities, but when I changed my two on to RAW I felt the amount they were getting was small.  BUT it was fine for them, I assume the good quality means that you need less.  I tweaked things slightly as I went along once I gained a bit of confidence.  In addition, the amount they drank definitely went down, so that was a good thing. I think you have researched this, planned it and are doing great. x

[CrunchyMand]

This is what Nature's Menu say:

It is Safe to give slightly less if need be as no 2 dogs are the same.
Feed for the weight you want the dog to be, unless this would mean a big drop in food, if so then gradually reduce over 2 week period down to weight you want the dog to be.
Use one of the lower fat minces such as Fish or Chicken or Beef mix.
Go 'Grain Free' for a while. This can often assist with weight loss.