Author Topic: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight  (Read 4221 times)

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Offline Pearly

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #15 on: February 04, 2014, 07:27:50 PM »
We have just fed Ella again and Roughly she has 100grams twice a day, so is it a case of reducing further?
And what veg can people suggest? So we can add some more to her diet or as treats, I'll upload a photo in a bit

It would be worth contacting the manufacturer of the brand of foods you have Ella on - they should advise the weight of food for a dog at 10Kg (often) the multiply it up to a dog at 11.5Kg but please bear in mind that it is in their interest to tell you more than Ella will actually need as I'm sure their "diet" food is sold at a premium  ;)

It is all relative tho - as  Pat says calories out greater than calories in is what it really counts - Pearl was unwell before Christmas and I've also had flu since so her usual exercise level is reduced.  With that in mind I've been taking her to hydrotherapy to help with her fitness level - as a by product she has really toned up as well - just as we would  :005:


Offline linda c

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #16 on: February 04, 2014, 07:29:41 PM »
You could trying reducing her food to 75g twice a day to start with and adding any sort of vegetables to bulk it up cabbage, broccoli, green beans, carrots anything really. Try giving raw carrots for treats, they're good for her teeth as well.

If her weight doesn't start to go down reduce her food say to 60g and add the vegetables. You should eventually find an amount that will give you the weight that she looks best on.

If she is fairly small then 13.5kg may be a bit on the heavy side, one of our girls was only 11kg another was 12.5kg and one of the boys was 14kg. So they do vary quite a lot depending on their build.



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Offline Pearly

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #17 on: February 04, 2014, 07:36:55 PM »
Sorry folks but I do think going from 200gm a day to 150gm is a massive drop and poor Ella will be ravenous  :dunno: perhaps a more controlled approach would be to reduce one meal a day by 10gm for a week, then the second meal too for another week until she is down to 150gm a day.  Also let her have whole, raw, veg to chew on a) to bulk up her food and b) dogs can't really digest veg so most of it just passes through but will help with her hunger.

Also, cut out any human food, tit-bits and other treats - if she was having any  ;)

Note to self   ph34r

Offline Jonmaddock

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #18 on: February 04, 2014, 07:40:59 PM »
Thanks for the replies! I'll be adding a picture in a bit :)
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Offline Sheryl

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #19 on: February 04, 2014, 07:43:00 PM »
I would like to see the pics. You might not need to do anything drastic. Kali is 12.5kg and perfect....Lyla is 9kg and just starting to look a bit puddingy ph34r There is no one ideal weight. Post a photo and lets see :blink:
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Offline Archie bean

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #20 on: February 04, 2014, 07:53:55 PM »
Does your vet know what food she is on? I would be surprised if he knows the recommended amounts for every food so it sounds like he may have picked a figure out of thin air!
If you are mixing wet and dry I think it is quite important to weigh it, especially if both are complete foods. It is easy to accidentally over feed when combining. Forthglade make two versions, one is complete and one is intended as a complimentary wet mixer so it might be worth trying that one if you aren't already.
I don't know about the dry Wainwrights but I feed the wet trays and they changed their recommended amounts last year. They almost doubled them.  :o I stuck to what I was feeding with no ill effects. Archie is just under 17kg and only has two thirds of a tray a day. It looks very little but it is good quality food so less is needed. He also has quite a few treats and a chew in the evening.
You could also look at lower fat versions of the wet food. Forthglade do a lower fat fish variety, Wainwrights also have a lite version and fishmongers trays are also very low fat. If I think Archie is looking a little round I give him those two or three times a week for a while!

Offline Jonmaddock

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #21 on: February 04, 2014, 07:59:47 PM »





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Offline Jonmaddock

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #22 on: February 04, 2014, 08:00:20 PM »


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Offline Jonmaddock

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #23 on: February 04, 2014, 08:00:50 PM »
Sorry on my phone not as easy as the PC :(
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Offline Sheryl

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #24 on: February 04, 2014, 08:03:43 PM »
She does look to have a slight waist going on there! How much of that is fur? If you feel along her sides using slight pressure, can you feel her ribs?
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Offline Sheryl

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #25 on: February 04, 2014, 08:04:33 PM »
Meant to say she certainly doesn't look like you should be making any major food changes!
Sheryl, Holly, Kali, Baby Lyla and Angel Chloe

Offline Jonmaddock

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #26 on: February 04, 2014, 08:06:53 PM »
Yeh you can feel her ribs, just I'd say
Furry little thing !
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Offline Sheryl

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #27 on: February 04, 2014, 08:18:11 PM »
If it were me and I could feel her ribs with slight pressure, I wouldn't be doing anything. If you want her to lose a wee bit more then just drop her food slightly. She certainly doesn't look to be needing her food dropping by much x
Sheryl, Holly, Kali, Baby Lyla and Angel Chloe

Offline Jonmaddock

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #28 on: February 04, 2014, 08:29:57 PM »
Thanks feel better now people can see her :)
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Offline Jane57

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Re: advice needed, been to the vet and Ella is slightly overweight
« Reply #29 on: February 04, 2014, 08:32:42 PM »
I think Ella looks just right. She is gorgeous and I wouldn't be cutting her food.