Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:40 pm Post subject: Very overweight lab (64.8KG) Advice for slimming
As some of you may know we have recently taken on an extremely overweight 8 (approx) year old Lab who weighs 64.8 KG.
For starters we have chosen a dry only diet (Wagg Premium Complete) which we are mixing with a little water to expand the food before he eats it, he is appearing to enjoy the food but my main question is how much should a lab of that size eat to aid to his slimming?
The cause of his weight is mainly due to lack of exercise (throughout his entire life) rather than excessive eating. Along with his hopefully healthier diet we are also becoming the first owners to care about his exercise and taking him out twice a day for as long as he can manage (which isn't very far, but then we used to have Norfolk Lurchers so am used to very long walks).
So any advice would be great as we are new to Lab's and overweight dogs, other than that he is going to the doggy nutritionalist on Tuesday.
Ordinarily I would say reduce by a third, but I guess the worry would be that he wouldn't be getting enough nutrition.
What was he being fed when you got him?
I would say little and often with exercise till he builds up some stamina. I would probably say look at the feeding guide and feed him at an interim level of weight you are heading for say 45kg and see if he starts to loose weight. If he isn't slimming down, then reduce it further.
I really feel for this dog. I wish you best of luck with him and I hope he starts to lose some weight with your loving care.
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What about taking him to Hydrotherapy? Absolutely brilliant for shedding those pounds and building up his stamina, you can get a referral from your vet.
Secondly, Burns do a brilliant dried food called High Oats, it's for Overweight and older dogs, you don't have to feed as much and it bulks them out to feel fuller for longer.
Also, to add bulk but not calories add in steamed or boiled veg, no added salt, some pasta and potato is good too but remember these contain calories.
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I'd be tempted to try a specific diet kind of food...normally not worth it, but this is pretty extreme I had my Amber on Simpsons premium senior/light which helped her shed a few kilos, but still satisfied her appetite (she's a terrible scavenger) Her general condition was great on it too
Well done you for taking him on and WOW he weighs nearly the same as me .
I've never fed Wagg, but generally when I fed mine dried food I gave them about 250-300g per day. That was to keep them maintaining though but they are much smaller framed dogs than him, although probably many times more active. So for now I'd probably try him on 300g per day and see how he goes from there, reducing or adding more if necessary. Look for a nice steady loss, maybe about 0.5kg weekly, rather than trying to get the weight off quickly.
As for exercise, I imagine he probably feels really tired after only a short walk, so I think I'd opt for maybe 4 walks a day, of only about 10 mins to start off with. As he loses weight and as he gets fitter, you could reduce the amount of times you take him out, but up the duration.
Also, do you know if he swims, as this is excellent non weight bearing exercise for them, as it burns loads of calories, without adding stress on their joints.
I don't know much about Wagg dog food. My lab was a little overweight so I put him on a low calorie dog food so he could eat a normal amount and not feel starved, but lose weight at the same time.
Indy is on Hills Science Plan light for large breeds, but I have seen other here recommend Burns High Oats, and James Wellbeloved light senior. Hills might not suit all dogs but it has worked well for Indy. I feed him 360 grams per day, which is within the recommended range for his target weight, which he has just about reached now.
Before he was getting a cup of Tesco brand complete senior with half a tin of pedigree chum mixed in twice a day.
So far I have not set a target weight, as long as he is loosing it at a healthy pace and building up his stamina for more exercise.
Thank you for the suggested foods, I will give them a try on the smaller bags to see if he enjoys them, also thankyou for the starting point of 300g a day for his diet.
After a walk on the beech this evening I have discovered that he loves water (my trousers are still soaked) so hydrotherapy or swimming would probably be a really good form of exercise for him. If there is nowhere in our area that can offer this our local beeches are fairly dog friendly without a swell and of course I would keep him on a lead for that and accept that I will have to go swimming in the sea with him, but it would be for his own good. We will have a chat with the vet on Tuesday when we get his routine maintenance done to enquire about hydrotherapy.
We are trying to get some weight off Clover and the Physio recommended Burns High Oats - I have to say I am not convinced by Burns food - but after a week we are noticing a difference.
I don't believe he got to that weight just through lack of exercise - what on earth were the previous owners feeding him
The other food very good for weight management is Iams Light - but I do think the Burns High Oats has the edge
He needs to be introduced, VERY slowly a healthier lifestyle.
It is my job, with humans and I do believe that a lot can be transferred to our dogs... Mine are on a continual, exercise program....lol
His heart will be enlarged and his metabolism, will be at rock bottom..
I would make sure that he is on the recommended amounts of food, for a dog of his breed and bone size, irrespective of his weight.. i would then, very slowly, introduce him to aerobic exercise... That is walking him at a pace that makes him slightly out of breath, but not uncomfortable. You will probably find that he will only be able to do a very small distance.. It needs to be extended VERY gradually.
He will be ok, but it will take loads of time and it must be done slowly..
Thanks, I'll look into the Burns High Oats, hopefully we'll find the best course for his diet soon.
Sam was already very overweight when the previous owners took him on about 2 and a half years ago with the intention of helping him loose weight. He was previously on a meat and biscuit diet plus leftover dinners and who knows what other crap and when they took him on gave him the aforementioned cup of grain and half tin of meat. Neither of the previous owners ever really walked him.
Things are gonna change for poor Sam, I hope his joints aren't too damaged from all the extra weight over the years .
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I had my Amber on Simpsons premium senior/light which helped her shed a few kilos, but still satisfied her appetite (she's a terrible scavenger) Her general condition was great on it too 
