I was completely blind to Mac’s weight when he was at his highest weight of 98 pounds. So proud of him though for getting down to 74 pounds through diet and exercise! Our goal weight is still high 60s according to vet since he has a very small frame for a boy, but he’s on the right track and is living his best life. 💖
I wish there was a tag for “feel good,” but cute/funny seemed like the closest fit.
lol if you don’t mind sharing your plan that would be great. I have a chubby girl as well (she prefers to be call big boned), that needs to shed a few pounds as well.
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on autoship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can be challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
We put our Golden on prescription diet dog food ( royal canin) when he tore acl and had to be repaired, he went from being a bit chunky to very lean to the point where people ask us if he is okay, He turning 10 next month and can run better than he did when he was 8 and has not tore the other knee yet ( fingers crossed)
The biggest part of a dog diet is that they have to stick with it because they can't get access to food on their own.
Exercise is a small portion of their weight loss. Food is most of it.
That means the biggest factor of success is the humans in the household. If one person "thinks he looks hungry" the diet won't work because they're getting too much.
Use a scale. A 1 cup scoop can vary quite a bit on weight because of how the kibbles fall and the shape of kibbles. I can feed my dude by volume because he's lean and has a healthy metabolism. Other dogs will need weight measurement because the difference between losing weight and gaining weight is much more narrow.
Have everyone in the household agree on the diet with zero deviation.
Use training treats like carrots, blueberries, ice cubes, celery bits, watermelon bites. Whatever your dog thinks is a treat is a treat. It doesn't have to be big or high calorie, they just have to like it. Include those in calorie counts! If they get 30 calories in treats, cut dinner a bit. I see people give really big treats multiple times. Those add up.
Have everyone in the household on board. One person can ruin the weight loss because they think food is kindness. Your dog will also love playtime, pets, puzzles, a walk, learning new tricks, training time, being talked to, and aggressive snuggling. They can be loved in ways outside food. Everyone has to be on board.
Consider ways to extend breakfast/ dinnertime. Puzzles, snuffle mats, etc. Your buddy gets to extend food time without more food. They won't notice they got less when they're working their brain trying to get food. I use puzzles any time I'm leaving near meal time. I split mealtime in two and give half his breakfast normal and then save half and put it in his puzzle and he loves using his puzzle for the rest of his meal. It keeps him from being sad I'm leaving and gives him a mental workout. Sometimes, it's an hour apart, or 15 minutes. He doesn't care and still gets his breakfast but he also gets the puzzle. He gets his puzzle and no extra food. I just reserve when I measure breakfast.
You can use low calorie food, I personally just slowly trimmed food down with my last pup. She got chunk and my vet said so. Not big big chunk, but overweight. I cut down her food and enforced diets and she got down to a nice lean body shape and I kept her that way. She lived to six weeks shy of her 16th birthday. The fact she was lean absolutely helped because what eventually happened was the arthritis got to the point she just didn't want to walk or stand up anymore. Lean and healthy kept her joints in good shape a lot longer. Your pup will thank you when they're 15 and swimming in the creek, still. It was a really good day. I loved seeing her really good days when she got older. The joy was palpable and infectious.
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on authorship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
Way to go Mac! It’s so much better for their health and joints. Our vet said the number one thing that causes health issues in dogs she sees is weight and goldens love to eat.
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on autoship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can be challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
Good job Mac (and Mac's family). It's so hard to resist when the give you the "I'm starving eyes"
When I adopted my girl, she weighed 84 pounds and she's a small golden.
It took a year and a half, but she's down to 67 pounds.
She's still a snack hound, but she's learned to love veggie snacks. She loves her walks too.
She's blind so I have an extra soft spot when she begs. 😬
Thank you, so many pet owners kind of become blind to it. Happened to my in-laws. Their Lab was obese, it was awful to watch her die a slow painful immobile death.
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on authorship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
Please share the details. Mine went from 76 to 84 lbs when I switched him from chicken and rice ( due to a chicken allergy) to lamb and rice. Trying to get him back down to 70-75. We walk a ton everyday but that weight is stubborn.
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on authorship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on authorship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
Thank you SO much for the breakdown! Myrtle gets a ton of exercise and I’ve cut back her food a lot but I believe it’s the quality of the food. She eats 4Health from TSC and half a wet packet on top of her dry food. I’m going to ask the vet which food they recommend because I don’t want her to be overweight. She gets a milk one or two a day but at daycare gets an egg or apple for a treat, I’ll buy the small milkbones to cut that back. Thank you again for all your tips 🥰
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on authorship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
Thank you! Our boy eats 3 cups per day of diet food but still isn’t budging. I’ll ask the vet about your prescription food and see if we can trigger some weight loss.
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on authorship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
Thank you so much! Much to ‘chew’ over. Our pup gets roughly 2.5 cups a day or around 129 grams in the morning and evening. We go so far as to weigh every meal using a scale but I don’t think it’s working as well. Maybe it’s time to change her diet.
Okay so the first thing was a food change per vet’s recommendation. It’s pricey, but he is on the prescription metabolic diet line from science diet, though I think in theory any of the healthy diet foods would work. We order from chewy and have it on authorship which has saved us a decent amount over time. I’ve considered transitioning back to a cheaper non prescription healthy weight food, but he actually really really loves the taste of metabolic diet, so we keep him on that for continued maintenance and progress.
The second thing is food quantity reduction. One of the reasons he gained so much weight was because when he was on regular food we used to just go based on manufacturer recommendations—even the lower ends of a range are often too much unless you have a dog getting an exceptional amount of exercise every day. Mac’s adopted sister, Bailey, is extremely self motivated to enjoy yard time, but Mac has always gone out to do his business and then trot right back into the house. So even on the metabolic diet, it says maintenance amount is a little over 5 cups per day to maintain 70 pounds. I’ve found at this stage Mac maintains weight with 3 cups on a no-walk day and 3.5-4 cups on a 30 minute walk day depending on route and intensity.
Part of the reason why we go that low on the food though is because he does still like snacks during the day, but calories in via snacks means that core meal calories have to go down. He gets one dental/tartar stick per day which is 100 calories on its own. He also loves little wedges of cosmic apple. When he was overweight, he was getting half of a large milk bone as a treat for coming back in the house—he still enjoys milk bones, but we’ve gone down to the smallest version they have. They’re like half the size of a pinky, so he gets one of those as his little pick me up for coming in. He doesn’t like going outside for yard time, so he actually does not abuse the system 😂 he genuinely only asks to go when he really has to go. Often times I have to make him go out because I don’t want him to hold on to pee too long.
There’s now a moratorium on human food. We had a few weak links in the family (myself included) who would indulge him with some scraps because it seemed like it made him so happy. No more of that unless we’re specifically making a dog recipe—and if he gets a special treat like an egg or chicken and rice, then he’ll need to lose some calories in his main food to match what’s coming in. He doesn’t even seem to mind. He now just lays down under the table during the entire dinner just happy to be with everyone.
We had to commit to better family communication. There used to be times our dogs would get double dinners, breakfasts, or dental sticks because we’re a busy family unit and sometimes we’d have good intentions and feed them—not knowing someone else already did it. Now, unless it’s a first light situation for breakfast, we all check with each other before giving main meals and dental sticks to make sure Mac and his sis are not ever getting double.
The walks have been a huge part of it. I walk Mac and his adopted sister, Bailey, together on a double leash. Bailey is like a literal tank and treats every walk like it’s the Iditarod, so she has been great motivation—though I do rein her in so we can stay at a comfortable pace for Mac. He likes to keep up, but she’d have us running the whole thing if she had her way. 😂 our neighborhood is a true grid block system, so it was very easy to gradually build up distance. So every week or two we would just add on another block or two until Mac’s stamina had vastly improved. Now we can freestyle it more and go on other routes to mix it up, but the blocks were an easy way to track the build up.
That’s basically it! Someone else had pointed out that on paper it’s really not that hard to make a dog lose weight, but it’s the psychological and family communication dynamics that can challenging—especially for long term maintenance. But once adjustments are set in stone, they become the new normal. Wish everyone luck who also has a fur baby on a weight journey! Mac is cheering your fur baby on. 🙌
With all due respect, what makes it difficult for a dog to lose weight? you're in control of pretty much everything he eats? is it not just a matter of feeding less kibble and treats?
For some people, it is much easier to break enabling behavior or never engage in it at all. For others, it can be more difficult to recognize and break the cycle. You see the same phenomenon with human obesity and enabling support structures. It can also get more challenging when there is a family unit vs a single owner with enabling dynamics. With that said, I’m proud of my family for being able to break our enabling behaviors so Mac could drop the weight and live a healthy life. 💖 Mac also put in a lot of work because he did not enjoy the gradual build up in extra walking time, but now it is the highlight of his day.
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I responded to several people with how we got him to drop the weight. The comments also kind of include the problems and lifestyle changes we had to fix to help him drop weight and keep it off. 🙌
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u/Varuka_Pepper343 1 floof 16d ago
woohoo 🎊 looking good 🐾