Via the contact form of Best Dog Food Guide I received the following question:
My dog is overweight by at least 15 pounds. I have cut down on his food intake and also do more walks with him. The problem is I cannot go for long walks. Two back surgeries have limited me in walking very much. He is five years and like me of course he lays down in bed a lot with me because I have to. Is there anything else I can do for him. I tried dog walkers but reliability was a big problem for me so I gave up on that idea. He is a golden lab and the best dog known. I know that if he stays this way his life expectancy will be affected. I tried weight reduction foods for him but that did not work either. Is there something else I can try?
Below an excerpt of my response:
I’m sorry to hear about your back problems and I can imagine that long walks can be a problem.
I have a couple of ideas to help your dog loose weight:
Since you have a Labrador, which usually are very playful you could try to increase his exercise, without increasing your exercise, by introducing playing games. You can combine these with your daily walks or sit in a chair at home (if you have enough room) or outside. The playful exercise I have in mind is to throw a ball and have your dog go and fetch it. This way you can remain in one position. Your dog will walk and run more than you and on top of that your bond increases as you play together.
Try another brand of diet dog food that is rich in fiber. I’ve heard Hills has a good weight loosing dog food (Hills r/d). Don’t expect quick results. Realistic weight loss is about 1% per week, so if you don’t notice any changes just stick with the routine and continue.
I cannot judge whether your dog would be a candidate for the doggy diet pill (Slentrol by Pfizer Inc.), but you can schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to discus this. I’ve written about this on my site at this page: Obesity in Dogs (at the bottom). It’s no magic pill as there are side effects and exercise and food reduction is still required.
Finally, some people that love dogs don’t have one of their own as they are working full time. Perhaps you can try to find those people via an ad in the local supermarket. When a couple with kids can take your dog to the forest every weekend for a very long walk then this would be a win-win situation for them and your dog.
All the best,
Barbara
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great suggestions for a difficult situation. Most of the dogs that walk in the vet clinic I work at are overweight. Obesity really is a big problem!
swimming is great for labs. Take the dog to a near by lake or beach and you can simply stand by and watch. Id also recommend playtime with other dogs, there are plenty of sites which do social meet ups. Also try not feeding the dog as much, i know its very forward but i simply dont believe that your feeding the dog ‘less’ for a lab 500grams of food is plenty for a whole day. I have one of the fittest labs and will put money on it.