Forum Discussion

Explorer

Mar 25, 2017

Over weight Rottie

Nandi, a rescue, needs help. She weighed in at 115 yesterday at the Vets for a tooth X-ray. She has joint problems so she can't exercise enough, so without exercise she can't lose weight to help her joint pain. I give her 1 cup of Kirkland Healthy Weight dog food, 2 oz. boiled chicken, 2/3 cup rice/green beans with chicken broth for moisture, twice a day. All fat removed. I figure she only gets about 800 cals. a day. I feel guilty giving her so little because she eats like there's no tomorrow. Her thyroid was checked and normal but on the low side. She's started on .4 mgs of Levothyroxine, to boost it a bit. I had her down to 106 with exercise but when the wife went to the hospital for two months I couldn't keep up. She pants a lot and an earlier X-Ray showed fat in the chest cavity, possibility causing the breathing. She's on Novox, Tramadol, Pepcid, and Glucosamine. There's many "Lose weight quick" ads on TV for people but I've never seen any for dogs. If so, the Vet didn't mention any. As for treats, she may get a Gram Cracker once in awhile or ground meatball or pork cube for her pills. I think the poor girl has the problem as being too fat because she can't walk and can't walk because she's too fat. Can anyone give us some help? ..... Nandi & I thank you.
Jerry..

15 Replies

Halmfamily
Explorer
Mar 25, 2017
I'm in the same boat with our Chow/Rot mix. Draco has a deformed hip joint and cannot run, sorta trots and can walk for about a half mile before he's done. He weighs in around 110 lbs and vet said he needs to loose 20 lbs.

We have cut back his food, no table food and very few treats and no weight loss.
I do get him out nightly to walk the property but he is unable to go for too long. He is now four years old so not sure how more years of quality life to expect. Ask the vet about amputation but he said it's a no go.

Draco will get lots of love and attention and enjoy as many camping trips as possible.

Good luck with your fur baby, I hope you find a solutuon.
dturm
Moderator
Mar 25, 2017
Have you had her thyroid checked? Hypothyroid aggravates weight control and is pretty common in Rotties of that age.

Doug, DVM
brewjaz
Explorer
Mar 25, 2017
You could also add canned pumpkin in her food too--it has fiber which will help her feel full. Also try apple slices for treats too.
brewjaz
Explorer
Mar 25, 2017
How about mixing vegetables in with her kibble? Just no onions or mushrooms. Try non-starchy ones like broccoli, carrots, brussels sprouts, and green beans. Also try giving raw carrots in place of treats.
bdpreece
Explorer II
Mar 25, 2017
The Kirkland Healthy Weight dog food worked for us but it took almost a year to get to a correct weight Starting with short walks we worked our way up to 5 miles every morning. What was even better was with the morning walks I cut back and lost 60 pounds myself.