Weight

[Guest]

So, obesity is a very common problem with dogs. Two very common problems resulting from obesity are hip dysplasia and torn ACLs or muscles in the legs....not to mention an overworked lil heart and breathing issues. The poor quality of the food that is sold in the US is directly responsible for most of it. The better dog foods are much better for your dog, but they can be very expensive. If you do have to feed your pet some of the less expensive commercial foods you CAN offset alot of it will a little effort at home. With the economy being how it is, most of us cannot afford to pay an arm and a leg for dog food.

There are great things you can do to give your pet some healthy fresh and nutritious ingredients to nourish their precious bodies and counteract some of the crap that is in the food we give them.

I have SO much to say on this subject! I shall start today with some suggestions to maintain a healthy weight for your pet.

Treats:

Everyone loves to give treats to their dogs! They are great for training and just to show love to the little mooch pooch. Dogs LOVE pumpkin. It is a high fiber and very nutritious thing to give your dog. It makes their tummies feel full and it is fun to lick. It has next to NO calories and it also aids in the digestive process.

As with anything new item introduced into their diet, DO IT GRADUALLY! Their precious tummies are very sensitive to changes. A little gas inthe beginning is normal.

You can replace up to one third of their food with pumpkin. You can either puree fresh pumpkin or buy canned. MAKE SURE TO NOT GET PUMPKIN PIE MIX IN THE CAN...DANGEROUS DUE TO CINNAMON. PLAIN PUMPKIN ONLY! Start gradually, say with one teaspoon or for toy breeds, half a teaspoon. Mix it into their food really good. Try and coat the kibble completely. Also, you can freeze little cubes or dabs of pumpkin and use it for a cooling treat when it is hot outside. WHEN GIVING FROZEN TREATS BE SURE TO SUPERVISE THEM.....THEY CAN CHOKE. Remember, start gradually and resist the urge to give more for the first few days, until their systems acclimate to the new item.

More weight loss tips to come soon.

 

[TealGreen]

My pit yo-yo'd with her weight the last few years I had her. She was a total house dog and was extremely lazy. And LOVED all food way too much. Even vegetables! I had gotten in the very bad habit of sharing everything I ate with her which I know is horrible. I had her on super expensive holistic food but I was canceling that out with her horrible people food addiction. I was always paranoid about her developing the problems you mention. I'm itching for a dog in my life, it feels so empty without one. I plan on doing things a lot different the next time. God I miss my dog so much. 😢

Thanks for the threat Cat, anything animal related are my favorite topics. ❤️

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Guest]

I KNOW that this sounds crazy, but dogs can use treadmills. When it is cold outside, it is hard to walk your pup! Plus, it is not good tobe outside for too long, especially with the little ones. I had a Scottie that NEEDED (lemme tell ya!) vigorous excercise every day! With a little patience and a treadmill, you can walk your pup inside. It takes a little time to get used to the sound of the motor for some pups. I had to use cardboard "walls" on the treadmill to keep her from just running off of the side of it at first. Their little paws can get caught between the belt and the base so they MUST be closely supervised at all times while running. You can dangle a treat from the front of the treadmill to help out in the beginning, or just keep giving little bits of apple or carrot for each step they take. Always use the slooooow setting to start. After some training, she would walk for about half an hour and it kept her calm. Those little Scotties are WILD. I miss that little dog SO much! Unfortunately I lost her to cancer (brain bleed) when she had just turned six. Because of her I actually started applying to veterinary schools. The treatment I received when she was dying was deplorable. The damn hospital kept giving me hope that she was going to be okay with this treatment or that treatment. She suffered terribly for several days just because they wanted my money. I will NEVER be okay with that. I was so stupid. I didn't know. Sorry Rosie O'Grady.......

I have lost three precious little souls to cancer. I HATE it.

 

[Guest]

DOGGIE GRANOLA

So, this is a little recipe I kind of made up. It is really healthy and not even a recipe.....just a bunch of suggestions to add into a base recipe. I have never met a dog that didn't love it, and I have met a LOT of dogs. What is great about it is that there are a couple of base ingredients and you can just throw in whatever you have on hand that is good for dogs. At Christmas, i love to buy little bone or heart shaped ceramic dishes, fill with treats and wrap in cellophane and a bow....for the furbabies on my Santa list.

Base recipe

I cup of oatmeal.....i like steel cut

Either one whole egg or two egg whites.....if your dog is overweight, use the egg whites!

Three T. of whole wheat flour, or soy flour

One T. Honey

Now, you can add about one and a half cups of any combination of the following......

Finely chopped apples, carrots, pears, cooked sweet potato, canned PLAIN pumpkin, a little peanut butter (unless it is all natural, no more than one T) finely chopped green beans, finely chopped squash, some mashed banana.....or any fruit or veggie EXCEPT onions, avacado, raisins or grapes....or anything that is bad for doggies. For a special treat, you can add a T of carob powder. Tastes like chocolate, but without the danger!

Mix the whole kit and caboodle together with your hands....mush it together really good. It should stick together in little balls. If it is too dry.....add a little water. If it is too wet......add a little more oatmeal or flour. You can't really go wrong..a wetter dough yields a crunchier treat, a dryer dough a chewier treat.

Drop by little balls onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about fifteen minutes, or until lightly browned and no longer wet in the middle. Smaller treats will bake faster. Let cool and enjoy! I always eat one...lol! Your little kids will love it if you eat a doggie treat and will tease you about it all day! Make them eat one....it is even funnier!

 

[Broadway2282]

Any tips for cats? My cat is 12 years old, I've had him his whole life and he is 23Ibs! In his defense, I swear he is big boned - he has huge paws and is a long husky cat! He is the love of my life and recently he had to go on a script only vet diet that thankfully he loves. He had bladder stones and thank God for the emergency surgery that saved his life. I love my kitty to death and I feel like I will be thrown back in the nut ward when he passes. He is my everything. 

 

[Guest]

There are foods made especially for overweight kitty cats.  As usual, y have to be conscious of the grain content, aas in any food....also "by-products".  Be careful of those as well.  Cats are not usually subject to hip problems from weight, but try and keep it healthy and minimize treats.  You can give sweet potato mixed into rgular kibble (if you use kibble) and it will fill your kitty up more with less food.  Cats and dogs love pumpkin

 

[2earls]

Yup and like we were saying, sweet potatoes. Olive had a slight skin condition and once I started giving her the plain yogurt /sweet potato concoction, it cleared right up.

I'm giving her Blue Diamond diet food and less treats and she's slowly shedding the chub.

 

[MaryPill'Poppins]

For cats, it's all about the carbs!!  Geeze, I could type forever on this subject as I've spent the latter half of my adult life researching and studying proper feline nutrition.  Please PM if you have specific questions or would like me to elaborate (which oh my can I) but bottom-bottom line - - - - ONLY FEED GRAIN FREE WET FOOD, PERIOD (and play-play-play with your kitty every day for exercise, bonding and environmental enrichment (which is directly related to kitty health, believe it or not). Get Da Bird, conduct 1/daily 10 min play session (2 would be better, 5-10 min), try to make it a routine, i.e. kitty thinks, "Oh yay, momma's home. Time for play then a satisfying dinner (post play, dinner=prey == very happy/fulfilled cat).

     **  = must read

**This is ABSOLUTELY the food I recommend!  Next to raw (which I believe if done properly, is actually the best), you can't get much better than this:  http://www.weruva.com/

**The MOTHER LOAD of charts, Amazing!:  http://www.catinfo.org/docs/SortableCatFoodChartCatinfo.org2-22-13.htm

Terrible webpage formatting but A+ information:  http://lady-in-a-window.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Natural-Canned-Cat-Food

I love t his site but it might be a little overwhelming so not a "must read":  http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/comment-page-6/

Great info, not a "must read" but helpful when researching new food/brand:   http://truthaboutpetfood.com/category/pet-food-reviews/

Cat food Carb Caluculator (BOOKMARK THIS):   http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

**Find your current RX dry food and check out the Carbs (and ingredients)...YIKES!!  http://www.youngagainpetfood.com/assets/yacfc-rx-diet-chart.pdf

If you feel you absolutely must feed dry (please don't but just in case):  

• Young Again -http://www.youngagainpetfood.com/
• Orijen Cat and Kitten or Fresh Fish 
• Natures Variety Instinct
• Wellness Core (many cats don't like)
• Solid Gold Indigo Moon
• Innova EVOTurkey/Chicken  (made by Proctor and Gamble so check for & be mindful of potential recalls)
   

 

[Live it up]

Thank you for the information. I just got a golden retriever puppy.  His name is bill.

 

[sadminion]

My kittens vet told us to feed hard made for kitten food with her soft food right now..

simply because it has more calcium.....

lots of people telling me what to do for my cat......like my neighbor yelling at me for letting her have water...

my cat loves water and her vet sees nothing wrong with it especially since she was rescue and really needed the water...

I love reading things off the net, and i will always take it into consideration...but for me its always what my vet says....he is one of the best where i am and my kitty and we love him ..

 

[MaryPill'Poppins]

@ sadminion - that's just about one of the smartest posts I've read in a long time, you rock!!  I mean, come on...listening to your vet, an actual professional...who'd a' thunk?...sheesh. ~ j/k hehe   

   

No really, such sound advice that's great to hear and be reminded of nowadays, thanks! 

 

[sociopathicbombshell]

 my male Standard Poodle just got groomed and he looks like such a pansy now. Usually he has tons of fur on him which I kept brushing so that it did not matter. So he looks huge. but now that he has been groomed the only thing that is excessively noticeable about him is his little stubby tail wagging. I love him so much

 

[Broadway2282]

For cats, it's all about the carbs!!  Geeze, I could type forever on this subject as I've spent the latter half of my adult life researching and studying proper feline nutrition.  Please PM if you have specific questions or would like me to elaborate (which oh my can I) but bottom-bottom line - - - - ONLY FEED GRAIN FREE WET FOOD, PERIOD (and play-play-play with your kitty every day for exercise, bonding and environmental enrichment (which is directly related to kitty health, believe it or not). Get Da Bird, conduct 1/daily 10 min play session (2 would be better, 5-10 min), try to make it a routine, i.e. kitty thinks, "Oh yay, momma's home. Time for play then a satisfying dinner (post play, dinner=prey == very happy/fulfilled cat).

     **  = must read

**This is ABSOLUTELY the food I recommend!  Next to raw (which I believe if done properly, is actually the best), you can't get much better than this:  http://www.weruva.com/

**The MOTHER LOAD of charts, Amazing!:  http://www.catinfo.org/docs/SortableCatFoodChartCatinfo.org2-22-13.htm

Terrible webpage formatting but A+ information:  http://lady-in-a-window.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Natural-Canned-Cat-Food

I love t his site but it might be a little overwhelming so not a "must read":  http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/comment-page-6/

Great info, not a "must read" but helpful when researching new food/brand:   http://truthaboutpetfood.com/category/pet-food-reviews/

Cat food Carb Caluculator (BOOKMARK THIS):   http://www.scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html

**Find your current RX dry food and check out the Carbs (and ingredients)...YIKES!!  http://www.youngagainpetfood.com/assets/yacfc-rx-diet-chart.pdf

If you feel you absolutely must feed dry (please don't but just in case):  

• Young Again -http://www.youngagainpetfood.com/
• Orijen Cat and Kitten or Fresh Fish 
• Natures Variety Instinct
• Wellness Core (many cats don't like)
• Solid Gold Indigo Moon
• Innova EVOTurkey/Chicken  (made by Proctor and Gamble so check for & be mindful of potential recalls)
   

My cats food is prescription (has to be since his bladder stones last year)  and it is dry food only because that is all he will eat. I have tried many different wet foods and he will not eat them. I did buy him a pet water fountain so that helps with water intake. Also, after lots of research I got him a great automated pet feeder that measures the food and feeds small increments 3x a day. The feeder has helped a ton with reducing how much he throws up. This way he cannot gorge all at once then vomit.

I hear what you are saying about the carbs, just don't feel like I have much choice on what to feed him now that the vet says he has to be on this food for the rest of his life or the stones will come back. They can kill a male cat in 24 hrs. 

I have Da Bird toy and the Go Cat Mouse toy (plus many others). We play frequently and he gets lots of love and kisses from his mom and dad. Those are wonderful cat toys for sure. I even bought him some wood stairs to help him climb on the bed since he is arthritic now. He's my baby and promised him when I got him at 6 weeks old that I would take care of him for the rest of his life and he will always be with me. He's like my son!

 

[MaryPill'Poppins]

@Broadway2282, what a lucky, lucky boy he is to have you.  Your post made me smile.

 

[Broadway2282]

Aw, thank you MaryPill'Poppins. Very kind words indeed. I swear I love animals more than some people! Lol

 

[MaryPill'Poppins]

I swear I love animals more than some people! Lol

Oh gosh how I understand, I feel the same way.  Sometimes I think God put people like us here to balance out a world that unfortunately has little regard for the innocent creatures.

 

[sociopathicbombshell]

Thank you for the information. I just got a golden retriever puppy.  His name is bill.

something about a pup named bill makes me smile. Idk why. Ahh. My dog was collecting acorns and putting them under the tree today so either he has a squirrel friends or thinks he is a squirrel. At some point he burped in my face when he was little and I laughed. The positive reinforcement apparently stuck because he blesses me with ridiculously obnoxious burps every chance he gets. Im digressing. Apologies. No more....

 

[KimEllen]

Agreed broadway,

hubby and I have 5 dachshunds and until jan a choci lab too, she was 17, and so smart. Our 5 nuppins would eat 24/7 if allowed, same as our kids lol. 6 of those but all but two flew the coop Ty god! Lol I only gave birth to 4, we have 2 ea prev. And 2 together. Pardon, I ramble