Should I continue or stop?

LSU628

Just some background, my boxer will be 6 this month. Prior to getting pregnant with my DS, Charlie was my jogging/walking buddy. We exercised almost every day. I was really sick with this pregnancy, so I stopped walking him as much.As a result, he put on some weight.  When DS was 6 mo and could ride in the jogging stroller, I started the couch to 5K program. June is pretty hot here and Charlie was really struggling, so I stopped taking him. Now that it's cooling off some, I tried taking him jogging again. I did the first day of the couch to 5K program which isn't really that intense. The poor dog was panting and literally dragging behind me on the last few intervals. I figured maybe it was too much too soon, so I just tried walking with him today. We walked about 2 miles at a decent rate. Poor dog was panting pretty hard and 30 minutes later is still laying on the tile floor panting. Should I keep taking him with me to get him back into shape or just leave him behind while I exercise? I know he's still overweight, but I dont want to give him a heart attack or hurt him either!

aggiebug

When was his last physical exam? It is possible there to be a greater underlying condition.

Being overweight makes it even more important to cut calories for your pup and increase exercise. Take it slow. Multiple short walks a day. And gradually increase the exercise.

chrisnjay05212010

 i agree with aggie, start slower. Shorter works and more frequent and gradually increase over time. Hopefully that helps Charlie work up his stamina.

LSU628

aggiebug said:

When was his last physical exam? It is possible there to be a greater underlying condition. Being overweight makes it even more important to cut calories for your pup and increase exercise. Take it slow. Multiple short walks a day. And gradually increase the exercise.

He's had a physical within the past 6 mo and bloodwork done more recently (he reacted to the light dog food and started losing hair). I guess I will back off on the exercise for now. It's just shocking to see how quickly he got out of shape! He was the dog that I had to exercise and wear out so he would be calmer and better behaved in the house. :-(

RedheadBaker

You can feed his regular dog food, just gradually start cutting back the amount. Most of the "light" food contains extra, nutrition-less filler. If he's acting absolutely starving, add a little bit of veggies (my exH's lab loved no-salt-added canned green beans, carrots, and pumpkin) for some bulk without adding excess calories. 

aggiebug

RedheadBaker said:

You can feed his regular dog food, just gradually start cutting back the amount. Most of the "light" food contains extra, nutrition-less filler. If he's acting absolutely starving, add a little bit of veggies (my exH's lab loved no-salt-added canned green beans, carrots, and pumpkin) for some bulk without adding excess calories. 

oh the irony in this post. So if you are adding bulk (fiber) without calories are you basically saying they are nutritionless? Because that is what you said was bad about light diets.

As far as OP goes. You can try to cut back on what you are feeding and remember to include treats through out the day! Also it really depends on what brand of dog food you are feeding. Some are outrageously high in fat and getting them on a better balanced diet can help too.

LuckyAngel07

aggiebug said: You can feed his regular dog food, just gradually start cutting back the amount. Most of the "light" food contains extra, nutrition-less filler. If he's acting absolutely starving, add a little bit of veggies (my exH's lab loved no-salt-added canned green beans, carrots, and pumpkin) for some bulk without adding excess calories.  oh the irony in this post. So if you are adding bulk (fiber) without calories are you basically saying they are nutritionless? Because that is what you said was bad about light diets. As far as OP goes. You can try to cut back on what you are feeding and remember to include treats through out the day! Also it really depends on what brand of dog food you are feeding. Some are outrageously high in fat and getting them on a better balanced diet can help too. Canned veggies are flash steamed. You can hardly call highly digestible vegetables nutritionless. The whole idea of adding these to reduced amounts of regular dog food is that veggies are super low in calories but packed with nutrients. And you call yourself informed!

Replacing some of my mom's dog's food with green beans every day slimmed her out incredibly well without leaving her feeling hungry.

aggiebug

But adding veggies to a balanced meal makes it an imbalanced diet.

The so called fillers you mention have equal if not more nutritional value that you speak of but maintain the balanced diet.

I hate the green bean diet. It a great way to cause nutritional imbalances and problems.

Veggies are great at treats don't get me wrong, but shouldn't be a significant part of the diet.

starlettedir

aggiebug said:

But adding veggies to a balanced meal makes it an imbalanced diet.

The so called fillers you mention have equal if not more nutritional value that you speak of but maintain the balanced diet.

I hate the green bean diet. It a great way to cause nutritional imbalances and problems.

Veggies are great at treats don't get me wrong, but shouldn't be a significant part of the diet.

Says the person who knocks grain free and raw diets all the time

aggiebug

starlettedir said:

But adding veggies to a balanced meal makes it an imbalanced diet. The so called fillers you mention have equal if not more nutritional value that you speak of but maintain the balanced diet. I hate the green bean diet. It a great way to cause nutritional imbalances and problems. Veggies are great at treats don't get me wrong, but shouldn't be a significant part of the diet.

Says the person who knocks grain free and raw diets all the time

False!  Grain free can be a perfectly acceptable diet, and I don't have an issue with them as a general statement.  I have issue with several on the market that are extraordinarily high in fat and protein and designed for puppies, but not with the specific idea of grain free.  I DO think people choose grain free for all the wrong reasons so I do try and educate the value or possibly lack there of a grain free diet.  

Kyselova

aggiebug said:

When was his last physical exam? It is possible there to be a greater underlying condition. Being overweight makes it even more important to cut calories for your pup and increase exercise. Take it slow. Multiple short walks a day. And gradually increase the exercise.

Janessadawn

The excess weight could be putting extra stress on his joints. Have you thought about getting him some kind of joint supplement containing cosequin, chondroitin, etc? My aunt gave them to her dog when he started getting middle-aged and it helped him a lot. Obviously still take it slow, but supplements could be helpful.