Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
One more question-Weight Control Food
So I just asked about Rimadyl for my 6 year old lab. We're also aggressively trying to get her to lose weight-for the arthritis and general health. She is currently eating some diet control food from the Wellness brand. I'm giving her the recommended amount for weight loss and trying to get her to exercise as much as possible with the arthritis (1-2 mile walk a day which she enjoys, otherwise she is lazy and likes to lay on my lap all evening- all 77 pounds of her!). It isn't working though, and she has gained 6 pounds since May - we don't even give treats anymore, too! She is going in to get her thyroid tested, but in the mean time can anyone recommend any better food for weight management? Should I be making her foods, or should I do the prescription foods like the vet recommended (I don't want to bc I think it will be mostly filler).
Thanks!
Re: One more question-Weight Control Food
I would just feed less of a high-quality (non-diet) food. The guidelines on the bag are just that -- guidelines. You need to adjust your dog's food based on their weight.
I fed my lab the recommended amount of Wellness CORE, and he gained weight. I gradually reduced the "recommended" amount, and he started losing weight again. I usually add a handful of no-salt-added canned green beans to add bulk, but not calories or fat, to his food to fill him up, since labs seem to have a bottomless pit for a stomach.
"The hardest thing is to live richly in the present without letting it be tainted out of fear for the future or regret for the past." - Sylvia Plath
Totally agree with PPs. "Diet" dog foods are usually full of junk, so I would continue feeding the high quality food but trim down the portion until you find what works. A fairly sedentery dog needs less food than a similarly-sized very active dog, so the guidelines aren't always spot on.
I feed Wellness Core (they do have a reduced fat variety that I cycle in 2-3 times per year, but it's still very high quality and grain-free), and when T got a little chunky, I just reduced his portions, added green beans and baby carrots for bulk, and made sure he was getting plenty of exercise. He dropped 3 lbs. (a lot for a 20 lb. dog) in about 3 months and then lost another 1-2 after that.