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Barney's weight loss
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I just have to tell people about Barney's weight loss as I'm so pleased with him. He's a 6 year old golden lab who was neutered at 4 years old. Over the course of the 18 months he put on about 4 - 5 kilos & became much more "into" food. But living with him & seeing him every day I have to admit that I didn't particularly notice the gradual weight increase (although if I'm honest I did think that from some angles he was looking a lot porkier!).
Anyway about 8 months ago he started to complain when getting off the sofa & was a bit lame on one rear leg so I took him to the vets. To cut a long story short, he was eventually X-rayed & diagnosed with quite severe hip dysplasia last February. This was a bit of a shock to me & at first I had all sorts of horrible thoughts running through my head. But I took the vet's advice & started weekly hydrotherapy, cosequin & put him on a diet. He's not shown any discomfort around his hips since the initial diagnosis but I was aware that to get weight off a dog that may be less inclined to exercise was not going to be easy.
The first 2 kilos came off relatively easily but we've been stuck on a plateau for the last couple of months & I was starting to despair of getting any further reduction without reducing him to starvation rations. The vet said not to worry, the weight will gradually reduce. As Barney's relatively fit still & not showing any signs of pain, I've made a real effort to increase the exercise in the last few weeks & it's paid off ~ he's lost another 1.75 kilos:D. I'm so pleased with him & although he was not really obese to start with, he looks so much better now. I'm hoping that perhaps another kilo will be enough & I've set a target for Christmas.
Just wanted to share this in case anyone else is struggling with putting their pet on a diet (& because I'm so delighted with Barney!!). To be honest I don't think Barney's really noticed that he's been on a diet anyway:D.
Anyway about 8 months ago he started to complain when getting off the sofa & was a bit lame on one rear leg so I took him to the vets. To cut a long story short, he was eventually X-rayed & diagnosed with quite severe hip dysplasia last February. This was a bit of a shock to me & at first I had all sorts of horrible thoughts running through my head. But I took the vet's advice & started weekly hydrotherapy, cosequin & put him on a diet. He's not shown any discomfort around his hips since the initial diagnosis but I was aware that to get weight off a dog that may be less inclined to exercise was not going to be easy.
The first 2 kilos came off relatively easily but we've been stuck on a plateau for the last couple of months & I was starting to despair of getting any further reduction without reducing him to starvation rations. The vet said not to worry, the weight will gradually reduce. As Barney's relatively fit still & not showing any signs of pain, I've made a real effort to increase the exercise in the last few weeks & it's paid off ~ he's lost another 1.75 kilos:D. I'm so pleased with him & although he was not really obese to start with, he looks so much better now. I'm hoping that perhaps another kilo will be enough & I've set a target for Christmas.
Just wanted to share this in case anyone else is struggling with putting their pet on a diet (& because I'm so delighted with Barney!!). To be honest I don't think Barney's really noticed that he's been on a diet anyway:D.
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Edit - worked, yippee!
Awww, what a lovely story, pleased to hear such a happy ending!!
If I was a bit more techie I'd try to post some before & after photos but I'm not sure that the weight loss would show up in my phone photos.
The other benefit from Barney's hip problems is that Wilma, my black lab, has also lost nearly a kilo from the extra exercise & she absolutely adores the hydrotherapy sessions & gets far more benefit from it than Barney ~ she's now in tip top condition, full of energy & looks fab:).
Perhaps I'd better start swimming to keep up with my dogs:eek:.
Thanks for your post.
Other things you can try are kongs stuffed with cottage cheese & grated carrot & plug the ends with a couple of pieces of kibble ~ not too many calories but it takes a while to chew & clean out the kong! Or putting some of the dinner in a kong or rawhide shoe so it takes longer to eat. Some dogs bolt their food & still feel hungry afterwards because it hasn't hit theirstomach yet.
He seems to be coping fine with his 150g of food per day. I asked my mum to split the food into two, so he gets his breakfast at 11 which he normally eats about 2pm and then he gets his dinner at 6 which he normally eats about 8pm. He is still mooching for food when my mum is having her dinner but she is strong and not giving him any. He has been rested this week as he was struggling to walk and the vet gave us Metcam which is pain relief for him. He seems to be alot more perkier this week but is still hobbling. I hope he knows that we are doing this for his welfare!!! Thanks again for your inspiration and tips.
Lainey Mc