# Overweight Cockapoo !



## Rustler (Sep 22, 2011)

Stevie has been assessed by our vet had being overweight , and needs to loose a further 2 kg . We have reduced her food by 10% as advised by the vet. Unfortunately she has now turned into the biggest table surfing scrounger in fact last week she pinched a boxed lemon meringue pie off the table , got it out of the box and tin and ate the lot!
Obviously I now make sure the table is clear of food before leaving the room . She is currently on Barking heads which we have been very happy with. Vets have suggested swooping to Purina OM to help her and ensure she gets all the nutrients she needs.I am reluctant to change but want to do the best for her.
We are currently keeping her food the same, giving her no snacks and increasing her walks.
Should we just persevere with what we are doing, or should I try the other food. Any advice is welcome


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Very good taste in pies your dog has. She is only the second porky cockapoo I've heard of. Have you considered going to Raw?


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Poor Stevie, she has my heartfelt sympathy... I'm a little jealous that she got a whole lemon meringue pie.

How old is she and how much does she wiegh now.
Did you see the programme earlier this week about overwieght dogs? 
It is possible to reduce their wieght and the best ways are carefully monitoring her input, actually weigh what you give her to make sure you are not giving her over generous portions and up the exercise.
Perhaps you could swop one of her barking head meals for a raw chicken wing - she'll love eating it and it will be a satisfying meal.


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

How much does she get and what is her ideal weight?


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## Rustler (Sep 22, 2011)

She's currently 13kg , and the vet wants her to ideally get to 11kg. She was heavier than this last year- she had a blockage following eating a sock and had to be operated on it to remove it and put on weight during this time.
I would rather not feed raw as I'm vegetarian .
She's currently on 135g per day of Barking heads.
I have tried to make she either walks or runs 3 miles per day ( when I cycle)
Some days we walk further.


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

My poo, who is more cocker in build. Weighs about 12 kg which is about right for him used to get 80g in morning and 80g in evening but this was the adult food. That seemed to keep his weight pretty constant but he would rarely get treats. He would have a bone or tripe stick maybe once a week? Does your dog get lots of treats?


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## Rustler (Sep 22, 2011)

No she doesn't - apart from the ones she has been helping herself to.
If she has a Barking heads treat then I take some kibble out from her food .
She is on the adult food as she will be 3 in November. 
I don't want her to be hungry all the time, but I do 'to want her to be overweight either


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I wouldn't move from Barking Heads to Purina, Barking Heads is a far superior food. 

I would just reduce the intake as you have done, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, she will be hungry I'm sure with the reduction in amount, but she will eventually get used to the lesser amount. Just like when a human goes on a diet I guess.

Before switching to raw, my two were on barking heads, I think about 70g per meal (2 meals per day). My two always got their treats (grain free) in addition to this and their weight was still pretty constant. In fact Lola's put on a few hundred grams since switching to raw, she's developed more muscles. Lola's 9.8kg and Nina is 6.8kg just weighed at the vet the other day. 

Can't understand why your girl would be heavier than she should be given everything you've said. There's definitely no way anyone could be secretly feeding her regular tit bits? Another thing you could try is moving to grain free barking heads - just to see if that satisfies her more?


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

She sounds like she has inherited the spaniel appetite! She's being a piggy, some dogs just love to scavenge. It only takes a couple of successes for this behaviour to be reinforced!!! I know accidents happen but try your very best to make sure she can't help herself to anything and reduce her kibble slightly. Perhaps 60g morning and evening. Feed the kibble from a treat ball, this will slow her eating down and make the meal last longer. Her tummy will soon get used to the smaller portions so her hunger should settle but that doesn't mean she'll give up her hunt for treasures! Weigh her once a week if you can and you should start to see small reductions in her weight.
As a side note, bear in mind if you are upping her exercise she will build muscle and this weighs more than fat so weight alone may not be the best marker. You may be better off keeping an eye on her body shape as well?


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## Lottierachel (Mar 3, 2013)

Is she on "fat dog slim" by barking heads? Obviously that would be the best variety to help slim her down.

I agree with Ruth that barking heads is far superior to purina - vets seem pretty clueless on foods..... Either that or they just try to sell whatever their practice in endorsing!

It is harder when they seem to really love food, but as with people; the more you eat, the more your stomach comes to expect, so I'm sure a reduction in food will just take her a while to get used to!


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Lottierachel said:


> Is she on "fat dog slim" by barking heads? Obviously that would be the best variety to help slim her down.
> 
> I agree with Ruth that barking heads is far superior to purina - vets seem pretty clueless on foods..... Either that or they just try to sell whatever their practice in endorsing!
> 
> It is harder when they seem to really love food, but as with people; the more you eat, the more your stomach comes to expect, so I'm sure a reduction in food will just take her a while to get used to!


Forgot about FDS! Good idea!


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

I might be wrong but I seem to remember Fat Dog is chicken and rice based?
I would personally change to one of the grain free recipes as a high carb content will add to her weight.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

wellerfeller said:


> I might be wrong but I seem to remember Fat Dog is chicken and rice based?
> I would personally change to one of the grain free recipes as a high carb content will add to her weight.


You're correct - not sure how this food helps weightloss 

FatDog Slim

Composition* Brown Rice, Dried Chicken 18%, Potato, Oats, Barley, Lucerne, Freshly Prepared Deboned Trout 5%, Peas, Freshly Prepared Deboned Chicken 4.5%, Sunflower Oil, Chicken Stock 2.5%, Seaweed, Dried Tomato, Dried Carrot, Hip & Joint Care Pack (Glucosamine 350mg/kg, MSM 350mg/kg, Chondroitin 240mg/kg)
Analytical Constituents Crude Protein 20%, Fat Content 9%, Inorganic Matter 8%, Crude Fibre 5%, Moisture 8%, Omega-6 (2.6%), Omega-3 (0.7%), L’Carnitine 200mg
Nutritional Additives (Per kg) Vitamin A 16,650 IU, Vitamin D3 1,480 IU, Vitamin E 460 IU
Trace Elements as Compounds Ferrous sulphate monohydrate 617mg, zinc sulphate monohydrate 514mg, manganous sulphate monohydrate 101mg, cupric sulphate pentahydrate 37mg, calcium iodate anhydrous 4.55mg, sodium selenite 0.51mg
Metabolic Energy kCal/kg 3206.3, Mj/kg 13.402

Vs. Grain free Quackers 

Composition* Freshly Prepared Deboned Duck 33%, Sweet Potato, Dried Duck 14%, Peas, Lentils, Freshly Prepared Deboned Trout 5%, Duck Fat 4%, Lucerne, Duck Stock 1.5%, Seaweed, Hip & Joint Care Pack (Glucosamine 350mg/kg, MSM 350mg/kg, Chondroitin 240mg/kg)
Analytical Constituents Crude Protein 23%, Fat Content 15%, Inorganic Matter 8%, Crude Fibres 3%, Moisture 8%, Omega-6 (4%), Omega-3 (2.7%),DHA 0.3%
Nutritional Additives (Per kg) Vitamin A 16,650 IU, Vitamin D3 1,480 IU, Vitamin E 460 IU
Trace Elements as Compounds Ferrous sulphate monohydrate 617mg, zinc sulphate monohydrate 514mg, manganous sulphate monohydrate 101mg, cupric sulphate pentahydrate 37mg, calcium iodate anhydrous 4.55mg, sodium selenite 0.51mg

Whilst the grain free has a higher fat content, animal fat isn't actually the problem and it does not increase weight gain. It's when we mix fat with sugar and carbs (which are just sugar) that we get the problem with obesity and diabetes. I really believe dogs were designed to eat protein and fat - I think if I were you I would go for the grain free first.


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## Lottierachel (Mar 3, 2013)

How weird that fat dog slim is the one food with a far lower meat content, with the main ingredient being rice!! 

Grain free sounds like the way to go - as with humans, if we wanted to lose weight we would cut down on the carbs and up the lean protein, so surely the same should work for dogs.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Lottierachel said:


> How weird that fat dog slim is the one food with a far lower meat content, with the main ingredient being rice!!
> 
> Grain free sounds like the way to go - as with humans, if we wanted to lose weight we would cut down on the carbs and up the lean protein, so surely the same should work for dogs.


The protein doesn't even need to be lean. If the fat is natural fat (animal fat, coconut oil, olive oil) that's even better as our bodies need this fat for brain health and energy. Protein, fat and lots of mineral rich greens is the way to go. Thankfully the world is starting to realise that fat is not the issue - it's refined carbs, sugar, corn syrup, carbonated drinks, sweetener that are making us fat, not actually fat!


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Yay! Ruthmill and I are as one on the fat thing! If you run your fingers along your dogs spine, can you feel the spinal bumps? Can you feel her rib bones? If the answer is yes and your dog has a waist then she is not over weight. It sounds like she gets plenty of exercise, so maybe she is muscular rather than fat. More like a rugby player than a sprinter?


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