Sorry if already metioned! Weight loss for dogs

The M&S garlic mayo in the squeezy bottle is *chef's kiss* for crusts.

LOLing at the concept of 'left over' roast potatoes, I could eat them until I was sick, with gravy and mint sauce. This is why my dogs are lovely and fit and I am, erm, not.

When I was a kid my nan's dog was fed chopped up boiled liver, the crusts from toast and dripping and Bonio biscuits, and he'd be given half a cup of tea each morning with milk and sugar. Poor thing had a mouth of rotten stinking teeth.
 
The cats get a bit of fish finger once a week, but that is strictly once a week and no other table scraps...if you don't count the wotsits, the one that isn't the mayo-licker loves cheesy wotsits... and lemon drizzle cake... 😭😭😭 she's not fat (anymore) tho! The vet said she wasn't fat 😭

(all other food is weighed out and weight monitored but lol at me being smacked in the face with my own hypocrisy as I'm typing)
 
Mr P cooks two extra roast potato's on a sunday.... half each 🤣 As lots of you above our dogs are not fat though.

I am also not a crust fan, unless its particularly nice fresh bread in which case they are screwed.
 
With regards to weight loss drugs already being available for horses, I think that's more "ok" Horses can be incredibly hard to keep to a good weight. As the owner of a tiny Welsh pony who appears so get fat on thin air I can sympathise. Its also more out of a lot of poeples control. Livery yards dictating turnout and so on. So i find that more acceptable.
Our dogs live in the house and unless there is a medical issue perhaps their weight is totally our doing.
 
poiuytrewq said:
With regards to weight loss drugs already being available for horses, I think that's more "ok" Horses can be incredibly hard to keep to a good weight. As the owner of a tiny Welsh pony who appears so get fat on thin air I can sympathise. Its also more out of a lot of poeples control. Livery yards dictating turnout and so on. So i find that more acceptable.
Our dogs live in the house and unless there is a medical issue perhaps their weight is totally our doing.
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Yeah, I think I agree, especially since many ponies have been "damaged" by too much grass or too rich grass, in the spirit of the original weight-loss drugs being developed for treating acute, life threatening diabetes, that seems a more appropriate use. I think if I asked my vet for pony ozempic so I didn't have to worry about a muzzle anymore she would tell me to take a run and jump.
 
At one point, I contemplated getting a T-shirt that said 'Oooh, what a skinny dog' when out with the very fit whippet. It would have had 'No, not a greyhound' on the back.
Table scraps- if it dog-safe, and falls on the floor and someone shouts 'doggy bonus!' then its the dogs. That, and the pointy end of a croissant. Its faux posh at mine 😂
 
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Jenko109 said:
I dont have any issue with feeding table scraps.

Actually, I love giving mine new flavours to try.

None of mine are overweight, though.
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Same, plus anything that falls on the floor, if dog safe, although Goose is extremely fussy. Neither is overweight. Their food is weighed and I can see and feel ribs.

I can (sort of) empathise re some owners over feeding through the mistaken belief that they’re being nice/kind. Most dogs are excited at food time, we have multiple spins and some vocal encouragement from especially Goose and they’re obviously reliant on us feeding/giving treats. However, I’m hyper aware of keeping them lean and fit. I was so sad to see the basset x collie trying to play with mine a few months back, he was at least twice the size he ought to have been, dreadful conformation too, so incredibly important to keep him lean.

Having to resort to weight loss implants/injections is mad when an owner mostly controls what goes into their dog’s mouth seems bonkers.
 
Clodagh said:
I was told this morning that one of mine is thin.
By a woman trundling along a brown sofa that might once have been a Labrador. 😳.
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I’m always being asked what my Lab is crossed with as people can’t believe she is just a Lab. Then I get told she’s too thin as the only other Labs I’ve seen round here are the sofa variety.
I’m another one who read this article and thought just feed them less.
I feed mine raw which helps with portion control as I decant the pack of mince into a Tupperware and mark the portions as I know how many days a tub should last. It’s much easier with kibble to add an extra bit ‘because they look hungry’. Mine doesn’t get table scraps as such, I save any dog safe ones and freeze them in kongs / pupsicle trays mixed with water / bone broth / anything else suitable I have to hand.
 
Its not rocket science is it , too fat = feed less. I've always really fed by eye which seems to work. When Zenya was spayed in November I reduced her food and she actually started looking a little lean, not helped by the fact she hasn't stopped moulting since then either :rolleyes:. I upped her food and realised this week she is maybe a little over perfect weight so her breakfast will be smaller . Ive always found it harder with the little ones as using treats when training can mean they have more than their days food in a session, but think I've got it right .
Mine have always had human leftovers not that there is much, but again don't think that is a problem as long as I am keeping an eye on their waistlines.
 
skinnydipper said:
Feed them dog food. Less of it. Job done.
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Or even different dog food.
We realised that the 'low cal' food we were giving one of ours because she had put on weight post-spay was actually making her look fat. She is allergic to grass and this stuff contained rice. She is now back to a grain-free diet but this time with lower oil content than previously and looking much better.
 
I didn’t say giving food equals them loving me. They are excited when we come downstairs, they go for walks, get fed, someone comes to the house. This did make me think, tho. Most owners probably like to think their animals love them, but is it purely because they’re getting something they want-food, attention, a walk? Several times, the yard called me because they couldn’t catch the horse and he would only come for me and he was very protective of me in the field-love or food motivated (not that I fed him in the field)? Do animals actually love their owners?

Each dog has shown a preference for one of us. Is it ‘love’?
 
Cinnamontoast said:
I didn’t say giving food equals them loving me. They are excited when we come downstairs, they go for walks, get fed, someone comes to the house. This did make me think, tho. Most owners probably like to think their animals love them, but is it purely because they’re getting something they want-food, attention, a walk? Several times, the yard called me because they couldn’t catch the horse and he would only come for me and he was very protective of me in the field-love or food motivated (not that I fed him in the field)? Do animals actually love their owners?

Each dog has shown a preference for one of us. Is it ‘love’?
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How do people love eachother? For romantic love, do you love a person because they make you feel safe, because you pull together through life as a team, you have fun together? All those things can be true for an animal. For family, is love shared experiences and caring for eachother reliably and reciprocally over many years? It is just instinct for strong social bonds? Can also be true for an animal!

Even if an animal sees you as a valuable resource, for food, safety, comfort, companionship, there are parallels there for some kinds of "love" also.

I'm in the terribly unfortunate position of having a partner that all my animals gravitate to, even the pony who sees him every 2 months at most 😂 he has kind, steady vibes, which is part of why I love him too, but pony and cats just see him and go "ah, a safe place" and melt like butter 😂 sounds like love to me.
 
Our wee dog was really putting on the pounds and it turned out the vet suggested kibble was causing it, it was supposed to be low cal and for neutered dogs but it was awful stuff. We moved him to Years and that has really dropped him down and he loves it too.

Significant difference in the past six month, it's expensive but honestly just having clarity on the amounts and his enthusiasm make it worthwhile.
 
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