Overfeeding the dog

[Polished]

When we took our dog to puppy school I remember our instructor telling us that her two pet peeves were overfeeding dogs and not exercising them. Here's an extreme example:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/obese-dachshund-obie-once-35kg-loses-impressive-23kg-after-year-of-diet-treadmill-and-cosmetic-surgery/story-fni0dm3h-1226738682612

 

[yennyfire]

Wow! That's so sad. I love my dog too, but part of loving her is doing what's best for her and that means ensuring that she maintains a healthy weight. I understand that the owners couldn't get him out for walks and such, but over feeding him to the point where he could barely walk is cruel. Unintentional, I understand, but still cruel. So glad he's healthy and happy now!

 

[maccers]

I follow Obie on Facebook It's an amazing transformation. The new owner has had a lawsuit thrown at her as the dachsie rescue was contesting whether she or they owned Obie. It's resolved now but it was quite a bit of drama for awhile, it made the newspapers.

 

[Mico]

Geez, I can't get my dog to eat enough!!! She's suck a picky eater and super active. She can get scary thin and we are always looking for foods she will eat that are good for her.

Sad to see the other end.

 

[Mico]

I follow Obie on Facebook It's an amazing transformation. The new owner has had a lawsuit thrown at her as the dachsie rescue was contesting whether she or they owned Obie. It's resolved now but it was quite a bit of drama for awhile, it made the newspapers.

Interesting, I wonder what the basis was and what they were trying to prove. Press? It's obvious the new owner has been caring well for the dog

 

[SMC]

Geez, I can't get my dog to eat enough!!! She's suck a picky eater and super active. She can get scary thin and we are always looking for foods she will eat that are good for her.

Sad to see the other end.

I have a picky eater too! She's on her 4th or 5th brand of kibble. However, it seems like most the dogs in the US are fat: http://www.dogster.com/the-scoop/dog-health-association-for-pet-obesity-prevention-most-u-s-dogs-fat

 

[SB621]

OMG
We have a black lab that, uh hemmmm gained a little weight with me when I got pregnant both times. She ate a bit more and we walked alot less because I was on bed rest a lot. She ended up going up about 30 lbs. She was a little lab to begin with....now she sort of resembles a black twinkie, I think they are called devil dogs?? Anyhow we are now doing the green bean diet and she is down 8 lbs. We will both get back to where we were eventually.

 

[NOYFB]

Holy cow. I am shocked that anyone would/could let this happen. Poor Obie! I'm glad he's on the road to recovery, but I cannot wrap my head around how anyone could let that happen. I understand that the previous owners were elderly, etc, but did they not have any family/friends who saw what was happening? This is so so sad.

 

[April20]

That poor pup! Seeing the "before" photos breaks my heart! I'm so happy he's slimmed down.

We have a small dog. He generally weighs in right at 10 lbs give or take a couple ounces. We spent six months out of the country a couple years ago and he spent most of that time with my ILs. When we got home, the first thing I noticed was that he'd gained weight. Big time. I took him to the vet for shots and he was 12 lbs!!!!! I almost had a heart attack. At the time, he was still staying with the ILs since we were renovating our house. I told them no more treats, no more cheese and chicken and steak added into his food and for goodness sake, measure his food! My MIL told DH that she felt "accused". Um, well, he didn't gain 20% of his body weight inside of six months on our watch! As soon as he was living again with us full time, his weight dropped right back down to 10 lbs. My IL add cheese, chicken, steak, you name it TO EVERY MEAL their dog eats! She insists it's just a "dab", but regardless, it's human food that they don't need and it results in a heavier dog. Their dog is large for his breed. I think part of it is his lineage and the other part is his diet!

I'm fine with the occassional treat for pups. We love them, we want to do things for them. But I also think we have to remember that those little buggers will eat ANYTHING they can get their paws on and it's up to us to be responsiblle for them.

 

[missy]

OK so I cannot even bring myself to click onto the link but after reading everyone's comments I get the gist of it...definitely cruel to overfeed the sweet dog to the point he cannot move easily/comfortably. It's like being in a prison that is your body. Not to mention the health consequences-diabetes, hypertension and more and the shortened lifespan that accompanies all of that. I am glad Obie is back to fighting weight!

 

[sunshine0808]

I hate when I see things like this. Unfortunately it's all too common. The owner values the immediate, short-term happiness over the long-term happiness and health of the dog. I mean, dogs don't know any better. They'll gladly eat all the treats and scraps you'll give them. But eventually that extra weight really impacts the quality of life. Hard on the joints, particularly dachshunds, with their long spine, they really struggle with extra belly weight, causing the back to severely sway.

I give my dog lots of healthy treats- baby carrots, slice of Apple, a few string beans, a bit of banana. He loves it and it's a very low-calorie reward. Plus, it enriches his diet by providing variety and extra vitamins, etc.

There's also healthy ways to make kibble more appealing- a splash of LOW-SODIUM chicken broth, some pumpkin purée ( lots of vitamins and fiber), stirring in a little plain low-fat Greek yogurt.

So treats can certainly be given, even generously, what matters is the type of treat. Is it a fatty, processed treat? Or something fresh, high-quality, low-calorie and nutritious? It will make a HUGE difference in the quality of life your dog has.

 

[Polished]

I like some of those suggestions to make food more interesting for dogs sunshine.

Dogs are such creatures of habit that they can quickly get into a routine of expecting and hanging around you if you give them snippets of what you are eating. If they know there is not going to be a reward they don't do it.

Missy you're missing out. There's a picture of a trim Obie further down enjoying a day at the beach looking like all his Christmases have come at once.

 

[missy]

I like some of those suggestions to make food more interesting for dogs sunshine.

Dogs are such creatures of habit that they can quickly get into a routine of expecting and hanging around you if you give them snippets of what you are eating. If they know there is not going to be a reward they don't do it.

Missy you're missing out. There's a picture of a trim Obie further down enjoying a day at the beach looking like all his Christmases have come at once.

LOL I am such a baby when it comes to things like this...I am going to check out your link since we know there is a happy ending...thanks Polished!

 

[Mico]

I hate when I see things like this. Unfortunately it's all too common. The owner values the immediate, short-term happiness over the long-term happiness and health of the dog. I mean, dogs don't know any better. They'll gladly eat all the treats and scraps you'll give them. But eventually that extra weight really impacts the quality of life. Hard on the joints, particularly dachshunds, with their long spine, they really struggle with extra belly weight, causing the back to severely sway.

I give my dog lots of healthy treats- baby carrots, slice of Apple, a few string beans, a bit of banana. He loves it and it's a very low-calorie reward. Plus, it enriches his diet by providing variety and extra vitamins, etc.

There's also healthy ways to make kibble more appealing- a splash of LOW-SODIUM chicken broth, some pumpkin purée ( lots of vitamins and fiber), stirring in a little plain low-fat Greek yogurt.

So treats can certainly be given, even generously, what matters is the type of treat. Is it a fatty, processed treat? Or something fresh, high-quality, low-calorie and nutritious? It will make a HUGE difference in the quality of life your dog has.

Thanks for these ideas! My dog loves cucumber - but she's picky and only likes when we have fresh ones from the garden. I'll try these ideas!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yowza!

We have a dachsie and its tough keeping him trim. We feed him very little. In fact, when we boarded him with a woman who runs a dog kennel, she did not believe that we fed him enough and so she fed him ALL the food we left, which included three extra portions of food (just in case), even after we gave clear instructions and included his feed scoop! Our poor doggie had the runs that night from overfeeding. But my point is that little 10lb dogs like Obie and our Dachsie sure don't need much food!

We don't give our dog treats or feed him from the table, but he has learned to dtand by my feet when I am cooking! He eats anything that falls on the floor, which is always veggies when I am cutting them. The only thing he won't eat is onion

 

[April20]

We don't give our dog treats or feed him from the table, but he has learned to dtand by my feet when I am cooking! He eats anything that falls on the floor, which is always veggies when I am cutting them. The only thing he won't eat is onion

This is exactly what our little guy does. He feels that anything that hits the floor is his. He goes after onions all the time and never remembers that he doesn't like them! I then find them abandoned in the living room. He also ate some celery recently and didn't like that at all.