You may think four dogs is not a very big sample size. Nonetheless, my experience has to count for something. Last month I put four middle-aged, morbidly obese dogs on a strict diet, explaining that if they didn’t lose a significant amount of weight (5 lbs for all 75 to 115-pounders in the group) we’d be forced to give Slentrol a go.
I started offering this to my serious cases last month as a challenge. And every owner who took me up was rewarded with more than five pounds of weight loss. One (the 115-pounder who should’ve weighed 75) even lost 12 pounds—in 30 days! No Slentrol necessary, thank you very much.
The complaints:
- She never moves. She’s just a lazy dog.
- He acts hungry all the time.
- There’s nothing I haven’t tried.
- She won’t even chase a ball and couldn’t run around the block if I dragged her.
- He sits on the stoop in the pool and won’t swim.
- I can’t get my family to stop feeding her treats.
So here’s what we did (with some tweaking for one food-allergic patient):
- I changed them all from their premium commercial weight loss foods to a super-premium high protein diet at 1/3 less volume than they reported currently feeding (I let them choose one of four commercial brands).
- We measured the exact amount of food they could eat and everyone went home with a measuring cup (ironically, thanks to Hill’s, which was not listed among my clients’ brand choices).
- Carrot nibblers for treats—no exceptions!
- At least five minutes of exercise a day with carrot nibbler incentives (all were previously non-exercised pets).
- A half-dose NSAID pain reliever daily for the two most obese.
No magic. It worked. All dogs were reported to be more energetic (the two lighter, smaller ones much more so). Not only that, three out of four owners also reported their dogs didn’t act quite so hungry. Their excitement over their dogs’ weight loss was a high-five moment in every case. More weight loss is surely on the way.
Slentrol? Not for my patients—not yet. Not as long as I can get more of my clients to listen to me. And now that I have four recent winners under my belt, this vet’s renewed energy level on behalf of her patients’ obesity surely means more of the same for next month.
I’ll keep you posted.
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I can see it now Dr. Patty: "America's Biggest Loser, Canine Edition". Can't youAnimal Planer picking up on this and running with it! Lol. Seriously - you should trademark it now and then send it off to them.
Creature of Habit April 14th, 2008 09:14:00 AM
I'd be curious to know which brands of foods you recommended.
Jen (SLC) April 14th, 2008 10:08:00 AM
I'm with Jen (SLC), I'd like to know foods recommended and 'dosages', pretty please. :)
Stephanie Masonbrink April 14th, 2008 10:49:00 AM
Caloric needs vary so much in dogs it's hard to give you hard and fast caloric requirements. I tried several bands based on their availability and higher than average protein percentages with lower percentages of carbs. I stuck to brands that use less high gycemic index carbs as well. Canidae, Solid Gold, Innova and Frommer's are available locally at several locations so it made for a no excuse situation (I needed that).
Dr. Patty Khuly April 14th, 2008 11:08:00 AM
Oh, and the amounts: I just had them measure the amount they'd been feeding for a couple of days to make sure we knew how much was going in beforehand (already the bare minimum according to these owners since they were rreporting huge hunger and had already made reductions beforehand) then we subtracted a third, volume-wise. The calories might have remained the same but my goal was to reduce the hunger with the higher density, higher quality foods then subtract the high-fat treats and add in the exercise. I actually didn't expect a huge change in month one and expected to have to reduce the volume some more but I think we're doing OK at this level with THESE dogs.
Dr. Patty Khuly April 14th, 2008 11:12:00 AM
Yay for drug free weightloss for the pooches.
Stacy April 14th, 2008 11:35:00 AM
I love the approach. Having just been dealing with someone avoiding diagnosis of their child for fear of drug treatment as an outcome. This gave me a good kick in the pants. Even treatment options we don't necessarily feel good about can be used constructively. The carrot and pill approach ;)
emily April 14th, 2008 12:34:00 PM
Yay for the slimmed down pups!
Nice to see that diet and exercise really does work - just like people. :) And the exercise is good for the humans, too!
Cindy April 14th, 2008 01:20:00 PM
OK, 2 questions. One stupid and one slightly less so. :)
How do I do the carrot nibblers? (I'm a dedicated carnivore). I assume just cut up a carrot...but do I have to keep them refrigerated? Seriously, I know this sounds dumb but I had to call my Mom the other day to learn how to make grilled cheese. . .so don't assume *anything*.
On the super-premium food -- do you use the 'regular' variety or their 'diet' variety?
Thanks! My dog isn't too lazy to take pretty long walks yet, but she could definitely use to drop a few pounds. (although since she's a mixed breed, cocker/lab, I'm never quite sure exactly how much she *should* weigh.
Larry April 14th, 2008 01:20:00 PM
Larry: Does she have a waist? Can you feel her ribs through her skin? If it's no to both she's overweight. While that's a VERY quick and dirty way to tell (some breeds don't conform so well to this) it helps somewhat for most people.
As to the food, I don't use the diet variety. While R/D by Hill's works for some of my clients (and that's a reducing diet), I was specifically working on the hunger thing in these cases. Honestly, this is all anecdotal but I find they act hungrier on the lower fat, lower calorie foods. And that's both uncomfortable and stressful for everyone--which means less weight loss.
On the carrot nibblers: I buy the skinny organic carrot hearts and cut 'em in half for small dogs. Keep them in the fridge--they last longer as they have a tendency to get slimy as they're peeled already.
On the grilled cheese: A good grilled cheese sandwich is an art. If my mother could make a better one than I could I'd be calling her, too.
Dr. Patty Khuly April 14th, 2008 02:57:00 PM
I just recently started reading this blog, so not really familiar with everything, but had to comment to this post. You can add one more dog to your study if you want. My 9 year old border collie weighed 73 lbs a year ago, and had arthritis. We had already changed to a premium food and cut down the amounts also, but doing that made her actually GAIN weight. Had thyroid checked, etc. Based on a phone conversation with a different vet than our normal vet, and a tip from a pet store clerk, we also went the high protein route. Started using Solid Gold's Barking at the Moon and still cut down food from the former 1 cup twice a day to 3/4 a cup twice a day. She started losing weight immediately and a year later is down to 56 lbs! I'm now a firm believer in high protein, low carbs, at least for the dogs.
Kathy Anderson April 14th, 2008 03:10:00 PM
There are people who believe their dog when it claims it is hungry with a full food dish? Or treats being hoarded about the house? I know my dog lies ! He is a master of the "I've never had food - honest! I'm nothing but fur and bones!" This is usually when there is a pile of pasta on the floor for him.
Please understand that the vet thinks he is in the best shape for a peke his age. I feed him a combo of dog food, people food, and treats. He also walks about 1.5 to 2 miles a day. For a peke, that is a marathon!
MLO April 14th, 2008 03:23:00 PM
I've taken Zoe from 58 pounds (heavy) to 48 pounds (perfectly slim) in the last 5-6 mos...I just fed her less, imagine that! I thought for sure I'd run into obstacles or it wouldn't really work (seemed too simple, I guess), but it did. Her medical records graph her weight, and it's such a pretty downhill slope! The vets I work for laughed at my amazement...I just couldn't get over it, especially since I've got living proof that I could do the same if I was eating only kibble!
anna April 14th, 2008 04:12:00 PM
Gosh - I just re-read my post, Holy Typos!
I meant to say "can't you just see it on Animal Planet" - good grief. What can I say, Monday mornings.......
Creature of Habit April 14th, 2008 04:19:00 PM
Our dog's shelter name was 'Big Julie'. She wasn't obese, but she was a pudgster. But we were lucky, she also LOVED ball play, and ran off 15 pounds in about 3 months. But she won't eat carrots. They actually ricochet out of her mouth. Green beans, too. She does eat apple slices, though.
We're trying to figure out if the pup has allergies, so she's been on a limited diet. I'm ashamed to say that you can feel her ribs a lot better now that she isn't the 'pre-rinse' cycle of the dirty dishes.
I like the Creature of Habit's idea of an Animal Planet show. I think owners have the hardest time ignoring their little darlings' begging eyes, and could use some examples of hand-holding or tough love.
lin April 14th, 2008 10:42:00 PM
Lin, wouldn't it be great!? I have never seen the human version (though I get the concept), but I think an animal version would be great.
My dog is so food focused, you'd think she was a Lab. She just a little Chihuahua, on her way to becoming a Chiwhopper! I have a tough time saying 'No' when she does something extra cute (like, say, going into an unsolicited sit/down/sit up/shake medley while staring at me if she smells any food in the air......breaks my heart!)
Creature of Habit April 15th, 2008 08:48:00 AM
Kathy: I loooove my Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, too. Two of these dogs tried that particular food since I confessed to that being my own dogs' choice. I chose it for the contents due to my dogs' rice and poultry allergies but it's excelled in every other arena--both my Frenchies are deliciously slim. But my dogs also eat whatever I eat for their second meal. It's not all Solid Gold's doing.
Dr. Patty Khuly April 15th, 2008 09:20:00 AM
Kudos to you, Dr. Patty!! The thinking that dogs and cats need a high-carb, low fat approach to weight loss just doens't work well. It CAN work, if the calories are decreased enough, but it often results in an unhappy pet and unhappy owners. The "Atkins" type approach makes MUCH more sense for animals who are, after all, carnivores!
I wish more vets, and more pet food companies, thought this way!
Barb April 15th, 2008 05:09:00 PM
Do you mean Fromm? That's what I feed my dog and even recommended to my vet, which she now uses. www.frommfamily.com
I did a search for Frommers and couldn't find anything. Just checking to see if it's something different.
Wendy April 21st, 2008 04:18:00 AM
Dr. Patty and others,
Are you feeding canned food or kibble?
Kathleen Holder July 2nd, 2008 12:03:00 PM
I see you used Barking at the Moon High Protein, Low Carb Adult Dog Food
Crude Protein, min 41%
Crude Fat, min 20%
Crude Fiber, max 4%
The protein is high but so is the Fat .
Could I get the same results using Innova Large Breed Senior For my ten year old Lab. Or would he need higher protein
Crude Protein (min) 26 %
Crude Fat (min) 10 %
Crude Fiber (max) 3 %
Dennis July 7th, 2008 11:06:00 AM
It is mentioned that one of the dogs involved had food allergies - we are suspecing food allergies with our large mix breed dog, and he's also overweight - since we need to make a food change anyway, can you please share what was recommended or how you 'tweaked' the diet for the dog with allergies? Thanks!
toni August 7th, 2008 10:35:00 AM
Its like Atkins for dog!! Who knew? My dad was raised on a farm and he has said for years that carbs caused weight gain as that is what they fed to fatten the pigs.
Tonya May 3rd, 2009 12:49:22 PM
I have two cocker spaniels who are about 5 lbs over weight each. By my estimate. They get daily exercise and I've had to change their foods to cut down their weight. I have to go to 3/4 cup a day for both of them from one cup. That might not be enough. But I'm afraid to go any higher. I went grain free because I have a white silver cocker with food allergies to chicken, turkey, oatmeal, soy, wheat, corn which limits the grains. He gets raw quite a bit from Nature's Variety. He has no weight issues though. No problems with barley or millet but my other parti-cocker had issues with barley. So its grain free for good now. I use Taste of the Wild and now that Innova Evo has the Herring and Salmon available now, we may try that as well. i've never fed them commercial or grocery dog food like IAMS, Pedigree, Science Diet or Purina. I refuse to feed that crap. All it is is grain and fillers. I won't use Nutro either, it used to be a great food once upon a time but not any more, its just like the rest of them since MARS took it over. Cockers are a greedy breed and mine always act hungry even if they aren't so we'll try the Taste of the Wild a bit longer. I have one who is allergic to carrots so I use baked sweet potatoes in moderation or green beans. Any other snack ideas???
cocker luvr February 3rd, 2010 09:12:31 PM
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