Help me with Sunny's weight

Sunny has a little bit of an irregular bone in his right front leg. It is curved.

The Vet said that it does not cause any pain, but highly recommends me trying to keep his weight around 22 pounds to make sure he doesn't put too much pressure on that curved bone.

The problem is that Sunny is up to 23.5 pounds now, and I need some help getting that weight down.

Exercise

- On week days, I walk him at least 20 mins in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.

- On the weekends, I do the same as week day except a few dog park/hiking trips in there.

- Sunny is not really into toys so he sits on the couch or sleeps most of the time when he is at home.

Food

- From the recommendations of the Petco trainer, I feed Sunny about 1/4 cup of Blue Buffalo and 3/4 daily serving of Natural Balance Roll daily.

- I use zook's treats for his training and I give him a greenie as a treat for his teeth daily.

I have an appointment with the vet next Friday to let her check Sunny out at 23.5 pounds and see if that is an acceptable weight for him.

But I'm hoping to get some advice from you guys on things I can do/change to make sure he doesn't become overweight.

Thank you!

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Permalink Reply by Marcie on September 20, 2012 at 5:33pm

I have been trying to get Becca from 27 down to 25 pounds. I think we are almost there and need to take her for a weight check. I has been trying to get a third walk, but some evenings it is tough. Becca will play when I am home. The cat has started play sessions with her as well. The neighborhood kids have been helpful as well. The will run with Becca around her backyard agility course.

I also feed a cup a day 2/3 Blue and 1/3 Honest Kitchen split into two meals. Ask your vet about adding green beans to Sunny's diet. Food has been hard, I've been trying to balance the calories of training treats and meals. This winter I may have to change calorie counts. When the snow is here our walking routes will be few and far between. They do not clear the sidewalks in my town.

Do you think Sunny would eat his Blue if you used a Kong Wobbler? Then he has to work to get the food out.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on September 20, 2012 at 5:35pm

Usually the most improtant tool you can use to aid in weight loss is restrict calories. Either decrease the dry food a bit (even though he already isn't getting much of that) or decrease the roll. When you say 3/4 of a daily serving of the roll, is that the daily serving for what weight dog? Also is it the daily serving measured to be given with dry food? I would recommend just cutting back on the amount of the roll you are feeding and you will probably see weight loss by just doing that. If you decrease his food and feel like you are starving him, you can always add green beans or peas to make him feel like he is getting more food than he is actually getting.