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Permalink Reply by Ray Cronin on November 29, 2010 at 12:21pm

Torri won't eat green beans; she picks them out and drops them on the floor by her bowl. She will, however, eat peas and carrots (it helps that I cook them in chicken broth, lol). So, her two meals a day are equal parts wet and dry dog food (Pedigree), and peas and carrots. Brought her down from 33 to 28 pounds over several months; another pound or two loss wouldn't hurt.

She still gets treats, mostly small pieces of chicken gizzards, but I cut frequency and size to about one-half.

Funny you mention Great Danes, her favorite playmate is a 70 pound puppy. She goes toe to toe with her; both having a super time.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on November 29, 2010 at 12:52pm

Here is a great formula to try: http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm

If you free feed, stop. Feed once in the morning and once at night. Make sure you feed a good food--I use Wellness Healthy Weight. If you use the above formula, you can get an idea of how many calories you should be feeding. I was WAY overfeeding Seanna. I now only give her 1/4 cup twice a day--which looks like NOTHING in the bowl, but has worked wonders for her weight loss. She is down from 29 pounds to 24! We cut out people food, she might get a little snack periodically but not from everyone's plate anymore. I never could get her to eat green beans, but she'll eat carrots now, and I use pumpkin as a treat every now and then. She LOVES that.

AND--just as in humans, we all hate to hear this....but you have to exercise him! Running in the yard doesn't count. I noticed the biggest weight loss when we started walking Seanna regularly. A good 20-30 minutes at least 3 times a week. The key to weight loss is portion control and exercise.....good luck! It can be done though....

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Permalink Reply by Kayla on November 29, 2010 at 12:57pm

Thank you for all the ideas! I just have to find the best way to implement them. I have been thinking of switching brands for awhile. I just had to many dogs, so it was always cheaper to go with the ol'roy. But Sam needs a change. I am going to start trying to feed them separate so that they each get what they need. Thank you for all the input though. It helps to see what others have done and how to start here.

Thank you!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on November 29, 2010 at 3:02pm

I know everybody said it already, but free feeding is the worst thing you can do for a corgi, especially with another dog in the house. Free feeding with more than one dog tends to create a feeling of competition so they eat way more than they would as a single dog. Another idea, since you know he goes and steals food from other places, once you start feeding on a schedule, feed less kibble. So if the bag says feed 1 cup, only feed 1/2 a cup or 3/4 cup. You need to take into account the fact that he is sneaking food elsewhere and feed accordingly. Beth had a good suggestion of switching to a better food, Purina One has a healthy weight formula and remains pretty cheap. Before I got my corgi I had a 135 pound dane-mix, a 70 pound lab, and a 75 pound shepherd so I understand the need to feed cheap kibble. Another thing to consider, since you will now have scheduled feeding times ;-), is to buy a weight management food for your corgi and feed your dane another type of food. It really isn't all that difficult to feed two seperate foods and it makes a world of difference. I've been doing it with my dogs for years. Just as easy to scoop from two different food containers as it is to scoop from one.

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Permalink Reply by Joanne Koppenaal on November 30, 2010 at 8:26am

Hey Kayla, here is a website to check out www.smartpak.com .Click on canine and dogfood is in top left shows it all! They will even send you a free trial for a five day supply for any food you choose! They have pre-measured portion packs delivered to your house once a month with heartworm medicine just get vet send perscription. About 15.00 -18.00 a month for just food. It doesn't get any easier than that!!! They have Wellness all types, Livesmart, and Newman's own . I feed Wellness to one and use there Livesmart weight management for my foodaholic girl. Livesmart puppy for the baby.

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