Weimaraner Addict

Hi guys sorry if this is in the wrong section but i need some quick help.
I had lola (3 1/2 years old) to the vets today for annual check up.
i've had a concern over her weight as she's carrying a little too much.
she has plentiful daily excercise 2x 1 hour walks plus 2 quick strolls at the start and end of each day.
The vet has told me to change her food to a light (lower fat) dry mix,reduce her portions and cut out all treats.
this seems the obvious and correct thing to do and hopefully it will work.i was just wondering if anyone had any other advice/help which may be of benefit to us.
she usually has a meal in the morning and one at night but not large portions.
i don't know if its her metabolism or her being spaed which was at 8mths which may be a factor in this.she also has a very broad bone structure for a bitch and is a large build.
any comments would be appreciated..................

thanks folks
Gary

Hey Gary, how much is a little to much weight? The reason I ask is that if she's slightly over weight you might not want to mess with the brand of food - opens you up to other issues with her not liking the new food, allergies, etc.

I think with weight it's about 50% diet and 50% exercise so if you can keep the same food and increase the exercise intensity that might solve your problem. Any chance you can take part of the 2 hours now dedicated to walking and turn her loose off leash to chase a ball or run around some? Walks are generally not the best way to drain energy from these dogs, they do work somewhat, but you can get more from 20-30 minutes of chasing a ball or running with other dogs than you can from an hour walking. Sorry, they just don't get tired....I've tried and have to use walking when the weather is bad and Forrest is still ready to roll, no matter how far I walk him.

You might want to consider getting her thyroid checked also.

she gets alot of time off the leash marc and spends most of it running round the fields flushing pheasant etc.
i think its down to food intake to be honest.she gets more than enough excercise (if there is such a thing for a weim )
i'll have to just have to monitor her food intake and see if there's any change.

I've heard of some adding in a healthy "filler" to their meals when you have to cut down on the quantity. Helps them feel full on less food. Most will use unsalted canned green beans.

feed for the weight the dogs needs to be, keep an eye on extra treats and decreased activity. If she's still over weight, have the thyroid checked. Unsalted canned green beans and carrots make great filler if you cut back the amt of kibble.

GARY70 wrote:she gets alot of time off the leash marc and spends most of it running round the fields flushing pheasant etc.
i think its down to food intake to be honest.she gets more than enough excercise (if there is such a thing for a weim )

Well, at least you can cross that side of the equation off the list - what you're left with is going to be very unpopular (with her), though. Same food, lower amount or "diet" food.....I like the option mentioned for fillers - just be careful when trying new things, give it about 24 hours from the first try before proceeding to see if it has any negative affect on the stool. With us it's weird, applesauce=bad stools, oatmeal=bad stools, rice=good, no affect, veggies, generally good, no affect. It's all trial and error, best of luck with the transition - hope it doesn't get to where you need to have the thyroid tested.

I would get her thyroid checked. We had an issue with this with Jesse - she was gaining weight despite a lot of exercise and we cut back on her food until I felt sorry for her and she wasn't losing any weight. We took her in for the thyroid test and the vet said that she had never seen such low thyroid levels in a seemingly healthy dog. She started up on the thyroid meds ... very inexpensive relatively speaking and it took care of the problem very quickly.

You mentioned that Lola was spayed at 8 months - does she have any incontinence issue for which she might be taking meds such as DES?
DES is also known as Diethylstilbestrol.

I have a thyroid theory.

My girl Sadie is also a very big boned Weim and weighed in at 90lbs before I tried helping her lose weight. I switched her to the senior Blue Buffalo, removed all canned food and started boiling boneless chicken thighs with fresh carrots and green beans. Once it's cooked, I put it in a processor to make it more like a canned food. I also reserve the broth and add a little of it to the bowl during feedings. She gets one cup of BB twice a day mixed with 1/4 cup chicken and veggies. She gets one crunchy chicken strips and part of an apple before bed. In the past two months she has dropped down to 78lbs. She's still big but for her bone structure the vet is very pleased with her progress. All of mine are eating the same mixture with different types of BB or Chicken Soup for the pet lovers soul(Rudy eats this - it's the only food I found where his poop is normal). At first Sadie seemed awfully hungry so I was giving her more apple or extra raw veggies. I taped that down and now she seems satisfied. Hopefully it's not a thyroid issue and just watching the food intake will help.

I have been working on Champ losing weight as well. He is on Innova, and he gets 1 cup with yogurt in the am and 1 cup in the evening with greenbeans.

I feed him frozen greenbeans as treats. Can I use other frozen vegetables as well. I have started using apples, and carrots. He will be having his thyroid
checked out in May when he goes for his yearly check up. He was at his heaviest 105, and has only lost about 5 lbs since his visit last year. He gets
plenty of exercise as well as off leash time. I just dont know what else to do? He is a very tall weim too!

What are you feeding? keep in mind that reccomendations on the bag are just general guidelines and most people feed 1 cup or less then reccomended ammount, depending on individual dog. I find good quality, meat based food helps to keep my dog in good shape and build lean muscle mass.