I'm the worst...

 

BEVOLASVEGAS

tiffy

Alright, bash away. I deserve it.

  Well, since you asked for it.....You're a terrible owner.  So bad, in fact, that I believe that it would be in Tootsie's best interest to pack her things, & send her to me! 

Seriously though, I struggled with Brinxx's weight for over a year before I finally got it off of her.  She was almost 15 pounds overweight, & because she's fluffy coated, I didn't notice.  Once the vet pointed it out, we got to work.  Just like you're doing with Tootsie. 

Oh hai, why didn't I think of that???  C'mon, Tootsie, just hop a freight train - we luvs da herders here. 

Ok, make you a deal. You send Toots over here and I will send you Kord. You can over feed him all you want, it melts off.

Can I send Jamison over so that you can work on him too???

 

Deb W.

I'll be Tootsie's weight loss partner, though 20lbs is a little thin for my frame.

 Tina wants me to tell you not to feel bad. It can happen to anyone.

Oh she also wants me to tell you that no salt green beans make any pitiful amount of kibble look like nirvana!! YUM!

Tiffy, you know, I watched an Oprah show the other day where she commented on how she posed for the cover of her magazine for an article all about how she "let herself get fat again".  She realized she was publicly flogging herself.  And later realized how she didn't need to do that to herself again.  Amanda's siggie says it pretty well - begin again, where ever you are on the journey.  SO, I'm saying, don't beat yourself up.  Fluffy dogs are a little tougher to see weight gain on, I think.  You'll work to get her healthy, and the summer activities will help you on your quest.

tiffy

I have to cut her food down to 1/4 cup, 2x daily

  I may have missed it later in the thread, but how much is she eating currently?  If you find she's really hungry, it might be good to give her meals spread out throughout the day.  OR in a treat-dispensing toy (good reco's are in the Product Reviews section)

Anyway, give her extra lovin's from me!

gradyupmybutt

You took her to the vet.  Got the news & you're taking action.  I know of this person who has a 46 pound Cav.  He will not take it to the vet because he can't deal with anything but good news. 

Reminds me of this very loving elderly couple who adopted two Dobes and made them morbidly, frighteningly obese.  Their vet said - lose the weight, but they argued.  They would board the dogs with us and the Director would put them on a diet so they'd lose pounds while they were with us, only to see it all back on.  It got to the point that serious discussions ensued about reclaiming the dogs because these people did not want to believe that their actions were harming the dog.  Love is not enough - sometimes restraint is required.

YOU, Tiffy, are not these people above.

 Today was Day 1 for Tootsies new diet regimine. Walked 1 mile in 20 minutes, I'll keep it at 1 mile for another week and then add in some hills. Shes been on NB Reduced Calorie for a good 6 months, getting 1/3 of a cup, 2x daily. The only  treats she gets from me are banana chips, strawberries, prunes and apricots in moderation and an RMB once a week. She goes to my parents during the day and my dad would give her about 3 biscuits a day for a mid-day snack. I'm thinking hes a big part of this, he also can't resist her sad eye look. Shes quite the manipulater. Not with me cause I'm on to her game! So I'm also gonna take her to the vets once a month for weigh ins. The vet also said that since shes nearing 6 (July 14), her metabolism like most women slows with age.

 Buy a smaller bowl. Seriously. It helps, A LOT!!! You're looking at an empty bowl, now. If you have a full bowl to look at, you feel LOTS better about starving the dog!

 

How's her thyroid?

I always feel bad about the skimpy looking meals in my dogs bowls too. They have pretty big bowls and the 3/4 cup and 1 cup meals in them don't look like much. So I add about 2 or 3 cups of water and float their food. It takes them longer to eat it and they get their water intake too. I never feel they drink enough water so that makes me feel better too. Since I bait their water alot in the winter so they drink when I want them to, Crusher isn't a big fan of plain water. Its not as big of an issue when they're on raw food, but with the kibble its a concern of mine. Plus it takes .8 seconds to eat a cup of dry food. The water adds at least 30 seconds on to that.

 

Some dogs put on weight so easily. My Callie..I think she is BC/ACD , has always had to be limited with food. When she was 7 months old she weighed 54 pounds. Since she had to have double knee surgery for subluxations, I wanted to get her much leaner. She has always had a very "barrel" like body shape. What worked for us was switching her to Wellness Core weight management food..She is now 38 pounds. While she was dropping I gave her 3/4 cup daily....split between 2 feedings. Since she ate that so fast and was always begging for more, I took the advice of someone in this forum and started giving her the meals in a Kong. I mixed her kibble with just a tablespoon of Wellness canned food and froze it. ( I had to keep her daily rations to no more than 600 kcals!) Giving her the Kong helped her to eat slower and not feel so hungry afterwards. She lost most of the weight within 7 months. Now my Buster, BC/Staffie mix, is solid and never gains weight. In fact, when I switched him to Wellness Core I had to increase his food to 4 cups per day because he started losing weight on the regular formular food.

tiffy

 I measured out her measly 1/4 cup of food tonight and it was so small! I feel like I'm starving her. This must be done though. Suck it up, Mommy!

How much were you feeding? You can add veggies and fruit to the meal without the calories. About the walks, they are great but it is supposed to be better to have them run in sprints. It helps run off the calories faster that a walk. Maybe a frisbee or ball chase anything that works up a good pant

 I was feeding her 1/4 cup, 2x daily. In addition to the walks she fetches her cuz outside, but if it rains we play inside.

 

Do you think giving her an RMB once a week would hinder her weight loss?

 I would personally try a food with a little bit higher protein. 16.5% is crazy low, imo,  and feeding a food with more meat to it might make her feel fuller with just her 1/4 cup per meal.   I know Jetta lost the weight she needed to lose on TOTW, because it's a fairly low-cal food (compared to Blue, Innova, etc) and it has high protein. I feed her 1/4 cup 2x per day as well.

 

 Also remember to reduce her kibble intake when she gets biscuits, rmbs, etc.  They all add calories. Most banana chips are fairly high calorie too, so you might exclude those when giving fruit.