# Ideal amount of weight to lose?



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

last month at Gargamel's checkup the vet told me Gargamel should lose some of the weight he has gained since he was neutered. I increased his workout (although in this heat he has not felt like walking, I can't say I blame him). I was reading other posts where it was mentioned that losing weight too fast just results in muscle loss so I am trying to see what people think too much is.

So ON July 1st he was 68.1lbs. Today, August 3rd he is 63.4 (down 4.7lbs for those, like me, who can't calculate fast)

Is 4.7lbs too much in a month? I was feeding 1.5 cups of kibble at morning and night, doggie ice cream once a night (Nature's Variety Frozen Treats for Dogs: SweetSpots Ice Cream Treats with Live Active Yogurt Cultures | Nature's Variety) and biscuits whenever he wanted them.

He now gets 1 cup of kibble in the morning and night, doggie ice cream cup at night (I could not take that away, lol) and only 6 biscuits a day.

Was taking away a third of his kibbles too much? Is 4.7lbs in a month good or too much? The vet said to come back next month and have someone look at him to see if he is ideal yet, but she thinks he will be ideal around 60lbs.

thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions 

he really loves his ice cream... And I wish I could have someone cut my kibbles in third for me  lol


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

Him getting fixed shouldn't have anything to do with him gaining weight. It's actually over feeding and lack of excercise that contributes to it just like it does to us. Didn't he hurt his foot or something after he was fixed and was put off from excercise even further? Bella is 47 lbs and I was giving her 2 cups a day of BB. One in morning and one at night. Now that I have her on Acana she is getting 3/4 of a cup morning and night. Plus a few cookies throughout the day. I like to keep my animals on the trim side so I would adjust his food accordingly. Obviously when the winter hits we won't be working out as much as we have been so I may have to adjust then as well. If the vet thinks 60 lbs would be a good weight for him then I would keep that as my goal. He only has 3.4 more to go  Good job Ames! Posting some body shots of him before and after would give us a better idea of his progress and if the weight he has lost in the past month is to much


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

IMO that is really too slow. Cut out all the biscuits and keep just the kibble and ice cream if you don't have the heart to take it away. 

I just took 25lbs off one dog in 2 months and yeah he lost muscle but he was so obese it is deadly. He still had about 15lbs to go by the time he went back home. 4.7lbs in a month is nothing, reduce the treats and take him to a healthy weight. Do you have pictures?


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

Do you have more pictures that would show side views as well? IMO adding the ice cream and biscuits isn't helping anything. Generally even if the brand is a good brand they don't digest it as well as kibble.. (or raw) IMO your giving him way too many treats, if your going to continue to do so i would cut it back to maybe 1 or 2 "ice creams" a week and no more than 2 biscuits a day.. which even then, imo is a good bit of treats.

As for the heat you'll need to work your schedule around it, have the exercising and work outs in the early AM and later PM while keeping the mid day for only as needed, short routine stuff.


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## Mach0 (Mar 28, 2010)

I would feed him the amount needed for the desired weight. You dont want to feed to little since he can get weak but you don't want him obese now. I'd take him for long walks or its too hot and you have ac- a treadmill will do.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

You can also get a food that is lower in energy content that should help too. Like Freddie said you do not want to take away too much food away. When I have a dog who is not losing weight and I already have cut back as much as I can on the daily feeding then it is time to get a food that will help them lose weight but be able to eat the same amount so they feel full. You can try a good diet food or in extreme cases where they are just not losing then you can use science diet W/D or R/D they both are made for over weight dogs and while I do not like SD that much these food are great at taking weight off. They have the least kilo calorie per cup you can get.

I provide kind of a fat camp for clients dogs when they are having a hard time losing weight. Exercise is important but usually a diet change is all that is needed to get them back to a good weight. If you really wanted to get him at a good weight you would cut out everything but kibble and put him on a diet food. You would see the weight just melt off. I do fat camp for dogs because owners do not have the heart to put their dogs on a diet, I on the other hand do not give in to those puppy eyes .


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Lol ok thanks everyone. I was worried it was too much so thanks for saying it ok and I need to do more. I will shoot for more then, less biscuits and ice cream.

The biscuits he gets are ones I make from him and contain bone meal chicken, broth, wheat flour, corn meal and cheese. I will cut those back and the ice creams as well. I work 4-12am so I walk him around 1am totally should be cool enough, we get back to the house and he is crazy crazy pup, but just doesn;t care about walking anymore.

Shanon I guess the vet was meaning after you s/n the dogs lose could become lazier. Like instead of following me from the front room to the back room pre neuter, he just walks to the middle room where he can see me, but not moving as much as he used to. His exercise has increased and yeah, he was on no fun for 3 months with his paw right after, that totally got him on a downward spin. and the biscuits and what not. I hear you on exercise but what the vet meant was the neuter caused him to lose the built in drive/desire to exercise, before he would love too do whatever when ever, now he is like eh, not into it right now, maybe later... Which is exactly what Lisa told me might happen, lol. I am so glad I did it though, all the toher crazy puppy things he still does, just not up my rump as much as he used to which is fine with me, but not fine on his belly, lol.

this was 1 week before we started, he was 68.1, dont have a better standing angle right now, sorry.









Here are some pics I just took


































Oh lisa I will post more pics when we hit his goal but he was 60lb when we joined and you had mentioned back then he could lose some weight  maybe their ideal is more than what he should be too. We will see next month and fingers crossed 

And Freddie totally need to buy an ac myself so he can get treadmill back on, you are so right. But I trained him with treats so now he wants biscuits all the time hen he is on it if he doesn't get them he tries to stop walking. Now I need to retrain him but the weather has been hard, today went well though. Only on the 70's he lasted for 10 minutes b4 trying to stop after he realized he gets no biscuits.


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

Ames....he could use a little more tuck around the waste  give him to me for a few weeks and I'll have him in shape for ya  Bella and I go 3 miles at 5:30 every morning. I would think under 60 lbs would be more ideal for him. Maybe 58 to 55 lbs.......maybe I'm wrong. Lisa will correct me if I am lol!! I love your boy Amy, he is so cute. No wonder why you spoil him with treats! How can you resist that face


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

There is no right number for a dog so you just take weight off till he looks good. He is a cute little snasage! lol 

Ok so if he stops walking you keep going! If you need to put him on a correction collar and do no jerk forward but keep walking and drag him. After a few feet he will walk on his own, it is much more comfortable for him to walk than just get dragged. I have had dogs even throw a fit and roll around on the ground and get dragged a few feet. They can throw a fit but if you keep walking and ignore it they will soon start to walk. Don't let him dictate how long you walk him with in reason. don't take him on a 5 mile walk or anything but if he stops you just keep walking, he will soon start walking with you.

Funny you are mentioning this problem I had two dogs I saw this week with the same problem! lol


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## apbtmom76 (Nov 4, 2008)

lol I remember how long it took me to get the weight off Penny, of course with her meds and seizures I had to go slower than you do Amy, but in 8 mo time she went from 97lbs to 59 was what she weighed when she passed. a total of 37lbs and she looked darn good I might add. Let me see if I can find pics or the thread and show ya, I cut out all treats except one in the morning and one at night, and her kibble was cut in half and I made up for what I cut with green beans  Good luck, Love me some Mel

Edit - here is the thread on Pooh Bear 
http://www.gopitbull.com/pictures/30362-pennys-weight-loss.html


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

As PK said theres really no magic number for ideal weight though based on the pictures losing another 3 - 4lbs probably isn't going to be a drastic change. If i had to guess i would say low 50's would probably be a goal but as you keep going the goal could change multiple times.

Hes cute but boy is he a porker! haha


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## Mach0 (Mar 28, 2010)

I would agree with KM. I think 50 is good. When Blue was a porker, he was in the 70 lb range...Now I have him at 50.8 lbs. I did this over a 4 month period of time. Does he like fetch? Play fetch and handwalk after. I think that will start you in the right direction.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

awwww a little porker  damn and I been trying hard! Thanks for all the advice and comments, I will keep up our walks and start making him actually TAKE the walk, no matter what. 

usually we go for 3-5 milers mid day since I work at 4pm, so its been super hot. I don't get home til 1am so 5:30 is NOT Happening, lol. I will not let him NOT walk anymore, figured the heat and he didn't feel like walking and why should I force him, but I will go ahead and force him, I am not letting him dig his paws in anymore. He is gonna walk if it kills me  I also used to let him stop and sniff the roses as many times as he wants. I will try to concentrate on walking and no sightseeing for the most part.

On days we don't go for 3-5 miles, I always take him 3 times a day about a half mile each around our house. We fetch for about a half hour and flirt pole for 15 minutes, maybe I will start increasing that? He then plays with his unbreakoball for about an hour or 2, depending how much time I have. He pants and herds it all over my tiny yard non stop, just loves that thing, but not sure if he gets a work out or just fun out of it? (it also causes him rawness on his toes from clamping it steady with his toe and his face. I hate cause it looks like it hurts so I try not to let him play all day everyday, but he would if he could).

Tye! WOW Penny looked like a whole other dog to me. I hope Mel stays the same to me, sniff sniff, lol. But want him to live long and healthy so no more ice creams after this last pack and I will not make another batch of biscuits for a while. I told Mel this morning. He didn't seem to care. 

and is Blue the pup you took a picture of last week or so? On the side of the road? sorry I forget the name but WOW he looked all muscle and no fat! Hard to picture him with weight, lol.


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

ames said:


> awwww a little porker  damn and I been trying hard! Thanks for all the advice and comments, I will keep up our walks and start making him actually TAKE the walk, no matter what.
> 
> usually we go for 3-5 milers mid day since I work at 4pm, so its been super hot. I don't get home til 1am so 5:30 is NOT Happening, lol. I will not let him NOT walk anymore, figured the heat and he didn't feel like walking and why should I force him, but I will go ahead and force him, I am not letting him dig his paws in anymore. He is gonna walk if it kills me
> 
> ...


Not trying to make you feel bad or anything but i personally wouldn't walk him quite that much during mid day if it gets as hot as it does here, especially given how much hes still overweight. An unfit dog is just like an unfit human, if a person is overweight and tries to walk say a mile in the middle of the day where it begins to be the hottest, that person is much more likely to pass out or have other health related problems vs. walking the same distance at night or at least when its cooler. It would still be difficult but less of a strain.
Of course dogs are different but i wouldn't risk it as it could cause heat exhaustion, etc. I would walk no more than a mile or mile and a half at one time during the day until at very least he starts to lose more weight and you get a sense of better health from him over all... Just to be on the safe side.

The cooler it is the longer they can go, harder they can be worked without as many breaks or risks.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

KMdogs said:


> Not trying to make you feel bad or anything but i personally wouldn't walk him quite that much during mid day if it gets as hot as it does here, especially given how much hes still overweight. An unfit dog is just like an unfit human, if a person is overweight and tries to walk say a mile in the middle of the day where it begins to be the hottest, that person is much more likely to pass out or have other health related problems vs. walking the same distance at night or at least when its cooler. It would still be difficult but less of a strain.
> Of course dogs are different but i wouldn't risk it as it could cause heat exhaustion, etc. I would walk no more than a mile or mile and a half at one time during the day until at very least he starts to lose more weight and you get a sense of better health from him over all... Just to be on the safe side.
> 
> The cooler it is the longer they can go, harder they can be worked without as many breaks or risks.


oh I know its all good  I SHOULD feel bad, I got him to this, I want him around and asked for help, no offence taken and thanks for your honesty! Your reasons above is why I haven't been pushing him mid day. May need to just suck it up and go at 1am when I get home and stay clear of the bars and drunk people getting out who try to run up to us and pat him, cause he sure does have a cute face  lol


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## apbtmom76 (Nov 4, 2008)

Oh no Amy, you can give him the ice cream it just needs to be in correlation to his diet and exercise. And yes like I said it took me longer with Penny due to her meds and seizures but we got there and she was sooo much happier. You can do it girl and Mel will thank you, trust me. I kept her at 59 to 60lbs for a whole year, so I know you can do it. And Mell will thank you trust me, just like the treats, he should only get them like twice a day and grain free is the way to go for sure. Is why I said cut his food in half and make up the half you cut with frozen or fresh green beans, do not cook them as it takes the nutritional value out. Good luck girl, you have all kinds of good advice here, Mel will be stellar before too long


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## Mach0 (Mar 28, 2010)

Yea Ames. Blue was a porker lol.










Just be patient ---- put in work and you will see!


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

ames said:


> oh I know its all good  I SHOULD feel bad, I got him to this, I want him around and asked for help, no offence taken and thanks for your honesty! Your reasons above is why I haven't been pushing him mid day. May need to just suck it up and go at 1am when I get home and stay clear of the bars and drunk people getting out who try to run up to us and pat him, cause he sure does have a cute face  lol


I think that would benefit him greatly, try to get on a schedule where your longer, harder exercises are reserved for when you get off work and just do your very light to mild work outs before you go to work. This should also help with weight loss paired with change of treats, etc.

No point in having him prematurely need to stop during exercising because of heat.


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## Mach0 (Mar 28, 2010)

Also, I wanted to add--- when I switched to raw I saw a drastic change. Just food for thought should you wanna put forth the effort.


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

I am a mean mom my dog's do not get treats LOL they get kibble and that's it. I use it for training too. My opinion throw out the ice cream and dog cookies. Just use kibble. You can also skip a day of feeding too or fast one time a week. But I only do that when I am trying to condition a dog or bring their weight down on the day you fast them they still get water.


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## Loke-a-doke (Jun 11, 2010)

He does look cute with that ice cream though...hahaha


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Blue_Nose_Bella said:


> Ames....he could use a little more tuck around the waste  give him to me for a few weeks and I'll have him in shape for ya  Bella and I go 3 miles at 5:30 every morning. I would think under 60 lbs would be more ideal for him. Maybe 58 to 55 lbs.......maybe I'm wrong. Lisa will correct me if I am lol!! I love your boy Amy, he is so cute. No wonder why you spoil him with treats! How can you resist that face


Shoot I should let ya, cause I know I sure as hell can't keep up with you right now lol and yeah, that's the hard part, unlike Lisa I am a sucker for puppy eyes, lol. I guess if I had 22 dogs I would get over it too or else be in TROUBLE fast!



Mach0 said:


> Also, I wanted to add--- when I switched to raw I saw a drastic change. Just food for thought should you wanna put forth the effort.


WOW that is crazy, such a change in those pics! I am actually scared of raw because anytime he has had beef (either raw or cooked steak), he gets the runs for like a month and feeding raw of just chicken seemed not recommended. Just don't want him to have a bad belly again, but maybe will look into it if this doesn't work.



KMdogs said:


> I think that would benefit him greatly, try to get on a schedule where your longer, harder exercises are reserved for when you get off work and just do your very light to mild work outs before you go to work. This should also help with weight loss paired with change of treats, etc.
> 
> No point in having him prematurely need to stop during exercising because of heat.


so true, and now I realize that's what has been happening, he is panting just as hard, I figured it was the same amount of workout, just faster cause of the heat, after seeing heat stroke and what not I stopped when his pant changes to a locomotive, lol. Late night here e come 



Sadie said:


> I am a mean mom my dog's do not get treats LOL they get kibble and that's it. I use it for training too. My opinion throw out the ice cream and dog cookies. Just use kibble. You can also skip a day of feeding too or fast one time a week. But I only do that when I am trying to condition a dog or bring their weight down on the day you fast them they still get water.


HAHA why am I not surprised  If he liked his kibbles I would use them as treats, but cheese is the only thing he seems to train with and give me complete focus. anything else, he could care less. The biscuits are just when he is cute and we come back from a walk. yeah, I know, lol stop with the cute boy biscuits!!



Loke-a-doke said:


> He does look cute with that ice cream though...hahaha


lol thanks


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## Mach0 (Mar 28, 2010)

ames said:


> WOW that is crazy, such a change in those pics! I am actually scared of raw because anytime he has had beef (either raw or cooked steak), he gets the runs for like a month and feeding raw of just chicken seemed not recommended. Just don't want him to have a bad belly again, but maybe will look into it if this doesn't work.


If you try raw and he's sensitive, you can always add canned pumpkin. That should help with the hershey squirts.


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## EL CUCO (Jul 25, 2011)

Mach0 said:


> If you try raw and he's sensitive, you can always add canned pumpkin. That should help with the hershey squirts.


LMBO @ HERSHEY SQUIRTS :rofl:


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

Sadie said:


> I am a mean mom my dog's do not get treats LOL they get kibble and that's it. I use it for training too. My opinion throw out the ice cream and dog cookies. Just use kibble. You can also skip a day of feeding too or fast one time a week. But I only do that when I am trying to condition a dog or bring their weight down on the day you fast them they still get water.


:goodpost: When mine were pups i'd occasionally buy some limited ingredient treats (such as canyon creek) but once they reached around a year give or take we cut that out all together. Training i give kibble as well, i don't really believe in doing treats that often. On occasion such as their birthdays or other special days i'll go to a butcher shop and get them each a bone with some meat left on there but thats a fairly rare event. (maybe 4 times a year)

My dogs treat is being with me, full filling my needs and in return being loved. I doubt if they could talk theyd tell me they miss anything. lol


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## apbtmom76 (Nov 4, 2008)

Tara I did the same thing with training and such, I just used their kibble, all of my dogs were great about it. Odie is learinging the same way and treats will bel imited for special occassions. You can do it Amy, good luck and keep us posted


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

lol I don't give my dog treats either unless they are training. They do have nylabones but no treats really. The only dog who was able to get me to give them what they wanted was Kaos my first working APBT. He was great and I loved him so much he would give me those puppy eyes and I would melt! lol


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

performanceknls said:


> lol I don't give my dog treats either unless they are training. They do have nylabones but no treats really. The only dog who was able to get me to give them what they wanted was Kaos my first working APBT. He was great and I loved him so much he would give me those puppy eyes and I would melt! lol


i KNEW there must have been at least one that made you melt 

thanks again everyone!!


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## woof_sense (Apr 30, 2011)

I'm not really sure how much should be your dog's ideal weight but here's a link to a blog about an ultimate weight loss plan for pets.

Oftentimes, the problem is not with our dog's appetites, its us. we always fall for those long faces and adorable eyes and we fail to remember that dogs will always be hungry dogs.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

so Mel has been on steroids and antibiotics and is dealing with allergies so I have not been working him out super hard, I figure the 'roids are making him hungry enough, we do long walks but nothing major until he is done with the drugs. Still, in the last month he still lost another couple pounds. Officially down to 60.0 on the nose  No more treats, poor pup, and only cheese when we are training.










anxiously awaiting his test results for weird bump (other thread) Still have 5-10lbs more, but we are doing well!


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

I'm pretty sure those Sweet Spots are only meant as an occasional treat. That's why there's only 4 in a pack. LOL! Just curious -- and sorry if this was mentioned -- what do you feed him? Brand-wise, I mean.


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

Bella has been on antibiotics and benadryl for allergies but I opted out of steroids because it can weaken the immune system and is tough on the body. If she did have mange then its gone because she just had a skin scrape and there was no trace of it but definitely allergies. When did mels allergies start? I didn't know he had them. Bella just started hers on Friday (meds) and I already see a huge improvement. I also put her on natural balance limited ingredients grain free chicken and sweet potato a couple weeks ago. What are you feeding him Amy?


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

They started around a month ago. he is really licking his feet and scratching his head/ears bad since rag weed season started. he also licked and scratched last spring but nothing damaged like this time. I opted for the steroids when the bump got bad and wanted to try and get it reduced in size. Today they added the benedryl 50mg 2 times a day but I am starting with just once a day cause that seemed a bit high. (oh is CVS brand the same? they didn't have any actual benadryl)

I feed him Blue Buffalo Life protection Chicken and brown rice. i was going to go for Blue Buffalo wilderness (the grain free) but the vet said too many changes will not be able to see what is working and to not mess with his food yet. I wanted to do the food first but she said it would be too slow and he would feel better with the benadryl faster. She also said 2 does during season and 1 dose daily for ever? that seems crazy...



bahamutt99 said:


> I'm pretty sure those Sweet Spots are only meant as an occasional treat. That's why there's only 4 in a pack. LOL! Just curious -- and sorry if this was mentioned -- what do you feed him? Brand-wise, I mean.


I know, I know but I just loved how much he loved his ice "cream" lol


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

Once a day benadryl isn't enough to help him. Bella is getting 75 mg 3 times a day for a week and then I will go down to two times a day. Benadryl is gentle and you can give it every 6 hrs. I would give him two doses at least and three if he is really bad. Bella weighs 10 lbs less than Mel and she is doing fine on her doses. I thought you we're putting Mel on grain free weeks ago? What happened? Regardless of the allergies I would still switch his diet to something like I have Bella on. She is on chicken and sweet potato LID from natural balance. Alot of dogs can't tolerate chicken and some can have allergies to chicken but Bella had never had it before since she was always on a red meat protein. She seems to be doing very well on it. Sounds like you already know its the ragweed and it's seasonal allergies. Maybe get those under control and then try a gradual food change. And yes, CVS brand is fine.....that is what I bought for Bella


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

ames said:


> They started around a month ago. he is really licking his feet and scratching his head/ears bad since rag weed season started. he also licked and scratched last spring but nothing damaged like this time. I opted for the steroids when the bump got bad and wanted to try and get it reduced in size. Today they added the benedryl 50mg 2 times a day but I am starting with just once a day cause that seemed a bit high. (oh is CVS brand the same? they didn't have any actual benadryl)
> 
> I feed him Blue Buffalo Life protection Chicken and brown rice. i was going to go for Blue Buffalo wilderness (the grain free) but the vet said too many changes will not be able to see what is working and to not mess with his food yet. I wanted to do the food first but she said it would be too slow and he would feel better with the benadryl faster. She also said 2 does during season and 1 dose daily for ever? that seems crazy...
> 
> I know, I know but I just loved how much he loved his ice "cream" lol


That is not an high enough dose of Benadryl and the cheap brand is fine that is what I use.

Don't mess with his food unless you have to too. You should be giving him 75 mgs 3 times a day if he is that bad. It needs to build up in their system and once the worst is over then you can back off to 50mg twice a day. You also cannot stop because you think he looks good you need to keep him on it for at least 2 weeks and see if it helps. If it does then you can start to back off the dosage and fine a dose that works for him. Tempest seems to do good on 75mg once a day as her maintenance dose but each dog is different.

Be strong and ditch the ice cream


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Lol ice cream is ditched. Thanks for the advice I will go with that  seemed weird since a human is so bigger and just get 25mg. Will totally jump on it. Do you give it year round for seasonal allergies? Or is tempest allergic to other stuff?

And I was planning on switching on his next bag of food and then the bump happened And I didn't want to change too much at once and miss or confuse symptoms. I plan on going there after this is under control. But then it's approaching winter and grain has more protein and typically aren't we house bound more?


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

I was going to suggest that a good food might solve some of his problems. BB is not a bad food by any means, so you're on the right track, but the grain free may be better. And with that kind of food, you don't have to feed as much. Maybe I'm a bit biased, but I almost never have any problems with my dogs, who grew up eating Nature's Variety mainly. I'm a firm believer in a top-notch food being the basis of good health. Others may disagree with me, as is their prerogative. I would try the grain free, and stick with it for 3 months. Give it time to work its magic, and see if you notice an improvement.


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## Aireal (Jul 2, 2010)

Hows his wt loss ? its been a month has he at least lost 5lbs?


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Aireal said:


> Hows his wt loss ? its been a month has he at least lost 5lbs?


On July 1st he was 68.1lbs. Yesterday he was down to 60.0lbs, even though the last 2 weeks I have not worked him as hard since he is on medicine.  So about 4 lbs a month, I am happy and hope to get him down to 55 and see how he looks.


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## Aireal (Jul 2, 2010)

ames said:


> On July 1st he was 68.1lbs. Yesterday he was down to 60.0lbs, even though the last 2 weeks I have not worked him as hard since he is on medicine.  So about 4 lbs a month, I am happy and hope to get him down to 55 and see how he looks.


Good! glad to hear it coming along, hope his skin isses resolves quickly


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

OK, so Mel is now 57.2, I figured he does need to lose more, but can you tell he has lost weight at all based on his pictures? I look and see it, then I don't see it. So hard when you see him each day. I know we need to keep going, but can you see any change over the last 3 months?

Before, posted above:


ames said:


>


I took these today, its raining and hazy out, just to see if 10 lbs does anything, he is now at 57.2lbs.


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## Mach0 (Mar 28, 2010)

He has more of a tuck so good work. Lets see how he does. I say another 10 lbs easily.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Mach0 said:


> He has more of a tuck so good work. Lets see how he does. I say another 10 lbs easily.


awesome thanks for the input 

I am going to go to diet food when he has his surgery, figure I can't work him out for a bit my as well take that time for the forced fast Lisa always told me to try  lol


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## meganc66 (Mar 6, 2009)

Yeah I can tell he has more tuck, and I'm with Freddie probably another 10 lbs! He is looking good though, nice work!


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

meganc66 said:


> Yeah I can tell he has more tuck, and I'm with Freddie probably another 10 lbs! He is looking good though, nice work!


thanks!!


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

ok so he is 57lbs now and the vet said he is perfect.  He even said I should maybe go to a little over 3/4 a cup twice a day for the winter. Now I have heard of people saying they put on winter weight but I thought it was due to less exercise by being colder out not due to change in diet? Kinda like why keep messing with it why not just try to maintain. and he said that he is worried he would be too thin.

So I know he isn't too thin. I took some pics and could not really notice much of change so I made some video (but if you think picture is better let me know)

I think he look OK and could still stand to lose some, the vet says he is perfect and would be ok adding a pound rather than lose anymore. What do you guys think? (the 720p is less jumpy)


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## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

I'd say more tuck up is needed. I think a few more pounds ( 2 or 3 ) would be good for him but I like my dogs on the leaner side  He does look good though for sure! Such a cooperative boy on the treadmill LOL! Love it. I may try Bella on one this winter as well.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Blue_Nose_Bella said:


> I'd say more tuck up is needed. I think a few more pounds ( 2 or 3 ) would be good for him but I like my dogs on the leaner side  He does look good though for sure! Such a cooperative boy on the treadmill LOL! Love it. I may try Bella on one this winter as well.


yeah he loves his treadmill (or maybe its the cheese, lol) i figure he is gonna run for a half hour a little nibble isn't killing him. Totally try Bella on it, I am sure she would love it. he runs when I say treadmill to the spare room, lol. I don't really like the lean lean lean but I like him to be healthy. I agree though, i thought he could lose 2lbs, not increase his kibbles any! Thanks!


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## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

Mel's gonna be the next Richard Simmons. LOL!!
I think he's looking good. A lot of vets think they are supposed to be chunky. They use Labs and Goldens on the weight comparison chart for visual comparisons. People always tell me Ecko is too skinny when I think he's fat. If you can see his tuck and the tone of his muscle and you are comfortable with the way he looks and seems to feel, then that is his perfect weight. 

Ecko is a Mill dog too. I say "Mill up" and he's on facing the right direction and waiting. He can even do it without being leashed. I just have to stand near him and he goes until I stop it. All that for a biscuit. Wish it'd work for my chunky butt. LOL!


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

EckoMac said:


> Mel's gonna be the next Richard Simmons. LOL!!
> I think he's looking good. A lot of vets think they are supposed to be chunky. They use Labs and Goldens on the weight comparison chart for visual comparisons. People always tell me Ecko is too skinny when I think he's fat. If you can see his tuck and the tone of his muscle and you are comfortable with the way he looks and seems to feel, then that is his perfect weight.
> 
> Ecko is a Mill dog too. I say "Mill up" and he's on facing the right direction and waiting. He can even do it without being leashed. I just have to stand near him and he goes until I stop it. All that for a biscuit. Wish it'd work for my chunky butt. LOL!


haha I hear that! I don't know much about a proper tuck should look like since I have only seen the drawings so that's why I wanted to check and see what others feel. I want my boy healthy so I appreciate the feedback. I wish I had someone monitoring my kibbles and helping cheer me on when I am on the treadmill, lol. I tried taking the leash off once, poor boy flew off when he mis stepped and kinda flew off the back and then recovered, bad mom! Now I like to play it say lol when he has had enough, he jumps up to try to shut it off too, little goober...


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Figured I could update Mel's weight loss thread.

I first had to change his food to find one that didn't cause him allergies. Once I found that (about a year later and a few blood tests to see if he wasn't losing due to thyriod or something else) I was able to focus on the finding what amount worked best. He now gets 1/2 cup of Acana Pacifica in the morning and a 1/2 cup at night. Since the time change and walks have been earlier he started to get a sour belly in the morning. That worried me since he has never been a puker. Very scary being woken up by him throwing up always Bile. So I figured I should feed him a cup of green beans before bed and he has been good. Since the hives were 4 weeks ago he has lost 2 lbs since then. My vet and I think I should go back to 1/2 cup in the morning and 3/4 at night and weigh him in 4 weeks to make sure he isn't gaining I just want him to maintain.

Currently he is 56 lbs. I think he is perfect and so does my vet. I am guessing others might think he should be slimmer but he is always hungry. I also don't like the spine showing and I can see if in person more than pictures and I don't want to see his spine. Just my personal preference for my pet. Obviously my boy doesn't have the best genetics. We walk 6 miles a day and I run him for an hour 3 times a week on a mill. Some dogs who get that have 4 cups of food a day. I don't really need my dog to be super skinny or ripped I just want him healthy.

I took him to take pictures and I put his ball up since he just wanted his ball. So then I could not get him to stand because he always sits like a good pup when he wants something lol. Training backfire lol










still wanting the ball

























FINE take the BALL jeesh!!! crazy eyes! lol









like the sun in the picture









goofball

































wish this was in focus lol. I was trying for a side shot and he took off









sticking his tongue out at me cause I take too many pictures...


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## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

Bwahahaha! Mel looks freakin awesome, Ames! Now he can strut his stuff for all the ladies! Lol @ the sit for pics. Odin does that too, everytime I say stay and back up he sits or lays down lol. But I'm always surprised how lil they need on Acana, Odin was 1 cup twice a day and I noticed a lil pudge so I started skimpin on the scoop lol! Prolly cut back a 1/4 cup overall. 

But Acana is doin good for Mel I can see lotsa shine in those pics!


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Thank you so much for the kind words! I just love him more than I could ever say. Amazing how strong the bond between a dog and its human. I just want the best for him.


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## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

Wow Ames. Just Wow. Mel looks feraking amazing now! You def did what you set out to do.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Whoo hooo thanks girl!! That means a lot! I didn't know if pictures show it as in person lol


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

awww he looks so much better <3. Such a handsome boy .


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

thank you Angel!!


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## HappyPuppy (Oct 11, 2007)

Good work, guys! For the record, I don't listen to vets much re weight and nutrition... I'm sure they STILL think a heavier-to-us dog is healthy. Great going on your commitment and dedication! I keep my Ruby on the skinny side due to her hips and I micromanage everything that goes into her mouth.... Not many treats in this house except a bully stick once a week and an anti-tartar chew bone once a week. I give a small biscuit when we leave the house and another one if I have to wipe her stinky butt, but raw carrot pieces make awesome 'treats' and they go straight thru in their original condition so no calories there but a lot of fun crunching for doggie....


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Haha yeah I hear you. My vet is not like the norm. They were the ones who first had me worrying about it  my boy only likes cooked carrots. He is a snob. But he loves green beans all ways  so that's what I usually supplement with when I know he worked or ran harder than normal  I know he could still lose to some people but for me he is good  thank you very much for the tips!


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