My labs weight, it's a worry!

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Katie B — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:09:24 GMT

[quote user="Catherine Raymond"]

Tummy wiggling also helps! I know sounds weird but getting him on his back and wiggling is great fun and works well. Works fantastically for cats (look on the BBC website for Willie Ebrahim one of my weight patients) and seems to do well for my doggy clients too. Shame doesn't work for me!!

Good on you for keeping on going. I hate it when owners come in and say they know that there is a problem but have been given huge weight loss target and then made to feel at every check they are useless. it doesn't help when you are made to feel you are not doing enough/anything. people that approach clients like this should not be involved with clinics.

Find this mainly with vets. Had a Britsh shorthair referred to me as the vet said he was obese as he was only supposed to be 4kg at the most. On examination BCS was 3/5 and in fantastic condition! The owner was an elderly gentleman and was really worried. Makes me so cross.

Sorry rant over!

Keep on going with the good work. Short legged labs are fun and always look bigger than they feel. Always feel!!

[/quote]

Thank you for that, yeah it's the guilt trip I can't stand. My lab gets walked and isn't overfed. He is always ok with my partner but with me, I get the feeling he doesn't believe me. Actually get nervous before each time, which isn't right.

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Catherine Raymond — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:50:28 GMT

Sorry rant over!

Keep on going with the good work. Short legged labs are fun and always look bigger than they feel. Always feel!!

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Debbie Summers — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:56:51 GMT

You're very welcome Katie

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Katie B — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:03:08 GMT

[quote user="Debbie Summers RVN D32/33/34 MBVNA"]

Hi Katie,

Firstly, you are a committed and conscious owner - you know that you have to keep control of your dogs weight, and are taking the right steps to monitor and manage it........you have nothing to feel guilty or bad about! Be confident, perhaps keep a diary of the food and other items he is eating, along with exercise (length of time & activity level), and take it along with you. Perhaps 32kg is a little on the heavy side for a short-legged Lab, but then perhaps it is a short-coming of the nurse concerned that you are asking us for advice!! At the end of the day, weight loss is an equation - if you need to lose weight, you need to either increase exercise, or decrease calories consumed! So, if the calories can't be reduced, is there any way of increasing the length or activity level of the walks you do? Perhaps using a tennis ball to increase his running time? At the end of the day, a 3.5 body condition score is not a disaster, and you are monitoring it, so don't feel bad! Is there another nurse you could talk to within the practice, for a second opinion or other suggestions?

You sound like a fab owner to me - just keep going as you are!!

Debbie

(PS I wish more of my weight loss clients had had your dedication!)

[/quote]

Thanks Debbie, no unfortunately he is the one that does the VN consults. I could take him to my practise were I am training for a second opinion. Just hate feeling bad about it but can't see how I can take his food down anymore as I don't think he would be getting enough. He has two hour daily walks with a ball but may increase his park ball runs maybe. Thank you for the boost of confidence, he is my first dog and just want to do right by him which is why I am most proberly being overly sensitive. Me and this nurse, for some reason don't seem to gel well. No idea why, it's just his repeated questions, it makes me feel like he doesn't believe I aren't over feeding him or exercising him. To be honest, I think me and Dusty will have an ongoing battle with his weight, he has always just been a kit kat chunky, lol. But I am trying my best, just hard when I am going every month for consults and he is going up and down like a yoyo. Somehow feels like I am to blame. Anyway thanks again, that really helped.

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Debbie Summers — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:49:32 GMT

Hi Katie,

You sound like a fab owner to me - just keep going as you are!!

Debbie

(PS I wish more of my weight loss clients had had your dedication!)

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Katie B — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:30:25 GMT

I know, I don't know what it is but my vet nurse who does his weight checks makes me feel guilty somehow and questions me a lot but when Martin comes with me he is really nice. My dog goes without nothing, he has two hour daily walks and no treats but somehow he makes me feel like I am lying to him. I certainly don't want my dog to be a big round barrell as I think that is just as cruel as not feeding a dog. I don't know somehow I feel he is attacking me personally about how I am as a dog owner.

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Saskia Quinn — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:02:13 GMT

Good luck with it Katie, its never easy!

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Katie B — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:58:51 GMT

Thanks for that, Dusty loves apples, pears and bananas. He doesn't have a kong so that might be a good idea. I just want his weight to go down a little bit and keep it there. But he got looked at a day after we got him and he was porky then so he has always been bigger. But will see how it goes.

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Debbie Summers — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:31:45 GMT

You're welcome!

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Saskia Quinn — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:26:34 GMT

Thats great advice Debbie - certainly gave me a few ideas! Thank you

Re: My labs weight, it's a worry!

Debbie Summers — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:21:12 GMT

Hi Katie,

I have a lab (now 13) and she has always been on the 'hungry' side!! I started giving her carrots and apples as treats when she was young - something that would fill her up without being high in calories. She loved them, and would always chose a fruit/veg treat instead of say, a rawhide chew!! Anyway, it helped keep her weight stable, and limited how much she asked for extra food, so it might be worth trying with your lad. Introduce little bits of one fruit / veg at a time - as long as it doesn't upset his tum, increase every few days until you can give a whole carrot / apple / chunk of cucumber etc. It's a lot cheaper than anything else!! She tends to have 1 thing a day, for instance to keep her occupied if I go out.

Also, if you want to try and lengthen the time he is eating, making his food last longer, you could try stuffing a 'Kong' toy with the food, soaking it, then freezing!! Sounds a bit of a pallaver but it works well for overweight Labs!! Believe me - I've run weight loss clinics for a good many years, and its always a winner!!

Hope those suggestions help, and good luck!

Debbie