too late to save my dog?

[weirdo27]

I have a dog that is about 9 years old. She is a lab that weighs over 100 pounds now and has gyc something disease. I have been bringing her for a walk now every day to try and make her loose weight. My neighbour says its too late for her now, and to let her just die out over the next 2 years. Is that true? Is she now to old and overweight to try and make her healthy at all.

[JenBKR]

It's not too late! I can't believe that your neighbor would say such a thing.....I would absolutely not just let her die over the next two years. It's great that you are taking her for the walks, I'm sure that helps a great deal. Could you maybe talk to your vet for some ideas on what else you can do, especially because of her disease? What kind of food do you feed your dog?

[Muddy4paws]

No way, dont listen to your neighbour is he a qualified vet? :confused: Its never too late for a dog to lose weight, dont just take my word for this because Im not 100% sure or the ins and out of it but have you tried swimming sessions with your lab? I've heard them can lose weight in a healthy way from that, maybe talk to your vet about seeing if you can change her food to a lower fat food, but if my neighbour said that then they would be on the recieving end of some quite rude names.

Think about it, what someone gets old is it best to let them die out of being fat and having a heart attack or try and keep their weight down and keep them fit?

How many treats does she get? maybe ask your vet for low fat treats like carrots and apples etc. some fruit and veg cannot be given to dogs so research before you give her anything

[Karen]

Nine is not too old for a Lab - they can live to be much, much older than that.By all means, walks, and when she's up to it, games of fetch, etc. Are you also cutting down on food and snacks?

[weirdo27]

Uhh we have a family member that thinks she doesn't get enough food so always is feeding her and i dont think i can change it. She thinks we will starve her if she doesn't get a full bowl. Unfortunately i have no money to bring the dog to the vet. When your in college, you have no money. She gets no extra snacks or treats ever. Well i tried bringing her for a run and her mouth started foaming up so that was the last time i given her a walk in about 5 days.

[Catty1]

Just stick with walks for now...she'll have to build up to running! That will take a while.

The walks are great - I hope she looks forward to them!

Would the person who feeds the dog be willing to try lite food or low calorie?

Good luck!

[Daisy and Delilah]

This whole thing sounds rather odd to me. I feel very sorry for your dog. She needs help, obviously, and it's your responsibility to make her quality of life better. I would suggest you do everything you can to help her lose weight, take her for proper walks, and generally, do all you can do, and more, to make her be more healthy and fit. Find a way to stop the overfeeding family member and find a way to get her in for some immediate vet care. You have to take care of her. She can't do it herself :(

At the risk of saying something I shouldn't, I'll leave it at that :(

[iamgobsmacked]

Well your neighbor sure sounds like a real ray of sunshine. Please try find out the name of the condition your dog has. I would be more than happy to advise some natural supplements that can help to overcome it. As far as I am concerned where there is "Breath" there is hope.

[luvofallhorses]

I agree with Daisy and Delilah. your neighbor doesn't sound very educated about dogs. :rolleyes: I wouldn't listen to him. the healthier you keep your dog, the longer they live. :) I would take her for short walks and if you have to put her on a diet to lose weight. :) good luck!

[buttercup132]

Most labs (unless field labs) are bigger anyways. They have a stockier build then most dogs. Your naighbour sounds like he/she knows nothing. If I remember right feeding them raw balances out their weight, they wont get too fat or too skinny if you feed them the right amout.
What are you feeding him now?
That might be the problem too.
And I agree swimming lessons makes them loose weight as a PTer's dog on here dose that and has lost weight.

[buttercup132]

Uhh we have a family member that thinks she doesn't get enough food so always is feeding her and i dont think i can change it. She thinks we will starve her if she doesn't get a full bowl. Unfortunately i have no money to bring the dog to the vet. When your in college, you have no money. She gets no extra snacks or treats ever. Well i tried bringing her for a run and her mouth started foaming up so that was the last time i given her a walk in about 5 days.5 days without a walk!!!! Thats a long time for a dog to be cooped up. I wouldnt worry about foaming out the mouth my dogs do it too when they go for long walks or have been runing alot.

[Alysser]

No, it's not to late!! Don't give up on your dog, please. Sassy was overweight at one point, about 4 pounds. I know they are two different dog breeds, with different builds and all that. A toy dog that is overweight even a little is bad. But your dog isn't a toy dog. You can do many things to help her/him lose weight. Walks to start with. A run in the yard, fetch, swimming sessions in a indoor pool. If your lab isn't dog aggressive or anything can you take her to a local park/dog park? That would help alot! Especially running around and playing with other active dogs. Good luck! Keep us posted.

[weirdo27]

Im not trying to defend myself here. But no we do not feed her everything we possibly can. She gets one full bowl of food a day and thats it but its enough to put her over 100 pounds. I think we feed her Iams. Im gonna start taking her for walks starting tommorow. I just freaked out and quit after her mouth started foaming one time. Also she finds food herself through any means necessary but we are pretty good at keeping food out of her reach. I just hope that I can make her better or try atleast.

[iamgobsmacked]

weirdo. I hate to be the one to tell you this but Iams is not a good food. And don't think that because it is a premium food that it is. Iams contains corn... one of the cheapest fillers available for pet food. Not only is corn a cause of allergy in millions of pets, it also helps pets get fat. Hence the reason farmers use it to fatten pigs going to market. Not to even mention the extreme animal cruelty that is undertaken in Labs for Iams research.

http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet/iamsfactsheet05.pdf

http://www.uncaged.co.uk/news/2002/asa2.htm

http://www.iamscruelty.com/

* http://www.pandgkills.com/boycott/globalday_06.html

Look for a food that does not contain corn, such as Wellness, Nutro, Natural Balance, Dr's Foster and Smith just for a few suggestions there are others. They cost a lot more but the food is 100% bio available and when compared with the food that is large in cheap fillers so you are in fact paying for moldy feed lot corn and other cheap fillers.

[Catty1]

And with quality food, feeding can cost less - because the cat or dog eats less of it! :)

[Jessika]

i'm just curious and this is an honest question - how do you know your dog was diagnosed with a problem if you haven't taken him/her to the vet?

You NEED to sit your family down and explain that if your dog does indeed have a health problem that stuff NEEDS to change. Diet and portions HAVE to change, and exercise NEEDS to be done daily. Reduce the amount of food given, this is a MUST first off. Try substituting part of the meal with green beans. For example; if you normally feed 2 cups of food a day, try instead feeding 1 1/2 cup of kibble and 1/2 cup of green beans.

Also make sure you are feeding the SAME sized portions every day. Getting a quiktrip cup and filling the bowl to the brim are not measured portions and can also be cause for overweightness. Get a measuring cup, read the guidelines on the back of the bag and feed accordingly. Measure out the exact same portion of food EVERY TIME.

[weirdo27]

She has been to the vet we just cant bring her for a seperate trip to find out what we can do to help her and pay 300 dollars just for advice which u can get freely on the internet. Im a male and this might sound weird but i worry about her. She has been around my entire remembered life or to what i can remember. We have had her since i was 10. Dont know if that makes sense.

[Jessika]

Well, you may be able to get the same advice on the internet, but you must also remember that none of us are certified vets or canine nutritionalists. If your dog has a medical condition, it NEEDS to be looked at by the vet. No advice we give you will help that. I understand money can be tight, I do sympathize with that.

My suggestions are as above. And also -- male or female, we all can worry about our furbabies. Just because you are male doesn't mean you can't care or have feelings. :)

[zoomer]

First of all, I would like to Welcome you to Pet Talk. It is full of learning experiences and lots of fun... you'll really enjoy it here. My name is Makayla and I own 19 pets.

Your poor dog! Don't listen to your neighbor, he sounds like a total nutcase! I cannot believe he would say such a thing. Nine is so young for a lab to go... they usually live to be at least 12, and usually older. My friend had a yellow lab for 14 years before she passed away. I think you should go for two 20 minute walks a day, but don't overload her with too much excersize. Maybe play some ball in the evening, or if she's not into that anymore not that she has aged, play tug-o-war for a little while, but don't pull on it too hard or yank on the toy or it might irritate her old teeth.
How much food are you feeding her? You might want to cut down on that, too. 4 cups a day is plenty for a large dog if you are feeding more. 2 cups in the morning and 2 at night, or even less. But don't feed less than 3 1/2 cups a day to a lab.

I would love to see some pictures of your girl!

[Jessika]

But don't feed less than 3 1/2 cups a day to a lab.
Well it really depends on what type of food they are feeding, different foods have different formulas and may have different feeding suggestions. ;)