Hypothyroid - Weight issue

[king2005]

Yep its Bear hehe Poor baby girl.

We know how to get her weight under control (diet kibble, walks, & her meds), but is there anything else we can do to help her loose the weight faster? & to enjoy her food more?

I was thinking of making carrot soup & mixing some of it into her kibble. I'm really not too keen of diet foods, as its always lacking something (even human diet foods)...

We're all quite worried about her weight, as she cannot do everything a healthy Rottweiler should be able to do. A lazy tubby human who smokes & who has Lung Cancer shouldn't be able to out run a Rottweiler! Poor baby has stumbled when getting onto the couch *SPLAT* right onto her face.

If anyone with exp. with a dog that has Hypothyroid, more advice would be great!

We're just so scared shes gonna hurt herself (break a leg, have a doggy heart attack) & we're not gonna be able to lift her or help her. We're already so very attached to her, as she is so very attached to us.. We know shes very sensitive & she wont do many things cause she thinks/knows shes just too fat.

[DrKym]

Excercise!Excercise! Play and good solid nutrition given in lower amounts.

Humans sometimes forget that treats have calories and fat too, since we don't want to not be able to treat our pups once in a while, take a good look at your own personal habits, do you or are you planning on using treats as a reward in training? If so add those in and adjust her excercise and kibble accordingly.

Are you active? If so think if you can include her in your non sedentary time (we ALL love the couch cuddles). My guy needed to gain weight and Sequoia needed to lose some, ( we have a hyper and hypo thyroid here 1 of each).
For their sakes I had to get off my butt (sigh and I was just settling onto it too!) We are at 5 miles daily, Sequoia cannot yet make all 5, she was too overweight and out of shape, and Rusty is bordering at needing more. We walk, (you wouldn't even want to see me jog! car accidents galore from drivers cracking up watching me) but we WALK at a brisk pace not strolling pace.

Play time helps too, use tug toys to help her tone up back legs muscles, neck and shoulders. also a great way to have fun establishing you as Alpha, you ALWAYS win and then when game is over you as Alpha are a hero when you let her have the toy.

Talk to your vet about using the RAW diet, no caloric issues as the food is naturally right. He/She can help you determine the proper ratio to feed,and she will be healthier for it without additives (no offense to anyone feeding kibble it's just my personal belief that natural fresh and no additives are better for ppl and critters) RAW isn't for everyone, but if you want to explore it your vet can be a great wealth of information.

Finally challenge her, if she can do 1 mile easily make it a mile and a half, etc. You will love the time spent, she will love the bonding, and you both will love a happier healthier her!

Good luck!

[king2005]

Excercise!Excercise! Play and good solid nutrition given in lower amounts.

Humans sometimes forget that treats have calories and fat too, since we don't want to not be able to treat our pups once in a while, take a good look at your own personal habits, do you or are you planning on using treats as a reward in training? If so add those in and adjust her excercise and kibble accordingly.

Are you active? If so think if you can include her in your non sedentary time (we ALL love the couch cuddles). My guy needed to gain weight and Sequoia needed to lose some, ( we have a hyper and hypo thyroid here 1 of each).
For their sakes I had to get off my butt (sigh and I was just settling onto it too!) We are at 5 miles daily, Sequoia cannot yet make all 5, she was too overweight and out of shape, and Rusty is bordering at needing more. We walk, (you wouldn't even want to see me jog! car accidents galore from drivers cracking up watching me) but we WALK at a brisk pace not strolling pace.

Play time helps too, use tug toys to help her tone up back legs muscles, neck and shoulders. also a great way to have fun establishing you as Alpha, you ALWAYS win and then when game is over you as Alpha are a hero when you let her have the toy.

Talk to your vet about using the RAW diet, no caloric issues as the food is naturally right. He/She can help you determine the proper ratio to feed,and she will be healthier for it without additives (no offense to anyone feeding kibble it's just my personal belief that natural fresh and no additives are better for ppl and critters) RAW isn't for everyone, but if you want to explore it your vet can be a great wealth of information.

Finally challenge her, if she can do 1 mile easily make it a mile and a half, etc. You will love the time spent, she will love the bonding, and you both will love a happier healthier her!

Good luck!

I'll talk to Chad about the RAW diet. If he likes the idea & we can afford it, I'm sure he'll go that route. Or do RAW & Kibble until the kibble is used up, as we just bought the bag (50.00).

Chad doesn't want Bear to have a tug rope. Hes scared she'll accidently tug on someones arm, instread of the rope. I do kind of agree, as we don't really know the dog yet & using her mouth in play could go wrong.

[DrKym]

Trust me she wont accidentally do anything with her mouth! I raised Rotties for 22 yrs. If you decide to go RAW use up the kibble first they dont mix! Raw food is digested easier, so it passes quicker for one thing, and it takes at least 24 hours for all kibble to be eliminated, when I am starting any new dog on the diet I fast them for 36 hours. They of course think they are starving but they seem to always quickly forgive me when they realize they are getting the yummies the other dogs get!

As for tug toys, I don't reccommend them for owners that are unsure about their pack status, I always make sure the dog knows basic obedience, and if the dog seems to think that it is their toy, a sit and then a command of give (and yes if need be I manually extract it) a reward for give , a pat or a an enthusiatic GOOD DOG! Ends the game, you are Alpha by default. If you are that unsure of Bear, definetley contact a local obedience instructor or join a class. Rotties are smart dogs that love to learn, they do think, and they need a firm but gentle hand. In that scenario they will thrive.

Feel free to PM if I can help in any other way.

[mike001]

Dr.Goodnow----I feed my dogs raw and have for many years. It actually costs me very little. I get all the butcher's scrap for free, when they slaughter a cow or pig I get all the bones with meat on them, pigs feet,ears, beef and pork tongues etc and lots of chicken backs which is excellent for raw feeding. I buy day old vegies on sale and juice these up with liver as roughage. I have never had a problem with raw, no vet bills, no need to have teeth cleaned etc.

[DrKym]

Mike I have been Feeding Raw since 1979, I am well aware of its' benefits! lol.
I too find it better for the dogs and cheaper to feed. However the fact remains that Raw and kibble do not mix well, and dogs are prone to upset tummies if mixed as a diet.

If you choose to feed a good quality kibble then by all means do so, but if you decide to go with Raw, then finish the kibble off , fast the dogs , and introduce the new diet slowly and with the easier to digest foods first.

[dragondawg]

Yep its Bear hehe Poor baby girl.

We know how to get her weight under control (diet kibble, walks, & her meds), but is there anything else we can do to help her loose the weight faster? & to enjoy her food more?

I was thinking of making carrot soup & mixing some of it into her kibble. I'm really not too keen of diet foods, as its always lacking something (even human diet foods)...

We're all quite worried about her weight, as she cannot do everything a healthy Rottweiler should be able to do. A lazy tubby human who smokes & who has Lung Cancer shouldn't be able to out run a Rottweiler! Poor baby has stumbled when getting onto the couch *SPLAT* right onto her face.

If anyone with exp. with a dog that has Hypothyroid, more advice would be great!

We're just so scared shes gonna hurt herself (break a leg, have a doggy heart attack) & we're not gonna be able to lift her or help her. We're already so very attached to her, as she is so very attached to us.. We know shes very sensitive & she wont do many things cause she thinks/knows shes just too fat.

With the muscle weakness still present are you sure the Hypothyroidism is under control? When was the last time you had a T4 test run on the dog by the Vet? Likewise insufficient Thyroid will yield a lethargic dog with low energy, low metabolism and overweight.

Normally weight control in a dog is very simple: Less food, less dog. More food, more dog. In a hypothyroid dog if the hormone level is not in normal range then less food, less energy, lower metabolism, more dog. Neither is a high protein food going to cause weight loss if the thyroid is still too low. More likely it will add weight.

Rather than experimenting with diets, you really need to get with the Vet to confirm the thyroid is at normal levels. Ask the Vet if the weight loss observed thus far(?) is what s/he would have expected. And ask the Vet to explain the continued muscle weakness.

[king2005]

With the muscle weakness still present are you sure the Hypothyroidism is under control? When was the last time you had a T4 test run on the dog by the Vet? Likewise insufficient Thyroid will yield a lethargic dog with low energy, low metabolism and overweight.

Normally weight control in a dog is very simple: Less food, less dog. More food, more dog. In a hypothyroid dog if the hormone level is not in normal range then less food, less energy, lower metabolism, more dog. Neither is a high protein food going to cause weight loss if the thyroid is still too low. More likely it will add weight.

Rather than experimenting with diets, you really need to get with the Vet to confirm the thyroid is at normal levels. Ask the Vet if the weight loss observed thus far(?) is what s/he would have expected. And ask the Vet to explain the continued muscle weakness.

We just got her on Sat. She saw the vet recently & has been loosing weight. Her old owners never walked her, they let her turn into a fat blob. Shes not a little fat shes VERY fat & has poor balance as the fat gets in the way.

She has a lot of energy, as she will jog & loves walks

[Freedom]

Walks will help to take off the weight. Start short. Remember, the surroundings are all new to her.

When I started walking Sugar, I started with one block. She is nearly blind (cataract surgery is set for Jan 29th) so she relies on hearing and smell. It took a few times for her to adapt to that one block. I didn't want to rush things, as we just got her and she hadn't learned to trust me yet, either. So if she wanted to stop and just smell or listen, I let her. Now we are up to 4 blocks and vary the routine. Each time I add a block, I notice she goes a bit slower, more cautiously, on the new territory.

You have the weather working for you. The cold, and snow, means you won't want to walk too far or be out too long. By the time the weather is nice out, she should be able to do a nice longer walk. So enjoy!