Seven secrets to successful canine weight loss

I always have trouble writing headlines on my posts, but this one was worse than usual. That's because I'm normally allergic to headlines about the secrets of human weight loss that I see on the covers of magazines while standing in line at the market.



The thing is, weight loss for dogs really does appear to be a secret, because somewhere around half of all pet dogs are fat. Why is that?



Conventional wisdom tells us it's because we feed them too much and exercise them too little, and certainly that's a factor. I sometimes think it's as much symptom as cause, though, of a bigger problem.



Modern life doesn't just turn us and our dogs into couch potatoes and snackers. It feeds us chemically enhanced foods designed to make us eat larger portions, more frequently; it does this with both "natural flavorings" concocted in a food lab in New Jersey somewhere, and also with that old stand-by, sugar.



It surrounds us pretty much 24/7 with light and noise, making true deep, restful sleep almost impossible.



Our schedules rarely permit us to go on long walks with the dogs, and our lifestyles are usually sedentary and hectic. We're stressed out, our dogs are bored -- its own kind of stress -- and our hormonal systems (by which I mean the whole, complex endocrine system) are out of whack as a result of all those things.



Our dogs' hormonal systems are even more out of whack than most of ours, because we've sterilized them. And however little we want to admit it, altered pets are more likely to gain weight while eating fewer calories than intact pets.



And, as Dr. Patti Khuly pointed out the other day in her post on the topic, pet food labels make very little sense to humans used to the kind of labels we see on our food. You can't even tell how many calories are in a serving of commercial dog food from the label. It's absurd.



Fine, you say. You've totally depressed me. Now what?



Let me tell you how to make your dog lose weight.



First, if you're someone who wants to dump some kibble in a bowl twice a day and not think about it, then nothing I say here is going to help. Simply switching to a "lite" food isn't going to change anything, no matter what the pretty TV ads say. The claims those foods make are based on tests using strict portion control, and with little relevance to how most people live with their dogs.



So let's talk "portion control."



A healthy wild animal won't over-eat or become obese under normal circumstances. Their bodies evolved with a precise mechanism for storing fat, building muscle, and using stored fat when times are hard. That system might still be working perfectly well in most dogs; almost all my dogs have self-regulated without the slightest help from me. That's true of more than half the dogs in America, too.



But for the rest, not so much. Some breeds of dog have a high propensity both to over-eat and to pack on the pounds -- yes, I'm talking about you, Labrador retrievers. This is genetic. It really is. Which doesn't mean your Lab has a free pass to all the food he can eat (which will be infinity times two) and as much weight as he can gain (ditto). It means if you have a Lab, odds are very good you're going to need a strategy to maintain or regain his ideal body weight.



In fact, anyone with a fat dog is going to need a strategy. And look! I haz one!



First, for the love of dogs, go to the vet. Have her weigh your dog, have her establish your dog's goal weight, have her clear your dog for increased exercise and most critically and urgently and importantly and any other words like that you can think of, have her test your dog for hypothyroidism and Cushing's.



I have had three dogs with a weight problem in a very long life with many dogs. Two of them were diagnosed with Cushing's, a disorder of the adrenal glands, and the third was never diagnosed but almost certainly had it anyway.



Both of my diagnosed dogs immediately lost all their excess weight within a few months of being treated for their Cushing's.



Remember: normal, healthy animals in the wild won't get eat too much and won't get fat. Our dogs are not living in the wild, and we've altered them genetically, so you can't always count on that (see Labrador retriever), but if your dog has gained weight, there's possibly a reason for it that has nothing to do with calories and exercise. Please rule out those reasons before putting your dog on a diet and exercise program.



If your dog doesn't have an underlying health problem, the rest is uncomplicated but difficult.



Determine your dog's caloric needs. Dr. Patti covers that in her post, and your vet should be able to do those calculations, too.



This isn't quite as straightforward as Dr. Patti makes it seem. Or it is, but only if your dog is merely slightly overweight. If your dog is extremely overweight, my experience is that it's counterproductive to reduce calories too much at the start. I've seen dogs gain weight on reduced calorie diets when the switch was too drastic. (Probably a lot of women reading this are nodding their heads right now, too.)



If your dog is very fat, just calculate his current caloric intake. Measure how much you're feeding him -- and please be honest -- and figure out how many calories he's eating per day. You can get this data for commercial foods on the manufacturer's website or by calling them; you can calculate it for homemade diets the same way you'd calculate your own caloric intake.



Reduce his caloric intake by no more than 5 percent the first week.



Weigh your dog every week. If you have a small dog this isn't all that hard. Just weigh yourself, then pick him up and weigh the two of you together, then deduct your weight.



Those of us with bigger dogs need to find a veterinary scale. Many pet supply stores have them, and of course, nearly all vet's offices do. Whether you have to travel to your vet's office or the local feed supply store once a week, it's an essential part of your dog's weight loss. Find a way.



If your dog was very heavy and is losing slowly -- no more than 1-2 percent of his body weight per week -- great. Don't do anything different. When he stops losing, drop calories another 5 percent that week. Rinse. Repeat.



If your dog wasn't very heavy and you put him on the calorie level obtained from the formula Dr. Patti gave, as long as he's losing slowly, just stay the course. If he's losing more than 1-2 percent of his body weight per week, up his calories by 5 percent.



If he's not losing, drop him by 5 percent, but don't go below his base caloric requirement. If you're being honest and accurate, and your dog is not losing on his base caloric rate, it's almost certain he has an underlying health condition. Go back to your vet, and if necessary, ask to be referred to an internal medicine specialist or a vet school for a more complete work-up.



That last paragraph is the real reason I wrote this. Because I've seen way, way too many dogs whose owners gave up trying to help them lose weight because it didn't seem to work.



Yes, some of those owners are not really trying. I'm not talking about them. If you aren't being honest, aren't weighing and measuring, then you've got a psychological problem, not a factual one, and I don't know what to say about that.



But if you go a week or two sincerely measuring your dog's food, limiting his calories but not slashing them drastically, and he gains or maintains his weight? Something's wrong. And whether it's the epidemic of endocrine disorders caused by food additives, excessive ambient light and noise, disrupted sleep cycles and stress, or a disorder like hypothyroidism or Cushing's, it's going to need more than just a little calorie reduction to fix.



Foods for active weight loss. Some commercial foods and homemade recipes are calculated for what is called "active weight loss." I don't mean "lite" foods; they're just marketing gimmicks. "Active weight loss" on the label or in the recipe description means the food provides more nutrients at lower calorie levels. "Lite" just means each serving has fewer calories -- which might come at the cost of required nutrients.



Can you just feed less of a normally-formulated diet? Probably. Most people should start there, in fact, because many dogs are simply being over-fed or allowed to over-eat. Portion control of a normal recipe is usually enough. But if not, get a food or homemade recipe calculated for "active weight loss," and give that a try.



Exercise. You'll notice I've said fairly little about exercise. I believe in it. I think it's good for dogs and people, and I agree with the old saying, "If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise." I'd love to see every dog in America getting ten times more exercise than he is right now, and think they and we would be much healthier, stronger, and leaner if that happened.



But your dog can lose weight without getting exercise, and sometimes cranking up the activity level makes him hungrier. By all means, if your vet says it's okay, give him ten or fifteen minutes of extra heart-pumping play every day. But calculate his caloric needs, and what levels he gains and loses at, before changing his exercise regimen. Then you can adjust them upward to make sure his weight loss stays slow and steady.



In other words, don't change multiple variables at one time.



All that said, if your dog's weight loss is all or partly caused by disrupted light explosure, boredom, and stress, there's nothing like walking and running in the natural sunlight to get the metabolism functioning properly. You're going to have to really think about your dog and his lifestyle, and use your intuition and your vet's advice to decide how much exercise to give him during this process.



But if your dog has physical limitations and can't exercise, don't give up. I've seen dogs crated after ACL surgery lose weight. It really is possible.



Dance with the one that brung ya. When you find what works, stick with it. Losing weight isn't something you do and then are done with; it's a permanent change. Think of obesity as a condition that can be put into remission with a therapeutic diet, but never cured. Your dog's caloric requirements may change as he ages, but the underlying principles of calculating caloric needs and not exceeding them will never change.



And neither will all the other things that impact what those caloric needs are, and how our dogs' bodies handle the food they eat. The endocrine disruption caused by surgical altering, too much artificial light, disrupted sleep patterns, and stress are very real, and every year we know more about how they affect different species and their metabolic health.



Prevention. Fresh air, sunshine, play, companionship, the right amount of wholesome foods -- and for once, yes, I'll just say it: a lifetime of processed foods is no healthier for our dogs than it is for us. Make your dog's food at least some of the time, if at all possible -- all those things will ensure your lean dog stays that way. And they're all many slightly overweight dogs need to get back to a healthy weight.



I have a few more tips and stories about canine weight loss, along with an interview about canine fitness with Dr. Marty Becker that I did a year or so ago, here.

Comments

[Original Lori]

Thanks Christie--us first time dog moms/pet parents/dependant havers/owners/operators need reassurance sometimes. :O)

[Christie Keith]

Vickie, I'm a big believer in "don't fix what's not broken," but there is no evidence to support adding veggies and fiber to canine diets makes them feel more satisfied. Satiety comes from fat and protein, not fiber.



What adding filler and bulk to a bowl does is make US think we're giving the dog more food. What I suspect is simply that you were more aware and slightly reduced his intake and perhaps gave him a little more exercise, and then you felt better about it because you were adding the grated carrot and thought it made him feel more full.



On the other hand, every dog is an individual, and perhaps it worked for him. Very glad you came up with a fix that worked for you!

[Christie Keith]

It's normal and healthy for dogs to self-regulate. But it's unusual for Labs and Lab mixes, LOL. So yay!!! Just watch him, you're doing great.

[Eucritta]

You've left out what we found to be the magic secret: Keep the dog out of the cat box.



I love my dog, but dogs are sometimes really disgusting :P.

[Original Lori]

Christie--(This is going to sound like a stupid question)Is it typical for a dog to refuse the food in its dish simply because he's not hungry? So far my dog, Kasey, who is some sort of lab mix, still has a nice tuck at the waist and etc. I'm more worried about the opposite problem because sometimes he just seems to want to skip a meal. (He's fed at noon and at 6) When he was a puppy the vet said that he would regulate his intake based on how much exercise he was getting. I still worry though, and wonder if I should be doing something differently.

[Vickie Carr]

Hi...



My GSD gained a significant amount of weight about the time my 2 children were toddlers...the combination of less walks from me and food at mouth level provided by the kids is what put it on.



What took it off was I grated a carrot into his meals, morning and night. It gave him satisfying bulk without the calories.

[Ingrid King]

I would love to see a similar post on weight loss for cats - it seems to be an even bigger challenge for cats, since simply counting calories doesn't work for them, you also have to look at cutting out carbs as much as possible.

[Nancy J. Silberstein]

Ingrid,



My big orange cat was over-weight, per the vet, but only eating two small cans of wet food a day. The vet said not to cut back on his food, but to increase his exercise. Razor and I now kill kibble twice a day. I throw a piece of kibble and he chases it and eats it. The caloric value of a dozen pieces of (small) kibble a day must be less than the calories burned chasing it, knocking it out of the air, digging it out from behind furniture.



Before he would chase it, however, I had to teach him what throwing was. I got him to eat it out of my hand, then I dropped one on the floor, then I tossed it farther and farther. He now anticipates like a retriever.



Besides the exercise I think the playing has made him less bored and happy to be killing things. (Hey, he's a cat. They're killers.) njs

[3rd Lori]

You should try getting some of these people to go to the vet! :(

I already pay for my 3 and one or two others occasionally. There's nothing worse than a middle-aged Chihuahua that looks like an overstuffed bratwurst on toothpicks!

[3rd Lori]

Oh, Thanks for the help. :) I really do appreciate it. :)

[Christie Keith]

I'm not a therapist, LOL. I can't figure out half of what *I* do, let alone other people, so I just put the info out there and let people do with it what they will.

[Christie Keith]

Whatever you feed, you need to calculate the caloric needs of the dog in question, then get the calories of the food from the company or its website (since it's not given on the label the way it is in human food), and then feed accordingly. That's true across the board for all foods, commercial or homemade.



The steps I give in this post are the same regardless: First, to the vet. If the dog is very overweight, reduce the calories in stages. Monitor weight weekly. Consider a formula labeled for "active weight loss" if simple portion control of a regular food isn't working, and go back to the vet if the dog isn't losing weight on his properly-calculated calorie level.

[Vickie Carr]

Cristie,



Thanks for the feedback...you are probably right, we were much more aware of portion control once we recognized there was a problem.

[Deanna]

Christie, I know current nutritional wisdom agrees with you about fat and protein leading to weight loss, but my three "rat" study disagrees. One "rat" lived with a nutritionist who insisted on the fat/protein theory. Couldn't peel the weight off. Said dog came to live with me for three weeks and all I did was calculate calories and added in pumpkin and/or green beans. Voila, weight loss. Same with the two air ferns who live with me. One tanks up on nuts every fall. Reduce his calories and add in the veggies for bulk and he loses it again in about 3 months.



One of my neighbors uses carrots to keep her Goldens trim. It works.

[Christie Keith]

Deanna... have you done it WITHOUT the added bulk?



Since dogs have no dietary requirement for carbohydrate, and all it provides is energy (calories), why not just leave it out?



I don't think what you're saying and I'm saying are any different, other than for that issue. I believe that the simple portion control you instituted would have taken care of it. The fiber is for us, so we don't' feel like we're starving our dogs. Or maybe to make eating take longer, to psych them out. If so, fine. But it really doesn't increase satiety in the brain.

[Christie Keith]

Ingrid, you're right -- cats are very different. I will plan a cat weight loss post, too!

[3rd Lori]

So, now I'm confused a bit. I understand the part about not adding green beans, etc. I've heard that anecdotally, but I can't say it makes any sense at all. My 3 Goldens have never been overweight and completely self-regulating until death at 12 and 13 for the first 2. The eat about 1/2 as much in the hot weather than in the winter. (I live in a cold climate.) They have all been intact males. (I don't breed, no oops litters, just prefer their temperament and feel it is safer, healthwise.) My Lab mix, a neutered dog, is also self-regulating. My current Golden is not even a big exerciser or eater & he is my thinnest dog.



This question comes up all the time with my friends who own pets. I even pay for some of them to feed better quality food. I understand that so-called weight reduction food is basically useless. Would a high protein or grain-free food be appropriate in an otherwise healthy, younger obese dog. What about raw? I feed my dogs Calif. Naturals Lamb & Rice due to wheat allergies plus 1/4 lb raw weight cooked hamburger (human grade) with the grease drained off twice a day. Plus I give all protein treats -- dehydrated liver, etc., and cut them into smaller pieces.



I feel a little guilty because I don't feed raw. But I don't want to drive all over the place & use up a lot of gas.

[3rd Lori]

Well, I am a retired therapist, LOL. I just care about their dogs!

[Susan]

I thought I was the crazy one! (ok, I am, but this ain't why.) My bulldog free-fed and wasn't fat. My Boston was free-feeding before we got our Frenchie and he's downright finicky. But our Frenchie will eat till he pops if allowed and is ALWAYS STARVING.(So he tells me.)He's also too "fluffy" and craps 3-4x/day (less on raw). People kept saying, he's a puppy, don't starve him! but I sensed we were headed to the "big boy" dept. To the vet we go before "fluffy" becomes very obese.

[Doug Dovers]

Dogs have not evolved to eat carbs. what does a wolf eat?

I would like your comments.

My eating habits have completely changed since reading Gary Taubes' books. If you vet him you will see that he has a very high credibility. All science, not anecdotal views, which contradict much of the common wisdom you espouse.

Thanks.