# Low calorie food?



## Makomom (Feb 28, 2012)

Mako will be 2 on the 4th of July and weighs about 80 pounds. His dad is 100 pounds and his mom is about 60. Mako looks overweight even though he is only fed 2 cups of Blue (duck) a day (1 in morning 1 in evening) and swims everyday and runs 2-3 miles with my hubby every morning. Mako is very active in the yard daily chasing his ball and toys. Sometimes it looks like his fur is sticking out on his sides where ribs are. Any suggestions on a "diet" dog food? Do you think the Blue Buffalo duck is too high in fat or calories for him?
I am open to suggestions....Mako had both elbows operated on at 7 months due to fragmented medial coronoid process and I do not want his front legs to have more weight than normal on them. We also mix in Science Diet mobility kibble with the Blue for his joints and give him one dasaquin chew every morning. 
I attached some pics of him.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Mako doesn't look overweight to me, the first picture shows a nice tuck.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

The Blue Buffalo Duck you are feeding is very appropriate with 34% protein; 15% fat and 410 kcal/cup. The 15% fat is moderate (not high) and is beneficial for healthy skin and coat. 

My question is: how much Science Diet Mobility is part of that total 2 cups of kibble a day? Or is it added in addition to 2 cups of Blue?

The Science Diet lists its carbohydrate percentage at almost 55% which is very high; If you are feeding very much of it, that alone can contribute to a dog not losing weight or gaining weight. There is no need for you to be adding the SD Mobility formula. The amount of glucosamine/chondroitin is not at therapeutic levels in kibble; plus the Dasaquin you are giving already covers that issue.

Mako looks good to me; but of course none of us can put our hands on him to see if his ribs are easily felt. It sounds like he gets plenty of exercise. I would suggest cutting out the SD kibble; feed only the Blue and I bet you will be happy with the results.


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## stealle (Nov 12, 2012)

I agree. Get rid of the science diet. Full of cabs. Just recommended by vets because they don't know better. Or, they are selling it. 

I find it hard to believe you dog is overweight if all you are feeding is 2 cups/day with all that exercise. My old girl put on a few pounds over the winter because i hate walking in the cold. I suspect she will drop some weight over the next several months. Has your boy been getting all that exercise constantly throughout the winter?

Personally I do not like low calorie/"diet" dog foods. The are just full of filler that is more likely to do more harm than good. I think it's best to feed the proper amount of a high quality food. AND, be careful with the treats. The calories can add up fast!


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

Mako looks pretty ideal to me, I would certainly the science diet and either go exclusively blue or if you are still concerned about his weigh try a high protien food to mix like Orijen or the really high protien dr tims formula. IMO science diet is junk ripoff


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## Makomom (Feb 28, 2012)

Thanks for the advice! The science diet is added in with the Wilderness Blue Buffalo duck. So I would say its an even amount of both....with what you all advise I will stop the SD.... The surgeons actually recommended it and was so worried about his elbows! I will try only the Blue and see if that helps him trim a bit. I will post a pic looking at Mako from the backside when I get home...I think you will see how he kinda spreads out a bit towards his upper area...not so much towards the rear...it is funny cause his hair kinda sticks..or tufts out in that spot on each side. About 4 months ago took him to vet and he said Mako should be streamlined like the Mako shark...not looking like a whale!!! He said he could not feel his ribs. UGH....


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

I would be hard pressed to believe also that 2 cups a day would make him overweight. He looks good. Perhaps he has a bigger build? My Wyatt weighs 85 and looks trim and fit.

One thing I would like to add is that swimming as much as you say your dog does, will put on more muscle weight in the chest and shoulder area. I have noticed it in both my goldens.


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## stealle (Nov 12, 2012)

I could not see the pictures on my phone for some reason. I see them now that I am on my laptop. 

It's hard to tell by pictures alone. You really need to get your hands on the dog. Can you feel his ribs? I don't think he looks much overweight. Maybe he could lose 5lb from what I can see. 

If indeed he is only getting 2 cups of food a day and very few small treats with all that exercise, I suggest getting his thyroid checked.


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## Tuco (Jan 3, 2013)

Just saw the part about his elbows, science diet has the whole system in their pocket, they do everything from scholarships to sponsoring the few dietary course in vet school to offering food for a lower price to vets, most of their "specialty" foods make claims that break FDA rules and have tiny insignificant changes that can either be easily replicated by adding certain things to a dogs food or even just by giving a better food, their foods are filled with grain, often mostly corn, and we aren't talking sweet corn we are talking about under regulated Monsanto Genetically modified field corn. Many if their formulas exeed 50% carbohydrates, and are suspected to contain less than half meat and meat byproduct. A worthy read about the claims they make about their mobility food http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm281270.htm

Just so you know, assuming you have the time to prepare it, which isn't as long as you may think, you may want to consider a raw diet, the raw meat and particularly the cartilage, does wonders for joint and mobility issues, I know on the dog food forum there are Afew people whom half posted before and after raw videos from their dogs with HD and joint disease, there's a very notable one I remember from a 200 lb neo mastiff with joint disease, the difference was uncanny, il see if I can find it


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Can you easily feel ribs when he is standing? You should be able to. The best thing you can do not only for longevity but for his skeletal system is to keep them lean. If you cut back on food ( try 10 cals per 10 lbs of desired weight) and he still isn't losing, have a full thyroid panel run.... sent to either MSU or Dr. Dodds. Hypothyroidism is very common in goldens and even many vets don't realize that low normal is actually low for goldens and needs supplementation.


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## Makomom (Feb 28, 2012)

Here are some pics of Mako from the backside.....its weird how his fur sticks out on the sides....makes him look really wide!:uhoh:


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## Makomom (Feb 28, 2012)

Took Mako to the vet yesterday...he weighed in at 82 pounds!!! He was weighed in October at 74 pounds so he did have a weight gain of 8 pounds....ugh....
Well I am for sure stopping the science diet food and am thinking of changing him to Eukanuba Lamb & Rice.....our previous golden Baloo always had Eukanuba and never had a weight issue. Last thing Mako needs is extra weight on his front legs!


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## CITIgolden (Mar 9, 2013)

Makomom said:


> Took Mako to the vet yesterday...he weighed in at 82 pounds!!! He was weighed in October at 74 pounds so he did have a weight gain of 8 pounds....ugh....
> Well I am for sure stopping the science diet food and am thinking of changing him to Eukanuba Lamb & Rice.....our previous golden Baloo always had Eukanuba and never had a weight issue. Last thing Mako needs is extra weight on his front legs!


He doesn't look overweight and if he can run 2-3 miles without exhausting that would seem he's in a pretty good shape actually. KC is also around 80lbs and I can feel his ribs and clearly see his waistline, on top of that he's such a picky eater that I'm not sure if he even eats 2 full cups of food - my other puppy will often vacuum both bowls. Is he intact? Intact dogs tend to be slightly heavier. 

Perhaps switching to a completely grain-free food would be your first step if you want him to lose weight. I also agree with a couple of people here who suggested raw, if you have time. I'm considering a switch and from all the research I've done thus far the benefits seem to be great including weight management...


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Makomom said:


> Took Mako to the vet yesterday...he weighed in at 82 pounds!!! He was weighed in October at 74 pounds so he did have a weight gain of 8 pounds....ugh....
> Well I am for sure stopping the science diet food and am thinking of changing him to Eukanuba Lamb & Rice.....our previous golden Baloo always had Eukanuba and never had a weight issue. Last thing Mako needs is extra weight on his front legs!


As I said in my earlier post, deleting the Science Diet would be helpful. But I don't see how you think feeding the Eukanuba Lamb & Rice would be helpful in weight control. It's about 45% carbohydrates. The lower the protein and fat; the higher the carbohydrates. Dogs utilize fat and protein first; so you're stacking the deck against the dog if you feed a carb heavy diet (which could be either grain-inclusive or grain-free).


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## Makomom (Feb 28, 2012)

Yippee!!! Brought Mako to vet Saturday to weigh him and he has lost 4 pounds! I think he has another 4-6 pounds to go.....


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