# My 2 year old female golden retriever weighs 40kg



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

You can get her thyroid checked at the vets. But I don't see how limited exercise for a couple months would get your dog about 10kg overweight in such short time. I'm in that country that uses imperial system (blarg) so I'm not overly familiar with metric units in relation to the advice I'm most used to. Typically when a dog is overweight, we reduce their food by 1/4 cup (so for a dog that receives 1 cup a meal, it's a 25% reduction). I've never weighed a cup of food so idk if a 50g reduction is equivalent. You can also restrict treats. That is how most people don't see the weight add up.


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## Kristinahysaj (Feb 13, 2018)

Brave said:


> You can get her thyroid checked at the vets. But I don't see how limited exercise for a couple months would get your dog about 10kg overweight in such short time. I'm in that country that uses imperial system (blarg) so I'm not overly familiar with metric units in relation to the advice I'm most used to. Typically when a dog is overweight, we reduce their food by 1/4 cup (so for a dog that receives 1 cup a meal, it's a 25% reduction). I've never weighed a cup of food so idk if a 50g reduction is equivalent. You can also restrict treats. That is how most people don't see the weight add up.


 Actually we do give her a lot of treats. It was not a couple of months but like 3 or 4. But i understand, i was just asking if there was any other way to make her lose weight a little faster. Thank you


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I would make sure that your uncle isn't slipping her extra food. I had a miniature poodle who had become extremely overweight while my dad lived with us. Turned out he was feeding all of my dogs cheese puffs when I wasn't looking. The poodle didn't get as much exercise as the other dogs and it caught up to him quickly. The others were a German Shepherd and a Border Collie. Once my dad was gone the weight came right off.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Are you able to increase her exercise again now? She does need to move. But don't overdo - work up to a 60 minute walk, twice a day - or even better, take her somewhere she can run and play off leash. Throw a ball for her.


As for food, she should only be getting her food - no extra treats, no human food. At all. If she is on a good quality kibble, she should get one imperial cup, twice a day. One cup of kibble is about 100-115 grams, depending on the brand.


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## Kristinahysaj (Feb 13, 2018)

Sweet Girl said:


> Are you able to increase her exercise again now? She does need to move. But don't overdo - work up to a 60 minute walk, twice a day - or even better, take her somewhere she can run and play off leash. Throw a ball for her.
> 
> 
> As for food, she should only be getting her food - no extra treats, no human food. At all. If she is on a good quality kibble, she should get one imperial cup, twice a day. One cup of kibble is about 100-115 grams, depending on the brand.


 Yeah! Im determined to exercise her until she is in good health. So no treats at all? Not even carrots cucumbers ice or apples? Also i was thinking of cutting down the food to 25% less


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Kristinahysaj said:


> Yeah! Im determined to exercise her until she is in good health. So no treats at all? Not even carrots cucumbers ice or apples? Also i was thinking of cutting down the food to 25% less



Honestly, I wouldn't. Cucumbers are basically water, so if you really feel the need to give something, cucumber won't do any harm. Carrots and apples, while healthy, are adding calories. 



And don't reduce the food so much that she is starving. I'm not sure how much you were feeding to begin, so not sure where reducing by 25% will leave you.


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

With one of our first Goldens, we allowed her to get overweight. After talking with our Vet, who told us she need to be on a diet, we did so. We cut her kibble down and added cooked green beans to her diet. This gives her the same amount of food, but not the calories. This way she does not feel she is missing out on something. It is a slow process. It didn't happen overnight, and the same with taking the weight off. She should lose about 1.5- 2 kgs a month. This is about 3-4 lbs for me. As you know, you also need to start giving her more exercise. Diet alone will not do it. We have been in the same spot as you. Just be patient and just like for us, the pounds do come off. If she likes the green beans, you can use them for treats. Or the cucumbers - as they do not have many calories at all. Just keep it to a minimum, as in the end all the calories still do add up. Good luck!


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## Kristinahysaj (Feb 13, 2018)

Sweet Girl said:


> Kristinahysaj said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah! Im determined to exercise her until she is in good health. So no treats at all? Not even carrots cucumbers ice or apples? Also i was thinking of cutting down the food to 25% less
> ...


 so i will keep feeding her cucumbers but no apples or any other snacks...i usually fed her 300gr (sometimes even more like 350) and minus25% equals like 225 gr


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## Kristinahysaj (Feb 13, 2018)

Our3dogs said:


> With one of our first Goldens, we allowed her to get overweight. After talking with our Vet, who told us she need to be on a diet, we did so. We cut her kibble down and added cooked green beans to her diet. This gives her the same amount of food, but not the calories. This way she does not feel she is missing out on something. It is a slow process. It didn't happen overnight, and the same with taking the weight off. She should lose about 1.5- 2 kgs a month. This is about 3-4 lbs for me. As you know, you also need to start giving her more exercise. Diet alone will not do it. We have been in the same spot as you. Just be patient and just like for us, the pounds do come off. If she likes the green beans, you can use them for treats. Or the cucumbers - as they do not have many calories at all. Just keep it to a minimum, as in the end all the calories still do add up. Good luck!


 omg only 1.5-2kg in a month??thats so littlee haha but thank you A LOT


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Kristinahysaj said:


> Actually we do give her a lot of treats. It was not a couple of months but like 3 or 4. But i understand, i was just asking if there was any other way to make her lose weight a little faster. Thank you


Please have her thyroid level checked by the vet. Thyroid imbalance can cause weight gain, and make it hard to lose weight. If her thyroid level is low, she should be started on medication.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Kristinahysaj said:


> so i will keep feeding her cucumbers but no apples or any other snacks...i usually fed her 300gr (sometimes even more like 350) and minus25% equals like 225 gr



225 grams a day total is probably plenty, if there is about 100-115 grams per imperial cup. If it is possible, you should try to buy an imperial cup measure (dry measure, not liquid, like what you would use to measure flour for a cake) and measure out one cup for the morning and one for the afternoon.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Our boy Max was overweight several years ago. We used this formula. We based the formula on calories. If your dog should weigh 70 pounds, feed her 700 calories per day. Dog food bags and websites typically list the calories in the food. In the US, the calorie count is expressed like this: "350 kcal per cup." In that example, you would feed 2 cups per day. I think there are about 110 grams in one cup. Not sure about that conversion, as it depends on the item you are measuring. I can tell you that Max lost 23 pounds over about 8 months using this method.


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