# Orijen Senior and Weight Loss - adequate nutrition?



## khrios (May 5, 2010)

I forgot to mention, she is walking two miles per day, slowly, slowly, but she is doing it. And she is playing fetch a little.


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

What is the recommended feeding amount for what her weight *should* be? 

How long has she been on the Orijen? Has she been checked for health issues (such as thryroid) causing her to be so overweight?

I like the idea of the higher protein in Orijen--and I personally think that it's a good food, in general. Does it seem to be agreeing with her? 

I would be more inclined to give her more dog food--less dog treats--but you can always give baby carrots and a slice of apple for treats if she will eat them? You can also bulk up her food by adding no salt green beans, if she will eat those.


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## khrios (May 5, 2010)

Wagners Mom said:


> What is the recommended feeding amount for what her weight *should* be?
> 
> 1 3/4 cups to 2 1/2 cups.
> 
> ...


I agree. I am just trying to figure out how many cups of food she needs to meet her protein needs in particular. She has little muscle mass. We would like her to gain muscle. She needs adequate protein intake to rebuild her muscles.

I am working on teaching her to eat her veggies. Of course, she will eat them if I cover them in butter :no:


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

You're only feeding her 1/4 cup less than the recommended amount, which I find is usually too much for my guys any way...so I think you're on the right track as far as her protein requirements. It's just going to take time and patience--but I would continue with what you are doing and see where it takes you.

Has she lost any weight in the 7 weeks? Slow and easy is key--so as long as you are seeing some minor results, I would say keep on keeping on!


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## khrios (May 5, 2010)

She was around 95 lbs when we got her. She lost 7 lbs right away, and hasn't lost any in a couple of weeks. Maybe she is putting on muscle. She certainly has more energy now than when we got her.


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

Energy is good! 

Does she act like she is starving? Or does she seem satisfied with the amount she is getting? 

What is the fat content in the Orijen she is eating?


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## khrios (May 5, 2010)

She acts like she is STARVING, poor thing. This makes me wonder whether she is really getting enough nutrition. She has been acting this way for 7 weeks. I expected she would have adjusted by now.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

@krhios

Unless the vet had a full thyroid panel done by Michigan State University (or sent it to Dr. Dobb's) you can not rule out an under active thyroid. It would still be a good idea to do this.

The feeding recommendations on all brand's of dog food tend to be for active non neutered/spayed dogs who normally have a higher metabolism. Also she needs to be fed the amount needed for the weight she needs to go down to (you might already be doing this but wanted to mention that). If she seems hungry you can supplement with veggies. I read that she doesn't like them without butter but one way of preparing veggies is oven roasting with a bit of olive oil. My 4.5 year old Golden will eat just about any vegetable cooked this way and I can even use them as treats for training.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

The Dog Food Project - Feeding Senior Dogs

DogAware.com Articles: Diets for Senior Dogs


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

Well, I have a senior golden, that could stand to lose about 5-7 lbs--and I've been doing a lot of reading. Everything I'm seeing says ideally, you want a fat between 10-14% fat for losing weight--but you are right on target in that they need higher protein. 

I'm not sure which formula you are feeding her, so not sure of the fat content. 

Like you, I would hope that she would've been more adjusted by now--and I don't like that she hasn't lost *any* weight in weeks. I would think at that amount, she should be losing, slowly.

I hope some others will pipe up in here--but I'm wondering if the Senior would maybe be a better choice for her in helping her lose weight. 

And I would still try adding some no salt green beans, to see if she will eat them and help her get more full.


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## khrios (May 5, 2010)

rhondas said:


> @krhios
> 
> Unless the vet had a full thyroid panel done by Michigan State University (or sent it to Dr. Dobb's) you can not rule out an under active thyroid. It would still be a good idea to do this.
> 
> ...


We are feeding her for her ideal weight, 70 lbs., according to the Vet. I love roasting veggies, and make them frequently, just as you described. I will try offering her those. She really seems to like dairy...cheese, butter, eggs, and steak. LOL


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## khrios (May 5, 2010)

Wagners Mom said:


> Well, I have a senior golden, that could stand to lose about 5-7 lbs--and I've been doing a lot of reading. Everything I'm seeing says ideally, you want a fat between 10-14% fat for losing weight--but you are right on target in that they need higher protein.
> 
> She is on Orijen Senior. I am feeding her 1/4 cup less than the lowest amount recommended. Of course, she gets small training treats, 1/2 cup a day, max.
> 
> ...


I'm working on this. She doesn't like veggies. 

How do I figure out the grams of protein she is consuming a day.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

@khrios

You mentioned that she needs to gain some muscle mass.
Swimming would help her in this area. Also, aquatread is another great way of exercising.


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## khrios (May 5, 2010)

I called Orijen and asked how many grams in a cup of their Senior food. They said 120 grams. Using that I calculated the grams of protein to be 45.6 per cup.

She is getting 68 grams of protein per day. I'm not sure if that is adequate or not.


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

Wagners Mom said:


> Well, I have a senior golden, that could stand to lose about 5-7 lbs--and I've been doing a lot of reading. Everything I'm seeing says ideally, you want a fat between 10-14% fat for losing weight--but you are right on target in that they need higher protein.
> 
> I'm not sure which formula you are feeding her, so not sure of the fat content.
> 
> ...


The excellent Annamaet company has a new GF out called Annamaet Lean which is perfect for chubby Goldens and Labs. The guy that owns Annamaet is well known for his expertise and I bet this food would be excellent for an older dog or one that is heavy. It is a less extreme approach than what Evo did. There is no better quality food than Annamaet though.


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## Casey and Samson's Mom (Sep 24, 2011)

It does take a while for changes to take effect. Origen is awesome food. watch out for the treats!! Most goldens act starved, even on a good calorie diet. It is what they do.


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## khrios (May 5, 2010)

Casey and Samson's Mom said:


> It does take a while for changes to take effect. Origen is awesome food. watch out for the treats!! Most goldens act starved, even on a good calorie diet. It is what they do.


I am using these treats 



. They are tiny and small bits of dried liver for higher value treats.

Some days we do go through a lot of treats because I am training her, and I am just learning to train her...and she is just learning to train me. LOL


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