Hi All

I am after some advice re how to get some weight off my oldest shep male (castrated). He is 6 now and although he has always been oversized (not overweight) he has never carried any weight before. He is long haired so i must admit i didn't realise how tubby he was getting.

He is fed on a raw diet and is only having 2 % of his body weight, has at least 2 hours exercise per day (minimum) but seems to be getting bigger. At his optimum size he weighs in at 51 kgs but after weighing him this morning it has crept up to 53 kgs and you can notice it! i spoke to the vet who wanted me to put him on Hills prescription diet for weight loss but i really don't want to.

Any ideas? i am getting worried about the added pressure on his joints, heart etc although he can still run like the wind after a ball! ;-)

I took my Irish boy off raw because no matter how little I fed him or how much I replaced with vegetables he still didnt lose weight.  I have him on burns high oats mixed with a little mince and he looks fab on it :)

> He is fed on a raw diet and is only having 2 % of his body weight,

Is that 2% of the weight he should be or the weight he is? That may make the difference, food quantity only needs to fed a little too much at each meal to have a commulative effect of weight gain.
Can you just up the veg% of his food (cut out some meat & replace with veg).

Once he is at his ideal weight, you'll have to re-adjust his food again to maintain weight.

BUT I don't know anything about raw feeding, hopefully somebody who does may have some good tips for you.

he is fed 2% of what he should weigh, have tried upping veg ratio, really don't want to take him off raw as the other 4 are fed raw and he loves it too.

Perhaps try feeding some of the less fattier raw meats. My small terrier is very hard to keep weight on so he tends to have more tripe and lamb than my GR. I have noticed recently that the raw chicken I get from Landywoods does seem to be a lot greasier than it has been in the past but that would only apply to you if your raw comes from the same supplier.

If leaner meat doesn't make a difference then I would just try cutting back the quantity by a little bit - the 2% is a guideline and can be adjusted up and down according to individual needs :)

Hi Harley

Yes my meat comes from Landywoods, i have cut out the fattier meat over the last few weeks but so far no difference but will persevere. The poor thing looks at me when i give him his meals with a 'where's the rest' look on his face and has started begging so he is def hungry bless him.

Its funny cos i spent the first 4 years trying to puit weight on him !!

thats what my boy got like on raw, I cut it back so much that he would do anything to get more food (including climbing on worktops) thats when I bit the bullet and put him on complete, he still clears his bowl but you can tell he is more content.

Its funny cos i spent the first 4 years trying to puit weight on him !!

You obviously did a good job :) I have definitely noticed a difference in the last 3 deliveries I have had from LW. Some of the meat is a lot sloppier than in the past and the chicken now can't be tipped out of it's bags as it is so sticky it just clings without moving and I have to cut the bags to get it out. My terrier has had several days when he has turned his nose up at it and gone without - my GR just eats whatever is put in front of him.

Do you weigh the food or just go by eye? I used to weigh it religiously but now don't bother as I have a fairly good idea of how much is the right amount but it took a while to get there - the right weight always looked less than I guessed at. It might be worth weighing meals out for a while to ensure that the amount that looks right is in fact the correct amount.

yes i must admit that after feeding this way for the best part of 10 years, i never weigh anything anymore but i will go back to doing so. I too have noticed a difference with the meat from Landywoods but it was more the lamb that i noticed, the smell was terrible and usually my 4 will eat anything but turned their noses up at it .

Hmmmm not sure what to do? maybe if i put him on a complete diet til he had lost the weight then back onto raw maybe.

Thanks for your help