Hello to everyone,
I'm new here and my golden lab is new to my home! She came from a rescue centre just over a week ago
and will be10 months old tomorrow. I dont think she's had much exercise at all and I am trying to give her lots of walks to get her weight down. She is VERY overweight at 32kg (68lbs I think?). I have been
feeding her Pedigree Puppy food (it says she needs 5 tins a day!! but I've cut it back to 2 and a half). I would really appreciate any help or guidance as to the best way to help this lovely dog shed some weight. She tires very easily and even refused her walk last night.She has been having 3 good walks a day (1 for an hour and the other 2 slightly under an hour). She is a beautiful dog and is very good natured and loveable. She has settled in wonderfully well and I am so pleased to have her here with me(just lost my 16yr old Collie who I had since he was 12 weeks old. Heartbreaking.
Any help for Poppy will be so much appreciated.
Thank you,
Best wishes, Val
Ps The rescue centre fed Poppy Beta Light and only a tiny amount. She was very irritable and naughty there(only in there 3 days thankfully) but once home with me and on Pedigree Puppy food (tinned), she became a calm, placid and playful dog and very contented. I am wondering if she could go onto Adult food now and also whether dry food is preferable - if so which one and how much please? Thank you again.

Sorry Val but I just wish dog food manufactures would not put recommendations of amounts of food with their produce. The only way to really know is with the finger test. Feel the ribs and if the edges feel hard the dog is too thin, if the edge is blurred, about right and if hard to feel, too fat. The food should be adjusted to suit. I don't think I've ever got anywhere near the recommended figure and my Labs are working so you would expect them to burn off the food.

Some dogs, because of their metabolism need rather more food than other. A small amount of stalls means the dog is getting more from the food than one who appears to be trying to make a one dog "Muck Heap" and as such would need less food than the dog who passes everything through in short order. No two are the same, even from the same breed!

Regards, John

Hello John,

Thank you very much for your advice and help. I do appreciate this greatly. Poppy has certainly been having too many stalls - 3 or 4 times a day in fact (she is fed twice a day). It's never loose though so I suppose thats something. Thanks for the tip about the finger test. It's good to read of other peoples experiences with their animals.

Thanks again John,

Best wishes,
Val

Absolutely John.

Ash was 30Kg ish at 8-10 months, and looks like skin and bone. He's just very tall and leggy.

In fact I'm trying to get a bit more covering on him, as I'd like him to go into the season with a little to spare rather than trying to put it back in.

I've always fed what my boys are happy with, not what the manufacturers think is right.

Julia & hooligans

You will have to build up her excercise gradually and as you do the weight will reduce and the muscle tone build up but dont cut her food down too much and tins are not really nutritionally valuable I get upset when people adopt a dog from us and straight away cut their food right down its a shock to the dog,I would recommend that you feed a good quality dry complete meal for example Pedigree,bakers,Wafcol Junior not puppy and add a small amout of meat (optional) and I would give 1 mug full in the morning and another 2 mugs at teatime and if you want to bulk it up feed fresh vegatables like cabbage,carrots etc lots of water to drink.you will find as she settles into a good lifestyle with you she will get fit in no time at all and at ten months she is still a puppy.
Also I dont think that weight is as bad as it sounds is she s big heavey boned lab or light boned?

Hello Mattie,

Thanks so much for this incredibly good advice. I will definitely switch to a dry complete meal; I had been wondering about this and you've convinced me with your expert advice, thank you. It's reassuring that you dont think the weight is too bad - she is a big, heavy boned(broad shoulders especially) Labrador in fact so maybe I've been worrying too much. I felt so mean cutting her food back, although at the rescue centre she was having next to nothing and was so hungry when she came home with me.

I will ease back a little on the exercise and make it more gradual. I did this today after reading your post and she has been a lot livelier without the extra walk (cut her back to 2 walks now which seems to suit her better). I was getting concerned about her always being tired but have seen an improvement already, so thanks for that. Next step the dry food tomorrow! I cant thank you enough for your help. Thank you so much.

Best wishes,
Val