Our question this week was:

Hi Dr Jon, thanks for all the communications. I appreciate this opportunity to ask for your assistance with regards to Nicki's "obesity". She is a very happy, healthy girl and is with me practically 24 hrs per day, very agile and very active, BUT overweight! Her diet? +-2 - 3g of "Hill's Science Plan" (High in Vit E & C - for adult 7+ doggies, 25ml low fat milk after her early morning walk, and only the white meat of one small chicken thigh, boiled, skin removed - no salt - mid-afternoon, nothing else again until the pellets again the next morning. Nicki goes to work with me, loves driving in the car (sits only on my shoulder! :), runs around all day, drinks water regularly during the day. What am I doing wrong? She never gets sick and is already 7.5 yrs old. I cannot imagine my life without her and would hate to be responsible for her early death due to obesity. PLESE HELP!

Thank you.

Eleanor Diplock, Somerset West, Cape Town, South Africa

Answer

Hi Eleanor – thanks for your email. I'm sorry to hear about Nicki's obesity problem. Some dogs (like people) are much more inclined to put on weight. Just like us... he either needs to eat less (or fewer calories) or exercise more. Your most obvious options are to either feed the light version of the food or to feed less of it.

An article that might be helpful to you is Dealing with Dog Obesity and The Green Bean Diet.

Best of luck!


Dr. Jon




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