corbinam
Moderator
Nope--go for it! I give frozen peas, carrots, green beans...the dogs love them!
Fat Old Man
- Thread starter Tabitha
- Start date
Nope--go for it! I give frozen peas, carrots, green beans...the dogs love them!
OntarioSheltie
Forums Celebrity
One of my shelties is on a weight loss diet, but he doesn't know it. I have him on Acana Light and Fit and he gets raw veggies as treats, which he loves.
Some things that are safe for dogs are peas, beans (both frozen, unsalted), carrots, cucumber, cauliflower, broccoli, bananas, strawberries, raspberries. All veggies can be served uncooked.
A bit of plain yogurt is also a great treat, or canned pumpkin (be sure not to get pie filling).
Its essential that unhealthy tablescraps be cut out of his diet. He isn't going to lose any weight if he's still getting fatty foods.
Thanks for all the advice. Callie is a very small sheltie -- about 14 lbs -- so I know I need to be careful not to give her many fattening treats. She's not extremely motivated by food, and frequently doesn't even eat all her food during the way so it's not a great motivator.
I was totally surprised by her reaction to the peas. I've given her carrots and sometimes she likes them and other times they end up in the middle of the living room floor, but those peas must have tasted like candy to her.
I was totally surprised by her reaction to the peas. I've given her carrots and sometimes she likes them and other times they end up in the middle of the living room floor, but those peas must have tasted like candy to her.
OntarioSheltie
Forums Celebrity
I was totally surprised by her reaction to the peas. I've given her carrots and sometimes she likes them and other times they end up in the middle of the living room floor, but those peas must have tasted like candy to her.
Hey, whatever works, right?
Hey, whatever works, right?
A bag of frozen peas at $1 or so is sure cheaper than most of the dog treats out there!
Tabitha
Forums Enthusiast
I went to United yesterday and FINALLY looked at the frozen green beans (I'm very forgetful
). I've always been told ever since I was a little kid that can is always better than fresh, so I never even looked until now. I couldn't believe the price, .99 for 1 lb! You can bet I got a big bag! Anyway, I got 5 long beans and broke them up into his food this morning, not sure if it was enough. I'll find out tonight if his stomach starts growling again. 
If I hear it once I'm up half the night sick with worry, I know I worry to much. But I'm the momma, I can
!
Thanks for the tips!
Tabs
). I've always been told ever since I was a little kid that can is always better than fresh, so I never even looked until now. I couldn't believe the price, .99 for 1 lb! You can bet I got a big bag! Anyway, I got 5 long beans and broke them up into his food this morning, not sure if it was enough. I'll find out tonight if his stomach starts growling again. If I hear it once I'm up half the night sick with worry, I know I worry to much. But I'm the momma, I can! Thanks for the tips!
Tabs
Tabitha
Forums Enthusiast
Ok, a little off original subject, but how do you make a dog GAIN weight? Jody is vey active and a little under weight. I feed him more than the recommended amount on the food bag (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups) but he's not putting on pounds. I going to swich him to an active dog food. Judging by his size I would guess that his norm would be around 25lbs maybe more and he's 20 now. I can feel his ribs pretty easy, not to bad. He just needs to bulk up a bit, and the food isn't doing the job. I'm thinking about using cheese and maybe leftover fat as training treats. He still has 16lbs of his old food so it's gonna be a while.
What do you think?
Tabs
What do you think?
Tabs
tofu pup
Moderator
hmm, are you raising a Sheltie or a market calf? 
I kid, I kid!
How are you figuring that he's underweight?
We often think a dog is "just right" when they're actually overweight, and think they're emaciated when they're at the correct weight. You will do the dog more harm keeping him a little over than a little under.
You say you can feel his ribs easily - that's a good thing! A dog's sides should feel like the back of your hand: you can feel the bones easily, and there's a thin layer of flesh over them. Too skinny, and they'll feel like the backs of your fingers. If the dog's sides feel like your palm - if you have to press to feel the bones - the dog is too fat.
Plus, this is a one-year-old dog - he's a teenager! His metabolism is zippy, he's an active dog, and he'll naturally start to fill out as he matures. He looks like a gawky beanpole right now, but that's because he's still a kid. (Think of a high school cross-country runner.)
My advice is to be patient. Unless he's losing weight or truly emaciated (which seems unlikely) he's just maturing at his own pace.
I kid, I kid!How are you figuring that he's underweight?
We often think a dog is "just right" when they're actually overweight, and think they're emaciated when they're at the correct weight. You will do the dog more harm keeping him a little over than a little under.
You say you can feel his ribs easily - that's a good thing! A dog's sides should feel like the back of your hand: you can feel the bones easily, and there's a thin layer of flesh over them. Too skinny, and they'll feel like the backs of your fingers. If the dog's sides feel like your palm - if you have to press to feel the bones - the dog is too fat.
Plus, this is a one-year-old dog - he's a teenager! His metabolism is zippy, he's an active dog, and he'll naturally start to fill out as he matures. He looks like a gawky beanpole right now, but that's because he's still a kid. (Think of a high school cross-country runner.)
My advice is to be patient. Unless he's losing weight or truly emaciated (which seems unlikely) he's just maturing at his own pace.
Tabitha
Forums Enthusiast
hmm, are you raising a Sheltie or a market calf?
How are you figuring that he's underweight?
We often think a dog is "just right" when they're actually overweight, and think they're emaciated when they're at the correct weight. You will do the dog more harm keeping him a little over than a little under.
You say you can feel his ribs easily - that's a good thing! A dog's sides should feel like the back of your hand: you can feel the bones easily, and there's a thin layer of flesh over them. Too skinny, and they'll feel like the backs of your fingers. If the dog's sides feel like your palm - if you have to press to feel the bones - the dog is too fat.
Plus, this is a one-year-old dog - he's a teenager! His metabolism is zippy, he's an active dog, and he'll naturally start to fill out as he matures. He looks like a gawky beanpole right now, but that's because he's still a kid. (Think of a high school cross-country runner.)
My advice is to be patient. Unless he's losing weight or truly emaciated (which seems unlikely) he's just maturing at his own pace.
Thanks tofu pup. It's been a long time since I've had a dog at his age (8 years in fact) and I can't remember everything
. The "gawky beanpole" comment really does describe him! Thanks for the help!As one who admits to being sort of clueless and who is here to learn about just this sort of thing, I have a couple of questions (I know, questions from me again!!!).
(1). How did you decide that he is too thin? Just by your own observation of your dog? (That makes sense and is probably what I would do, but I was wondering if a vet or other owner, etc. made that same observation).
(2.) Could someone address Tab's comment about "leftover fat"? Good?? Bad?? With my lifestyle and eating habits, I could see occasionally doing this too, if it isn't a problem for the dog's digestive system.