# Penny is a bit chubby



## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

Penny is tipping the scales at 9+ lbs.. She has always been a stockier girl, but lately I have been noticing that she looks really round. She eats the same amount of food as Lion (1.5 NV raw medallions in the morning and 1/4 scoop ZP at night), who weighs a bit over 6 lbs( he is thin and the vet said his weight is perfect). I am not sure why she is so fat when she doesn't get much food for her weight. She is very active and gets plenty of exercise through walks/playtime. I think she needs to lose a little weight, but I am not sure how to do it. Is there anything I can give her to help her feel full, but that will allow her to lose a few ounces? I already put water on their food at every meal but that doesn't seem to help much.

Another thing, she seems to be obsessed with food. She will steal food out of my hands, off of the table, or out of the garbage. She inhales her meals when she gets them (they eat 2X per day.) She is always looking for it, so it seems like she is constantly hungry.


----------



## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

Forgot to mention, they also get a bit of frozen canned ZiwiPeak in a kong a few times a week. It isn't more than like 1 1/2 tablespoons though.


----------



## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

LOL isn't that always the way of it? Us girls love our food and a little goes a long way 

TBH you can't use Lion as a guidepoint. Dogs all have such different metabolisms and spayed/neutered dogs have much slower metabolisms than their intact counterparts. They slow down further around physical maturity (Penny's age or thereabouts) so you will just have to adjust her diet.


----------



## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

i'm thinking add some green beans as treats to help her feel more satisfied...


----------



## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

That is true, I guess I can't use Lion as a guide, because he has always been a skinny boy. I will cut out a bit of the NV raw in the morning and see how that goes. Do you think giving 1 patty instead of the 1.5 she normally gets is too drastic? They are pretty small to begin with, I am sure you have seen them before...


----------



## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

elaina said:


> i'm thinking add some green beans as treats to help her feel more satisfied...


Good idea, I am wondering if pumpkin might work too..


----------



## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I usually try to have the big meal be the one in the morning. That way they have all day to burn it off. Dinner is always smaller here


----------



## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

flippedstars said:


> I usually try to have the big meal be the one in the morning. That way they have all day to burn it off. Dinner is always smaller here


good point. I will cut back on the dinner then. 



Just found this photo from a few weeks ago... I guess a little chubby was an understatement :/










(It's hard to see because it is blurry, but she is "begging" for the food the cat is eating on the chair)


----------



## EmberLuvu (Oct 24, 2011)

I think feeding around 1.5 patty but don't give her anything else except healthy human treats (Like frozen peas or chunks of raw carrot) should work, give her plenty of workouts. If you have a treadmill at the end of the day tie a leash to it and turn it on and have her walk on it for five minutes or so, if not then take her on longer walks or if you have a fenced backyard have her run out there for awhile.

Hope that helps!


----------



## mooberry (Jan 31, 2011)

oh my goodness penny, don;t worry tho you're not fat, just big boned  Green bean works, and a little more play then she's getting even now just to make sure she feels the burn.

I would cut each meal by 25% and use green beans /other veggies as a snack. pop her on the scale weekly to monitor her, you do not want drastic loss, but as long as she is going down your good.

What are her length height measurements vs lions?


----------



## Suzn (Feb 8, 2012)

Have your tried the Himalayan chews. They last a long time but have enough "real food" taste that Paco works on his all day long. It is by far his favorite toy. He always acts like he is starved to so I found these helped.


----------



## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

mooberry said:


> oh my goodness penny, don;t worry tho you're not fat, just big boned  Green bean works, and a little more play then she's getting even now just to make sure she feels the burn.
> 
> I would cut each meal by 25% and use green beans /other veggies as a snack. pop her on the scale weekly to monitor her, you do not want drastic loss, but as long as she is going down your good.
> 
> What are her length height measurements vs lions?


I know, I tell her I would love her even if she was 12lbs, but of course I don't want to hurt her joints so that weight has to go!
She is about an inch longer than Lion and an inch shorter. 




Suzn said:


> Have your tried the Himalayan chews. They last a long time but have enough "real food" taste that Paco works on his all day long. It is by far his favorite toy. He always acts like he is starved to so I found these helped.


I do have Himalayan chews, she really likes them!


Today is day 1 of Penny's green bean diet... I am taking a bit out of her dinner meal and replacing it with green beans for now. I also have portioned out her food for the day, and any treats she gets are either green beans or part of her dinner. That way I can't accidentally overfeed her. 

I also got some canned pumpkin to put in her Kong toy, that way she gets a fun frozen treat when I am away but not a lot of extra calories.


----------



## bayoumah (Nov 30, 2010)

hi i bet its hard at first when you think their still hungry and all their supper is gone i think your doing the right thing good luck please keep us posted i might put buster on a diet he could lose 2 pounds if i worked with his meals also


----------

