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Why wont my golden retriever lose weight2007-11-25 2:56:54

The vet says she needs to lose about 7kg. In 5 weeks she's lost half a kilo and infact has put a little weight back on since her last weigh-in two weeks ago. We've almost halved the amount of food she eats and she gets more exercise. She doesn't actually look overweight. Could the vet be wrong? Is 41kg excessively overweight for a golden retriever (of quite a large build)? If the 7kg was loseable, wouldn't it be coming off quite easily? What else can we do short of completely starving the poor dog??

Answers:

Your dog is definitely overweight. A golden retrievers weight should not exceed 35 kilos. It's common for neutered dogs to sometimes gain weight because they tend to eat more. You can help your dog lose that extra weight by feeding him less calories, not less food. Instead of giving him dog cookies, give him vegetables such as carrots etc. Make sure also that he does not eat in between meals and take him out to get exercise everyday.

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i don't know what else u can be doing, you've halved her food and walk her more...

sounds like she has an actual medical problem than anything that can be cured by exercise and a diet!

the next trip to the vet might have him realise this and have some tests done

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Just let the dog be happy

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The vet is over reacting. But if you really want the dog to lose weight then you should try changing the type of food you are feeding the dog and check the fat value of the dog food before you buy it. The dog could weight more due to more exercise the dog may be gaining muscle weight to replace fat. As long is your dog isn't having breathing problems because of its weight I see no reason to be that worried.

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I feel for you, my mum had a labrador and every time she took him to the vets he gave her real hard time about his weight suggesting she was over feeding him and we weren't, we tried to put him on a diet, he was eating barely a couple of handfuls of special food a day and still not losing weight, the vet practically accused my mum of cruelty! He had a weight problem simple and no matter how much we watched what he ate he did not lose weight, sometimes some breeds just have a huge body mass and no amount of dieting will shift it!

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I think that you should concentrate less on what you feed your dog, and more on feeding human beings that are starving perhaps!!

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Well no you shouldn't starve the dog. If you havent do so yet stop all treats. You dont say how old your Golden is but if she is over 5 years old ask your vet to check her Thyroid levels too.