[nagdu] weight question

Fri Sep 12 08:21:20 UTC 2014

Abby,
You know how I feel about dog food, as I'm sure most listers do. Of
course, I think it's time to switch your girl's food. You may not be
comfortable with going prey-model raw, but freeze-dried, air dried,
and dehydrated foods would serve your dog better than the kibble. I'm
guessing your girl is under 70 lbs, and that you feed nearly 4 cups
because she is active. If I'm right, I highly recommend feeding her
something more nutrient-rich and high in protein. Even switching to
Great Life would be better than plain processed kibble from any other
company.
The best freeze-dried formulas come from Canine Naturals, but they are
not the most affordable for everyone. More affordable freeze-dried
brands are Grandma Lucy's, Stella and Chewys, and Sojo's Complete.
Onlynaturalpet.com, as well as chewy.com and petflow.com sell these
foods. For sure, feeding instructions for these brands can be found on
the OnlyNaturalPet site. The Honest Kitchen is a brand of dehydrated
dog food. I don't know any brands of air-dried food, but
onlynaturalpet.com sells it. If you need any help making your
decision, feel free to email me at Ravend729 at gmail.com.

Concerning the weight question, what is a labrador harness? I don't
understand why there would be a difference between a harness for a
labrador and a for a golden. Really, the harness should fit the dog's
body shape.
And just because the dog is 5 lbs above what he weighed at the school
does not mean he is overweight. I was told my dog's target weight was
66 lbs, which is at the lower end of the weight range for male
goldens. That was 2 years ago, and now the Golden Guy is a very fit 72
lbs. There is no extra weight on this boy anywhere. The dogs are
certainly not done growing when we receive them, even if they are
2-years-old, as my dog was. They still fill out in the chest area
around 3-4 years, and thus will need adjustment of the harness strap.
They spew bs at the schools about not needing to adjust the harness
strap if your dog is an adult, but that's a load.
Also, a couple of my classmates and I have all switched our dogs to
raw, and we've all found that our raw-fed dogs exceed the target
weights prescribed by the school. None of our dogs are overweight,
they are all well-exercised, and very lean and muscular due to their
diets. So looking at my dog's medical chart, you would think he is 6
lbs overweight, but if you examine his body, you will see he is very
fit.
All this is to say, I would not put stock in the numbers, I would put
stock in how the dog looks. There should be a thin layer of fat over
the ribcage, and the belly should be tucked up to form a definite
waistline. If you can't feel the dog's ribs, especially the last few
near the belly, the dog is probably overweight. If the dog's belly is
not significantly more tucked in than the chest, or if you notice the
dog is more round, chances are, the dog is overweight.

On 9/11/14, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> What formula of Diamond Natural  are you using?
>
> 	For your friend, it really depends. Your friend should know to tell
> if the dog is overweight using the methods described in this thread. Dogs
> go
> through phases, and they are by no means done growing when we receive them.
> A dog may be slightly overweight at one time in his/her life and, at
> another
> time, weigh more but not be overweight. If the dog is not overweight and
> the
> harness does not fit, then your friend needs to insist that the school give
> her a harness that fits. Alternatively, she can purchase one from somewhere
> else. Is this the first guide dog that your friend has had?
>
> Nicole and Lexia
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
> via nagdu
> Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2014 11:04 AM
> To: Abigail Bolling; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide
> Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] weight question
>
> Hi Abby.
> 4 cups seems like a lot, but I have, and prefer, smallish dogs, around 60
> pounds or less.  Ben is eating 2 cups of Canidae a day, and his predecessor
> Echo did the same.
>
> I have been feeding Cannidae for All Life Stages for several years, and
> have
> been happy with it.  However, in his old age, it doesn't seem to agree with
> Ben as well as it used to, so I am experimenting with grain-free foods,
> starting with Great Life Grain-free Chicken.
>
> If you search the archives for dogfood, you will find much discussion on
> this topic, with many opinions.
>
> Did you explain to your friend how to check her dog's weight?  Sometimes,
> we
> teach each other more than our schools do.  The methods I learned were to
> see if I could feel the ribs with gentle pressure, and if the dog has a
> definite waist--a tucked-up belly.
> Tracy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Abigail Bolling via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2014 11:57 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] weight question
>
>
>> Hi all!
>> So there are actually two questions here!
>> Jada is on a food called Diamond Natural. She is getting almost 4 cups of
>>
>> food a day, and seems to be sluggish but losing weight. do you guys think
>>
>> it is time to switch her to a diferent food? If so, which food should I
>> go
>
>> for? I've had her on imes, and didn't like all the recalls the food got.
>> Purina didn't agree with her coat. and she didn't seem to have much
>> energy
>
>> when on that food.
>> Any suggestions?
>>
>> Another question is that my friend is a grad from Leader and she has had
>> her dog for about a year or so. Her golden is about 5 pounds overweight,
>> but was issued with a labrador harmess, so he is having trouble
>> breatheing
>
>> while walking.
>> Leader told her that if her dog is that much over weight that they would
>> take him from her.
>> My first reaction to this prospect was that it was utterly ridiculous.
>> When I asked my friend what her pups target weight was, she didn't know.
>> When I asked her how often she physically checked his weight, she said
>> she
>
>> didn't know how.
>> Are there any recent leader grads who ma have these same issues? The only
>>
>> way I was able to conclude that the dog is only five pounds over is
>> because my friend knew that he was 67 pounds when she got him, and now he
>>
>> is 72.
>> The dog's belly strap is losened to the max, but is still way too tight.
>> Any way to help the dogs comfort level until a field rep can suplly my
>> friend with a new belly strap?
>>
>> Thank you all for reading my posts! :)
>> Abby and sleepy Jada
>> Abigail Bolling
>> Wright State University: Social Work
>>
>> "Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart, and just let the
>> music play." (Julie Anderson Diamond)
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-- 
Raven
"if God didn't make it, don't eat it." - John B. Symes, D.V.M.
http://dogtorj.com