[CindyM]

Hi All -

Pepsi was dx almost a year ago (7-23-07) with Addison's Disease, and at that time she
weighed 78 lbs (under weight). After DX and meds, She slowly climbed up and up and up. Now she's at
105 and the vet wants her at 95lbs TOPS. The reason this is so
important is that she has sores in her vulva area that just will not
go away. The vet thinks if she loses weight the skin flaps in that
area will shrink and they will not rub together so much.

For about the past 4-5 months Pepsi has been on the Science Diet R/D
Diet food, and has only lost 2 lbs. I do mix 1/2 a can of a non-
diet brand food with her dry in the morning and 1/2 a can at night.
Her primary diet, though, was the R/D. I recently stopped feeding
her the R/D because it is known to contain a bunch of "not so good"
ingredients and it wasn't doing anything anyway. Does anyone have
suggestions on weight loss? I am also considering lowering her
daily prednisone dose, but I am also looking for good foods to help control weight. (I am open to both commercial and home cooked foods)

Oh, and I did feed Pepsi the Addison's Disease Diet from Monica
Segal for a while. I am really not sure if that has anything to do
with the weight gain or not. I am not sure if I am allowed to post
what the diet contains, but if anyone is familiar, maybe you will
know.

I would say she is moderately active. We go for a minimum of 2
walks per day, and she does have a fenced back yard where she will
occassionally run around chasing squirells and barking at other dogs
that go by. Since it's been so warm out (and she's always so hot
anyway) we really can not walk for more then a mile at a time.

I am very dedicated and just want to do something that works - we will stick with a plan - but we need a plan!

Here's her medications, which could be part of the cause, but I really need to figure out some way to get her weight down.

1.25 Percorten 28 Days
1 MG Pred a day
1 MG Estradiol a week

Thank you!!

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

Any chance you can get her someplace she can swim? It's a great, non-impact exercise!

There are two Yahoogroups for people with Addison dogs:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/AddisonDogs_/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/k9Addisons/

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

What's the total amount, volume (cup wise?) of food per day?

How about treats? and what treats?

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

Here's the ingredients list for the r/d:

Quote:Ground Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Powdered Cellulose 10.4% (source of fiber), Soybean Mill Run, Soybean Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp,...

LOTS of grains. Dogs don't process grains as well as they process meats so not only do you get more waste but you also get more weight.

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

It also has Powdered Cellulose:

Quote:For industrial use, cellulose is mainly obtained from wood pulp and cotton.

Cheap filler to make your dog feel full!

 

[tracyc]

Quote: Cheap filler to make your dog feel full!

and make massive soft poops.

 

[roxy84]

dont know if this is even appropriate for your dogs ailment, but ive had great success with weight loss using Wellness Core Reduced Fat. only 9% fat and grain free.

 

[EastGSD]

Originally Posted By: Lauri & The GangIt also has Powdered Cellulose:

Quote:For industrial use, cellulose is mainly obtained from wood pulp and cotton.

Cheap filler to make your dog feel full!

The cellulose is simply a fiber source and many fiber sources are used to cause a feeling of fullness in a weight loss formula. Cellulose, simply put, is plant fiber and could be any plant fiber.

Cherri

 

[Myamom]

We had a 140 lbs. GSD come into rescue...he lost the weight by "filling him up" with LOTS of pumpkin and greenbeans in addition to his kibble (which was Canidae). He was fed less kibble than normally recommended for his weight...and it was compensated with the pumpkin and greenbeans.

We got him down to 85 lbs.

 

[EastGSD]

Originally Posted By: myamomWe had a 140 lbs. GSD come into rescue...he lost the weight by "filling him up" with LOTS of pumpkin and greenbeans in addition to his kibble (which was Canidae). He was fed less kibble than normally recommended for his weight...and it was compensated with the pumpkin and greenbeans.

We got him down to 85 lbs.

Exactly, there was a ton of cellulose in that pumpkin and the green beans

Cherri

 

[middleofnowhere]

The only food that works to keep the pounds off the youngest is Dr. Fosters and Smith light dog food.

 

[CindyM]

Thanks everyone!! I wish there was somewhere I could take her to swim - I think that would be so fun for both of us.

One other person suggested pumpkin and greenbeans to me, and I was all set to give it a try until someone disagreed and said dogs really should not eat that kind of thing... that's when I decided to post here. I am glad that some of you have tried it, as well, and I think that maybe we will try it, too.

I feed her one cup in the morning and one cup at night. I mix that with 1/2 a can each feeding. For the can food I usually use Merrick. I've really cut back on treats, but I will give her a hard boiled egg every once in a while (maybe 3-4 times a week) and a raw bone maybe every week or two. Besides that, she really loves potatos and tomatoes, so when I have them myself I will give her a slice here and there.

Roxy - Thank you for the suggestion. I just bought a 5 # bag of Wellness Core Reduced Fat, and Pepsi seems to like it, but stools are a bit soft from the switch I assume (even after mixing with her other food), so I was not sure that I should continue with it.

Middleofnowhere - Thank you for that suggestion, I will look into that as well.

Lauri & th gang - Thank you, too. I am a member of one of the addison's groups, and the members are very helpful!!

 

[roxy84]

mine also had soft stools on the core reduced fat for about a week before they firmed up. there is often an adjustment with any switch of foods. i agree if it persists the core just may not be right for her.