Newby advice please

[Sylvana]

Hello,
We have 7 rescue dogs, all very loved and fit and well, except one. She is a 6 year old Beagle and only has to look at food to put on weight. She has been fed Arden Grange Lamb the same as the others, however I have dropped her feeding quantities down and now she has less than my little Patterdale, but she is always hungry and still putting on weight.
She has a slight cruciate problem and is on cage rest, which doesn't help the weight loss, but the vet has put her on Royal Canin Obesity Diet as it essential for the weight to go for the sake of her leg.
This food is so expensive and the ingredients are not very good, but I feel obligated to feed her this as my vet insists it is the only way.
I have bought a 14kg bag of the dry and 24 tins of the wet as she is on a mix of both ( 85g of dry and 1 tin wet daily) The tins are just on £2 each plus the dry kibble which on a pension and 6 other dogs is a lot to find, however if it works it will be worth every penny. ( my dogs eat before me !!) but if I am wasting money needlessly on something just so my vet can make money then I begrudge doing so.
I would be very grateful for any advice or feedback ( excuse the pun)

[Dottie]

It sounds as if you have real problems with your Beagle. Not being able to exercise her must make weight loss difficult.  Is she speyed?  If so, that too can make a difference in metabolism.

I don't know whether we can help you with this but as a first port of call, if you haven't already done so, have a look at this page which is all about helping a dog to lose weight. 

Regarding the Royal Canin, I haven't been able to find the formula or the exact analysis of it but one of the websites mentioned that it was higher protein and lower fat.  The theory is that it prevents the dog from losing muscle mass.  Quite a few companies take this approach and it is one way of encouraging weight loss although these types of food are usually high in carbohydrates.

I wonder why you are using dried and tinned food.  I can't see the point and I feel that it is likely to result in over feeding because it is not quite so easy to get the quantity right with wet food.  I think you might be better off just sticking with the dry food because it can be weighed accurately.  Also, wet food tends to be higher in fat although I do not know if this is the case with this particular product.  If you are concerned that it is too dry and therefore unpalatable, try soaking it for half an hour before you feed it to the dog. 

There is a school of thought that they should have plenty of protein and fat but smaller quantities.  It is said that fat sates the appetite more than carbohydrates.  I've tried this using raw complete and it wasn't wholly successful.  Now I look for products with low fat (less than 12%) but whatever I choose I can never give it at the recommended daily allowance. More often than not it is something like 1% of body weight, often less.  The tiny quantity has taken a lot of getting used to and I am wondering if you are having the same problem with this as I used to have?

If you would like to try another food and want some help choosing one, check out the  Dog Food Directory. Using the filters on the left hand side will help to narrow down the choice.  If you need any help with this, please ask.

[Sylvana]

Many thanks for your reply.
Yes she has been spayed, but out of all our 7 dogs she is the only one with a weight problem. However I feel I have to follow my vets advice as if my dogs limp get any worse then the vet will blame me for not following her advice. I think I am stuck with feeding this for a couple of months and hopefully she will lose weight, then I can think about changing the food, at least this way the vet will see that I listened and followed her advice.

BTW vet has told me to feed half tin wet and 43 g dry at each meal, both in the Royal Canin Obesity Diet but I did not question this, however in 4 weeks when we go back again for a check I will ask if I can cut out the wet.
My dog was abandoned and was living rough for some time and was very ill with lung worm and infections when I took her on almost 2 years ago, so food is very important for her after nearly starving in her 'past life'

[Dottie]

I see your dilemma and hope the diet is successful. Is there any possibility of the cruciate being repaired surgically? It is usually a successful operation and would get your dog back to full fitness. Could the rescue fund raise perhaps, or maybe the PDSA could help?

[Sylvana]

The cruciate is frayed ( she had an Xray last week ) and my vet feels that with rest and loss of weight she may avoid the op, however it may be on the horizon should things not improve.

[Dottie]

Thank you for getting back.  I only mentioned it because in the past three of my dogs have had cruciate ligament surgery and all have done very well indeed.  It will probably always be a weak point for your little dog so I do hope that if surgery is done then it is successful and restores her to full health.