I am struggling to keep my Rottweiler's hunger and weight under control.
Her vet recommended feeding her 2 cups of Hill's Science Diet Lite Large breed dog food and 2 cans of green beans a day along with a nice walk. Well, this is turning into a disaster!! She's acting like a staved dog. She's inhaling her food, then she steals the food from the other dogs - we put up a baby gate to try to stop it - she plowed through it, we then put her in the bedroom when it's eating time - she has dug the Sheetrock out of the wall all the way to the 2 by 4's trying to get out so she can eat the other dogs food (cause she doesn't scratch the wall any other time she's in there, just when it's eating time). She's sticking her head in the garbage can to eat people scraps, so we put the G. can on the counter (yuck), but she stands on her back legs and uses different techniques with her paws and nose, and jumping to knock it off the counter. She's taking food from the table, our plates, the counter, the hot stove. She got her big head stuck in the cat door to the "cat closet" trying to reach and eat their food.
She's ACTUALLY GETTING FATTER!! Vet said she's not hungry; however, she has never behaved this way and since it's food related, I know she has got to be hungry.
What can I do??
Thanks,
Kae and Hollibear

I am a strong advocate of keeping dogs lean. However, I wonder if the vet has gone too far. Two cups a day of a diet chow doesn't sound like much for a Rottweiler. What were you feeding before? I am wondering if 3 cups would still be enough less than before to bring her weight down?

Oh thank you so much for responding,
Actually, Hollibear no longer sees the vet that suggested the 2 cup 2 can green bean diet.
As she grew, she was fed pedigree complete nutrition (6 to 7 cups), then Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition (6 to 7 cups). She was a constant, healthy weight of 110 lbs. At some point when she was being fed the adult C. N. they added the "healthy nuggets". At age 3, she began to have bladder issues that persisted regardless of veterinary care. After all else failed, they suggested she go down to 90 lbs. I questioned this because to me, 90 lbs seemed under weight for her frame. I didn't put her on the diet at that time, instead I went to another vet.
It was found that the chewy centers of the healthy nuggets were causing her illness and 110 lbs was perfect for her.
I switched her food to Purina One Chicken and Rice (4-6 cups) and she started gaining weight (120-125lbs), so I switched to Purina One Healthy Weight (4.5 cups). This is when or around the time she started stealing food.
I took her to her new vet because she swallowed a pork chop bone whole. I told them about the green bean diet her previous vet had suggested. That's when they told me the best dog food to feed her was Science Diet Lite Lg Breed.
From reading the bag, I choose to feed her 4.5 cups of the Science a day because her ideal weight is 110 lbs. (Her behavior with food and everything I mentioned in the OP worsened here.) I called the vet and left a MSG. A tech called me back and told me that it was OK to substitute half of her food with green beans and that it would make her full.
Since half of her food would be approximately 2 cups, and her previous vet suggested "2 cups 2 cans", that's what I did.
She did get down to 118 lbs (found that out when she swallowed the pork chop bone). I'm unsure of her exact weight right now, but I would imagine that it is more than 118 lbs because the pork chop was just the beginning and it's been a couple of months now.
Also, I'm terrified she's going to bloat. Depending on the different things (scraps/people food/garbage) she gets her jaws around each day really makes a huge noticeable difference in the size of her stomach. It looks expanded at times and it will feel really tight and hard. (Gas?)
The day I wrote the OP, I had to give her gas X because I was afraid of the way her stomach looked and felt (and I didn't see her eat anything other than the food I fed her that day - she's sneaky). Her stomach was down by the next day, but what ever was going on more than likely was the result of eating something.
I want to keep her happy and healthy at the same time. I'm not just talking about food. It's not healthy for her to be scratching through walls or eating trash, or any of the other things she's been doing.
Would it hurt to feed her the 4.5 cups a day along with the green beans? Will the extra food plus the green beans disrupt weight loss?
It's important that she lose the weight because she often limps on her front leg due to an injury that happened sometime before she was 6 months old and before I owned her. She was a rescued and no one really knows what happened to her.
Thanks for any info or other suggestions you might have on different types of diets that may fit her better.
Thanks
Kae & Hollibear

I am a great advocate of sticking to what the vet says. So you have 2-3 saying 2-3 different things, then what? First of all, a reliable guide you can use to determine what weight is right for her, http://www.puppychow.com/products/po...condition.aspx And make sure she tucks up some behind the chest. Once you decide how much if any, she should be losing, you can decide what to feed. The green beans is a common technique. In another thread, tre_cani mentioned they are high in sodium. I know when one dog guide was returned to his puppy raiser for remedial weight loss, the school had her feeding him canned pumpkin instead. Either one fills the stomach, but largely passes through undigested. I wonder if the dog still feels hungry? I know as my friend got her dog closer to where he should be, he started stealing food. That was part of the reason he became over weight. Imagine fighting food stealing if you couldn't see.

I am surprised that with their greedy eating habits, Labs seldom have bloat problems. They are more likely to choke on their food. The school gives us 2 ways to slow eating. You can spread the food out on a cookie sheet or something. My friend just throws hers on the floor of the crate. The other one is to put big rocks, way too big to swallow, in the food dish. Either way keeps the dog from snarfing up big mouthfuls and gulping it down. For some of the latest research on bloat, see http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm since the study looked at bloat prone dogs, it is possible the data is skewed, and elevated food dish may still be a good idea.

You could try the 4.5 cups, and see how she does. I don't think too rapid of weight loss is good. I mostly watch my dogs' ribs and don't weigh them. None of them have gone over 70 pounds, within the hold the dog while weighing yourself range. You could try a tape measure. The big thing is to make sure she is losing weight and progress toward having a waist and ribs you can feel. If 4.5 cups isn't shrinking the waist, then cut back to 4.

Once my friend got her old puppy down to 70 pounds from 110, he went back to the school, and they issued him to a new partner. The man that let him get up to 110 pounds will not be getting a new dog.

Hi labman,
I bought a bag of Purina One healthy Weigh and mixed it with the Science Diet Lite, I fed her 5 cups today one at a time throughout the day. I wanted to see if she had just turned into a pig or if she was really hungry.
After the 5th cup, her behavior changed dramatically. I was able to cook dinner tonight without problems. She laid on her mat in the kitchen and took a nap instead of being right on top of me drooling.
So, I'm guessing she's satisfied at 5 cups. Tomorrow I'll do 4.5 cups and see how she does. I've decided to quit feeding the green beans.
I looked at the body condition chart - she's a 7 now, but was a 6 when I put her on this diet.
Labs are great dogs. I have seen some really big large bone labs and have also seen much smaller ones - they were both Labrador Retrievers, but looked very different - especially their head and face.
Thanks for the great links!
Kae

The quality of dog food, combined with the right amounts can make so much difference. I am very active in cairn terrier and english setter rescue, and have fostered a large number of overweight dogs (including a pair called the Telletubbies)

I recommend feeding a moderate amount of high quality dog food, provided as 2 meals a day. Additions can be made like the beans your vet recommended, but many dogs prefer canned pumpkin (plain - not pie filling)... and treats should be either lean dehydrated meats or veggies - slices of sweet potato are often popular.

Yes, you have a large breed with lots of extra skin, but it is important for longevity and overall health to maintain a proper condition... and I see way too many obese Rotties.

Best luck!

=Beth

AKaeTrue,
My Australian cattle dog scarfs his food down like there's no tomorrow and sometimes suffers from bloat. I like Labman's ideas on how to slow them down. But, here's another thing I do--I add water to his kibble--I mean where his food is just starting to float in it. It not only slows him down, but it also forces him to lap some of the water up in between bites so he can grab more kibble. It's kind of funny too--everytime I feed him, he gives me this really disgusted look like, "why do you keep doing this to me?!"

Badams,
Yes, I've seen many obese Rotties too. I don't want my dog to get like that; however, the weight she has gained already is proving to be very difficult to loose.
I thought all was good with giving her a little more food, but she only behaved for one day and is now back to stealing every food item she can manage to pull off getting.
I don't think she hungry with the 5 cups of food because she's not acting "crazy" or starved anymore, but maybe she has developed a bad habit.
I'm going to try the pumpkin today. It should be relatively easy to find with it being close to Thanksgiving. What is the difference between pie filling and not?
Thanks
Kae

Pie filling has spices and nutmeg in it which can cause an upset tummy--you want to make sure it is just regular pumpkin with no seasoning.

Hi wildcatgirl,
Thanks, I got an old tray and started spreading her food out on it rather than feeding her in her bowl. Her vet told me not to let her lap too much water while eating (not sure why) but spreading it out on the tray sure did help slow her down.
When your dog suffers from bloat, what do you do?
Thanks
Kae

I'm a little confused about "Bloat". I always assumed that it wasn't considered Bloat unless the stomach actually twisted. Is that incorrect?
Thanks,
Kae

I have to take him to the vet (thank goodness he's only a couple of blocks from my house) and he gives him antibiotics and pain relievers (I don't know what the technical names of the medications are). He has even kept him for 24 hour observation once before. Once I started mixing the water with his food, he hasn't had another episode. The really bad thing is about bloat is the dogs intestines basically get "twisted" so to speak from the gas that is locked up inside. Sometimes they have to insert a needle into the stomach or use a stomach tube to help the dog release the gas (we haven't gotten a case this bad yet). What is bad with bloat is the dog can develop blood clots in the vessels around their intestines. This is when the disease becomes fatal, but it can be treated with blood thinners. Some breeds have been found to be more suceptible to bloat than others, too. They also believe their may be a genetic link and it could be passed down on to offspring.

I just googled it and found a sight that has some more facts on bloat. Check it out here.
http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=402

OK, I'm at my wits end...
During the holidays I bought 4 cases of pumpkin which are now all gone and I can't find anything except pie filling (which I have not bought).
But even with exercises and eating pumpkin, she didn't/hasn't lost weight... I don't think she steeling food or table scraps anymore - it was noticeable when she was.
I have 2 other dogs on the same diet/exercises plan and both have lost a significant amount of weight. My lab/chow mix has lost 26 lbs and my chiuaua mix has lost 7 lbs... What's happening here with my Rottie?
We played in the snow for hours the other day, and now she appears sore... She's not even quite 4 years old yet... I don't know what to do except feed her even less (but then she acts like a starved dog)...
I'm now using frozen green beens instead of pumpkin... Should I feed her more greenbeans and cut back even further on the dog food?
Thanks for any more advise...
-Kae

Well you seem to have everything else, so I guess it is less dog food. My friends used to feed their one Lab one cup of Pro Plan a day to get her down to breeding weight. Of course they may have had a family member sneaking her table food. We would sit her once in a while, and she would often lose weight because we only fed her what we were told. She was recently put to sleep at the age of 15.

Thanks Labman, what do you think about adding more green beans or could this actually be hindering the weight loss for her?
I have wondered about my husband and kids sneaking her food when I'm not around because the dog is very persistent whereas the other 2 that have lost weight are not, but they say they haven't.
I feel a little foolish contacting the vet about this issue again (because I've have done so many times as well as taking her in) so I've been reading different sites tonight trying to become a little more familiar about some of the reasons she may not be losing weight. I have a lot of info about growing Rottweilers but finding it difficult to find info on weight problems. I have googled overweight Rottweiler and have found many Rottweiler owners dealing with the same issues where no diet suggestions or amount of exercises have made a difference... One site suggested that it's just their genes. And I'm unsure of how much of this information is correct because on one site a man was arguing that he ran 4 miles with his Rottweiler a day and that the dog kept up but still needed to lose weight... sounds bogus to me because my dog slows down significantly after 15 minutes of walking, she does however keep up with my kids while playing outside and the majority of her exercises comes from that (running around with them, chasing balls, toys, sticks, you name it). Is longer more steady walks better exercises than playing?
Thanks again for all the help and advice you've given me - I do appreciate it.

The conventional wisdom says a dog can eat all the green beans you feed it because they can't digest them and derive no nutrition from them. However, in many cases, the conventional wisdom has no real test data behind it. Somebody suggested it, it sounded good, it seemed to work, and became a common practice. I can't say if it works.

Since you are switching from pumpkin to green beans, why don't you see how it goes for a week or 2 before making any other changes. I guess dogs, like people, may become more efficient at using their food when they get less.

Thank you once again... I'll give it a few weeks.
-Kae

Start feeding her twice a day (but the same quantity), make sure she always has water, use high quality dog food and buy her a dried pigs ears to keep her occupied. Also get her a bone once a week.

Start feeding her twice a day (but the same quantity), make sure she always has water, use high quality dog food and buy her a dried pigs ears to keep her occupied. Also get her a bone once a week.