Dog Food Blog

Via the contact form of Best Dog Food Guide I received the following question:

My dog is overweight by at least 15 pounds. I have cut down on his food intake and also do more walks with him. The problem is I cannot go for long walks. Two back surgeries have limited me in walking very much. He is five years and like me of course he lays down in bed a lot with me because I have to. Is there anything else I can do for him. I tried dog walkers but reliability was a big problem for me so I gave up on that idea. He is a golden lab and the best dog known. I know that if he stays this way his life expectancy will be affected. I tried weight reduction foods for him but that did not work either. Is there something else I can try?

Below an excerpt of my response:

I’m sorry to hear about your back problems and I can imagine that long walks can be a problem.

I have a couple of ideas to help your dog loose weight:

Since you have a Labrador, which usually are very playful you could try to increase his exercise, without increasing your exercise, by introducing playing games. You can combine these with your daily walks or sit in a chair at home (if you have enough room) or outside. The playful exercise I have in mind is to throw a ball and have your dog go and fetch it. This way you can remain in one position. Your dog will walk and run more than you and on top of that your bond increases as you play together.

Try another brand of diet dog food that is rich in fiber. I’ve heard Hills has a good weight loosing dog food (Hills r/d). Don’t expect quick results. Realistic weight loss is about 1% per week, so if you don’t notice any changes just stick with the routine and continue.

I cannot judge whether your dog would be a candidate for the doggy diet pill (Slentrol by Pfizer Inc.), but you can schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to discus this. I’ve written about this on my site at this page: Obesity in Dogs (at the bottom). It’s no magic pill as there are side effects and exercise and food reduction is still required.

Finally, some people that love dogs don’t have one of their own as they are working full time. Perhaps you can try to find those people via an ad in the local supermarket. When a couple with kids can take your dog to the forest every weekend for a very long walk then this would be a win-win situation for them and your dog.

All the best,
Barbara

• Dakota Bison with ‘best by’ date of 12 February 2009

• Ocean Blue with ‘best by’ date of 20 February 2009 and 8 March 2009.

The reported symptoms in dogs include:

• Dogs refusing to eat (just being smart doggies perhaps)

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

The problem is inconsistent as not every dog eating food from those dates/bag shows the symptoms and it’s not with every bag. “Better safe than sorry”, Timberwolf Organics must have thought as they have decided to pull the formulas produced with the above dates. Though initial testing has come back negative for problems it’s better to err on the side of caution. Further testing is pending results.

Did you buy a bag of Timberwolf Organics dry dog food with those dates?

If so then please contact the retailer you purchased it from for an exchange or credit. If you purchased it directly from Timberwolf Organics you can give them a call or email them at customer.support @ timberwolforganics.com. Alternatively, you can download the Customer Complaint Form below and fax it to 866.796.8814.