Question:
Okay so here is my situation......my boxer is on prednisone and thyroxine for allergies and hypothyrodiodism well he has gained weight and is now over weight....he is on a special veternarian diet food for his allergies but he is not losing weight....i feel bad cutting his food back as much as I have but my vet assures me that its not that low for how much he weighs and the calories he burns....he is currently on 2 cups of food a day with veggies added....my question is does anyone know of any other fillers I could use because it doesn't seem as if he is getting full. I need to cut his food back a little more so I needed some ideas on what to feed him in place of it so he is full but doesn't get anymore calories....He is kind of a picky eater so he willl only eat certain veggies and some fruit give him diareah. Any ideas please help.....

Answer:
Increasing his activity level might be a healthier weight-loss strategy than feeding him.

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He is very active that is why I do not know what to do.....He barely sits still....we go for atleast a 45 minute walk every night he plays with the cats and the other dog.....and us....I just dont know

Answer:
Unfortunately walking doesn't burn as many calories as we would like Do you have any off-leash ball/ frisbee play during the day ? An attachment for your bicycle so you can take him biking safely or perhaps you are a runner and can take him along? Something involving sustained trotting / running for two 30 minute periods a day in addition to his regular routinewould be a good start. I understand your frustration ~ it will be an uphill battle with all those drugs. What is the "special vterinarian diet food for his allergies" if you don't mind me asking? That may be part of the problem if it's high-carbs.

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He is on rabbit and potatoe diet but only now on 1.5 cups a day with brocolli and green beans as an added supplement.....with the occasional apple. occasionally I do take him running with me but I have to be careful with him being on these meds because he gets severely dehydrated.... He has already been hospitalized because of severe dehyradation.........My poor problem puppy.

Answer:
Can you tell us the brand so we can have a look at the ingredients ?

On the exercise front ~ when I'm biking with Bridie, I carry a folding, water-proof bowl and a bottle of water to make sure she doesn't get dehydrated. Would that be possible to do with your guy? And given that we are coming into the summer months , are you able to take him swimming either to a beach or an indoor therapy pool?

Answer:
Since he gets dehydrated quickly, maybe shorter more intense exercise periods would be better. Like instead of hour long walks, do four 15 minute intense play sessions. Between them, he'll have time to drink and he'll also keep burning calories.

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Prednisone could be the culprit in your dog's weight gain. It stimulates the appetite. Have you tried carrots or apples? What about more fiber in his diet?

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Cutting back slowly helps the dog adjust to smaller food rations, just continue feed what you currently are so that he learns to adjust to his ration, he is not going to starve because he is not getting the same as before, once he adjusts to that amount if more weight loss is needed , cut back again don't try to keep substituting the balance with lower calories items to fill him up, instead give him time to adjust to smaller rations. You are defeating the purpose buy giving him extras of something else
I have an 80 lb dog eating 1 1/2 cups a day without getting any extra fillers ionorder to keep his weight down and even after 3 years is still chubbier than my 67 lb dog who is fed more, during the cut backs I had to supervise to ensure he was not stealing another dogs food, but if I offered more food to any of my dogs they would eat it and my supper too, most normal healthy dogs are gluttons and will alway act like they are starving, it is up to the owner to decide how much is enough, yes prednisone makes them hungrier but feeding them extras even in the form of veggies is not going to change that fact they want more, you could increase his rations to twice want he is getting now and if some desirable food is in sight he is going to want that too.
That is the same reason people get fat because they do not know how much is enough, so they eat till they feel sated but the amount needed to feel sated can increase over time, so for those people to lose weight they have to learn to stop eating once they have consumed the maximum calories needed even though they may still want more and do sometime else to keep their minds busy so they are not dwelling on the desire to eat more

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