# Weight Loss



## Alice Ana (Mar 17, 2010)

Alice weighs almost 10lbs and is overweight. :blush: In order to lose a couple pounds, what should I do for her? I need to know specific food and measurements for her because I'm not doing so well on that aspect I suppose. Also, exercise... she's not much of a playful baby. She will get zoomies every now and then and will play with her toy for maybe 10 minutes, but that's that. I'm not sure how to get her more active, she just loves to snuggle up next to you and nap.

As of right now, I've been feeding her Beneful. I switched from Playful Life back to Healthy Weight. I also feed her up to a 3/4 cup a day, but the scheduling is off and we also have a cat now... :huh: long story short, I found the kitten when she was about 2-3 weeks old on the street. We bottle fed her and raised her. Now she is about 2 months, almost 3 months old. :w00t: But sometimes Alice sneaks some of the cat food (no more than maybe a 1/4 cup before we catch her!), and that kind of makes it hard to feed everyone in this apartment.

Anything would help! Thank you :wub:


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

For starters, put the cats food up higher. Cat will find it. Spookie gets 1/4 cup kibble x 2 a day. Limit treats.


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## mrsmediauph (Feb 19, 2013)

Lily also gets 1/4 cup twice a day. How about going for walks? Lily gets crazy if she doesn't get her daily 20 minute walk. :innocent:


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Can I convince you to feed a better food? Fromm, Wellness, something like that? I would even rather see her eating blue buffalo. Beneful makes me cringe. What weight is she suppose to be? My dogs are 5.5lb and 6.5lb and get a quarter cup two times a day.

A good start is figuring out what weight she is suppose to be and how many calories she should be taking in.

Dog Food Calculator

The above calculator can help. As an estimate, I put in 6lb as a goal weight and it says 149 calories a day. Most dog foods that I have seen will tell you how many calories in a cup and you measure from there. If you have not, please check with the vet to figure out her goal weight.

I would either put the cat food in a place where she can't get to it or start feeding the cat twice a day and picking up the food in between.

And yes, start taking her for walks, maybe ten minutes at first and then increase as you go.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Gradually give her a quality dog food , I use Fromm, but there are many out there. There has been many dogs that have gotten sick and sonpme have died on Beniful(even though Beniful denies it) mine eat1/4 c twice a day as well, and that includes my 2 Yorkies that are bigger. Give fresh veggies or a little fruit for treats. Mine lice carrots , green beans and bananas. Put the cat food up, it's not good for the dog.


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## mdbflorida (Feb 28, 2013)

Agree, I would switch to a better food. The one you have has a lot of fillers which will contribute to the weight. Also, watch how many treats she gets!


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

I definitely agree about switching to a much better quality food.
Beneful has lots of corn and fillers in it, and very poor quality protein. It would not be very filling, so she is probably eating a lot, but doesn't feel full. She is not getting good nutrition, so she is hungry. Corn is very bad for dogs. In addition to being high in calories, it is inflammatory, and can cause allergies too. 
This is a good site for checking on good quality:
www.dogfoodadvisor.com

It might seem expensive for better foods, but she will be able to eat less of them.

Baby carrots are good snack instead of treats!

Here is a previous thread about Beneful and how dogs have gotten sick from it:
http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/60-maltese-food-snacks-treats/131538-beneful-killing-dogs.html

Good luck! It just takes some time for them to lose the weight, just like us


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## Alice Ana (Mar 17, 2010)

I was hoping for suggestions on food, so thank you! Unfortunately I just had to use beniful for the time being due to the cost  She used to be on Wellness when she was younger, but then I went to college and had to live in an apartment all while working - so I'm struggling a little bit. Thankfully, my mother helps out (and will continue to until I graduate!). I'll definitely switch over to a weight-watching one on either Wellness or Blue Buffalo. She doesn't get any treats, but I haven't been tracking anything very well. Thank you for all the suggestions - I hope everyone is doing well <3 It has been such a long time since I've been on here! Wishing you all the best, I'm sorry I couldn't follow through with the forum


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Hey, we have missed Alice Ana---it has been a long time!
My 2 love to eat. I home cook so I think they eat better than we do. I give green beans to help satisfy their hunger. They would eat wood! Lisi doesn't get out much since she can't take vaccines, but once in a while I cave & take her out---probably more than I should, but it isn't much of a life otherwise. 
They get 1/4 C. kibble in the AM & home cooked at night. A lot of people would not approve but the kibble they get is Eukaneuba, and it isn't expensive. The breeder started them on it & I have kept it up. No problems here. I do give occasional treats & they would jump through hoops for those. I supplement home cooked w/Animal Essential Vitamins, give plaque off, some flax seed, and either virgin oilive oil from Greece or coconut oil (not every night but now about every 2nd night as we have the heat on & skin can dry out). 
Pop in when you can, even if infrequently.


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## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

My last boys were little piggies and got over weight because I left food out all day. I feed 1/4 cup twice a day. And sometimes they don't eat all their evening meal. Also, my vet had me put my last boys on science diet for weight loss. They lost weight fairly easy with that.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Alice Ana said:


> I was hoping for suggestions on food, so thank you! Unfortunately I just had to use beniful for the time being due to the cost  She used to be on Wellness when she was younger, but then I went to college and had to live in an apartment all while working - so I'm struggling a little bit. Thankfully, my mother helps out (and will continue to until I graduate!). I'll definitely switch over to a weight-watching one on either Wellness or Blue Buffalo. She doesn't get any treats, but I haven't been tracking anything very well. Thank you for all the suggestions - I hope everyone is doing well <3 It has been such a long time since I've been on here! Wishing you all the best, I'm sorry I couldn't follow through with the forum


Try to get the lareger bag of Wellness, it will last much longer than smaller bags and cut her back on portions...
Wellness in larger bags, 33 pounds are cheaper overall, just initial layout can be expensive ,about $60 but it will last a long time, plus cutting back how much, like 1/4 cup twice per day too.. Definately ditch Beneful,don't even finish her out on it, take it back and get a refund if you can... 

A big bag of Wellness feed three of mine for about 6 months or so... I use the Wellness since it has small kibble and Bitsy and Rylee, and Daisy, my rescues have no teeth,otherwise I feed Purina Dental which I get from the vet.It's not grocery store Purina...

If it lasts my three for over 6 months, it will last you a lot longer... Look at Petco or Petsupplies plus, sign up for card, you can get coupons for $5 off...Sometimes Wellness,online will send coupons too.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

I have found really good prices online for food - 
amazon and chewy.com usually have really good prices and you can get free shipping.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Kathleen said:


> I have found really good prices online for food -
> amazon and chewy.com usually have really good prices and you can get free shipping.


May be able to qualify for free shipping at Amazon, for orders over $25 or $50, can't remember....


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

yes Beneful is terrible, and cat food is terrible for dogs. 1/4 cup of cat food is ALOT of extra calories. So you've got to move the cat food. My dog is about 12 lb, he is a larger size so 12lb is not overweight for him, and I feed him a rounded 1/4 cup of Fromm grain free kibble in the morning and evening, and I crumble about 1/4 - 1/2 Stella & Chewy patty on there. And his weight is holding steady which means it's the right amount for him. So I'd try 1/4 cup twice a day of a good quality kibble, eliminate the cat food, and I bet you will see the LBs start falling off. We go through about one 4 lb bag of Fromm a month, which is $14 (the Stella & Chewy's are about $10 / bag). You could buy larger quantities which will cut down on the per serving amount.


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

Both Chrissy and Snuggles were overweight and I fed both of them Blue Buffalo Maintenance variety for a while. I definitely helped with their weight. Now they are both fed Fromm Whitefish and Potato and are doing very well with no problems. 1/4 cup 2 x's a day for both of them and no treats in between. 

BTW everyone who posted before me had some excellent ideas too.


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## Alice Ana (Mar 17, 2010)

We live in a small apartment right now (until next year) and it's really hard to separate dog food from cat food. We keep them both off the ground so no one can reach them but, as soon as they hit the floor, everyone seems to think it's a free for all. The kitten seems to love eating the dog food and the dogs love the cat food. Because of this, we have to put the cat in the bathroom to eat (yes, our apartment is super small).

I'm going to switch over foods ASAP, and maybe that will keep Alice full until dinner. Fortunately, she does like green beans and any vegetables that are steamed! Unfortunately, she doesn't like cold vegetables or baby carrots. Earlier this year I tried feeding a home cooked diet, but I had to go back to dog food after awhile due to commitments... 

I think her ideal weight would probably be 6-7lbs, she seems to be pretty chubby in only some places. When she's standing to the side, you can see the curve of her body, but you cannot feel her ribs easily. Hopefully these suggestions will help! Thank you again


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

I fed my smallest in his carrier so the others won't eat his food,maybe you can do that for kitty or for Alice. It will help, cat food is really fattening for dogs and the high protein is hard on their kidneys...


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## mdbflorida (Feb 28, 2013)

I feel Boo in his xpen so Zach can eat in peace. If you live in a small apt. Try feeding one in the bathroom.


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## Alice Ana (Mar 17, 2010)

In my above post I mentioned that I have to feed in the bathroom. Today I bought her Wellness and, while doing so, broke my phone... not a happy camper right now. Besides that, she loved the trip and she loved the food, so I hope it lasts awhile. Normally the food lasts about a month or a little less, but I'm using an actual measuring cup (looks like I'm just gonna have to buy more...). I had a little meltdown last night - I can't believe in just 4 months, Alice is going to be 4 years old. That's unbelievable. I cannot believe it's been that long, I still remember getting on here in March of 2010 out of pure excitement for my new pup. After so much research, I finally found my baby girl 4 days after she was born (she was born March 10), and I just couldn't contain my excitement. And I still remember everyone on here getting excited with me and helping me along the way  You guys are such a strong family on here. I'm just gonna step on down off my soap box and be on my way  Thanks everyone.


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