Mindy had her annual physical recently, and we were shocked to realize that she gained over 2 lbs since her last vet visit in late November! She is now over 17 lbs.
After we returned home, I thought about the real reason for her sudden weight gain. Besides the lack of outdoor exercise due to the cold weather, I think I was over feeding her. I didn’t measure her food, I just dumped a little in her bowl whenever it was empty.
Mindy is a strange eater. She will not eat unless we are with her, so we have two food bowls set up. One in the dining/kitchen area and one additional bowl downstairs in our family room. The majority of the time, she eats downstairs in the evening while we watch TV.
The vet suggested we slowly switch to a weight management recipe and it sounded like a good idea at the time, until I started to read the ingredients for weight management dog food. A carbohydrate is listed as a first ingredient, not a protein. This makes no sense to me.
So, I am going to research more online, and perhaps learn more about cooking food for her. Not the raw food movement, but perhaps homemade, or at least occasionally homemade.
Here are the links I have found that have been very helpful:
- The Dog Food Project – Identifying Better Products
- The QualityDogs Forum – Dog Food Choices
- The Pet Center – Natural Pet Foods
- The Pet Center – Overweight Dog or Cat
Pet Food Comparison Wizard- Natura Pet and all of its petfoods are absolutely not recommended anymore, since the company was heartlessly purchased by Proctor & Gamble. No matter what they say, any Natura food will not be the same!- Dog Food Analysis with dog food ratings
I think if we monitor her food intake and watch her snacks, she will do okay. I just hate to start her on weight management dry food if it will not be as healthy as regular adult food.
