Diane would like some more information on finding the perfect weight reducing fresh diet for her two overweight Golden Retreivers. She also wants to know about vitamins and supplements that will help her dogs.

Question:

Hi Glynne
I am wanting some help in working out a balanced, weight reducing, but most importantly, home-cooked/raw diet for my 2 overweight golden retrievers(4 and 8 years old). At the moment they each get 900g split into 2 meals per day, of a mixture of 1/3 cooked veggies + rice, and 2/3 mix of half raw + half boiled pets mince from a reasonably reliable source. I would also like to know which multi-vitamins or other supplements would be good. I have not found any vet who is willing to can help me!

Hi Diane
You don’t say what your dogs were being fed before they got so fat …let me guess… processed pellets?
I wonder why the vets refuse to advise you on feeding your two overweight dogs a fresh raw diet. Do you think, by any chance, it’s because they’d rather sell you expensive diet pellets?

In my opinion your dogs’ health is paramount and it’s hard to argue against the benefits of a fresh, natural weight reducing diet! On the other hand, we all know the disadvantages and health hazards of highly processed food, which most of us avoid like the plague. So what’s so different about your four-legged child?

I think your raw diet is excellent, but if your dogs do not lose weight slowly and steadily I suggest you cut out the carbohydrate and bulk up on a leafy, veggie stew, dickied up with a teaspoon of Bovril or a dollop of fish paste for flavour.
By all means, you may add Vitamins if you believe they are necessary which can be purchased in powder form very reasonably at discount chemists - probably the exact same vitamin formula which is sprayed onto processed food while cooling.

However in my opinion, white meat (chicken), red meat (beef) offal, fat, eggs and raw bones, with some vegetable matter, raw or cooked, are a perfectly balanced fresh diet for dog.
And do add huge, raw beef, knuckle bones, especially if they still appear hungry.
Don’t forget mild exercise – swimming is good and I’m sure your two will look like center pages in no time. If not please consult a homeopathic vet, a vet who doesn’t sell dog food, or Google ‘BARF Diet’ or “Natural diet for dogs”.
By the way I walk my talk because all my dogs have never had a pellet in their lives as they are fed only raw meat and bones … and all have lived to ripe old ages with no signs of the dreaded human diseases so prevalent in young dogs nowadays.

Good health and well done for thinking out of the box.
Glynne