I got lucky. I found my gang likes the Costco brand - Kirklands Dry dog food. More meat, less corn and grain. And $24 or $28 a bag, depending on whether I go chicken or lamb and rice. It's fun trying to figure out what will and will not work. Not!

THinking about trying to slowly transition her to Premium Edge Healthy Weight Reduction... and upping her walks (since this is a high protein food)... Fingers crossed for me! I dont make enough money to keep buying food she wont eat! lol

Its all thanks to my family giving her table scraps! Spoiled pup! No more of that!

My neighbor's dog was over weight and got table scraps. He started giving her carrots. She loved them. She thought she was getting people food so she was happy. He even got a bag of those little already peeled small carrots and brought them over to my house once a week, so my kids could give them to her. (She was a shared pet, as my kids like to say.)

About the pricy food she won't eat now, do not switch her again too soon. She will get hungry and eat the food you put down for her. Lab's digestive systems are sensitive to too many sudden changes. You could stir in a teaspoon of olive oil in the new food to perk it up and the olive oil is good for lab's coat. My dad used to get the jars of granulated beef or chicken stock and mix a quarter tsp. in a half cup of hot water to entice our german shepard to eat. But you can't do that too often because of the increased salt in the broth.

she wont eat this stuff AT ALL! Ive tried everything, and she hasnt eaten since yesterday afternoon...

I'll try the carrots, but she's usually not so great with the veggies... She spits them out... lol... and i have to say, my dog does not have a sensitive digestive system (maybe the husky balances it out?)... you should see all the stuff she got into over the years, including an entire bottle of xanax! ... and she's never had any issues... I personally never make food switches a sudden change... she's always weened on and off of them little by little... But on the other hand, we were guilty of never getting her set on one food... When I lived out of state for a while, the family would just give her whatever was on sale...

Thanks for the suggestions!!! I'm going to talk to her vet on Monday and see what she suggests...

Dogs will eat anything that's available when they are hungry enough.
You need to cut back on his food and increase his exercise. He'll eat when he's hungry. Walking around the block once or twice won't do it.
He needs to run and jump. Get into playing fetch with him.

she doesnt jump or fetch... She never wanted to since she was a puppy... I always wanted her to be a fetcher, but the most i can get out of her is a game of tug (and even that is only when she is in a REALLY good mood)... In her old age, she is becoming a dog that wants to go explore, and that's about it... we walk about a mile a day... could be more.... working on it.... but i dont always have time... to take super long walks or take more then 2 or 3 a day... changing up my schedule and been dedicating pretty much all of my free time to her lately...

it seems to be a national thing.we have two dogs 2 and 3 years old .the vet said they both needed diet food.its the food not the dogs.we have had dogs since i was 5. never needed diet dog food until now.just like our food they are putting msg in the dog food to sell more and adding cheap unhealthy gmo fillers.now all our animals eat holistic foods that are very expensive.i got a 50 pound bag of oatmeal and add a little in their food everyday. i eat it too.it seems to help control their cravings. we quit for a short time and they started getting into the garbage again. its the dog food companys not the dogs.they put more money into advertising than their products.no one tests the food and you can believe the bag like you can fat free and sugar free foods.look up Codex Alimentarius.

http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/codex-alimentarius.html

you can also feed them cooked eggs for protien.we do

Hey there, if you're still looking for a quality food for your dog I highly recommend a company called "Petcurean" who produce all-natural foods for dogs without the fillers and crap that commercial dog food is full of. This is high quality stuff... but not pricey... check out their website at Petcurean.com

I have my dog on their "Go!" formula but they have others, including foods for dogs that are prone to allergies. I looked on their website and they do have a retailer in your area (your profile said you're in Delaware).

Back to Nature Pets
110 North Dupont Highway, New Castle, DE
Telephone: (717) 314-0181

You say that your dog is dog aggressive - I'm a trainer so if you'd like to contact me directly I could give you some advice there.

Hope everything works out well for you!

It is great that you walk your dog but how fast do you walk? Also, just like for people, we gain weight gradually and we should loose it gradually. Always measure the amount of food you provide. Make sure you feed her food that she likes. Then, reduce the amount of food that you give her. Do this in measured increments. Do you feed your dog about 2 cups per day. For the first week, reduce the measured food by 1/2 cup per day. You might not see a change over the first week. For week 2, reduce the food by another 1/2 cup. You should see a change now. She should be hungry. Remember that in order for her body to use up stored fat, she needs to be hungry. You may want to feed more often by dividing the daily measured amount into two or three feedings daily but maintain the total measured amount.
Try this method with the guidance of your vet.

A head's up on a new pet food recall.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57429961-10391704/diamond-dog-food-salmonella-recall-expands/

Blue Buffalo is one of the better dog foods. It is a little more expensive though.

I saw that one other poster said that the dog will eat anything if she is hungry enough. I think that that must be true. Currently I am feeding my pack, 2 Bichon Frises and a Papillon Science Diet. I believe that this is also a healthy food. I think that if your dog is fat, she needs to eat less and walk more.

It is not cheap. You get what you pay for.

It really is one of the best foods available. Meat is the first ingredient, and that is rare. It is also full of vegetables, and quite good for the dogs. We had to give it up recently because finances got tight. Science Diet for the woofers now.

The fur kids of the owners of this house, feed their fur kids better than themselves. I do know the pain of lower income. I even tried the blue buffalo, it was sort of tasty.

I am always open to donations!

Me too !!!

I agree with the people who say more exercise. The vast majority of dogs don't get enough. How old is she? Is she arthritic (you'd know if she was)? Teach her to go on a bike ride with you (you bike slowly, she jogs alongside). Or a skateboard would work, I think. If you're up to it yourself, just jog with her. Five minutes twice a day to start, then slowly increase.

Another thing that makes them expend energy is obedience training. Sit, stay, come, heel, the basics. She's not too old to learn, and it will help you control her around other dogs. Although you should work on that aggression separately, and it can be done. My daughter's doing it with their dog. By saying you can't take her to the park because she's too aggressive, you're letting HER determine what the two of you do. Call a local dog club and ask them for help.

A lot of dogs love agility training. You can teach it even inside your house, though outside is more fun. Basically, anything that makes her use her brain is going to require energy from her, LOL.