a question about vegies and more.

Greetings to all, I am new to this forum and tried to find some information on this subject on the forum before I posted and was unable to.

I have a 6 yr old Chihuahua/Terrier mix, he eats Solid Gold Weee Bits right now, he weights about 14 lbs and we would like to get him down to about 12 lbs. We feed him less then 1 measuring cup of the food a day. I was wondering if perhaps I would be able to substitute some vegies or other healthy food besides dog food that might make his losing weight process easier. My vet had had him on Science Diet Light for 3 1/2 years!!!!!! and I was thankfully informed by a few different individuals about Science Diet and made the switch as soon as I found out away from it.

He has been eating Solid Gold for about 4 months now and his coat is the best its ever been, teeth the cleanest and has the most energy he has had in years, I would love to keep all these attributes and be able to feed him some vegies that help his health out weight wise. If I do feed him some vegies do I need to cut back on the amount of dog food I give him? What all vegies or food can I feed him?

Thanks so much

How much exercise is he getting? I bet if you up his exercise volume by 30 minutes a day, he'll drop weight without changing his diet. Otherwise, just feed him less. Eating veggies isn't going to have the same effect it has on humans.

I actually did that, but it was at the same time I changed his foods and he has been maintaining at the same weight now, so im not sure if the new food is causing him to put on more weight or what the deal is

Cooked green beans.

You won't get much of a health benefit out of them, as Dan noted, the dietary requirements of people and dogs are quite different, but adding some grated veggies will bulk up the volume of the reduced feeding portions and may help the dog to feel full.

Canned green beans (without added sodium, or well rinsed) are usually accepted pretty well.

However, reducing the feeding amount may only help so much, since the body can go into "starvation mode" and hold on to any body fat so much longer.

A grain free food with a higher protein and fat content and a lower carb content may help, but you would have to feed a smaller amount than of your current food. If you like Solid Gold products, check out Barking at the Moon.

thanks so much for the info....if I am going to feed him some green beans how much should I give him? He eats a little less then a measuring cup of Solid Gold per day, should I lower the amount of solid gold and if so how much? and how much green beans should he receive


Thanks so much for you all's time

Start out by restricting your dog's daily total caloric intake to about 360 kcal - this includes meals, treats and all other extras.

Cut the food down to 3/4 cup (285 kcal) and add up to 1/4 cup of cut up canned beans (about 7 kcal) per meal.

This leaves you with 61 kcal to use on treats and extras.

thanks for the information, Tyco loves the green beans, even if this doesnt help him lose weight I just enjoy being able to give him a little more variety then his dog food.

That's good to hear!

Just don't overdo it, feeding too much indigestible fiber can interfere with nutrient uptake.