Very hefty girl!

[TRUBBLE]

Help. We have a 3yr old, speyed girl who seems to be getting bigger & bigger. We had her speyed when she was about 1.5yrs old & noticed she gained quite a bit of weight but were not overly concerned as it was manageable.
Unfortunately we had to see the Vet about Ali's severe itching & were given what we thought were anti-inflammatory's to give her once a day. Vet said Ali would no doubt have to live with her condition - severely itchy feet, airs snout etc - but we could control the urge to itch for her. I was somewhat uncomfortable with giving her even thes but we tried them for about 2 months seeing a huge improvement but found out from another boxer owner that we were in fact giving her steroids! We fast threw those out vowing to find a natural alternative & think we have in Evening Primrose Oil tablets however I blame her HUGE weight gain on the steroids. Ali cant jellybean comfortably anymore & has no muscle definition. We have dramatically decreased her diet & are trying to exercise her more however she is so heavy it is almost too difficult for her to exercise two days in a row. I feel so guilty about all this but had I known what these pills were, she never would have got them! Does anyone have any ideas how we can quickly get rid of this weight? How much should I be feeding a heavy babe? Any unique brands of food? Natural options?

 

[gmacleod]

Have you had her thyroid checked? Hypothyroidism isn't that rare in boxers (it should be a pre-breeding check, since it's hereditary) and amongst other things, that causes weight gain. Recurrent skin problems are another common symptom... starts to look a little familiar?

I'd get that checked out first. Here's a short veterinary article that explains the condition, and tests available to diagnose it: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1597&articleid=449

If that doesn't turn out to be the problem, then you may need to look at what you feed rather than how much (it counts!). Trying to feed a food that's high in meat content and low in carbs (near impossible with dry food, btw) can help a lot. That combined with sensible exercise, gradually increased.

 

[SILLY6PAK]

Be carefu; with trying to loose to quickly. It is unhealthy. Exercise can be walks or swimming. Also I have heard adding green beens to the food helps the dog feel full but adds little calories.

 

[snuff]

hello,
my Maggie has the itchy belly.......i put spray on it and that works for a bit.......i think it might be the woodstove,but i dunno......she see the vet soon,,,,,,,,,
and her weight is jumping up too.......ever since i had to kennel her last summer(i thought she just pigged out).....but she eats like crazy......we have cut down her meals.....i just hate when she yells at me and grabs her dish and throws it at my feet.........hehehe

 

[TRUBBLE]

Great, thanks for the advice.
I'm not really sure if it could be her thyroid, after all, the weight seemed to pile on quite 'suddenly' after she was speyed & then worsened with the steroids.
I have been looking into different types of kibble that is aimed at HELPING reduce weight & we are going to ease her into even more exercise & see how we go. She is only 3yrs but most ppl that meet her or know her have commented on how she seems like a 6 or 7yr old dog! It breaks my heart because I almost agree...her outbursts of play just arent common anymore

 

[gmacleod]

I'm not really sure if it could be her thyroid, after all, the weight seemed to pile on quite 'suddenly' after she was speyed & then worsened with the steroids.

Well, it's possible that the steroids may have had something to do with it. But in that case, one would also have expected her to lose the weight again once they were stopped. There is only one way to know if your dog is hypothyroid (which is common in boxers) and that isn't to guess about it, but to have a doctor test her thyroid function. With more than one sign of that disease present, it's likely to be a better investment in her health than diet kibble will be

 

[BabyGrlTerra]

I think that the steroids had a lot to do with it. I took steroids for 2 weeks and gained 20 pounds in the following weeks! I would still check her thyroid, just to be sure.

 

[TRUBBLE]

Thanks all! I will talk to the Vet & get her checked. Do you know what the method of treatment would be if that was the case?

 

[gmacleod]

I think that's very wise It seems a very likely cause of her problems, and even it if isn't - then at least you know it isn't and can address her problems as having a different cause. And if it is hypothyroidism, then she can be treated (which should resolve both the weight and skin problems). That would take the form of a daily synthetic hormone. The hormone is called levothyroxine, and is a synthetic version of thyroxine which hypothyroid patients aren't producing enough of naturally. There is a small amount about the treatment in the veterinary link I posted for you above. No doubt you'd find more information with an internet search. Don't overlook a forum search here about thyroid issues also - it's quite a common condition in this breed, and you may find quite a few previous threads with useful information in them.

 

[IluvLucy]

If it is thyroid, the treatment isn't bad or expensive. J.C. is low thyroid and takes a small pill twice a day. A 90 day supply of pills costs me about $25.00.