fat dog

[steedyeddie]

my dog a norfolf terrier is extremly fat,he has two meals a day plus a few treats,he also has walks down the beach everyday,but he drinks up to 3 pints of water each day ,is this normal?and any idea;s of how to reduce his wieght everyone remarks on him saying he is a big boy!

[terambulan]

How old is the dog? If it drinks excessive amounts of water have a vet look at the dog.

[steedyeddie]

dog is 9 years old but he always drank a lot but lately he drinks more and passes wind quite a lot.

[Ice.Maiden]

Probably three smaller meals a day and NO treats might help. Of course, it depends on what the treaats ARE, and what sort of meals he has. if he always has dry food, that may be the reason for him drinking more, but if it's gone up considerably, let the vet take a quick look.

[welshlibranr]

You really need to take him to see the vet, there are a few probable causes for this problem, but you really need to check it out, your dog may need some treatment, mine did! hope this helps.................welsh

[terambulan]

Excessive water intake sometimes denotes kidney problems. Ask a vet to check the dog before you change the diet.

[steedyeddie]

thanks for the advice i think i better get my check book out

[lankeela]

A nine year old dog normally only needs one meal a day, and you should make the treats low fat, or else give him part of his dinner as treats if you must give him treats.

Definitely get him checked, could be kidney problems or diabetes.

[welshlibranr]

It was diabetes with my dog, but three years later (he's twelve now) he has insulin injections twice daily, and is really healthy and happy, he still enjoys his walks, his medication isn't very expensive, he needs check ups at the vets evey six months minimum, but he's fine, if we hadn't found the probelm when we did, he would have probably died, so get it checked as soon as possible, you do have to wait about 7 - 10 days for test results, so really the sooner the better........welsh

[Kleiber]

Try feeding him once a day. My two only get fed once (in the late afternoon) and are as fit as fiddles! My GSD is 10 years old & she could outrun a pup.