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Excercise for an older dog?

8 posts, 8 voices

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Participants in this thread:	Dragon Fly kathymcgrady onthewater.3 Delta Tailspin jeanfogle Morghan ivycat
Dragon Fly 21 posts	I married a man with an 8 year old yellow lab. He has been under-excercised and is overweight. When I take him for walks it looks like it is very difficult for him and he just wants to lie down. Are there any indoor activities I can do with him to improve his health?
kathymcgrady 14 posts	Hi, You can visit this link http://dogtime.com/topics/21?breaks=2021_4524&p… to know more about the general rules, where to get exercise, the cost of not getting enough, etc. Hope this helps.
onthewater.3 22 posts	Sounds like he needs some mental stimulation as well as additional exercise. Here is a list of activities to choose from. http://dogtime.com/activities.html incorporate one or two of these activities in his life and he is sure to bounce again!
Delta 19 posts	Obesity in dogs is almost as common as obesity in humans. Fat dogs don’t have the energy or the natural curiosity and playfulness that fit dogs do. With that in mind it might be a good idea to work on your odg’s weight issue first. http://dogtime.com/weight-problems.html
Tailspin Toronto 68 posts	Changing his diet may help too…adding green beans and canned pumpkin to his food will help fill him up with healthy fibre without having to totally reduce his food intake. Also keep in mind that sometimes low energy and excess weight can be indicative of hypothyroidism which is very common in dogs. Work on very gradually increasing his walk times…rest a lot and play with him some..the slow and easy weight loss is safer on everything and the gradual increase in exercise will help keep his joints healthier in the long term. Good luck!
jeanfogle 4 posts	Get him swimming! It is one of the best activities for older overweight dogs!
Jul 9, 2008 3:53pm Morghan 2 posts	have a treat in your pocket so he will follow you
Jul 10, 2008 12:33am ivycat Cincinnati, OH 28 posts	I would take him to the vet and make sure sure that his hips are OK. He may have hip dysplsia and/or arthritis, both are very common in Labs and would make it painful for him to walk and cause him to lay down. If he is really overweight there are several prescription diet dog foods that still allow him to eat the same amount of food that he is gets now. My 8 year old black Lab was overweight and I put him on Science Diet Large breed Lite. I aslo watched the amount of treats he got. It took a year, but he went from 88lbs down to his normal weight of 72lbs. Good luck with getting in getting him back in shape.
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