Word has it that Trouble, a 20-month bone cancer survivor, is the biggest loser! That makes her a winner to us!
She’s fitter than ever thanks to some great diet advice by her vet, Dr. Falgout in Beaumont, Texas. Not only has Trouble lost about ten pounds, she’s done it while on Prednisone. Now that’s amazing!
Trouble’s Mom says:
We are three doses away from finishing a round of prednisone. She is way down on her weight – I’m taking her Friday for a weigh-in, but I’m guessing 10 – 12 lbs.
I’ve started her on Missing Link, and she is getting around amazingly well. We just came in from outside and …she was RUNNING around the yard!
The diet that Dr. Falgout recommended is called the Canine Reducing Diet. Shanna says “It is very easy. I substitute ground turkey because Trouble is allergic to beef – don’t see why you couldn’t use fish or chicken to change it up a bit also.”
Although we were originally concerned about the white rice and carrots in this diet (which convert to sugar in the body and thus, feed cancer cells), Shanna had some great advice about these ingredients.
She said, “I don’t see why any of the diets couldn’t have brown rice substitued for the white – I would think it is equal or better nutritionally. The one Trouble is on doesn’t have rice and I liked that a lot. The carrots I have a little concern about, but at this point it is the lesser of the evils.”
Remember, Tripawds need to be lean in order to thrive. If your Tripawd could stand to lose a few pounds, the Canine Reducing Diet recipe is listed below. There are other free home cooked diet recipes available too.
Remember, always discuss any dietary changes with your vet.
Canine Reducing Diet
- 1/4 lb ground round or other lean beef
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese (uncreamed)
- 2 cups drained canned carrots
- 2 cups drained canned green beans
- 2 teaspoons dicalcium phosphate (health food store or substitute bone meal)
- Balanced supplement which fulfills the canine MDR for all vitamins and trace minerals.
Cook beef in skillet until lightly browned; pour off fat and cool. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Keep covered in the refrigerator. Yield: 1 3/4 lb.
Feeding Guideline:
- 5 lb dog – 1/3 lb food daily
- 10 lb dog – 2/3 lb food daily
- 20 lb dog – 1 lb food daily
- 40 lb dog – 1 3/4 lb food daily
- 60 lb dog – 2 1/2 lb food daily
- 80 lb dog – 3 lb food daily
- 100 lb dog – 3 2/3 lb food daily
Snacking and scavenging should be forbidden during the reducing period.
Please be aware that we are not veterinarians. The information presented here is not meant to be construed as medical advice or guidance, nor should it be substituted for professional veterinary assistance. Always discuss any remedies and treatments you wish to pursue with your veterinarian.
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Awe, there’s my sweetheart! How blessed we have been to have her cancer free for almost 21 months. Getting the weight off has made a difference.
Way to go, Trouble!! Your friends are all behind you!
XOXOXOX
Joyce
Wow, 20 cancer free months, you go girl!!!
Trouble, you look great!
Here’s to a million more.
Shelby, the P.P.
What is uncreamed cottage cheese?
“Uncreamed” is a dry curd cottage cheese. It is a high-protein, sugar-free cheese cheese containing less calories from fat than standard large or small curd cottage cheese. A Google search will reveal plenty of details including this Dry Curd Cottage Cheese description. Hope this helps, thanks for asking.
One more question – what is the best source of the recommended “balanced supplements that fullfill the canine MDR vitamens and minerals” ?
Supplement recommendations vary depending on the breed, age, weight and health condition of any dog. Your questions is really best answered by your vet. Or consider asking in the discussion forums for feedback from others.
We believe Trouble received Missing Link, you’ll find a link for that in the third paragraph above.
I used Missing Link for Trouble. The holistic vet was happy with this choice and she did very well on the diet. Once she was at her goal weight, I simply added larger helpings to maintain her weight.
You can also purchase multi-vitamins from your vet if you prefer.
More questions: How do I know how much my mom’s dog should weigh?
There is discussion about brown rice as opposed to white rice but the recipe doesn’t mention rice as an ingredient. How much rice?
My recommendation is to let the vet tell you what your target weight should be.
There is no rice in the reducing diet, those comments are a bit confusing. I used the diet exactly as it is written, with the exception of the meat source. Trouble was allergic to beef, so I substituted chicken, turkey, or fish.
Just wondering what the difference would be between using canned vs. frozen when it comes to the green beans and carrots….
Freezer Brain? 🙂 Shouldn’t matter if using a high quality flash frozen vegetable. Some dogs may even prefer the beancicle. As far as canned goes, just ensure they have no sodium or other additives/preservatives.
This is very helpful for me right now as we are trying to help our Bullmastiff lose some weight. Thank you!