Appetite Suppressant For Your Dog

November 24th, 2008 by dsheffler

I know I have discussed appetite suppressants/weight loss pills for dogs in previous posts, but I am now noticing more brands available now than before. This is very important, more research needs to be done to find out if an appetite suppressant is really the most effective way for our pets to lose weight. Is this healthy for them? I am not sold on the idea. I know diet pills can cause health problems in human beings, so I can only imagine what they might do to your pet.

Again, I ask each of you: is this what we’ve come to?  We’re going to give our pets medication to suppress their appetites?  Does that make any sense?  To me, it doesn’t.  It makes perfect sense to put your pet on a diet, feeding her low-fat food, and taking her for walks more often.  I just don’t see medication as a way to solve the problem.  What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading!  As always your participation in comments and discussions are encouraged and greatly appreciated. 




Posted in PetStrong

8 Responses

  1. Kath Hughes

    Our 12 year old boxer is on steroids for a long standing ‘itchy ear’ problem, the downside of this treatment seems to be that he is now always hungry, we feed him twice a day, with a mix of dry food and tinned meat,but he never seems to feel satisfied, can you offer any advice?

  2. dsheffler

    In response to the other comment:

    You may want to have a talk with your veterinarian - ask them if hunger is
    a side-effect of the medicine. If it is a side-effect, you will have to
    monitor what you are feeding your dog and ask your vet if there are any
    alternatives. Maybe you could break up his meal into 3 servings (that way
    he can eat more frequently during the day). While it is very tempting,
    try not to over-feed your dog (or give him excess treats or people food).

    Follow the guidelines on the dog food as to how much you should be feeding
    him. It is possible that he only “thinks” he is hungry (that the steroids are making him feel that way).

    As long as you know that you are feeding him the proper amount every day, you won’t be over-feeding him and he will be getting all the nutrition he needs.

  3. Eileen O'Connor-Barnes

    I found this page by googling dog appetite suppressant. I believe my dog’s situation is somewhat different from the usual. My dog no longer needs to lose weight because he has been on reduced calorie Science Diet (only) for several years. He originally got a weight problem because we used to leave food down all the time for our (very thin) English Setters. This fellow is a Rottweiler/Chow and he just plain ate too much. He is no longer allowed to do that and his weight has improved. My problem is that he is constantly ravenous and it has become a behavior problem. Not only does he push his way into the other dog’s and the cat’s food, but he will eat almost anything- cardboard, paper, plastic wood rawhide, you name it. He miraculously has had no digestive problems but we can’t go on like this. I dare not go back to letting him eat all he wants but I am nearing wits’ end. Any ideas would be appreciated.

  4. Danielle Sheffler

    Eileen,

    First thing is to take your dog to the vet and make sure he does not have any health issues that would be causing his huge appetite. Your vet will also be able to tell you what steps you can take to help your dog control his appetite.

    I am not a vet, so I am unable to make recommendations to you as to the health of your dog. Please keep in touch and let me know what the results are!

    Thanks for reading!
    Danielle

  5. Lorrie

    Eileen - I have the exact same problem as you. My dog is a female golden retriever/lab mix. She became overweight in the same fashion yours did and like your dog, the diet to get her weight back down has resulted in severe behavior problems, right down to the eating “almost anything including cardboard”. She has also destroyed cuboards trying to get past the locks to food. I have to lock her in a kennel if I need to leave the room to use the bathroom. I have been to multiple vets, who found no physiological reasons causing her hunger and were unable to help me other than to recommend I supplement her meals with low calorie fillers like carrots or green beans. This helped her very little. I am now desperate and am going to give some of the appetite suppressant products a try. I am hoping she will feel more comfortable if I can find something that will ease her hunger. If an appetite suppressant can do that for her, they can’t be all bad.

  6. Jan

    My lab has the same problem. Nothing is clinically wrong but she is voraciously hungry. Last night she knocked over a little kid to get to his apple.

  7. bryn

    Hi guys, our lab is mad for food from steriods too. Have you heard of a dog toy called ‘kong’, a lumpy rubber ball with a hole through it, you stuff it tightly with dry food and let him chase it round and chew on it as it slowly drops the odd biscuit for him. keeps him off your case for a bit! hope it helps

  8. bryn

    heres a website showing it

    http://www.kongcompany.com/

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