What can I do for an overweight German shepherd?

I have a German Shepherd, she is 8 years old. Her back legs aren’t good, and she is extremely over weight. We love her so much, and can’t find the courage to put her down. She’s the family dog, and other than the weight, and bad back legs, she’s in excellent health, the vet told us she was in good health, but he suggested we put her to sleep. What’s best for her?

you could try to make her lose weight by giving her less treats and healthier food.

Dog food bags tell you to feed dogs way too much. I would feed her a lot less food then she will lose weight. This sounds odd and I know I will get thumbs down for this, but you may want to try a vegetarian dog food. It worked for my dog. Our local pet store has three brands of vegetarian food available. You could see what she likes best.I would cut way back on her food. Eating made her fat. Not eating as much will help her lose weight.How much do you feed her? Cut it in half. Carefully measure out he food so you know how much she's getting. And don't feed ANY treats and don't give ANY people food.

Cut down her food by half and even though she will look hungry, in the long run it will help her, because she is obviously not going to be running as much if she is fat. I had to do this to my dog and he is so much happier now. I didn't like not giving him food, especially when I also have a bigger dog and I have to give him massive amounts of food.o just cut everything to half and you will see improvements, it wont hurt the dog at all. My dad used to be a jackeroo and needed a hunting dog and only feed it once a week, but he wanted to keep it trim and in the mind set to hunt, you don't want this, so just give less and if your lifestyle compliments it, more meals of less a day is better and always walk after meal, not before.Hope that makes sense.

So she is in good health other than her back legs which they have wheels for if need be yet your vet wants her put down...um, why? Her weight issue is really just a matter of how much she is eating. Lower her food by 1/2 cup a day and no treats until she is slimmer. You can also try a senior formula food or glucosamine supp. Feed the recommended amount daily or 1/2 cup below recommended amount so she will loose weight. No need to bother with putting a dog down over a weight issue. And avoid the low fat foods...they are a marketing gimmick, nothing more. Edit: no need to go all veggie on the carnivore. She'd be better off going to a dog food with more meat such as orijen, acana, evo, innova, merrick, taste of the wild, etc. www.dogfoodproject.com

I had the exact same issue with my 8 year-old German Shepherd. We’re getting her to eat healthier, and exercise a lot more. She’s such a big dog, and it was a struggle at first, but she finally dropped the pounds and is now happier, and healthier.Take her on walks, jog with her, healthier food, less treats. Good Luck!

Putting her to sleep should be a LAST resort. Your vet should have given you some suggestions on how to help her loose weight. If you give her treats, I would suggest giving her only one or two per day, or even less. As for food, feed her at regular intervals during the day. The dogs in the kennels here, are fed according to the weight chart on the dog food bag, twice a day.If she is able to walk even a small distance, I would suggest taking her on a walk at least once a day for however long she is able.

Feed her less. She most likely isn't very active so she requires fewer calories. Measure the amount of food she gets per day and start giving her 10% LESS. Cut out all treats and other food items except for bits of fruit. Weigh her once a week. Don't let anyone sneak her any food.You didn't say what was wrong with her hind legs. Bad hips can be surgically treated so that the dog can walk comfortably again. Arthritis can be treated with pain medications, or even scraped off, surgically. Slipping kneecaps can be repaired. Vets don't usually suggest putting a dog down unless it is in a great deal of pain and the owner either can't or won't do anything about it. I'm not sure how much weight loss will help.