String cheese, green beans, blueberries. A serving (chicken is good) baby food once in a while - make it an event and feed her from the jar with a spoon.

My chunky old dog gets a third of a cup or more of green beans with every meal. She also gets fish, oil and some ground chicken in a layered warm bowl. There's kibble too..

I just cooked up some 95% lean hamburger for my other girl who I believe is may be allergic to chicken.

For some reason, a lot of dogs think green beans are a good treat. Also, does she like to swim? Could someone go into the pool with her to get some extra exercise?

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-have-green-beans/#:~:text=Are%20Green%20Beans%20Safe%20for,dogs%20seem%20to%20love%20them.

Sometimes my chunky girl gets pumpkin and green beans along with her chicken and kibble.

Yes, my little dog loved carrots!! she also loved green beans and i would take a few out before seasoning for her.

As far as treats go, it's usually a piece of meat. They both lost weight when I stopped all packaged treats. I do sometimes have the peanut butter mother hubbard little biscuits though.

I can only do a short sentence at the time here, but my vet prescribed rimadol recently and my senior dog gets one of those every day and that's made her a lot more perky.

We used to give our girl dry food mixed with cooked broccoli,

sweet potato or butternut squash. We top it with a little no salt chicken broth. She adored anything chicken flavored which may be why she liked the veggies. Good luck--there's no love sweeter than that between a senior dog and family.

Our late border collie/retriever mix had the same issues, but never tested off on thyroid. I cut back food, tried canned as a lower carb (worked for a cat before, but no difference we could tell for the dog). She got a lot of green beans, but those tended to be added to her reduced meal to help her feel full. Our vet said they can never eat too many green beans.

Both dogs also loved the baby carrots. Lulu does too. And you can dry thin slices of sweet potato -- most dogs like those as well.

I make poached chicken breast for our dog. One boneless, skinless chicken breast, poached in water. I cut into thin slices and poach.. We then cut into very small cubes for our little dog, he is 14 pounds. You would need to cut larger for a larger dog. We keep enough in the fridge for two to three days. Freeze the remainder on a half sheet and store in freezer in container or ziplock. Just take out what is needed and thaw overnight.

My dogs will never touch a carrot.

I recall a few years ago someone here mentioning green beans, and we used to give her a mix of ~1/4 green beans and 3/4 dry dog food. She liked them. But when my DH took her to the vet, he said they don't provide any real benefit. He said the only thing she should ever be fed is dry dog food, period. So we went back to dry dog food some time ago. Maybe we should talk with him again.

The only treats she has are milk bones, the small ones. She probably gets 1 or 2 a day? That and the (generous) spoonful of our dinner. We try not to give her much else.

She loves to swim in our pond (brrr) but very rarely goes in our swimming pools (and I'd imagine the salt or chlorine would not be good for her). When it gets warmer we could encourage her to go in the pond (we usually discourage it) but with her dense fur she is wet all day, which can cause its own issues.

My dog would get incredibly constipated if that's all she had. Is dry dog food even high quality. I'm not a big fan of kibble but I do use it for convenience. She's also been to the vet twice for constipation..

The green beans are filler and help them to stay full but also provide moisture.

Not an issue here (constipation).

IIRC the vet said green beans were a fad, and that green beans did not provide the same satiety as dog food (much like if you eat a salad instead of chicken you may be hungry), had little nutritional value, and that healthy dogs normally get enough to drink on their own.

Apparently not every vet agrees.

My daughter's dog absolutely adored pumpkin - rind and all (after it was roasted. These were "field" pumpkins sold for Halloween.) He liked other fruits as well, but some will be too high in sugar for a dog.

Green beans are not a significant nutritional source for dogs. It's mainly for low cal satisfaction. Carrots and sweet potatoes have more vitamins, but you can overdo them.

Green beans or carrots would not be of benefit nutritionally, but they are a low calorie treat, if your dog likes them. Our vet approved, even suggested them. i believe she also told us carrots were good for their teeth (its been awhile).

The vet gave us thyroid pills for her which should help.

Does she have a thyroid issue? I thought I read she had no health issues other than arthritis.

I buy Fromm Crunchy O's for treats. Largest bag. Only give one or two a day.

Our Sasha is a tubby 11 year old Tibetan Spaniel. Being older/old, she gets a lot less exercise these days and has put on extra weight because of it (per her vet and DH). But, she still gets hungry at meal time. She hates green beans, and carrots are a no-no because they have more sugar in them than most other veggies. We don’t give her table scraps, either. So, we’ve cut back her (vet recommended) senior dry kibble a bit and have started supplementing it by adding canned mashed pumpkin to it = added bulk+ healthful kibble+no added sugar or fat. Thankfully, it’s starting to work and she’s enjoying it.

Yes, Allison, she has always had an underactive thyroid. I was thinking of health issues that impact longevity.

I think I am going to try green beans again, at least to help her bring her weight down. It doesn't seem as if it can harm. I will give her half a small low-sodium can (and I should have the other half!) I know she didn't like raw carrots (she likes them cooked) but she likes watermelon and I will try raw apple.

Thanks all.

PS I might also make some broth (i know, no onions or garlic) to keep on hand to flavor her food. She seems to like that and it is low cal.

Our goldens have always loved lettuce leaves, too. Crunchy iceberg! And ice cubes.

She has a pretty adventuresome palate, except citrus, including her namesake.

My dogs do not like the green beans in one of them. Flatly refuses to eat them, but I layer them in the bowls with the chicken meat on the bottom, then the green beans, then the kibble and then fish oil drizzled on top. So they must go through the green beans to get to the chicken.

I never had a dog so I don't know what to feed them, but I know you like to bake. How about making some low cal dog treats? Some recipes have all those yummy things already recommended.

Here's one that says it's for weight loss. I would check with my vet first.

http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/dog-weight-loss.html

My dog can eat around things with surgical precision! Like pills, even tiny ones.

My dog has been on a raw diet since 6 months old (she's 16 now), not everyone's cup of tea so won't elaborate.

However, as far as the arthritis, there are a huge number of things you can do to help your dog stay active. Molly has some occasional joint issues, but she continues to walk between 3-5 miles every single day (hilly, steep walks, not just a little stroll) and I believe it is because of all the things we do including:

Regular chiropractic care

Mercola joint support tablets

2 CBD dog treats daily

Occasional laser therapy

When she has a joint flare up and starts limping (maybe once every 6-8 months), we add in some Yucca which acts as a natural steroid.

Feel free to disregard if you already have an arthritis care plan, but these things have had a significant positive impact on Molly.

Her arthritis is new and, according to the vet, still quite mild. No limping, for example. He gave her a joint care chew supplement, and a scrip to reduce inflammation if needed. CBD is an interesting idea.

I used to laugh at a place near me that massages dogs but now I am thinking about it.

My DH is out almost every day, hitting golf balls. She runs after them, and then goes with him when he walks the property to retrieve stray ones. She also likes to chase geese. Since she has had 10 fenced acres, we never got her into formal walks but now is a good time to try. She is pretty amenable.

arggh .. vet just called and she has Lyme disease! Despite getting tick meds very season. DH jokes she will soon need one of those Monday, Tuesday, Wed.... pill dispenser thingies.

@beaglesdoitbetter what kind of CBD dog treats do you give Molly? When you started giving them to her, did they upset her digestive system? TIA

Does she like peanut butter? We smear Jiff peanut butter on his pills and they go down without a crunch. Be sure the brand does not have any fake sugar in it. Some can kill dogs.

This pill is so tiny it's not possible to smear anything on it. It is easy to wrap in a little corner of sliced cheese, but...

We just cut back on the amount of food at mealtimes when our dogs get chubby. Also they never get a whole treat if we are doling out dog treats. They do love carrots and also? Cheerios.

I would put peanut butter on my finger ends. at least three. Poke the pill into finger #2. Offer the finger with only peanut butter, offer the loaded finger, offer the third finger with plain peanut butter. I works for us, maybe it will work for you.

My dog will spit out tiny pills and it doesn't matter what it's wrapped in or smeared with, so I have to hold her mouth shut while I gently stroke underneath her jaw. That helps her to swallow. Sometimes I just crush them.

Two dogs ago, Jane would eat almost anything. She would watch me peel and slice cucumbers, salivating. We got into a routine where I would feed her the peel. She thought it was the best thing ever. From time to time I would give her a slice of cucumber. Our other dogs really didn't care for it or for carrots but I know many dogs do. Cucumber definitely does not have sugar.

And yes, I think it's more the filler or treat for them than actual nutrition. ( like humans having celery).

I regulate by slowly reducing food. Tiny increments at a time until the desired weight.

I gave my golden 2 Cosamine DS tablets for joint sprinkled in her food mixed with water. ( floating like cereal and milk)

She lived to be 151/2.

My present dog is almost 12 and he gets 1 capsule.

It’s the people version from Nutramax. I use it too!

Both dogs are not bigbon water So it's important to add it to kibble.

...vet said green beans were a fad, and that green beans did not provide the same satiety as dog food (much like if you eat a salad instead of chicken you may be hungry),

This is ridiculous advice. Your vet must have no understanding of the role of fiber in satiety or looked at a commercial dog food's ingredient list for the amount of fillers (like, yeah...vegetables) they already contain. In your example, the optimal approach is to eat the salad and the chicken. Whatever you do, don't stop giving her a bit of what you make for dinner. That's a cherished part of her day. We always did that as a family with our dogs after we finished dinner (our dogs never begged as a result--they knew when their time was). If I had made something too spicy, I kept a carton of good bone broth on hand to put in their bowls instead.

The Lyme disease is a new twist about which I know nothing. Regarding her arthritis, be sure to research glucosamine supplements for dogs. They made a noticeable difference in our dogs.

One of my large dogs was notorious for picking out pills hidden in food. She'd seemingly swallow one surrounded by cheese or peanut butter, and as soon as we turned out backs, she'd slyly spit it out in a corner. I finally had to manually open her mouth, pop the pill in the very back of her throat, and massage her neck until she swallowed it. It sounds harsh, but it took all of 3 seconds and was much less stressful for the both of us. She never winced when it was time.

Good luck... I really hope the Lyme disease is treatable. A friend's dog was just diagnosed, but it's only been a few days ago so I'm not sure how she's handling it.

My two will be 13 soon.

Scarlett takes a tiny thyroid pill every morning hidden inside of a cheese flavored ”pill pocket” they are made by ”Greenies”

i actually only use 1/2 pocket . Wish we had known about them when we had our golden

makes pill giving so easy.

She is also carrying extra weight so I switched to feeding canned (Science Diet) mixed with dry for morning feeding and at night I give her shreeded boiled chicken mixed with either

canned low salt carrot coins or french cut string beans . She loves to eat so i try to bulk up her meals with the veggies. They both get walked 2x per day but they are seniors so metabolism isn’t what it once was . Best of luck with your Clementine 🐾

Our dog loves green beans, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, bell peppers and sweet potato so when ever I prepare any of those things for us, I cut some up into small cubes, refigerate them and that's what he gets for treats for as long as they last. Those are the only treats he gets except for the occaisional tiny cube of cheese if I'm cutting some and a dental stick twice a week. He is a master when it comes to avoiding and detecting pills. The only thing that I've found that works without fail is about a tsp. ball of raw ground meat (any kind) with the pill poked in the middle, so whenever I use ground meat, I make 1/2 a dozen tiny meatballs and freeze them for when he needs a pill. Currently the only pills he takes are for anxiety and those are only used for vet or groomer visits.

ETA: I lied. He does have one of those treat balls which we put 5 commerical "1 calorie treats" in usually twice idea. He chases it around the house so I'm sure he burns off theose 5 calories by the time he gets them all out! The ones I buy are Crumps' Naturals Mini Trainers Freeze Dried Beef Liver. This is the treat ball Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball, Medium, Orange- they come in different sizes. I get them both from the A place, Canadian website.

My DD puts small pills for her big old Lab inside sliced hunks of string cheese. He scarfs them right down in one gulp and never knew what happened. He will usually eat avocado also.

She was another who fed her overweight dog green beans and baby carrots as low cal filler. All her dogs (Chessies and now the lab) have eaten just about anything. Our lab was the same and could pick and lick his way around the smallest of things he did not like.

Lyme disease is very easily treated in dogs, as opposed to humans. A pill for 28 days. : )

Many vets seem to promote only commercial dog food, which I think is ridiculous given the poor quality of many brands. I We primarily feed our Lab a dry mix, but occasionally make a batch of a special meal - ground turkey, cooked sweet potato, chopped zucchini, cooked brown rice, frozen peas, chopped carrots and frozen blueberries. But for treats we try to go with low cal stuff as he has a bottomless stomach - small pieces of apple, bell pepper, blueberries, small pieces of cucumber, carrots, zucchini; cherry tomatoes, etc. He definitely enjoys them. Sometimes a bit of lean leftover meat, with the seasoning cut off. For commercial treats - Zukes and Charlee Bear are good - only 3 or 4 kcal each.

Sorry to hear about the Lyme; hope she gets over it quickly. Maybe the Lyme symptoms are what was presenting as arthritis?

And as others have mentioned - Greenies pill pockets are a great way to hide pills - they are very soft and shapeable, so you can pinch off a third or less of one and form it around the pill. We use them for bath incentives, and split up one pill pocket into at least ten little mini pill pocket balls to dole out over bathtime.

Dog Food Advisor is a great reference website. Not paid by manufacturers. They've added treats to their website.

Jumping ahead to say that kibble is typically higher calorie count than wet food. For my IBD dog, we feed 50% kibble just to keep weight on her. Perhaps you should reduce the amount of kibble and/or supplement with wet. Just like us, as older dogs become more sedentary, they need fewer calories <—— advise I don’t follow.

adding photos of my wet and dry Hills I/D as an example

I think we are generally going to follow our vet's advice, but if she seems hungry as we decrease her food, try adding in the green beans, which she liked. I tried an apples snack just now and no dice.

BTW the founders of Blue Mountain are actually family friends, and their food is supposedly quite healthy, but our dog *hates* their food, LOL

I second the Charlee Bear treats. They are small and the dogs just seem to LOVE them. I'm a dog park regular and we give these sometimes and it seems all the dogs are crazy for them. My dog likes the plain original one the best.

charlee bear original treats

Sorry to hear that Clementine has Lyme Disease .. as Beagles says, for a lot of dogs it is not a big deal. However, when my Grace had it, she had a very hard time getting up and was lame for some intervals of time (this is what led to the testing/diagnosis in the ER). It can definitely cause joint swelling and reduced activity. Good news is, the meds kicked in pretty quickly.

When my golden/lab mix started gaining weight at about Clementine's age, I reduced his dog food a small amount (he was on Snake River Salmon and sweet potato) but mostly I cut back on treats-- he loved ice so I used an ice cube for some of the daily treats. I couldn't get away ice for potty treats -- I just broke the little milkbones into 2 pieces.

Really the best thing I did to help maintain Beau's activity and weight was to adopt a second dog. :). I credit Grace for his very long life.

Thanks, Funky. I don't think a second dog is in the cards. I never realized how much a dog complicates the road to an empty nest!

The thing about the Lyme disease, as some have said, is that the Dr. didn't find that until lab results came back today. So once it is cured, we will go back to see if she really has arthritis or whether what they detected was due to Lyme.

Honestly, I thought Lyme disease was almost a non issue now with the pills they take. I never see ticks on her anymore.