Have we found the best dog diet?

Want to help your dog lose weight? We all know we should walk our dogs more and focus on portion control and no scraps from the table, but what if you need more immediate help and have to resort to the "D" word - diet.

While doing my daily blog browse in early January, I came across an article by Christie Keith over at SFGate: Weight loss for dogs: Why most dog owners fail — and how you can succeed

When Sacramento high school teacher Joe Spatafore adopted Jo Jo from NorCal Boxer Rescue, the 6-year-old former stray weighed a healthy 57 pounds. After a few months of the good life, she'd ballooned up to 72 pounds.

It wasn't Jo Jo's weight that sent her owner to the vet, but her constant digestive problems, including vomiting, gas and bad breath. But, unlike many dog owners, when the vet told him she needed to lose some weight, Joe listened. He switched her to a simple diet designed by the veterinarian just for Jo Jo, consisting of some oats, vegetables and meat cooked up in a Crock-Pot once a week, with a few supplements and herbs. The diet takes him only 20 minutes a week to prepare and, as for feeding, he told me, "It doesn't take any longer than feeding the dry, really."

Is it too good to be true? Further in the article... 

If getting the weight off dogs like Jo Jo is easy, why are one-third to one-half of all dogs overweight?

In theory, the cause of canine obesity is very simple. As Marty Becker, DVM and co-author of "Fitness Unleashed: A Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together," says, it's "too much food in the bowl, and not enough miles on the feet." Dogs used to have work to do and got plenty of exercise. "Now," he says, "they're born retired."

I just love that last line - they're born retired. I know a few people like that!

When I read the article, I recognized Joe as a policyholder of ours (no, I don't know all our policyholders off by heart, just a few) so I emailed him for the recipe in the hopes he'd share and here is what he said:

I crock pot up some meat (Beef, chicken, pork roast etc), something different every sat/sunday. I steam a whole batch of frozen veggies like green beens with peas, chard, carrots etc, and rice or instant oatmeal. It takes about 30 minutes a week to prepare, then just scoop out a ladle of each and microwave it to warm it up.

She loves it, and she has lost about 14 pounds over the first 2 months, and is holding steady at 57 lbs. I should go on the same diet! Her eastern med vet gives her supplement herbs to toss in the bowl, and that is it. JoJo looks great, and is very active and happy. She has lost her upset stomach and bad breath as a great side effect.She still gets her treats, but a girl has to have some graham crackers and people snacks too. I hope this helps. It is really easy, and the results have been fabulous. Feel free to pass this on if you wish.

So there you have it. I'd run this diet by your veterinarian to get some recommendations on the amount to feed your dog and the supplements you would need to add and then you are both good to go.

And of course, as a pet lover [and yes, pet insurer], I'm delighted JoJo is back to a healthy weight with sweet breath. We all love that!

If you try this out, please let us know. We'd love before and after pictures too if possible.