All you can do is keep trying. Try to sit all your family down and descus it, the reason most people give their pets table scraps is because the pet is begging, remove your dog from the eating area or the kithen after a meal, if the dogs not there they cannot feed her. I know exactly how you feel I had to shout at my family that my old dog would die if she was not dieted, in the end we took her to the vet and they told my parents, could you talk your mum or dad into taking the dog. If you have to lie about him/her limping, that way the vet will look at any weight problem and advise your family on what to do. The other thing is if they do give her table scraps cut down on her normal food, do you feed her, if you do it will be easier.

The only reason you cannot walk her in Michigan (and my sister is from MI and I am originally from New England and bitter cold was not uncommon), is because you do not want to get out in the cold. Gear up, get that Polar tec and get walking her! Heck, if my sister can be out in the winter herding and training for various competitions for hours and I used to be out training in Januray with wind chills in the minus digits in Boston for an hour or more, you can take three or four ten minutes brisk walks to help your dog burn calories. But if you really are adverse to the cold… Another option is look for a dog day care and get your dog into it a couple days a week for a few hours. Lots of exercise there. If the dog is deemed morbidly obese by the vet, work closely wi develop a safe diet and exercise program for the dog. A few extra pounds can be easily cared for by the owner but morbid obesity should be worked with closely with the vet. Now, I know the family thing… My inlaws were the cause of quite a bit of chubby older dogs for me! Let them know that fat in dogs is far from healthy… It can lead to many of the same issues in dogs as in humans: Diabetes Heart issues Lung issues Joint problems It also shortens the life span and makes things such as surgery far more complicated. Should your dog develop cancer (and Goldens are a breed considered by many to be higher risk of cancer), surgery is far harder on an obese dog. the risks of death from surgery are far greater. They can give the dog treats but they need to be lower cal and higher fiber: baby carrots, green beens, pumpkin or squash chunks, all these are great treats that will not put on the pounds as general table scraps and standard dog treats will. Put the dog on a senior diet if not already. Cut her daily ration down 1/3 and use brown rice, green beans, squash, etc as fillers. (Avoid onions or garlic, they are toxic in varying amounts based on type to dogs and cats). Several short, brisk walks a day will be better and easier on the joints that a long one for an obese animal. Do not leave food down all day if you are. Feed two or three smaller meals a day. The food goes down for fifteen minutes. If she eats in that time, great. If she choses not to eat or starts and then walks away, then the food comes up and no treats until the next meal. A healthy dog will not starve but you need more control over when and how much she eats than if food is down all day – so if this is how you feed, alter those practices – easier to drop weight when food is carefully monitored. Also, print up health issues for the family and ask them to read it. Failing to manage the dog’s weight can lead to an early death from complications – and we do not want that. best of luck!