Dogs weight?

Question

Does any one know a good exercise for dogs, besides walking, and running. My dog is a mini dachshund. She just got fixed in Dec. of last year, after her litter of puppies. She is now weighing in at 161/2 pounds. I have cut out snacks, and only feed her twice daily. I take her for walks, and let her run when I can find an enclosed space for her to do so. Are there any other people with ideas to help me. Thank you in advance for any feed back on this subject. I don't know what else to do witth out starving her completely. Or is it part of getting her fixed, and it just happens that way.

My dog is 31/2 years old. One other problem I should have mentioned is, they have problems with the spine. It is just the breed, she is long and small. So we have to watch what games we can play with her. I don't want to her her spine. I pick her up most times, to put her in bed and stuff. I also paly games like fetch in the house, and she plays with her baby, and the father of the baby. So, I guess your all saying it is mostly diet now. Thank you all again for your help in this.

Another part of my question then this. If being that she is small, and over weight, will too much exercise bother her heart. I don't want to kill her either. I know they have spine problems, that is why I am concerned about it. My friend just lost her dog because of the spine. She went to bed one night, and woke up with the spine severed, but still partialy attached. They had to have her put down, because the vet said there was nothing he could do for her. My other tow are just fine. The dad weighs about 12lbs and the pup is about 91/2 pounds I feed the three in one dish, and I put in 2/3rds of a cup for each dog. When they eat their fill in the morning, I put the dish up and feed the rest at about 5:oo. Then that is all except water. Thank you again for feed back. This is helping me out with ideas.

Answer 1

Dachshunds are prone to weight problems and it's extremely important that you control the weight of this breed because of their physical structure. Because Dachshunds have such long torsos for their short legs to support, they can develop chronic back and spine problems as they age if their weight is not kept under control. So I applaud you for trying to manage your dog's weight. One thing you might want to consider is agility training. Granted a Dachshund is not going to be as agile as say a Border Collie, but there are plenty of other short legged dogs, like Corgis, who participate in agility. You don't have to create a champion competitor to provide your Dachshund with great stimulation and fun on an agility course. Good luck.

Answer 2

Feed her according to what she should weigh. If you walk her daily and keep her calories down she will get to her ideal weight. I had my little Tzu fixed. She did put on a little weight (I admit I was feeding her a little more out of sympathy.) Now I feed her exactly what her 9 pounds should have. 1/2 cup one time a day. A treat maybe 2 times a week and daily walks. She is much perkier since she does weigh 1l pounds anymore. 2 pounds doesn't sound like much but on a small little doggie its alot.

Answer 3

Well occassionally there are medical reasons for excessive weight gain such as hypothyroidism. I guess my questions are, what are you feeding? How much are you feeding in cups)?
I have a VERY active rat terrier mix who is a perfect weight at 13 pounds and he gets 1 cup of food once daily. But my friend has a not so active lab who should weigh 75-80 pounds and actually weighs 109, and she feeds 2 cups/day. I guess the point is not all metabolisms are equal and you may want to consider a prescription diet food or a veterinary consult.
p.s. treats like raw or frozen green beans and raw apples and carrots are good low cal treats for overweight pets.
You can look at the iams site listed below, but it sounds like you already know the facts.
http://www.iams.com/en_US/jhtmls/nutrition/sw_NutritionQuestions_qanswer.jhtml?sc=D&bc=I&li=en_US&pti=PN&qi=346
Good luck!
-a concerned dvm

Answer 4

You didn't say how old she is, but adult dogs generally only need feeding once daily. Especially if weight and/or consistent exercise is a problem! If you have a swimming pool handy, or a pond or lake nearby, she might enjoy a swim since it's summer. She may be prone to weight problems (as many of us are!), especially after having puppies. But watch her, since doxies tend to have back problems. Good luck!

Answer 5

if it is not a medical problem like hypothyroidism (common in dogs) there is a great diet food for pet's made by Hill's called R/D (reducing diet - available through your vet) it works well and fast but you will need to feed your female seperately and controlled amounts. but once the weight is off she can switch to a weight control food but i would still feed her seperately as she probably eats more than her share when fed with the other dogs.

Answer 6

make sure she gets lots of playtime, even when indoors with you.
also, feed her "diet" food for overweight dogs. many brands have a "diet" line. i know at least Iams does.

that's all i can think of to add to what you're already doing. as long as she's getting exercise and a balanced diet i wouldn't stress about it.

take care!

Answer 7

You might want to get her thyroid checked. Underactive thyroid is a frequent cause of unexplained weight gain

Answer 8

my cat actually gained alot of weight after we got her fixed. she ios also less active. try diet food. i feed my cat weight control food. you could do excercises yourself like lifting her up and down as if touchin her toes.
hehe funny.

Answer 9

fetch is a good game of exersising.