my shitzu snores and is severely overweight...?

Question

My 4 yr old femaile shitzu breathes heavily and snores. She is also severely overweight. She is very particular on what she eats and likes kibbles and bits along with Alpo dog food (with gravy). She only eats once a day.

Answer 1

You are the one that buys her dog food! Geez!
Perhaps you need some prescription food from your vet to help her lose some weight. YOU feed her, it is in YOUR hands! Poor little fat girl...I wonder how she got that way! Talk to your vet, it is very unhealthy for her.

Answer 2

Figure out what weight she ought to be. Get a healthy dog food (not necessarily her favorite). Read the instructions to see how much you should feed a dog at the weight she SHOULD be. Feed her this amount. If she won't eat at first, that is all right, she's overweight. She will not starve. In time, she will eat and she will lose weight in a slow, steady, healthy manner.
Give her plenty of affection if it makes you feel better. Some people feel bad putting their pets on a diet, but it is for their own good.
Also get her some exercise. Take her for walks or play with her. She will enjoy this more as she gets thinner.
(I tried this method on my fat cat, but she just catches mice and eats them, so it doesn't work. But it should work for a shitzu if nobody is giving her extra snacks.)

Answer 3

Most Shitzu's do snore so that is not unusual but being overweight is no better for your dog than it is for yourself. Why are you feeding her kibbles and bits? Isn't that cat food? Dogs shouldn't eat cat food there are things in it that are not for a dogs diet and you should stop feeding it now. The Alpo (with gravy) is also highly fattening, maybe you should put your dog on a diet food like Iam's diet for adult dogs and try walking your dog. Animals needs excercise just like humans and obviusly yours isn't getting any. If you want your pet to live longer you better start making some changes fast, You are in control of what goes in this dogs mouth, Not the dog. So unless you are ready to change the habits you have put on your dog it will just keep getting fatter and more unhealthy until it dies.

Answer 4

As the owner of several shih tzus I can say with certainty that ALL shih tzus snore. Her being overweight, however, is another story. Grocery store dog foods, while meeting the daily requirements needed by most canines, are full of carbohydrates. You may want to look at a dog food such as Evo that is 95% protein. The protein gives the animal more energy and thus they burn more calories and have fewer carbs to convert into fat. If you think about how dogs in a wild setting would eat, you quickly realize you would never see them in a corn field chewing on cobs; they are meat/protein eaters. Two daily walks of at least 30 minutes each will help, too. The combination of a food change combined with increased exercise will permit your dog to drop a couple of pounds over the course of several weeks but don't forget to cut back on the treats and NO people food!

Answer 5

First you have to change the food. That is the doggie equivalent of McDonalds. If you stay with canned food you need to go to a high protein brand. For dry kibble make sure the main ingredient is a meat source and not a grain. Slowly mix this into his favorite food daily adding more each day until he is 100% on the new food. Second, you need to feed twice a day. Balance the calories out. For a dog this size I would say 1/2 cup twice a day would be fine. Toss in some healthy treats throughout the day. And last, exercise him. At least, 1 long walk a day ( more than a mile) at a brisk pace. And at least 1 high energy play session daily. If you have not been playing with him. It may take time time for this behavior to redevelop. Lots of praise a few and a few of his favorite treats will get him into it again. Follow this and your guy will be in shape in not time at all. I raise Jack Russells for racing and this is my typical day for them. Best part, you will get fit in the process. A dog is a great piece of fitness equipment if you use it correctly!

Answer 6

The snoring thing might be just her breed. If she needs to go on a diet, (take her to your vet to make sure she is healthy enough ) your vet will probablly suggest a weight management food, cutting back by 20% (which they won't notice) and giving her two smaller meals a day instead of a big one. Try to fit exercise in a few times a day as well Good luck

Answer 7

I agree with the other answers. Alpo and Kibble and Bits are not a good dog food. Wheat, corn and soy can often cause allergies in dogs (I know...not in your case). Kibbles and Bits has corn syrup (basically sugar) and salt added which is probably why your dog enjoys it so much. It would be like giving your dog junk food like Mc Donalds every meal. Try buying a brand of dog food where meat is the 2nd or 3rd ingredient (dogs are carnivores after all). She might not like the change at first but she won't starve if she misses a few meals. She should get at LEAST 30 minutes of activity a day (walking or active play) to keep her weight down. If you really love your dog and want her to be around as long as possible you need to get her down to a decent weight and give her a quality diet.

Answer 8

First and foremost, go to the vet. Rule out any medical reason for her weight gain.

Second, I would strongly suggest changing her diet to a higher quality food. I know she seems picky, but if you very gradually mix in ever increasing ammounts of the new food with the old, she will not mind the transition. I have had great success with Nature's Variety products. But there are lots of good premium brands out there, California's Natural, Innova, Candidae, Wysong etc ...

I would suggest going with a food that has more meat and fewer grains. Cheaper foods are full of grains which are for the most part, empty calories for dogs. Their diet should be meat based. Don't be scared off by the price per pound for the premium foods, your dog will not need to eat nearly as much of it to feel full. You should really consider joining an online group or forums for the Shi Tzu breed or joining Dogster and hanging out in their Food and Nutrition Forums, you'll find a wealth of information, they may also have groups of shi Tzu owners who can share their experiences with you.

With your vet's approval, start an exercise regimine for your dog. Go for walks, every day. Play more and make her work for those toys.

Answer 9

Exercise her more and certainly change her diet. Kibbles and Bits has a lot of fillers and moist dog food w/gravy is like junk food. Get Ukanuba or Iams for older dogs. They cost more initially but are more econonmical cuz they will eat less. I'm sure after 4 years it will be quite difficult to make the transaction - it's like humans eating fast foods and changing to a healthy, low fat diet. But everyone, if hungry enough, will eventually eat what's available. Maybe you can start off with half & half and then transfer her the better quality dog food. What would you feed a child to keep him/her healthy? Same reasoning.... My kids loved pizza and hamburgers but they only got them once in a while. To keep them healthy I had to make good food choices for them.

Answer 10

If you still want to give your dog some special food get a healthy dry food and you can add vegetables, mine loves Green Beans and corn, my vet said she can have whatever vegetables and fruit she wants, within portion reason, you might also consider dribbling some chicken broth over the food and gradually reduce it until she is used to eating straight dry food. I had an overweight Rat Terrier, and I put her on Iams Weight Control and I feed her twice a day, at the SAME TIME!

Answer 11

She snores because she is fat, same as humans.

She needs to go on a diet.
Get her a good vet food for weight loss, offer it to her twice a day, a measured portion, and if she doesn't eat it, pick it up. Offer again at next meal time.

I PROMISE YOU YOUR DOG WILL NOT STARVE ITSELF!!

If she misses a meal or even two, she will eat the next meal, it won't kill her to go hungry for half a day, but the weight problem will kill her, and soon, if you don't help her.

Be a good owner! Get her healthy so you can love her longer!

My pug was very overweight, he was 28 pounds.
We put him on Science Diet W/D and he LOVED IT!! and lost 10 pounds! He is now 18 pounds and our vet told us we gave him back YEARS on his life.

His snoring is almost non-existent now, just regular for the breed.

GOOD LUCK! DO THE RIGHT THING!